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A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

exchange

How many times the word 'exchange' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

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A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

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A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

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A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

unaccountable

How many times the word 'unaccountable' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

addressed

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A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

importance

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A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

carnage

How many times the word 'carnage' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

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A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

living

How many times the word 'living' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

senseless

How many times the word 'senseless' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

scoundrel

How many times the word 'scoundrel' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

hoped

How many times the word 'hoped' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

life

How many times the word 'life' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

macabre

How many times the word 'macabre' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

hold

How many times the word 'hold' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

shall

How many times the word 'shall' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

ready

How many times the word 'ready' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

brown

How many times the word 'brown' appears in the text?

A thorough search of the entire castle has failed to reveal them." Barney scowled. He had hoped to place these two conspirators once and for all where they would never again threaten the peace of the throne of Lutha--in hell. For a moment he lay in thought. Then he addressed the officer again. "Leave your force here," he said, "to guard us. Ride, yourself, to Lustadt and inform Prince von der Tann that it is the king's desire that every effort be made to capture these two men. Have them brought to Lustadt immediately they are apprehended. Bring them dead or alive." Again Butzow saluted and prepared to leave the room. "Wait," said Barney. "Convey our greetings to the Princess von der Tann, and inform her that my wound is of small importance, as is also that of the--Mr. Custer. You may go, lieutenant." When they were alone Barney turned toward the king. The other lay upon his side glaring at the American. When he caught the latter's eyes upon him he spoke. "What do you intend doing with me?" he said. "Are you going to keep your word and return my identity?" "I have promised," replied Barney, "and what I promise I always perform." "Then exchange clothing with me at once," cried the king, half rising from his cot. "Not so fast, my friend," rejoined the American. "There are a few trifling details to be arranged before we resume our proper personalities." "Do you realize that you should be hanged for what you have done?" snarled the king. "You assaulted me, stole my clothing, left me here to be shot by Peter, and sat upon my throne in Lustadt while I lay a prisoner condemned to death." "And do you realize," replied Barney, "that by so doing I saved your foolish little throne for you; that I drove the invaders from your dominions; that I have unmasked your enemies, and that I have once again proven to you that the Prince von der Tann is your best friend and most loyal supporter?" "You laid your plebeian hands upon me," cried the king, raising his voice. "You humiliated me, and you shall suffer for it." Barney Custer eyed the king for a long moment before he spoke again. It was difficult to believe that the man was so devoid of gratitude, and so blind as not to see that even the rough treatment that he had received at the American's hands was as nothing by comparison with the service that the American had done him. Apparently Leopold had already forgotten that three times Barney Custer had saved his life in the courtyard below. From the man's demeanor, now that his life was no longer at stake, Barney caught an inkling of what his attitude might be when once again he was returned to the despotic power of his kingship. "It is futile to reason with you," he said. "There is only one way to handle such as you. At present I hold the power to coerce you, and I shall continue to hold that power until I am safely out of your two-by-four kingdom. If you do as I say you shall have your throne back again. If you refuse, why by Heaven you shall never have it. I'll stay king of Lutha myself." "What are your terms?" asked the king. "That Prince Peter of Blentz, Captain Ernst Maenck, and old Von Coblich be tried, convicted, and hanged for high treason," replied the American. "That is easy," said the king. "I should do so anyway immediately I resumed my throne. Now get up and give me my clothes. Take this cot and I will take the bed. None will know of the exchange." "Again you are too fast," answered Barney. "There is another condition." "Well?" "You must promise upon your royal honor that Ludwig, Prince von der Tann, remain chancellor of Lutha during your life or his." "Very well," assented the king. "I promise," and again he half rose from his cot. "Hold on a minute," admonished the American; "there is yet one more condition of which I have not made mention." "What, another?" exclaimed Leopold testily. "How much do you want for returning to me what you have stolen?" "So far I have asked for nothing for myself," replied Barney. "Now I am coming to that part of the agreement. The Princess Emma von der Tann is betrothed to you. She does not love you. She has honored me with her affection, but she will not wed until she has been formally released from her promise to wed Leopold of Lutha. The king must sign such a release and also a sanction of her marriage to Barney Custer, of Beatrice. Do you understand what I want?" The king went livid. He came to his feet beside the cot. For the moment, his wound was forgotten. He tottered toward the impostor. "You scoundrel!" he screamed. "You scoundrel! You have stolen my identity and my throne and now you wish to steal the woman who loves me." "Don't get excited, Leo," warned the American, "and don't talk so loud. The Princess doesn't love you, and you know it as well as I. She will never marry you. If you want your dinky throne back you'll have to do as I desire; that is, sign the release and the sanction. "Now let's don't have any heroics about it. You have the proposition. Now I am going to sleep. In the meantime you may think it over. If the papers are not ready when it comes time for us to leave, and from the way I feel now I rather think I shall be ready to mount a horse by morning, I shall ride back to Lustadt as king of Lutha, and I shall marry her highness into the bargain, and you may go hang! "How the devil you will earn a living with that king job taken away from you I don't know. You're a long way from New York, and in the present state of carnage in Europe I rather doubt that there are many headwaiters jobs open this side of the American metropolis, and I can't for the moment think of anything else at which you would shine--with all due respect to some excellent headwaiters I have known." For some time the king remained silent. He was thinking. He realized that it lay in the power of the American to do precisely what he had threatened to do. No one would doubt his identity. Even Peter of Blentz had not recognized the real king despite Leopold's repeated and hysterical claims. Lieutenant Butzow, the American's best friend, had no more suspected the exchange of identities. Von der Tann, too, must have been deceived. Everyone had been deceived. There was no hope that the people, who really saw so little of their king, would guess the deception that was being played upon them. Leopold groaned. Barney opened his eyes and turned toward him. "What's the matter?" he asked. "I will sign the release and the sanction of her highness' marriage to you," said the king. "Good!" exclaimed the American. "You will then go at once to Brosnov as originally planned. I will return to Lustadt and get her highness, and we will immediately leave Lutha via Brosnov. There you and I will effect a change of raiment, and you will ride back to Lustadt with the small guard that accompanies her highness and me to the frontier." "Why do you not remain in Lustadt?" asked the king. "You could as well be married there as elsewhere." "Because I don't trust your majesty," replied the American. "It must be done precisely as I say or not at all. Are you agreeable?" The king assented with a grumpy nod. "Then get up and write as I dictate," said Barney. Leopold of Lutha did as he was bid. The result was two short, crisply worded documents. At the bottom of each was the signature of Leopold of Lutha. Barney took the two papers and carefully tucked them beneath his pillow. "Now let's sleep," he said. "It is getting late and we both need the rest. In the morning we have long rides ahead of us. Good night." The king did not respond. In a short time Barney was fast asleep. The light still burned. XIV "THE KING'S WILL IS LAW" The Blentz princess frowned down upon the king and impostor impartially from her great gilt frame. It must have been close to midnight that the painting moved--just a fraction of an inch. Then it remained motionless for a time. Again it moved. This time it revealed a narrow crack at its edge. In the crack an eye shone. One of the sleepers moved. He opened his eyes. Stealthily he raised himself on his elbow and gazed at the other across the apartment. He listened intently. The regular breathing of the sleeper proclaimed the soundness of his slumber. Gingerly the man placed one foot upon the floor. The eye glued to the crack at the edge of the great, gilt frame of the Blentz princess remained fastened upon him. He let his other foot slip to the floor beside the first. Carefully he raised himself until he stood erect upon the floor. Then, on tiptoe he started across the room. The eye in the dark followed him. The man reached the side of the sleeper. Bending over he listened intently to the other's breathing. Satisfied that slumber was profound he stepped quickly to a wardrobe in which a soldier had hung the clothing of both the king and the American. He took down the uniform of the former, casting from time to time apprehensive glances toward the sleeper. The latter did not stir, and the other passed to the little dressing-room adjoining. A few minutes later he reentered the apartment fully clothed and wearing the accouterments of Leopold of Lutha. In his hand was a drawn sword. Silently and swiftly he crossed to the side of the sleeping man. The eye at the crack beside the gilded frame pressed closer to the aperture. The sword was raised above the body of the slumberer--its point hovered above his heart. The face of the man who wielded it was hard with firm resolve. His muscles tensed to drive home the blade, but something held his hand. His face paled. His shoulders contracted with a little shudder, and he turned toward the door of the apartment, almost running across the floor in his anxiety to escape. The eye in the dark maintained its unblinking vigilance. With his hand upon the knob a sudden thought stayed the fugitive's flight. He glanced quickly back at the sleeper--he had not moved. Then the man who wore the uniform of the king of Lutha recrossed the apartment to the bed, reached beneath one of the pillows and withdrew two neatly folded official-looking documents. These he placed in the breastpocket of his uniform. A moment later he was walking down the spiral stairway to the main floor of the castle. In the guardroom the troopers of the Royal Horse who were not on guard were stretched in slumber. Only a corporal remained awake. As the man entered the guardroom the corporal glanced up, and as his eyes fell upon the newcomer, he sprang to his feet, saluting. "Turn out the guard!" he cried. "Turn out the guard for his majesty, the king!" The sleeping soldiers, but half awake, scrambled to their feet, their muscles reacting to the command that their brains but half perceived. They snatched their guns from the racks and formed a line behind the corporal. The king raised his fingers to the vizor of his helmet in acknowledgment of their salute. "Saddle up quietly, corporal," he said. "We shall ride to Lustadt tonight." The non-commissioned officer saluted. "And an extra horse for Herr Custer?" he said. The king shook his head. "The man died of his wound about an hour ago," he said. "While you are saddling up I shall arrange with some of the Blentz servants for his burial--now hurry!" The corporal marched his troopers from the guardroom toward the stables. The man in the king's clothes touched a bell which was obviously a servant call. He waited impatiently a reply to his summons, tapping his finger-tips against the sword-scabbard that was belted to his side. At last a sleepy-eyed man responded--a man who had grown gray in the service of Peter of Blentz. At sight of the king he opened his eyes in astonishment, pulled his foretop, and bowed uneasily. "Come closer," whispered the king. The man did so, and the king spoke in his ear earnestly, but in scarce audible tones. The eyes of the listener narrowed to mere slits--of avarice and cunning, cruelly cold and calculating. The speaker searched through the pockets of the king's clothes that covered him. At last he withdrew a roll of bills. The amount must have been a large one, but he did not stop to count it. He held the money under the eyes of the servant. The fellow's claw-like fingers reached for the tempting wealth. He nodded his head affirmatively. "You may trust me, sire," he whispered. The king slipped the money into the other's palm. "And as much more," he said, "when I receive proof that my wishes have been fulfilled." "Thank you, sire," said the servant. The king looked steadily into the other's face before he spoke again. "And if you fail me," he said, "may God have mercy on your soul." Then he wheeled and left the guardroom, walking out into the courtyard where the soldiers were busy saddling their mounts. A few minutes later the party clattered over the drawbridge and down the road toward Blentz and Lustadt. From a window of the apartments of Peter of Blentz a man watched them depart. When they passed across a strip of moonlit road, and he had counted them, he smiled with relief. A moment later he entered a panel beside the huge fireplace in the west wall and disappeared. There he struck a match, found a candle and lighted it. Walking a few steps he came to a figure sleeping upon a pile of clothing. He stooped and shook the sleeper by the shoulder. "Wake up!" he cried in a subdued voice. "Wake up, Prince Peter; I have good news for you." The other opened his eyes, stretched, and at last sat up. "What is it, Maenck?" he asked querulously. "Great news, my prince," replied the other. "While you have been sleeping many things have transpired within the walls of your castle. The king's troopers have departed; but that is a small matter compared with the other. Here, behind the portrait of your great-grandmother, I have listened and watched all night. I opened the secret door a fraction of an inch--just enough to permit me to look into the apartment where the king and the American lay wounded. They had been talking as I opened the door, but after that they ceased--the king falling asleep at once--the American feigning slumber. For a long time I watched, but nothing happened until near midnight. Then the American arose and donned the king's clothes. "He approached Leopold with drawn sword, but when he would have thrust it through the heart of the sleeping man his nerve failed him. Then he stole some papers from the room and left. Just now he has ridden out toward Lustadt with the men of the Royal Horse who captured the castle yesterday." Before Maenck was half-way through his narrative, Peter of Blentz was wide awake and all attention. His eyes glowed with suddenly aroused interest. "Somewhere in this, prince," concluded Maenck, "there must lie the seed of fortune for you and me." Peter nodded. "Yes," he mused, "there must." For a time both men were buried in thought. Suddenly Maenck snapped his fingers. "I have it!" he cried. He bent toward Prince Peter's ear and whispered his plan. When he was done the Blentz prince grasped his hand. "Just the thing, Maenck!" he cried. "Just the thing. Leopold will never again listen to idle gossip directed against our loyalty. If I know him--and who should know him better--he will heap honors upon you, my Maenck; and as for me, he will at least forgive me and take me back into his confidence. Lose no time now, my friend. We are free now to go and come, since the king's soldiers have been withdrawn." In the garden back of the castle an old man was busy digging a hole. It was a long, narrow hole, and, when it was completed, nearly four feet deep. It looked like a grave. When he had finished the old man hobbled to a shed that leaned against the south wall. Here were boards, tools, and a bench. It was the castle workshop. The old man selected a number of rough pine boards. These he measured and sawed, fitted and nailed, working all the balance of the night. By dawn, he had a long, narrow box, just a trifle smaller than the hole he had dug in the garden. The box resembled a crude coffin. When it was quite finished, including a cover, he dragged it out into the garden and set it upon two boards that spanned the hole, so that it rested precisely over the excavation. All these precautions methodically made, he returned to the castle. In a little storeroom he searched for and found an ax. With his thumb he felt of the edge--for an ax it was marvelously sharp. The old fellow grinned and shook his head, as one who appreciates in anticipation the consummation of a good joke. Then he crept noiselessly through the castle's corridors and up the spiral stairway in the north tower. In one hand was the sharp ax. The moment Lieutenant Butzow had reached Lustadt he had gone directly to Prince von der Tann; but the moment his message had been delivered to the chancellor he sought out the chancellor's daughter, to tell her all that had occurred at Blentz. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he said. "He was very quiet. I think all that he has been through has unnerved him. He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast. His majesty conducted himself in a most valiant and generous manner. Wounded, he lay upon his stomach in the courtyard of the castle and defended Mr. Custer, who was, of course, unarmed. The king shot three of Prince Peter's soldiers who were attempting to assassinate Mr. Custer." Emma von der Tann smiled. It was evident that Lieutenant Butzow had not discovered the deception that had been practiced upon him in common with all Lutha--she being the only exception. It seemed incredible that this good friend of the American had not seen in the heroism of the man who wore the king's clothes the attributes and ear-marks of Barney Custer. She glowed with pride at the narration of his heroism, though she suffered with him because of his wound. It was not yet noon when the detachment of the Royal Horse arrived in Lustadt from Blentz. At their head rode one whom all upon the streets of the capital greeted enthusiastically as king. The party rode directly to the royal palace, and the king retired immediately to his apartments. A half hour later an officer of the king's household knocked upon the door of the Princess Emma von der Tann's boudoir. In accord with her summons he entered, saluted respectfully, and handed her a note. It was written upon the personal stationary of Leopold of Lutha. The girl read and reread it. For some time she could not seem to grasp the enormity of the thing that had overwhelmed her--the daring of the action that the message explained. The note was short and to the point, and was signed only with initials. DEAREST EMMA: The king died of his wounds just before midnight. I shall keep the throne. There is no other way. None knows and none must ever know the truth. Your father alone may suspect; but if we are married at once our alliance will cement him and his faction to us. Send word by the bearer that you agree with the wisdom of my plan, and that we may be wed at once--this afternoon, in fact. The people may wonder for a few days at the strange haste, but my answer shall be that I am going to the front with my troops. The son and many of the high officials of the Kaiser have already established the precedent, marrying hurriedly upon the eve of their departure for the front. With every assurance of my undying love, believe me, Yours, B. C. The girl walked slowly across the room to her writing table. The officer stood in respectful silence awaiting the answer that the king had told him to bring. The princess sat down before the carved bit of furniture. Mechanically she drew a piece of note paper from a drawer. Many times she dipped her pen in the ink before she could determine what reply to send. Ages of ingrained royalistic principles were shocked and shattered by the enormity of the thing the man she loved had asked of her, and yet cold reason told her that it was the only way. Lutha would be lost should the truth be known--that the king was dead, for there was no heir of closer blood connection with the royal house than Prince Peter of Blentz, whose great-grandmother had been a Rubinroth princess. Slowly, at last, she wrote as follows: SIRE: The king's will is law. EMMA That was all. Placing the note in an envelope she sealed it and handed it to the officer, who bowed and left the room. A half hour later officers of the Royal Horse were riding through the streets of Lustadt. Some announced to the people upon the streets the coming marriage of the king and princess. Others rode to the houses of the nobility with the king's command that they be present at the ceremony in the old cathedral at four o'clock that afternoon. Never had there been such bustling about the royal palace or in the palaces of the nobles of Lutha. The buzz and hum of excited conversation filled the whole town. That the choice of the king met the approval of his subjects was more than evident. Upon every lip was praise and love of the Princess Emma von der Tann. The future of Lutha seemed assured with a king who could fight joined in marriage to a daughter of the warrior line of Von der Tann. The princess was busy up to the last minute. She had not seen her future husband since his return from Blentz, for he, too, had been busy. Twice he had sent word to her, but on both occasions had regretted that he could not come personally because of the pressure of state matters and the preparations for the ceremony that was to take place in the cathedral in so short a time. At last the hour arrived. The cathedral was filled to overflowing. After the custom of Lutha, the bride had walked alone up the broad center aisle to the foot of the chancel. Guardsmen lining the way on either hand stood rigidly at salute until she stopped at the end of the soft, rose-strewn carpet and turned to await the coming of the king. Presently the doors at the opposite end of the cathedral opened. There was a fanfare of trumpets, and up the center aisle toward the waiting girl walked the royal groom. It seemed ages to the princess since she had seen her lover. Her eyes devoured him as he approached her. She noticed that he limped, and wondered; but for a moment the fact carried no special suggestion to her brain. The people had risen as the king entered. Again, the pieces of the guardsmen had snapped to present; but silence, intense and utter, reigned over the vast assembly. The only movement was the measured stride of the king as he advanced to claim his bride. At the head of each line of guardsmen, nearest the chancel and upon either side of the bridal party, the ranks were formed of commissioned officers. Butzow was among them. He, too, out of the corner of his eye watched the advancing figure. Suddenly he noted the limp, and gave a little involuntary gasp. He looked at the Princess Emma, and saw her eyes suddenly widen with consternation. Slowly at first, and then in a sudden tidal wave of memory, Butzow's story of the fight in the courtyard at Blentz came back to her. "I saw but little of Mr. Custer," he had said. "He was slightly wounded in the left leg. The king was wounded in the breast." But Lieutenant Butzow had not known the true identity of either. The real Leopold it was who had been wounded in the left leg, and the man who was approaching her up the broad cathedral aisle was limping noticeably--and favoring his left leg. The man to whom she was to be married was not Barney Custer--he was Leopold of Lutha! A hundred mad schemes rioted through her brain. The wedding must not go on! But how was she to avert it? The king was within a few paces of her now. There was a smile upon his lips, and in that smile she saw the final confirmation of her fears. When Leopold of Lutha smiled his upper lip curved just a trifle into a shadow of a sneer. It was a trivial characteristic that Barney Custer did not share in common with the king. Half mad with terror, the girl seized upon the only subterfuge which seemed at all likely to succeed. It would, at least, give her a slight reprieve--a little time in which to think, and possibly find an avenue from her predicament. She staggered forward a step, clapped her two hands above her heart, and reeled as though to fall. Butzow, who had been watching her narrowly, sprang forward and caught her in his arms, where she lay limp with closed eyes as though in a dead faint. The king ran forward. The people craned their necks. A sudden burst of exclamations rose throughout the cathedral, and then Lieutenant Butzow, shouldering his way past the chancel, carried the Princess Emma to a little anteroom off the east transept. Behind him walked the king, the bishop, and Prince Ludwig. XV MAENCK BLUNDERS After a hurried breakfast Peter of Blentz and Captain Ernst Maenck left the castle of Blentz. Prince Peter rode north toward the frontier, Austria, and safety, Captain Maenck rode south toward Lustadt. Neither knew that general orders had been issued to soldiery and gendarmerie of Lutha to capture them dead or alive. So Prince Peter rode carelessly; but Captain Maenck, because of the nature of his business and the proximity of enemies about Lustadt, proceeded with circumspection. Prince Peter was arrested at Tafelberg, and, though he stormed and raged and threatened, he was immediately packed off under heavy guard back toward Lustadt. Captain Ernst Maenck was more fortunate. He reached the capital of Lutha in safety, though he had to hide on several occasions from detachments of troops moving toward the north. Once within the city he rode rapidly to the house of a friend. Here he learned that which set him into a fine state of excitement and profanity. The king and the Princess Emma von der Tann were to be wed that very afternoon! It lacked but half an hour to four o'clock. Maenck grabbed his cap and dashed from the house before his astonished friend could ask a single question. He hurried straight toward the cathedral. The king had just arrived, and entered when Maenck came up, breathless. The guard at the doorway did not recognize him. If they had they would have arrested him. Instead they contented themselves with refusing him admission, and when he insisted they threatened him with arrest. To be arrested now would be to ruin his fine plan, so he turned and walked away. At the first cross street he turned up the side of the cathedral. The grounds were walled up on this side, and he sought in vain for entrance. At the rear he discovered a limousine standing in the alley where its chauffeur had left it after depositing his passengers at the front door of the cathedral. The top of the limousine was but a foot or two below the top of the wall. Maenck clambered to the hood of the machine, and from there to the top. A moment later he dropped to the earth inside the cathedral grounds. Before him were many windows. Most of them were too high for him to reach, and the others that he tried at first were securely fastened. Passing around the end of the building, he at last discovered one that was open--it led into the east transept. Maenck crawled through. He was within the building that held the man he sought. He found himself in a small room--evidently a dressing-room. There were two doors leading from it. He approached one and listened. He heard the tones of subdued conversation beyond. Very cautiously he opened the door a crack. He could not believe the good fortune that was revealed before him. On a couch lay the Princess Emma von der Tann. Beside her her father. At the door was Lieutenant Butzow. The bishop and a doctor were talking at the head of the couch. Pacing up and down the room, resplendent in the marriage robes of a king of Lutha, was the man

sanction

How many times the word 'sanction' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

outlets

How many times the word 'outlets' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

earpiece

How many times the word 'earpiece' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

target

How many times the word 'target' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

fuckin

How many times the word 'fuckin' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

ducks

How many times the word 'ducks' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

gone

How many times the word 'gone' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

licatement

How many times the word 'licatement' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

roses

How many times the word 'roses' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

entrance

How many times the word 'entrance' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

hand

How many times the word 'hand' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

aper

How many times the word 'aper' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

side

How many times the word 'side' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

boosters

How many times the word 'boosters' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

jasper

How many times the word 'jasper' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

grenade

How many times the word 'grenade' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

jet

How many times the word 'jet' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

throwing

How many times the word 'throwing' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

armory

How many times the word 'armory' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

corbillard

How many times the word 'corbillard' appears in the text?

AND... HURLS THE MASSIVE PLATE AT THOR. Thor SLIDES and DUCKS under the tail. Jumping up, he throws Mj lnir with all his strength, knocking the HULK head over heels. HULK falls down, hammer in hand. HE tries to lift it, but can't. Mj lnir rests atop his hand. Struggle as he may, HULK wraps his hand around the hammer. The hammer doesn't move. To no avail -- he strains with all his might, SCREAMS from the effort, BELLOWING. Thor jumps up again, KNEEING HULK in the face. Thor grabs his hammer, jumps on him, using the hammer as a lock for his CHOKEHOLD. Hulk tries to pull him off. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury and Agent Hill look over their monitors. NICK FURY We need a full evac on the lower hangar bay. Agent Hill nods. She leaves to exit out, but a SLIDING GRENADE appears. AGENT MARIA HILL GRENADE! The grenade goes off, sending her down the steps. Fury FIRES a shot at the open entrance. He moves over behind the side of the entrance. A handful of Barton's men enter. Watchful, ready, waiting... Fury steps out, his GUN drawn. A SHOOT OUT and HAND-TO-HAND ensues, but Fury is unable to stop one of them, which is why he is shot in the head by Agent Hill, who looks hot and sexy holding her gun. INT. HELICARRIER ARMORY SECTION DAY Agent Coulson walks up the armory door. He places his head into a FACIAL RECOGNITION SCANNER. Walks into the room. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) We got perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Hold on to every junction. INT. HELICARRIER AIRCRAFT PORT DAY HULK CRASHES from under the floor, sending Thor on his ass. HULK grabs him by the neck. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY A gunfight opens up. AGENTS exchange fire with brutally efficient tactical soldiers. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (V.O.) Sir, the HULK and Thor are in shuttle levels 2, 3 and 4! AGENT MARIA HILL Sir, the Hulk will tear this place apart! NICK FURY Get his attention. AGENT MARIA HILL (on her EARPIECE) Escort 606, proceed to 270 MAIN SHUTTLE! Don't get too close. ESCORT 606 PILOT (V.O.) Copy. EXT. SKY DAY ESCORT 606'S jet BANKS to the right, heading towards the shuttle. EXT. OUTSIDE SHUTTLE ESCORT 606 PILOT slowly makes his way in. sees the action going between Thor and the HULK. ESCORT 606 PILOT Target acquired. Target engaged. (pulls the trigger; fires guns at HULK) A SHOWER OF BULLETS SPRAYS THE HULK EVERYWHERE. Thor ducks for cover. The HULK turns around, letting out his PRIMAL ROAR. He jumps up, TAKES A RUNNING START AND LEAPS... ESCORT 606 PILOT LOOKS LIKE HE TOOK A SHIT. ESCORT 606 PILOT TARGET ANGRY! TARGET ANGRY! HULK LANDS ON THE JET'S NOSE. THE JET SPINS WILDLY. As the HULK tears it apart, ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his ejection seat, but HOLD THE FUCKIN' DOOR! THE HULK CATCHES HIM, WAVES HIM AROUND AND THEN THROWS HIM AWAY. ESCORT 606 PILOT pulls his parachute. THE JET EXPLODES. THE HULK PLUMMETS TO EARTH, ROARING HIS SWAN SONG. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN laser cuts a big piece of broken metal. He then JUMPS on it, relieving the rotors. On the other side, BARTON'S men enter the port side. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down, pondering if they are help. Evidently not as they begin SHOOTING at him and throwing grenades. CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps to the other railing and down with Barton's men. He begins to TAKE THEM DOWN, even goes as far as throwing one off. A few more enter, FIRING. CAPTAIN AMERICA grabs a NOVESKE RIFLEWORKS DIPLOMAT (big word for big fuckin' gun) and jumps back up to his position, firing down at them. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY The gunfight has gone down, but more of Barton's men enter and are taken by Fury, who is confused as to why they keep coming. NICK FURY They are not getting through here, so what the hell... Suddenly, Barton LOOSES an arrow down to the bridge and EXPLODES critical spots. Barton releases a multi-tipped arrow towards Fury, but instead hits his command desk, right above a USB OUTLETS. Fury FIRES at Barton, but is already gone. The arrow then self- activates and inserts itself into the outlets, hacking every single monitor and main frame. The hacking causes Engine 1 to shut off. Suddenly, the HELICARRIER begins to DANGEROUSLY TILT to one side. AGENT JASPER SITWELL (O.S.) Sir, we've lost all power in Engine 1. NICK FURY It's Barton. He took out our systems. He's headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER- DAY Still shaken by the HULK ordeal, Natasha sits there, rocking back and forth, after crying for a while. Summoning back all her coolness, she touches her EARPIECE. NATASHA This is Agent Romanoff. I copy. Natasha SPRINGS up and runs for Barton. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN begins to push the rotor using BOOSTERS from his boots. NICK FURY (V.O.) Stark, we're losing altitude. IRON MAN Yeah. Noticed. The rotors start propelling faster and faster as IRON MAN'S BOOSTERS get more and more bright. On the other side, CAPTAIN AMERICA continuously shoots at Barton's men. Blinking at the wrong moment, CAPTAIN AMERICA loses the upper hand and SLIDES off the railing, but grabs onto a LOOSE CABLE. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor runs into the detention section where he finds Loki, escaping. THOR NO! Thor CHARGES at his brother. Loki walks up to him and CROUCHES down to attack. THOR ONLY GOES THROUGH HIM. The false Loki dissipates into nothingness. THE REAL LOKI comes out from behind the cell door, which closes on THOR, locking him up. Loki smiles. LOKI Are you ever not going to fall for that? INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton walks alone down the catwalk. In a lightning fast move, Barton nocks an arrow, and points it at NATASHA. A hand-to-hand fight ensues. Natasha CRAWLS her way around Barton, making Barton to drop his bow, but pulls out a KNIFE on her. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Thor, in a fit of anger, SLAMS MJ LNIR onto the glass cell. To his surprise, the cell door only CRACKS, but violently SHAKES the ship. Loki stands there in caution, as does his GUARDING SOLDIER. LOKI (smiles; walks over to the CONTROL PANEL) The humans think us immortal. Should we test that? Suddenly, GUARDING SOLDIER falls down like a tree. AGENT COULSON stands there, holding PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE. AGENT PHIL COULSON Move away, please. Loki moves away from the switch. AGENT PHIL COULSON You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent THE DESTROYER. Even I don't know what it does. Do you wanna find out? A LOUD GASP. AGENT COULSON IS IMPALED THROUGH THE HEART. THE REAL LOKI STANDS BEHIND COULSON. THOR Nooo! Loki sends Agent Coulson against the wall. Agent Coulson slumps down, breathing fast. Loki makes his way to the control switch. He gives his brother one last look. Thor looks at him, hopeful. Loki opens the HATCH. Thor still hopes. LOKI HITS THE BUTTON AND DROPS THOR OUT OF THE SHIP. INT. LOWER EQUIPMENT ROOM, CARRIER DAY Barton and Natasha continue attacking each other. Natasha KICKBOXES Barton's face. Feeling that, Barton takes a SWING at her, but she grabs his arm, TWISTING it. BARTON WRITHES IN PAIN. Using his other arm, he tosses the knife over and begins to SLASH at Natasha. She dodges every move, but finds herself in a LOCK HOLD with him. As he forces the knife down, she BITES his wrist. Barton lets go of the knife. Natasha WRAPS her legs around his neck, FLIPS him over and arm LOCKS him. She SLAMS his head into a pipes rail. Barton goes down, hard. He looks up her, almost coming to his real senses. BARTON Natasha... Natasha COLDCOCKS him. Barton is out. EXT. SKY Thor, trapped in the glass cage, BOUNCES off the JUMBLING cell pod. As it draws closer to land, Thor tries to swing at glass, but misses. Land draws closer. In a final attempt before crashing, Thor positions himself onto the glass door and LEAPFROGS just as the cage is about to hit the ground. The cell CRASHES into the shore as Thor crashes out into the meadow. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Loki has no remorse as he looks down. He closes the hatch and proceeds to leave. A WEAK VOICE. AGENT PHIL COULSON You're gonna lose. LOKI (TURNING) Am I? AGENT PHIL COULSON It's in your nature. LOKI Your heroes are scattered, your floating fortress falls from the sky...where is my disadvantage? AGENT PHIL COULSON You lack conviction. LOKI I don't think I... AGENT COULSON SHOOTS LOKI WITH HIS PHASE 2 WEAPON PROTOTYPE, CAUSING LOKI TO BE BLOWN THROUGH THE WALL BEHIND HIM. AGENT PHIL COULSON So that's what it does. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Back in the bridge, Fury sees on his VIEWSCREEN that the hatch has been open. Knowing Agent Coulson was sent there, he goes to. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY IRON MAN continuously SPINS Engine 3, giving it all he has. THE ROTORS ARE PROPELLING PROPERLY AND FAST. The HELICARRIER LEVELS itself. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Cap, I need the lever! STEVE (V.O.) I need a minute here! TONY Lever. Now! Tony lets go of the rotors. They spin by themselves. Tony is then caught in one. He is now fucked. IRON MAN slips into the rotors, getting chewed up. EXT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY CAPTAIN AMERICA CLIMBS up the loose cable and reaches the railing. BARTON'S MAN opens fire once more. CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls himself up and finally PULLS the lever. A VENT opens up from Engine 3. IRON MAN falls out, but the suit heavily damaged, hardly keeping him up. IRON MAN heads for Cap. BARTON'S MAN turns his AIM to IRON MAN, who TACKLES him into the wall. IRON MAN rolls over, tired. Cap lets out a sigh of relief. OUTSIDE THE HELICARRIER The carrier that brought Barton and his team now leaves, taking Loki and his scepter. The carrier flies into the distance. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Fury runs in finding Agent Coulson still alive, barely. AGENT PHIL COULSON Sorry, boss. They got rabbited. NICK FURY Just stay awake. EYES ON ME! AGENT PHIL COULSON No. I'm clocked out here. NICK FURY Not an option. AGENT PHIL COULSON It's okay, boss. This was never going to work... if they didn't have something... to... Agent Coulson looks away. Sighs his last breath. Nick Fury looks on grimly at Coulson. The medical team arrives. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY NICK FURY (V.O.) Agent Coulson is down. Agent Hill is being treated for a gash on her head, listens on her headset, standing up. SHIELD AGENT (V.O.) Paramedics are on their way. NICK FURY (V.O.) They're here. INT. HELICARRIER PORT SIDE DAY Steve and Tony listen in as well. NICK FURY (V.O.) They called it. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE LATER Fury gathers Tony and Steve back into the briefing room everyone there has a look as if in a daze. A look of numb shock is shown on their devastated faces. NICK FURY These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. Guess he never did get you to sign them. Fury throws Coulson's CAPTAIN AMERICA TRADING CARDS on the table towards Steve. Steve picks them up, STAINED WITH BLOOD. NICK FURY We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor. I got nothing for you. Lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. (A BEAT) Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though, because I was playing something even riskier. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called THE AVENGERS INITIATIVE. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes. Tony gets up and walks off, not wanting to hear it anymore. NICK FURY Well, it's an old fashioned notion. EXT. MEADOW DAY Thor walks out far into the meadow. He looks down. MJ LNIR. INT. ABANDONED BUILDING DAY Banner wakes up, in human form. He looks around and sees he is IN A PILE OF RUBBLE and looks up at the OPEN CEILING HE CRASHED IN. AND IS COMPLETELY NAKED. A SECURITY GUARD stands there, amazed. SECURITY GUARD You fell out of the sky. BANNER (COMING TO) Did I hurt anybody? SECURITY GUARD There's nobody around here to get hurt. You did scare the hell out of some pigeons though. BANNER Lucky. SECURITY GUARD Or just good aim. You were awake when you fell. BANNER You saw? SECURITY GUARD The whole thing, right through the ceiling. Big and green and buck ass nude. Here... He throws Banner a pair of big pants. Banner pulls on his pants. SECURITY GUARD I didn't think those would fit you until you shrunk down to a regular size fella. BANNER Thank you. A beat. SECURITY GUARD Are you an alien? BANNER What? SECURITY GUARD From outer space, an alien? BANNER No. SECURITY GUARD Well then, son, you've got a condition. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Barton is strapped down. Natasha watches over him as Barton tries to shake off Loki's mind control. NATASHA Clint, you're gonna be alright. CLINT BARTON You know that? Is that what you know? I got...I gotta go in though. I gotta flush him out. NATASHA We don't have that long, it's gonna take time. CLINT BARTON I don't understand. Have you ever had someone take your brain and play? Pull you out and send something else in? Do you know what it's like to be unmade? NATASHA You know that I do. CLINT BARTON Why am I back? How did you get him out? NATASHA Cognitive recalibration. I hit you really hard in the head. CLINT BARTON Thanks. (Natasha unfastens the RESTRAINTS) Tasha, how many agents? NATASHA Don't. Don't do that to yourself, Clint. This is Loki. This is monsters and magic and nothing we were ever trained for. CLINT BARTON Loki, he got away? NATASHA Yeah. I don't suppose you know where? CLINT BARTON I didn't need to know. I didn't ask. He's gonna make his play soon though. Today. NATASHA We gotta stop him. CLINT BARTON Yeah? Who's we? NATASHA I don't know. Whoever's left. CLINT BARTON Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eyesocket, I'd sleep better I suppose. NATASHA Now you sound like you. Natasha sits next to her partner and friend. CLINT BARTON But you don't. You're a spy, not a soldier. Now you want to wade into a war. Why? What did Loki do to you? NATASHA He didn't, I just... (SHE PAUSES) CLINT BARTON Natasha. NATASHA I've been compromised. I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out. INT. HELICARRIER DETENTION SECTION DAY Tony look at the empty cell container. He stands not saying a word. Steve walks in. STEVE Was he married? TONY No. There was a uh...cellist, I think. STEVE I'm sorry. He seemed like a good man. TONY He was an idiot. STEVE Why? For believing? TONY For taking on Loki alone. STEVE He was doing his job. TONY He was out of his league. He should have waited. He should have... STEVE Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony. TONY (WALKS AWAY) Right. How did that work for him? STEVE Is this the first time you've lost a soldier? TONY (turns around sharply) WE ARE NOT SOLDIERS! I am not marching to Fury's fife! STEVE Neither am I! He's got the same blood on his hands as Loki does. Right now we've got to put that aside and get this done. Now Loki needs a power source, if we can put together a list... TONY (looking at the blood stained WALL) He made it personal. STEVE That's not the point. TONY That is the point. That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why? STEVE To tear us apart. TONY He had to conquer his greed, but he knows he has to take us out to win, right? That's what he wants. He wants to beat us and he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience. STEVE Right, I caught his act at Stuttengard. TONY Yeah. That's just a preview, this is opening night. Loki's a full-tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered... (PAUSE) Sonofabitch! EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig works around the CMS device that has already been set- upon the rooftop of Tony's tower. INT. HELICARRIER MEDICAL ROOM DAY Steve walks in full uniform. Natasha looks at him, unprepared. STEVE Time to go. NATASHA Go where? STEVE I'll tell you on the way. Can you fly one of those jets? Barton walks out of the restroom. Looks at Cap. CLINT BARTON I can. Steve looks at Natasha and she nods her head to confirm Barton's on their side. STEVE You got a suit? CLINT BARTON Yeah. STEVE Then suit up. MONTAGE - KRAKAKABOOM! A blinding BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes down from above, colliding on MJ LNIR. The explosion is massive. THE MIGHTY THOR. - CAPTAIN AMERICA pulls on his HELMET and SHIELD. - Tony WELDS his IRON MAN helmet. LIGHT slips down over IRON MAN's eye holes. - BLACK WIDOW attaches a GLOVE GAUNTLET with her rounds on her wrist. A BLUE LIGHT CHARGES. - HAWKEYE slips on his QUIVER of arrows. EXT/INT. QUINJET DAY Cap, Widow and Hawkeye walk towards and into the QUINJET. A YOUNG SHIELD PILOT looks and stands in their way. YOUNG SHIELD PILOT You are not authorized to be here... CAPTAIN AMERICA Son... just don't. INT. HELICARRIER BRIDGE DAY Fury looks the window of the ship, contemplating. Agent Hill walks up to him, knowing. AGENT MARIA HILL Sir. NICK FURY Agent Hill? AGENT MARIA HILL Those cards, they were in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket. NICK FURY They needed the push. (holding Coulson's cards) A LOUD NOISE SCREECHES. Fury looks out to see IRON MAN flying off as well as the QUINJET. NICK FURY They found it. Get our communications back up, whatever you have to do. I want eyes on everything. AGENT MARIA HILL Yes, sir. EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE - STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN arrives at STARK TOWER where Selvig, ACTIVATES the CMS device, holding the Tesseract. JARVIS Sir, I took off the arc reactor. The device is already self-sustained. TONY Shut it down, Dr. Selvig. SELVIG It's too late! It can't stop now. He wants to show us something! A new universe. IRON MAN Okay. IRON MAN aims his hands toward the CMS and FIRES. The energy from his boosters SHATTERS with a deafening CRACK! Selvig falls backwards. DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS OF NEW YORK look up at STARK TOWER. IRON MAN stares in disbelief at the CMS ... unharmed. JARVIS The barrier is pure energy. It's unbreachable. The Mark VII is not ready to be deployed. TONY Skip the spinning rims. We're on the clock. TONY lands his SUIT and goes through the gauntlet and unsuits him. LOKI looks up at him, smiling. They proceed to walk into the penthouse. INT. STARK PENTHOUSE DAY Loki walks in, holding the scepter. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. LOKI Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity. TONY Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you. LOKI You should have left your armor on for that. TONY Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink? LOKI Stalling me won't change anything. TONY No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one. LOKI The CHITAURI are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear? TONY THE AVENGERS. (Loki looks at him, confused) It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. `EARTH'S MIGHTIEST HEROES' type of thing. LOKI Yes, I've met them. TONY (SMILING) Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. TONY (CONT'D) But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them. LOKI That was the plan. TONY Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you. From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on COLANTOTTE BRACELETS, a honing device. LOKI I have an army. TONY We have a HULK. LOKI I thought the beast had wandered off. TONY You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damned well sure we'll avenge it. LOKI (slowly walks up to him; raising the scepter) How will your friends have time for me,when they're so busy fighting you? Loki TAPS Tony on the chest with his scepter. PING! Nothing. Confused, Loki tires again. PING! NOTHING. LOKI It should work. TONY Well, performance issues. You know? In anger, Loki GRABS Tony by the throat and FLINGS him across the room. TONY Jarvis. Anytime now. Loki grabs Tony by the throat again. LOKI You will all fall before me. LOKI THROWS TONY OUT THE WINDOW. Tony FREEFALLS down the tower. From behind Loki, an elevator opens and a RED POD SHOOTS out. The pod LASER SIGNALS the COLANTOTTE BRACELETS on Tony. The POD begins to TRANSFORM into the MARK VII suit. It LATCHES onto Tony. IRON MAN. The suit FLIES up before he hits the ground or the gazing people. Loki looks up, angry. IRON MAN And there's one other person you pissed off! His name was Phil. Loki raises the scepter. IRON MAN FIRES at Loki, sending him on his ass. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Selvig looks up at the sky. The Tesseract's energy BEAMS into the sky. The beam then forms a VORTEX, which then opens up ANOTHER PORTAL. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE A hole in space rips open, and from it, the CHITAURI ARMY SPILLS out in FLYING CHARIOTS, carrying ENERGY RIFLES with a bayonet on the end. INSIDE THE SUIT TONY Right. Army. IRON MAN flies up towards the portal. From his shoulders, a miniature multiple rocket launcher, pops out and FIRES. Like the JERICHO MISSILE, several targets are taken down unlike no missile. It's useless. THOUSANDS OF CHITAURI FLY OUT. IRON MAN flies towards the city. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The CHITAURI UNLEASH. New Yorkers fill the streets, staring at the fire fight in the distance. BOOM!!! The CHITAURI unleashes BLASTS as it goes, blowing up cars, setting storefronts aflame. AN EXPLOSION RIPS OUT THE WINDOWS OF THE TOP CORNER OF BUILDINGS. FLAME AND STONE RAIN DOWN. A DOMINO-EFFECT OF EXPLOSIONS RIPPLING ACROSS THE BRIDGE. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Loki walks onto the balcony as the SOUNDS of the CHITAURI rings out. He admires his soon to be kingdom. THOR LANDS ON THE TOWER. Loki turns to his ENEMY. THOR Loki! Turn off the Tesseract or I'll destroy it! LOKI You can't. There is no stopping it. There is only the war! THOR So be it. Loki and Thor rush at each other. They and their weapons collide. The two battle -- Loki unleashing another pent-up rage and jealousy, Thor having no choice but to defend himself. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY SOLDIERS AND COPS have taken positions covering the streets. They see from the sky, IRON MAN leading a trail of CHITAURI towards his tower. EXT. SKY DAY The QUINJET BOOMS into the city. BLACK WIDOW (V.O.) Stark, we're heading north east. INSIDE THE SUIT IRON MAN What, did you stop for drive-thru? Swing up PARK, I'm gonna lay 'em out for you. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY IRON MAN BANKS around his tower. Sees Thor and Loki still going at it. IRON MAN SWOOPS down the street, causing a CHITAURI to crash. Flying up, IRON MAN puts the following CHITAURI in view of the QUINJET. BLACK WIDOW takes out machine gun and FIRES at the CHITAURI. INSIDE THE SUIT JARVIS Sir, we have more incoming. TONY Fine. Let's keep them occupied. IRON MAN heads back to the portal. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor and Loki battle savagely. Loki fires ENERGY from the scepter, sending Thor sliding across the floor. INT. QUINJET DAY HAWKEYE looks out to his left window, finding a target. HAWKEYE Yeah. BLACK WIDOW See them. HAWKEYE BANKS the jet towards STARK TOWER. Aims the MINIGUN at Loki. Loki AIMS the scepter at the QUINJET and FIRES A BLAST OF ENERGY. Thor gets to his feet, TACKLING Loki down hard. THE QUINJET is soon caught on fire. HAWKEYE maneuvers one wing of the jet. They SPIN and SLOW. DROPPING OUT OF THE AIR AS IT PASSES OVER SKYSCRAPERS. Then... they SLAM into the street. INT. QUINJET DAY With everyone okay, HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW unfasten their seatbelts and open the ramp. CAPTAIN AMERICA runs down, followed by HAWKEYE and BLACK WIDOW. Each one has their respected weapons in hand. EXT. FOUR WAY STREET DAY The TRIO arrives in the middle of a four-way street. Suddenly, the city LURCHES to a stop. A DEEP, PRIMAL RAGE BELLOWS OUT. With that roar, a SHADOW comes over them. EXT. VASTNESS OF SPACE From the portal, a FUCKING CHITAURI LEVIATHAN FLIES OUT! Carrying hundreds of SOLDIERS, the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN PASSES OVER the TRIO. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY They look up, out of their element. From both sides, CHITAURI SOLDIERS CLING OFF and attach themselves to the sides of the buildings, sliding down. Some CRASH into these buildings and begin FIRING from their ENERGY RIFLES at innocent people. CAPTAIN AMERICA Stark, are you seeing this? INSIDE THE SUIT TONY I'm seeing, still working on believing. Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet? CAPTAIN AMERICA (V.O.) Banner? TONY Just keep me posted. Jarvis, find me a soft spot. IRON MAN quietly flies behind and parallel with the CHITAURI LEVIATHAN. EXT. STARK TOWER DAY Thor holds down Loki's face straight ahead, forcing him to watch the city falling to ash. THOR Look at this! Look around you! You think this madness will end with your rule? LOKI (tries to look away) It's too late. It's too late to stopit. THOR No. We can. Together. Loki looks at his brother, showing a sign of hope. Then... Loki stabs Thor with a small knife. Thor keels over. LOKI Sentiment. Thor gets up, KICKS Loki and lifts him into the air. Thor then SLAMS him down, hard. Loki, bleeding, rolls over the edge. Thor looks down. LOKI IS RIDING ON A FLYING CHARIOT. DOZENS of CHITAURI follow his lead. EXT. BRIDGE STREET DAY The TRIO runs behind upside taxis. They look up and see Loki taking his band down the street and FIRES at the street IN A CHAIN OF EXPLOSIONS. SMASHING CARS AND HURLING PEOPLE AS IT GOES IT GOES OFF IN ONE FINAL CONFLAGRATION. TERRIFIED PEOPLE running from Loki, looking over their shoulders, coming straight at us. CAPTAIN AMERICA looks down the bridge. CAPTAIN AMERICA Those people need assistance down there. CHITAURI SOLDIERS that have landed near them and begin FIRING at them. BLACK WIDOW pulls both pistols and FIRES. Turns to Cap. BLACK WIDOW We got this. It's good. Go! CAPTAIN AMERICA (AT HAWKEYE) You think you can hold them off? HAWKEYE Captain. (pulls a trigger on his bow; a narrow is mechanically CHOSEN) It would be my genuine pleasure. HAWKEYE shoots an ARROW into the creature's head, gaining a few seconds for CAPTAIN AMERICA as he falls down the bridge, followed by an EXPLOSION. Cap races over to the plaza, jumping over dozens of EXPLODING cars. THE FIRST AVENGER RUNS LIKE A FUCKING CHEETAH. HAWKEYE runs over a bus full of people. From the windows, SMALL CHILDREN are held by their parents for HAWKEYE to pull them out to safety. He runs over to the jammed door and JERKILY opens it. People begin to run out. BLACK WIDOW empties out her CLIPS. HAWKEYE fires ARROWS into the ranks of the CHITAURI, hitting his mark each time he shoots. BLACK WIDOW Just like BUDAPEST all over again! HAWKEYE You and I remember Budapest verydifferently. EXT. MANHATTAN DAY The COPS continuously fire at the flying chariots. It's pretty pointless. A YOUNG COP runs over to his POLICE SERGEANT. YOUNG COP We need to get out! They gotta bring the National Guard! POLICE SERGEANT National Guard? Does the army know what's happening here? YOUNG COP Do we? CAPTAIN AMERICA jumps in front of them. They look up at this ridiculous looking man. CAPTAIN AMERICA I need men in these buildings. There are people inside that can run into the line of fire. You take them through the basement or through the subway. You keep them off the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. POLICE SERGEANT Why the hell should I take orders from you? Suddenly, an EXPLOSION comes up from behind Cap. An ENERGY BLAST is blocked by his SHIELD. TWO CHITAURI SOLDIERS attack. The cops watch in shock as CAPTAIN AMERICA FIGHTS them off with ease. The Sergeant turns to his officer. POLICE SERGEANT I need men in those buildings, lead the people down and away from the streets. I need a perimeter as far back as 39th. EXT. SKY LINE DAY IRON MAN swerves around a building and faces

heavens

How many times the word 'heavens' appears in the text?

Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

stills

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Above the Law Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS Rev. 04/29/87 (Blue) ABOVE THE LAW Screenplay by STEVEN PRESSFIELD and RONALD SHUSETT and ANDREW DAVIS Story by ANDREW DAVIS and STEVEN SEAGAL FINAL DRAFT March 27, 1987 WARNER BROS. INC. 1987 4000 Warner Boulevard WARNER BROS. INC. Burbank, California 91522 All Rights Reserved ABOVE THE LAW FADE IN: 1 TITLES SEQUENCE - MONTAGE WITH SCORE PHOTOGRAPHIC STILLS show us NICOLA TOSCANI as a city boy in various growing-up SHOTS, circa 1950's -- with street chums wearing a Wyatt Earp T-shirt, in a communion suit. Then: in his first qi, a youngster studying the martial arts; he grows, we see news clippings of him winning trophies, his name on contest posters, SHOTS of him in action. Then: Japan. Nico now in his teens, studying with real masters, being dumped on his butt, posing smiling beside Japanese martial artists, then himself as an instructor. Now: a few military uniforms enter the picture, we see security clearance documents with Nico's picture and name on them. Then Nico near draft age with an American friend NELSON FOX on some kind of training base. TITLES END. DISSOLVE TO: 2 EXT. JUNGLE - DAY Blowing through the roof of a dense jungle straight AT CAMERA, HELICOPTER ROTORS RISE to a DEAFENING PITCH. SUPER: Viet - Cambodian Border, 1972. Jungle foliage whips in the fierce downdraft as -- 3 "HUEY" GUNSHIP with US Army markings becomes discernible. The chopper lowers toward a crude landing zone hacked out of the wilderness. We GLIMPSE Cambodian troops and several machine gun positions around the LZ. 4 EXT. JUNGLE - TWO ARMED AMERICANS - DAY watch from the edge of the landing zone. We recognize Nico and Fox, now in their twenties, dressed in the nonmilitary jungle attire that usually marks a CIA "spook." 5 HELICOPTER touches down. THREE OLDER AMERICANS -- rough-looking, in their mid-thirties, all carrying some kind of medical bags -- disembark into the HOWLING ROTOR BLAST. They hit the ground nimbly, as if they've done it many times before. 6 LEADER OF THREE wears a khaki cowboy hat and packs a pearl-handled .45. 7 NICO AND FOX don't know whether to react with laughter or uneasiness. 2. FOX You ever see chemical interrogation before? Nico's eyes stay on the approaching "cowboy," KURT ZAGON, for whom he plainly feels an instant animosity. NICO These assholes are agency? 8 NICO'S POV FOLLOWS the medical bag in the cowboy's hand. 9 BACK TO FOX AND NICO FOX We're all C.I.A. But these guys are from a page that ain't on the map. 10 EXT. JUNGLE - LATE AFTERNOON Nico in the point, leading Fox and the three CIT (Chemical Interrogation Team) men down an unmarked, twisting trail. We see from Nico's gait that he is athletic, a born leader and totally at home in the jungle. 11 TRAIL - LATE AFTERNOON snakes along a ridge line, high enough to give us a view and let us know these guys are way out in the boonies. ZAGON How long till we're across the border? NICO We've been over for the past hour. The group continues along the ridge. CUT TO: 12 EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT The sky glows from nearby bomb attacks. 13 NICO listening hard -- and even sniffing the air -- glances back at Zagon, who stands impatiently, drawing on a cigarette. ZAGON What are you looking at, hotshot? NICO (indicates cigarette glow) Why don't you light a bonfire? 3. Irritably, Zagon ditches his smoke. ZAGON Just drive the taxi, ace. As the party moves out, Fox flashes Nico a look as if to say, "Don't fuck with these guys." 14 EXT. CAMBODIAN BASE CAMP - NIGHT A pocket-fortified position. Armed Cambodian lookouts, several hooches, radio equipment. Nico leads the party in through the perimeter. Zagon eyes the layout like he's seen 100 of them. Fox indicates a hooch. FOX (to Zagon) They're in there. The three CIT men start for the hooch. Nico casts a concerned glance around at the base camp troops, looking sloppy as hell. NICO I don't trust these yo-yo's. 15 FULL SHOT - BASE CAMP We see Nico moving like a shadow from one defensive position to another, checking the perimeter. We can vaguely hear him ROUSTING the Cambodian lookouts, speaking in dialect. 16 DEFENSIVE POSITION - NICO hears a SOUND, looks back toward the hooch. 17 NICO'S POV - HOOCH Two Asian prisoners, stripped to the waist, babbling in- coherently, are dragged out the back by a pair of Cambodian guards and hustled off into the darkness. VOICES can be heard inside the hooch. A single lantern glowing inside gives the hut a creepy, frightening aspect. 18 BACK TO NICO He's extremely uneasy about what's about to happen inside the hooch. 19 INT. HOOCH - CLOSE ON RICKETY CARD TABLE - NIGHT on which are spread a terrifying array of syringes, drug vials and surgical instruments. Zagon's hand picks up a hypodermic, squirt-tests it. 4. 20 TWO ASIAN PRISONERS are on their knees, shirtless, handcuffed with heavy nylon tape to a stake driven into the ground in the center of the hooch. One of the subordinate CIT men moves in, grabs the first prisoner by the shoulders. Zagon injects the first prisoner. Instantly the man begins shivering, convulsing. Zagon watches with professional satisfaction. ZAGON That's the nice thing about modern technology. You don't have to wait for results. He moves close to the first prisoner. ZAGON (to first prisoner) Where is it, Charley? You got six tons of our shit -- The prisoner tries to speak, but he's in such torment all that comes out is a blood-curdling wail -- 21 EXT. BAST CAMP - NICO hears this horrifying cry. He starts swiftly toward the hooch -- 22 INT. HOOCH - INTERPRETER has moved as close to Zagon and the first prisoner as a fight referee to two boxers. The prisoner is convulsing wildly. Zagon grabs him fiercely by the hair. ZAGON Don't you die on me, fucker -- FOX (from the side) What the hell's wrong? ZAGON (throws the prisoner down) This pussy can't hold his liquor. The first prisoner is plainly in a death spasm. 23 NICO enters at this point. He takes in the scene quickly, moves to a spot beside the entrance. Zagon doesn't look at Nico, but it's plain he is aware of Nico's presence. It is as if he wants to prove something to this muscular kid -- and prove it to the others, too. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 5. 24 FIRST PRISONER dies in agony on the ground. 25 SECOND PRISONER watches with eyes like flint. He is in his mid-forties, scarred, missing several fingers. Probably a colonel or higher, he looks like he's been fighting these round-eyes since the French in the 50's. He is plainly one tough customer. The second prisoner meets Zagon's eyes, as if daring him to use the drugs on him, too. Zagon eyes the prisoner with barely contained hatred. The prisoner doesn't back down an inch. ZAGON (to second prisoner) So my little doctor bag doesn't * scare you, eh? Well I don't need * it to open your yap. * Zagon reaches to a scabbard on his Western belt, pulls out a fearsome serrated blade -- a cross between a bowie knife and a scalpel. He steps toward the prisoner, displaying the blade in the lantern light. 26 NICO watches impassively. ZAGON (O.S.) (to prisoner) Where's our load, you sack of slime? What did you do with my shit? -- 27 ZAGON punches the prisoner full in the face, holding the knife handle in his fist to double the force of the blow and to terrify him with the proximity of the blade. The prisoner crashes sideways, face bloody -- ZAGON I'm gonna teach you good. I'm gonna teach you never to fuck with my opium -- 28 FOX AND TWO CIT MEN seem to know exactly what this is about. 29 NICO didn't know, but the new kid on the block is catching on fast. Nico has difficulty containing his emotion. Zagon stands over the prisoner, as if daring him to get back up. 6. The prisoner gets back to his knees, bloody eyes meeting Zagon's with defiance -- ZAGON (to prisoner) You're a hard nigger, aren't you, boy? You took it from the Chinks... you took it from the French. You'll be fucked if some Yankee peckerwood's gonna start your gums flapping -- Nico watches Zagon move the knife blade closer to the prisoner. ZAGON -- Well, you're gonna chirp for me, tough guy. You're gonna sing like a choir -- Nico takes a step toward Zagon. NICO What the fuck does this have to do with military intelligence? ZAGON Your orders are 'assist and observe' cherry -- Zagon turns to face Nico -- FOX (to Nico) Back off, partner -- Zagon turns from Nico. He moves close to the second prisoner, close as a lover, displaying the blade in the lamplight. ZAGON (to second prisoner) I'm gonna start carving at your ankles. We'll throw your feet in that box right over there. Then I'm gonna take off your arms -- One of the CIT men yanks the prisoner's leg forward, clamping it to the ground with his hands. The prisoner still hasn't flinched. He seems as locked into this dance of death as Zagon. NICO (can't take much more) Fox -- FOX Shut up, Nico. 7. ZAGON You can disappear as easy as this slope, kid -- Zagon starts for the prisoner. Here comes the blade. Suddenly -- Nico grabs Zagon's shoulder. Zagon spins with terrifying quickness, cocking the blade to slash at Nico. Before Zagon's blow even starts, Nico slams him with a ferocious elbow shot right under the jaw. Zagon literally comes off the ground, Nico's blow is so terrific. Zagon drops in an unconscious heap. In a flash the two other CIT men move to jump Nico. Smash! The second CIT man is swallowing his teeth. Fox leaps in the way of the third, shoves Nico out of the hooch -- 30 EXT. HOOCH - NIGHT Fox wrestles Nico away from the hooch -- FOX Are you crazy?!! (as Nico jerks free) What the fuck's the matter with you?!!! Nico is shaking with rage and fear. He takes several steps away from the hooch, then draws up abruptly. Nico pulls his .45 from his holster, pops the safety, starts back for the hooch -- FOX Nico! NICO I don't cap him now, he's gonna do me later. The last CIT man appears, gun drawn, in the hooch doorway. Fox grabs Nico, hauls him back again -- FOX I'll cover this. Get back to the L.Z. -- (as Nico resists) -- I'll fix it! Get out! Get the fuck outa here! The CIT man calls out to the Cambodian troops, in dialect, pointing at Nico. The soldiers start toward Nico, as if to seize him. Fox, too, starts yelling to the troops in dialect, apparently countermanding the orders of the CIT men. The troops, confused, hold up for a moment. FOX (to Nico) I'll call for a chopper... get outa here! ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 8. Nico gives a last look, turns and takes off down the jungle trail. Fox seems abandoned. The DISTANT BOMBING CONTINUES. Nico disappears into the darkness. FADE TO BLACK. FADE IN ON: 31 CHURCH STEEPLE - DAY TILT DOWN to reveal St. Elizabeth's, a huge parish church in an Italian/Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The church looks festive, we see a few formally-dressed people hurrying in, then a squad car pulls up. The cops run upstairs as if they're late -- 32 INT. ST. MARY'S - DAY A baptism in progress. Nico -- 15 years older than when we last saw him, is standing beside SARA, his lovely wife * -- watching a 60-ish priest, FATHER GENARRO, finish the final ritual on Nico's infant son Julian. The priest straightens the baby's baptismal garment, tugging the cloth around the little fellow's crotch. Smiles from friends and relatives clustered proudly around. Several cops, some in uniform are amongst them. Nico grabs his son from Genarro with a theatrical protective motion, tugs up the little boy's garment, kisses him smack on the bare butt. Laughter from all as Nico holds the lad high and proud. He puts his arm around Sara. * 33 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - BACK YARD - DAY Huge trays of Italian delicacies are carried out into the sunlight by several "old country"-type women. Wine is poured from generous carafes. Friends and relatives are everywhere, laughing and enjoying themselves; apparently the party has come here straight from the church. Presents for the new baby are being opened by Nico's wife, Sara, * and Nico's mother, ROSA. SARA * Mama, look at this -- all done by hand. Sara lifts a cute baby outfit. * ROSA Nico had one just like this. Thank you, Cora. Cora, an aunt, proudly smiles. 34 NICO Holding the baby. Realizes that his little son has pooped in his pants. He turns for help to Sara. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 9. NICO I think we got a little problem here. SARA * (winking at the women) I carried him for the last nine months, you take him for the next diaper. Assorted uncles and aunts watch with amusement as Nico tries awkwardly to deal with the problem. NICO (to all) That's what you get for not marrying a Sicilian. Sara lets Nico struggle a moment, then takes over. * SARA * My brave husband. He's not afraid of thieves and muggers, but he's terrified when his son poops in his pants. Toscani relatives look on with approval at the happy couple and their baby. 35 ANOTHER PART OF BACK YARD Three Chicago cops, LUKICH and HENDERSON in plain clothes and LIEUTENANT STROZAH in uniform wolf some Italian goodies while eying the group of celebrating relatives. LUKICH (indicates Nico across the patio) Toscani holds the record... for havin' more relatives under federal indictment than any other cop in Chicago. 36 TWO OF NICO'S UNCLES BRANCA and LUIGI, who look like they have been on the other side of a cop's work, are in turn eying Lukich and Henderson -- plus a cluster of other cops in civvies hovering around the buffet table like vultures. BRANCA Look at these stiff dicks. A free meal and they come out like flies. 37 STREET OUTSIDE NICO'S HOUSE - DAY An unmarked police car pulls up. DOLORES JACKSON ("Jax"), another undercover cop, tall, black, and elegant, enters the driveway leading to Nico's back yard -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10. 38 BACK YARD Jackson enters. She's impeccably dressed and radiates intelligence. She's greeted warmly by Lukich, Henderson, Strozah, and a couple of other cops. STROZAH I didn't do nothing, Counselor. I'm clean. JACKSON Eight more days, Lieutenant. You better start preparing your defense. HENDERSON Baby, I'm gonna put you on retainer. LUKICH You passed the bar? I make it a point never to pass the bar. Jackson sees Nico and Sara across the yard, waves and * starts toward them -- 39 BACK TO BRANCA AND LUIGI Luigi indicates Jackson as she crosses the patio. LUIGI Now this cop. She can bust me any day. 40 NICK, SARA AND ROSA (NICO'S MOTHER) * Jackson comes up, makes a theatrical appreciation of Nico's stylish attire, kisses Sara and greets Nico's mom warmly. * She starts oohing and ahhing over the baby. 41 VARIOUS SHOTS Young kids playing on the lawn, more guests arriving, Father Genarro dancing with an elderly matron. We see that Nico's friends are an electric mix. Cops, art-y types, people of varied ages and professions. 42 BACK TO JACKSON Holding the baby. JACKSON Look at this little bundle. What a cupcake! NICO You give up being the D.A. and hurry up and find the right fella, Jax. You might have time for one of these yourself. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 10A. SARA * Nico, will you let the woman catch her breath? 43 JAPANESE WOMAN (DR. WATANABE) * moves in shyly on the fringe of the cluster. While Jackson and Sara continue their "mom" talk, Nico edges off toward * Watanabe, shaking her hand with real pleasure. * NICO Watanabe! Say hey, Doc. They begin jabbering in Japanese. We will meet Watanabe again later. She's a brainy-looking * woman -- reserved, a bit mysterious -- who talks quietly and * intensely in Japanese with Nico like they're old friends who go back a long way. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 11. * 44 EXT. TOSCANI FRONT PORCH - LATER Branca, Luigi and several other Toscani patriarchs smoke cigars and sip beer in a cluster. Nico holds Julian. BRANCA You're a father now. Are you gonna take me up on my offer? NICO I'm happy, Branca. I like what I do. Branca glances seriously to the other uncles, then, with a smile, pats Nico's cheek. BRANCA Look at this face! Six-foot-four, pretty as the statue of David. And he's a cop! Branca laughs. From a distance, Watanabe watches, missing nothing. Across the porch, Lukich and several other cops observe and try to listen. BRANCA This face should be sticking up from a white shirt. It should be a banker, a businessman, someone who earns a decent living for his family! NICO We're happy. LUIGI Nickels and dimes. Your wife's a woman with class. What did she run -- a ballet school...? NICO An art gallery. BRANCA Same thing. She wants a husband who carries a briefcase, not a shoulder holster. Jackson watches Nico trying to keep his good humor. This is serious stuff, despite the light tone. Branca's eyes meet Nico's. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 12. BRANCA You wanted to get shot, you got shot. You wanted to get knifed, you got knifed. You've had your fun. Basta! Enough! UNCLE GUISEPPE Let your family help you, Nico. NICO (lightly) Uncle Gio, that kind of help I don't need. I'd rather get shot by someone I don't know. Jackson and Lukich crack up. The others follow. For the moment, the tension is dispelled. 45 INT. NICO'S HOUSE - UPSTAIRS - DAY Nico comes out of the bedroom, adjusting his shoulder holster, tugging his jacket over it. He sees his mother standing near the head of the stairs, just outside another bedroom door. Concern on her face. NICO What are you doing in here, Mama? Go join the party... Nico comes down the hall, tucking in his shirt -- stops to give his mother a squeeze. O.S. from the bedroom: the sound of QUIET SOBBING. Nico glances in. 46 INT. NURSERY - DAY * Sara and another woman sit on the bed, comforting a 60-ish * grandmother Zingaro, who is crying. Nico comes in. He kneels before MRS. ZINGARO, concerned. NICO Mrs. Z. (tries to be light) Is this a way to act on the day of my son's baptism? The poor woman can't meet Nico's eyes. SARA * It's Lucy. She's gone again. Nico glances from Sara to Rosa. * Mrs. Zingaro shakes her head, choked with pain. Nico holds her, looking over her shoulder toward Sara. * NICO It's that kid from the bar on Damen? The one with the drugs? ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 13. Sara doesn't know. Nico does. He comforts Mrs. Zingaro * another moment, then stands. NICO Listen to me, Mrs. Z. Are you listening? (as the woman nods miserably) I have to go to work now. But I'll come by tonight. You'll be at the bakery? MRS. ZINGARO Si, Nico. NICO We'll talk, okay? We'll find a way to take care of this. Nico kisses Mrs. Z. He takes Sara's hand in goodbye, * starts for the door. 47 EXT. NICO'S HOUSE - DAY Festivities still in progress. Nico passes through, nodding, thanking people for coming, taking farewells. Jackson waits for him, glancing at her watch. 48 INT. UNMARKED CAR - MOVING Nico is driving. Jackson checks in on the radio. JACKSON (into mike) Unit Ten Tango X-ray. We're up and clear. 49 EXT. VARIOUS STREETS - UNMARKED CAR moves into the central city. 50 POV THROUGH CAR WINDOWS - STREETS - MOVING Bad-looking hombres on stoops, street corners. NICO (O.S.) I promised the Lieutenant, I'm gonna take care of you. Broken windows and lost kittens for your last week. WIDEN SHOT to include Nico and Jackson. JACKSON And then you're gonna come visit me in a nice, clean, air conditioned office -- ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/29/87 14. 51 EXT. STREET - BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * The unmarked car pulls up outside a liquor store and bar. 52 INT. UNMARKED CAR as it parks. Jackson gives Nico a look: "What are we stopping at this dive for"? NICO I gotta take a quick leak. Stay put. He gets out of the car, starts for the bar. 53 INT. BUCKSHOT'S LIQUORS - DAY * Dim, smoke-choked, dangerous characters at the bar. Nico enters. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15. His silk shirt and sport coat clash with the druggy, working- class attire of the bar's denizens. Hard faces check him out subtly, ignore him. Nico approaches the bartender, shows a photograph. The bartender (BAD DUDE) shakes his head. BAD DUDE * Why the fuck don't you assholes * leave me alone? * He continues mouthing off to Nico. Nico moves to one stool, * then another; the same exchange is repeated. 54 FAVOR ONE PARTICULARLY TOUGH CUSTOMER * A hulking bruiser with an earring. He watches as -- 55 NICO approaches him. Three ARMY JACKETS look up sullenly. Beefy arms, tattoos, greasy mustaches. NICO Gentlemen. One Jacket treats him like he doesn't exist, and begins to pick his nose. FIRST ARMY JACKET (to others) I thought this was a kosher bar. They didn't allow no pork in here. The two others snicker, then so does the rest of the bar. Nico holds out a photo of a young girl (Lucy). NICO You seen this girl? SECOND ARMY JACKET I seen the top of her head. NICO That's witty. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 15A. Nico takes a step away, as if moving on to the next stool. From behind the bar, the bartender swings a * sawed-off baseball bat into view. Other bodies move * ominously toward Nico. Suddenly he spins and, in a move * almost too quick to see, he kicks the entire stool right out of its floor socket. Beer bottles fly, bodies crash. Nico slams the First Jacket in the face so hard it looks like his nose has exploded. Blood sprays onto Nico's silk shirt. He hauls the Second Jacket upright, nails him with a shot that crushes three ribs. A savage elbow blasts the third, head over heels, out over the bar and careening into the sink. In three seconds 600 pounds of fat has been put in cold storage. The rest of the bar is on its feet. Four huge men confront Nico. Now five. Six. Seven. Nico's jacket and shirt are ripped, blood spat- tered; his eyes are like an animal's, daring the men -- NICO Come on. Show me something. No one moves. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16. * NICO I get it. It's a gay bar. Is that it? The men, led by the Bad Dude, are shifting to surround Nico. But no one attacks. Nico has Lucy's photo in his hand. He jams it in one man's face, then another's, slap- ping each one violently, spitting, raging for them to attack. NICO You seen the top of her head, huh? Like I seen your mother's -- (to another guy) Or was it yours? (to a third) Or yours? (slaps him fero- ciously) I couldn't tell, it looked like her ass -- Nico rages like a beast. NICO Come on, motherfuckers. Do it. Do it! One man -- Nico lunges for the Bad Dude, grabs him like he's about to tear his face off -- BAD DUDE Upstairs! (in terror) She's upstairs! 4-D! Nico drags the Dude from behind the bar. Holding him, Nico turns, glowering, to all. NICO You cocksuckers are brave enough with 14-year-old girls. 55A INT. FLOPHOUSE HALLWAY Nico throws Bad Dude down the hallway in front of him. 56 INT. FOURTH-FLOOR APARTMENT - DAY The door bursts in from a jackhammer kick. Nico stands in the hallway. Bad Dude stands next to him; hurt, shaking. NICO (to Bad Dude) Get outta here. We look in the apartment. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 16A. REVERSE - NICO'S POV * A young PIMP -- quite handsome in a boyish way -- stares up in panic from a grimy mattress on the floor. Little LUCY is in bra and panties, strung out, 14 and beautiful. Syringes and free-base paraphernalia are on a table. NICO IN DOORWAY * NICO (to Pimp) This ain't your day, kid. Nico comes in, eyes taking in everything. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17. PIMP Wait, man. It ain't like it looks -- Nico grabs the Pimp by the scruff of the neck, lifting him bodily. Lucy starts wailing in horror. Nico smashes the Pimp's face down into a mirror with white powder on the table -- NICO That's two years. He jerks the Pimp back, rips open a drawer. More pills and glacene bags. NICO That's four. (twisting the Pimp's neck toward Lucy) She'll get you eight more. And I'm just warming up -- Lucy is crying hysterically. Nico flings the Pimp, face * bloody, toward the open door. * PIMP (to Nico, indicat- ing drugs) Take it, baby. It's all yours -- NICO Get your clothes on, Lucy. PIMP There's money. Three grand in the mattress... (begging) ... I can get ya more -- QUICK CUTAWAY TO: 57 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE - JACKSON Three young STUDS have ambled to the window of her parked car. STUD Hey, sister, what it be? With infinite boredom, Jackson lifts her badge -- and gun. The Studs shuffle away. 58 INT. HALLWAY - DAY Other tenants stare from doorways as Nico drags the Pimp * to the top of the flight of stairs, threatening to throw * him down. * ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 17A. NICO * Don't you fuckin' move. * Nico steps back into the apartment, hauls out Lucy in * a dressing gown. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 18. 59 TOP OF LANDING * The Pimp is dazed, bloody. Nico comes down with Lucy, hauls the Pimp to his feet -- LUCY Let him alone! He's beautiful! NICO Not when I get through with him. Nico lifts the Pimp by the throat, pins him to the wall. PIMP No, man, wait! I'll give you something! Something big! LUCY Please, Nico! Don't! PIMP It's huge! I swear it! A shipment... coming in next Tuesday -- NICO Shipment, my ass. PIMP This is square! On my mother's soul! You can't send me up -- Nico glances to Lucy. Half of him wants to tear the Pimp apart, the other half doesn't want to make the poor girl's life any more tragic. Besides, he's a good cop -- and maybe this "shipment" is on the level. PIMP I heard it from a hooker friend of mine. She's banging some big coke lawyer, he told her. I swear to Jesus! Nico relents -- a little. NICO What lawyer? PIMP I don't know. (sees Nico doesn't believe him) That platinum chola... Carla DeCarlo... she knows. Nico tightens his grip on the Pimp's throat. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 19. * PIMP She got popped this afternoon. She's downtown. Red dress, lizard shoes -- 60 EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BAR - DAY Jackson looks up from the car to see Nico -- wild-haired, shirt ripped and bloody -- emerging from the adjacent apartment stoop, leading young Lucy, who's tear-streaked, wearing a torn dressing gown. Instantly, Jackson is out of the car, moving to Lucy. JACKSON It's okay, girl. Mama Jax is here. She wraps an arm around Lucy, helps her toward the car. JACKSON (to Nico) That was some leak you took. From the door of the bar, several bloodied heads peek. JACKSON Broken windows and lost pussy cats, huh. Jackson checks out her battered partner. JACKSON You're one crazy bastard, Toscani. Nico opens the rear door, helps Jackson ease Lucy in. NICO We'll get her some clothes and a bath. I'm not bringing her home to her grandmother like this. DISSOLVE TO: 61 OMITTED & 62 63 EXT. ZINGARO BAKERY - DAY From the front seat of Nico's car emerges a tearful Lucy, in fresh clothes and looking miserably contrite. Nico walks her inside. ABOVE THE LAW - Rev. 4/17/87 20. * The Zingaro family is busy preparing for the night's baking. Grandpa and Grandma Zingaro leave their work and receive their waif-like granddaughter. With eyes watering they thank Nico. They disappear upstairs

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Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

sonarman

How many times the word 'sonarman' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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How many times the word 'oh' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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How many times the word 'rip' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

force

How many times the word 'force' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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How many times the word 'fourteen' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

horror

How many times the word 'horror' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

clearance

How many times the word 'clearance' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

redresse

How many times the word 'redresse' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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How many times the word 'sound' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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How many times the word 'dismissed' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

romance

How many times the word 'romance' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

locks

How many times the word 'locks' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

five

How many times the word 'five' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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How many times the word 'attir' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

niner

How many times the word 'niner' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

quarrelled

How many times the word 'quarrelled' appears in the text?

Abyss, The Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS if (window!= top) top.location.href=location.href // --> The Abyss - by James Cameron THE ABYSS AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY JAMES CAMERON August 2, 1988 Director's Revision ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ABYSS OMITTED 1 OMITTED 2 TITLE: THE ABYSS -- ON BLACK, DISSOLVING TO COBALT BLUE EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER -- DAY 3 Blue, deep and featureless, the twilight of five hundred feet down. PROPELLER SOUND. Materializing out of the blue limbo is the enormous but sleek form of an Ohio-class SSBN ballistic missile submarine. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA -- DAY 4 In the attack center, darkened to womb-red, the crew's faces shine with sweat in the glow of their instruments. The SKIPPER and his EXEC crowd around BARNES, the sonarman. CAPTAIN Sixty knots? No way, Barnes... the reds don't have anything that fast. BARNES Checked it twice, skipper. It's a real unique signature. No cavitation, no reactor noise... doesn't even sound like screws. He puts the signal onto a speaker and everyone in the attack room listens to the intruder's acoustic signature, a strange THRUMMING. The captain studies the electronic position board, a graphic representation of the contours of the steep-walled canyon, a symbol for the Montana, and converging with it, an amorphous trace, representing the bogey. CAPTAIN What the hell is it? EXEC I'll tell you what it's not, it's not one of ours. BARNES Sir! Contact changing heading to two-one-four, diving. Speed eighty knots! Eighty knots! EXEC Eighty knots... BARNES Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. FRANK (simultaneously) Still diving, depth nine hundred feet. Port clearance to cliff wall, one hundred fifty feet. Tension builds in the attack room as the Montana surges to intercept the intruder. The exec tensely watches the vector-graphic readout for the side- scan sonar array. The sub is running uncomfortably close to the cliff walls. EXEC (low, to Captain) It's getting tight in here. CAPTAIN We can still give him a haircut. Helm, come right to oh six niner, down five degrees. HELMSMAN Coming right to oh six niner, sir. Down five degrees. NAVIGATOR Port side clearance one hundred twenty feet narrowing to seventy-five. Sir, we have a proximity warning light. EXEC That's too damn close! We've gotta back off. BARNES Range to contact, two hundred. Contact junked to bearing two six oh and accelerated to... one hundred thirty knots, sir! EXEC (really freaked now) Nothing goes one thirty! Suddenly the control room lights dim almost to blackness. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 5 We see only the effect, not the source, as a large diffuse light passes rapidly under the sub's hull. Moments later a shockwave, like an underwater sonic boom, impacts the sub, slamming it sideways. INT. U.S.S. MONTANA 6 The bride crew are knocked off their feet, as the ship is buffeted. EXEC Turbulence! We're in its wake! SIRENS. Everyone shouting at once. The power flickers low. CAPTAIN Helm, all stop! Full right rudder! HELMSMAN All stop. Full right rudder. Hydraulic failure. Planes are not responding, sir! Power returns in time for the sonarman to get a glimpse at the side-scan display... AS THE SHEER CLIFF WALL LOOM BEFORE THEM. HELMSMAN Hydraulics restored, sir. EXT. U.S.S. MONTANA 7 The cliff wall materializes out of the blue limbo off the port bow with nightmarish slow-motion. The sub slams into it with horrific force, scraping along and bouncing off. One tail stabilizer is sheared off and the big screw prangs the wall with an earsplitting K-K-KWANG! INT. PORT TO TORPEDO ROOM 8 With the outer tube-doors torn off, seawater slams in, busting the inner hatches. Two-foot thick columns of water, like fire-hoses of the gods, blast into the room. Everything vanishes instantly in white spray. INT. CONTROL RM/ATTACK CENTER 9 Everyone is hurled off his feet. The planesman flights to recover control of the yoke. CAPTAIN Collision alarm! Collision alarm! Lighten her up, Charlie! NAVIGATOR The torpedo room is flooded, sir! CAPTAIN Blow all tanks! Blow everything! HELMSMAN Passing twelve hundred feet... EXEC Blowing main tanks! HELMSMAN Twelve hundred fifty feet... EXT. MONTANA 10 The great sub is being hauled down by the mass of its flooded bow section, its flanks rushing past us like a freight train headed for Hell. INT. MONTANA CONTROL ROOM 11 The command crew fights futility for control, everyone shouting and terrified. EXEC Main forward tanks ruptured! HELMSMAN Passing thirteen hundred feet... EXEC Too deep to pump auxiliaries! CAPTAIN All back full! All back full! HELMSMAN Answering all back full. Passing thirteen hundred fifty feet... fourteen hundred... fourteen fifty... The Captain locks eyes with the Exec amid the din... CAPTAIN We're losing her. Launch the buoy! The Exec opens the door to a small box and punches a button. A red light comes on. The Captains takes a deep breath. EXT. MONTANA 12 A tiny transmitter is ejected from the sub's hell and begins its long ascent to the surface. A second later the sub slams down like a piledriver onto a ledge, tearing open its pressure hull. INT. MONTANA 13 VARIOUS QUICK CUTS, just flashes and impressions, as... Seawater blasts down the corridors -- Explodes across the control room, hurling men like dolls -- Floods the cavernous missile bay in seconds -- Bursts through hatches into the reactor room -- Blasts men OUT OF FRAME in a micro-second. EXT. OCEAN/UNDERWATER 14 In the cobalt twilight we see the Montana slide down the sea cliff, its hull SCREECHING like the death agonies of some marine dinosaur. Descending in an avalanche of silt, it finally disappears into the blackness below... a blackness which continues almost straight down, 20,000 feet to the bottom of the Cayman Trough. The abyss. EXT. OCEAN SURFACE -- DAY 15 Above, in the world, the Caribbean rolling gray under a stormy sky. The Montana's emergency buoy pops to the surface, transmitting. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN/20 MILES AWAY -- DAY 16 LONG LENS SHOT: three massive Navy Sea King helicopters thundering straight at us, FILLING FRAME. REVERSE, as they barrel OVER CAMERA toward a lone civilian ship... an ugly but very sophisticated deep-sea drilling support ship, the BENTHIC EXPLORER. It is a twin-hulled monstrosity with a central opening in its deck, around which crouch enormous cranes, winches and other arcane equipment. The first Sea King settles onto the helipad, disgorging a contingent of Naval officers, technicians, and a squad of armed seamen. A pantomime in the rotorwash, we see the Benthic Petroleum "company man" KIRKHILL greeting COMMODORE DEMARCO, the on-scene commander. INT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/BRIDGE -- DAY 17 The bridge is state-of-the-art, with computers and sophisticated navigation and communications gear, looking like mission control with its bank of video monitors. The Drilling Operations Supervisor, LELAND MCBRIDE, and BENDIX, the crew chief, watch the invaders swarming the deck below. MCBRIDE Does not look good at all. TIGHT ON VIDEO SCREEN (MINUTES LATER) showing divers working in total blackness around some sort of installation on the bottom of the ocean. They move through the harsh floodlights in dreamlike slow motion, looking like space-suited figures with their helmets and umbilical hoses. DEMARCO (V.O.) No light from the surface. How deep are they? MCBRIDE (V.O.) Seventeen hundred feet. WIDER, showing the Navy contingent crowding the control room. DeMarco is hardcore military, brusque and efficient. Kirkhill is a small man with pinched features, wearing a shirt and tie, which on a drill ship means company man and/or dickhead. DEMARCO I need them to go to over two thousand. KIRKHILL They can do it. (to McBride) Get Brigman on the line. CUT TO: EXT. UNDERWATER -- DAY (TOTAL DARKNESS) 18 1700 FEET BELOW. A submersible oil-drilling platform, DEEPCORE II, an island of light in the vast blackness. Its main framework connects two "tri- modules" consisting of three cylinders each. These contain living and work areas in a pressurized environment. An umbilical cable, thick as a man's thigh, runs up from the oil rig into the darkness, to the Benthic Explorer at the surface. In a bubble-like dome port window we see the rig foreman, or "toolpusher," BUD BRIGMAN. He's talking (via headset) with two divers working outside... 'CATFISH' DE VRIES, AND LEW 'BIRD-DOG' FINLER. BUD Hey, you guys are milking that job. CATFISH (Kentucky drawl) That's cause we love freezin' our butts off out here sooo much, boss. OMITTED 19 INT. DRILL ROOM 20 Bud turns from the window and crosses the drill floor. The working heart of the rig. THUNDEROUS MECHANICAL ROAR. The drill crew, in hardhats and mud- plastered overalls, tend the massive spinning turn-table in the center of the chamber. The semi-automated system requires only five men to operate. The others are LUPTON MCWHIRTER, DWIGHT PERRY, JAMMER WILLIS, and TOMMY RAY DIETZ. Bud hears his names called above the din by Jammer, a massive roughneck/diver who stands a good head taller than the rest. JAMMER (yelling) Bud! Hippy's on the bitch-box. It's a call from topside. That new company man. BUD Kirkhill? That guy doesn't know his butt from a rathole. Hey, Perry! One of the roustabouts, a wiry Texan, turns to him. BUD Do me a favor and square away the mud hose and those cable slings. This place is starting to look like my apartment. Perry chuckles and sets to the task cheerfully. Bud EXITS, ducking his head through a low watertight hatch. INT. CORRIDOR/TOOLPUSHER'S OFFICE 21 Bud tromps down the narrow corridor, his work boots gonging on steel. P.A. (HIPPY'S VOICE) BUD, PICK UP THE TOPSIDE LINE URGENT. BUD I'm coming. Keep your pantyhose on. He enters his office, a tiny cubicle with stacks of paperwork, dust- gathering tech manuals and waterstained Penthouse fold-outs. He picks up the phone... punches down a line. BUD Brigman here. Kirkhill? What's going on? (pause) I am calm. I'm a calm person. Is there some reason why I shouldn't be calm? HOLD ON Bud's expression, darkening, as he listens. INT. CORRIDOR/CONTROL MODULE 22 The control module is a long narrow cabin like the inside of a Winnebago, packed with instrumentation. At the end is a small bay with multiple viewports. Outside, at a 'Christmas tree' pipe installation, a lone diver can be seen welding. He is accompanied by a large submersible, FLATBED, and by a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, call LITTLE GEEK. Little Geek is an underwater robot which operated on the end of a cable-like control TETHER. It has a single video 'eye' in front, by which the operator pilots the little machine. The rig's ROV pilots is ALLEN 'HIPPY' CARNES, who stands by the window twiddling his joysticks and drinking coffee. His pet white rat, BEANY, crawls contentedly around his shoulders. The door BANGS OPEN. Hippy jumps, slops his coffee. Bud strides in. Not calm. BUD Son of a bitch. He kicks a chair out of the way and slams his palm down on a switch marked DIVER RECALL. A SIREN, blasting through the water from a big hydrophone loudspeaker. BUD All divers. Drop what you're doing. Everybody out of the pool. EXT. DEEPCORE/CHRISTMAS TREE A22 Flatbed's pilot, LISA 'ONE NIGHT' STANDING, can be clearly seen behind a bubble canopy. She is a no-nonsense lady who holds her own in the mostly male environment by being one of the best submersible drivers in the business. She controls a hydraulic manipulator arm, assisting the diver, ARLISS 'SONNY' DAWSON, in his work. Little Geek hovers around them like a tiny helicopter. One Night moves the Flatbed arm to Sonny and hands him the pipe. ONE NIGHT Here you go, hon'. SONNY Just in time, sugar. They react to Bud's recall, looking toward him up in the control module. ONE NIGHT Dammit, we just got out here. SONNY There was a time when I would have asked why. One Night makes a grab for his butt with the manipulator claw, which he narrowly avoids. CUT TO: EXT. DEEPCORE/UNDER SUB-BAY 23 Flatbed moves underneath the rig, a few feet above the seafloor, with Sonny riding on its top deck. It passes under a lit opening and rises toward the surface of the water in the chamber above. Little Geek follows like an obedient dog. INT. SUB-BAY/MOONPOOL 24 The opening is called the moonpool, and Deepcore's submersibles are launched through it. From inside the sub-bay it looks just like a swimming pool. Flatbed surfaces, nearly filling it. The chamber also contains CAB ONE, a similar submersible. Jammer, Perry, and some of the other drill-room boys are helping the divers out of the water. The water at this depth is only about six degrees above freezing, and these folks are cold and prune- fingered. Finler pulls off his demand-helmet, revealing a round, boyish face. FINLER What's goin' on? How come we got recalled? SONNY Hell is I know. One Night jumps 'ashore' from Flatbed's broad deck and joins them. Catfish is unzipping his bulky dry-suit. CATFISH Just follow standard procedure, will ya... flog the dog till somebody tells us what's happening. JAMMER Hey, Catfish, I'll sell you my October Penthouse for twenty bucks. ONE NIGHT Save you money, darlin'... the pages are all stuck together by now. Bud enters, approaching the group. JAMMER What's goin' on, Boss? BUD Folks, I've just been told to shut down the hole and prepare to move the rig. SONNY She-hit. BUD We're being asked to cooperate in a matter of national security. Now you know exactly as much as I do. So just get your gear off and get up to control. There's some kind of briefing in ten minutes. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE 25 The whole rig crew is somehow jammed into the room for the video briefing. DeMarco is on the main monitor, with his aides and Kirkhill visible b.g. DEMARCO At 09:22 local time this morning, an American nuclear submarine, the USS Montana, with 156 men aboard, went down 22 miles from here. There has been no contact with the sub since then. The cause of the incident is not known. PAN AROUND the reactions of the various drill crew members... shocked, hushed, curious. DEMARCO Your company has authorized the Navy's use of this facility for a rescue operation. The code name is Operation Salvor. ONE NIGHT You want us to search for the sub? DEMARCO No. We know where it is. But she's in 2000 feet of water and we can't reach her. We need divers to enter the sub and search for survivors, if any. Bud's scowl has been deepening since DeMarco started to talk. BUD Don't you guys have your own stuff for this type of thing? DEMARCO By the time we get our rescue submersible here the storm front will be right on us. But you can get your rig in under the storm and be on- site in fifteen hours. That makes you our best option right now. Hippy, born suspicious and recently graduated to paranoid, leans forward... HIPPY Why should we risk our butts on a job like this? KIRKHILL I have been authorized to offer you all special- duty bonuses equivalent to three times normal dive pay. CATFISH Hell, for triple time I'd crawl through razor blades and shower off with lime juice. FINLER I'm here to tell ya', you could set me on fire and call me names. BUD Look, I don't know what kind of a deal you guys worked out with the company, but my people are not qualified for this... they're oil workers. DEMARCO A four-man SEAL team will transfer down to you to supervise the operation. BUD You can send down whoever you like, but I'm the toolpusher on this rig, and when it comes to the safety of these people, there's me... then there's God. Understand? If things get dicey, I'm pulling the plug. KIRKHILL I think we're all on the same wavelength, Brigman. Now let's get the wellhead uncoupled, shall we? CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/COMMAND MODULE AND CORRIDOR 26 Bud stands beside the hatchway as the others file out toward their tasks. They comment gravely as they pass... JAMMER When Lindsey finds out about this, it's not gonna be a pretty sight. ONE NIGHT They're going to have to shoot her with a tranquilizer gun. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN -- DAY 27 A single Navy Sea King churns through the rain under massive thunderheads. The sea below is whipped by the storm. INT./EXT. SEA KING 28 PANNING ALONG BOOTED FEET, four pairs of black military size twelves line up, onto... a pair of Charles Jourdans fives under shapely ankles. WIDER, revealing the four-man team of Navy SEALs. And a slender woman in her early thirties. She's attractive, if a bit hardened, dressed conservatively in a skirt and jacket. Meet LINDSEY. Project Engineer for Deepcore. She's a pain in the ass, but you'll like her. Eventually. She's holding on grimly, sitting crammed in with the SEALs and a bunch of gear, getting tossed around by the storm. The SEALs are dressed alike in black fatigues. They are muscular, finely-tuned and extremely dangerous special-forces types. The leader of the SEAL team, LIEUTENANT COFFEY, makes his way forward to the cockpit. The pilot is white-knuckling his stick, trying to hold the great beast of a helicopter in position. Through the windshield, the deck of the Benthic Explorer can be seen below, pitching in a violent sea. PILOT No way I'm putting her down. I shouldn't even be flying in this shit. COFFEY (cool) Just hold it over the deck. Coffey goes back to the crew deck, moving easily in the bucking craft. He nods to the others SEALs, MONK, WILHITE, and SCHOENICK. In the open side door, Wilhite clips a 100 foot nylon rope to the airframe and throws out the coil. One by one the shoulder the gear-bags, grab the rope, and step out. Lindsey stands swaying in the chopper door, watching the SEALs fast-roping to the deck. One, two, three. Coffey looks at her. COFFEY You want to be on that ship, there's only one way it's going to happen. He's sure she won't go for it. It's his certainty that gets her. She sets her jaw. Opening her purse she takes out a small plastic bag, puts her shoes and purse in the bag, and grips the bag in her teeth. Then grabs the rope and slides down. EXT. BENTHIC EXPLORER/HELIPAD 29 Swinging wildly in the wind like a human pendulum, Lindsey fast-ropes forty feet to the deck. She steps away an instant before Coffey hits behind her. Lindsey crosses the rainswept deck with athletic strides. Her nylons are ruined. An air-crewman in the chopper lowers two additional equipment cases using the rescue sling. The SEALs catch them as they swing radically across the deck. They Navy chopper banks and seems to scurry away before the mounting storm. CUT TO: EXT. OCEAN BOTTOM 30 BLACKNESS. Then shafts of light become visible, above a ridge of rock. Flatbed appears, trailing two heavy two cables. Behind it, the mass of Deepcore emerges from the darkness, its forward lighting array blazing. Flatbed is towing it like a tug, aided by Deepcore's own mighty stern thrusters. INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 31 Bud, his feet propped up, uses joystick controls to 'fly' Deepcore, maneuvering against currents and around seafloor obstacles. He is guided by the side-scan sonar display, with Hippy assisting in the sonar shack. Through the front viewport, Flatbed can be seen out ahead. McBride appears on the bridge monitor, holding a sheet of weather-fax. MCBRIDE (on screen) Well, it's official, sportsfans. They're calling it Hurricane Frederick, and it's going to be making our lives real interesting in a few hours. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE -- DAY 32 Bud responds via video. BUD Fred, huh? I don't know. Hurricanes should be named after women. McBride looks up as the bridge door opens. Lindsey enters in a blast of wind, wet as a wharf rat and twice as pissed off. Maybe Bud is right. CUT TO: INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 33 Bud is surprised to see Lindsey's face appear on the monitor screen. LINDSEY I can't believe you let them do this! BUD (unpreturbed, almost cheerful) Hi, Lins. I thought you were in Houston. LINDSEY I was, but I managed to bum a ride on the last flight out here. Only here isn't where I left it, is it, Bud? BUD Wasn't up to me. LINDSEY We were that close to proving a submersible drilling platform could work. We had over seven thousand feet of hole down for Chrissake. I can't believe you let them grab my rig! BUD Your rig? LINDSEY My rig. I designed the damn thing. BUD Yup, a Benthic Petroleum paid for it. So as long as they're hold the pink slip, I go where they tell me. LINDSEY You wimp. I had a lot riding on this. They bought you... more like least rented you cheap-- BUD I'm switching off now. LINDSEY Virgil, you wiener! You never could stand up to fight. You-- Bud hits the switch and the screen goes dead. BUD Bye. Hippy looks over him, trying very hard not to crack up. HIPPY Virgil? BUD God, I hate that bitch. HIPPY Yeah, well you never should have married her then. Bud nods fatalistically. CUT TO: EXT. EXPLORER DECK/LAUNCH WELL 34 Ten foot waves crash through the launch-well, sending up geysers of spray. Next to the launch-well, crewman have attached a lifting cable to CAB THREE, eighteen feet of ugly yellow submersible. It slams violently in its steel cradle as the drill-ship rolls. Coffey and Schoenick hand the gear bags in to Wilhite and Monk though the hatch under the rear of the submersible. Lindsey approaches, wearing a borrowed roustabout's coverall. She looks down at the larger of the two equipment cases brought by the SEALs, lying on the deck. Stenciled on it are the words: F.B.S./DEEP SUIT/MARK IV. Coffey and Schoenick push past her to pick it up. LINDSEY Let's go, gentlemen! We either launch now or we don't launch. Coffey looks up in surprise as she nimbly climbs the side of Cab Three and grabs the lifting shackle, circling her raised hand to signal the crane man. LINDSEY Take her up, Byron! Cab Three, with Lindsey riding its back, is pulled up out its cradle and starts to swing violently as Explorer pitches. The submersible is then swung out to the center of the launch well. It sways and gyrates above the furious water below. Lindsey drops into the upper hatch. INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 35 Kirkhill leans suddenly over the console to look out the window. KIRKHILL What the hell is she doing out there? Son of a bitch... (into microphone) Lindsey... get out of Cab Three. Bates is taking her down. INT. CAB THREE 36 Lindsey pulls her headset as she dogs down the inside locking levers of the hatch. LINDSEY Bates is sick. Besides I've got more hours in this thing than he does. (to Coffey) A little change of plan. The little sub is swinging like a pendulum on the cable, and the SEALs, jammed in with their equipment in the tiny space, are getting slammed into the walls. Lindsey is calmly flipping switches as she talks. COFFEY Lady, we better fish or cut bait. LINDSEY Just hold your water, okay? (to Kirkhill) So Kirkhill, we gonna do this or we gonna talk about it? INT. EXPLORER BRIDGE/D.O.C. 37 The plug is pulled on DeMarco's patience. DEMARCO I don't care who drives the damn thing. Just get my team in the water. KIRKHILL Alright, alright. Christ Almighty! He gestured dismissively to McBride. MCBRIDE Cab Three, you are clear to launch. INT./EXT. CAB THREE 38 Lindsey reaches up a grabs a red lever. LINDSEY Roger. (to Coffey) There's only one way it's going to happen... She pulls the lever hard. CLUNK-CLANG! The shackle-release drops the sub. It freefalls ten feet to the water with an enormous splash and keeps right on going after Lindsey floods the trim tanks. Coffey et al have been slammed hard. LINDSEY Touchdown. The crowd goes wild. Explorer... Cab Three. We are styling. MCBRIDE (filtered) Roger, Cab Three. Lindsey cuts on the floodlights and maneuvers the descending submersible so that the umbilical cable is a few feet ahead on her front port. Moving up through her lights, it will guide her down to the rig. Cab Three free-falls into increasing darkness. Soon it is a candle below us in the indigo. EXT./INT. FLATBED 39 One Night is driving the tug one-handed, pouring coffee from a thermos and rocking out to the great truck-driving song "Willing" on the beat-box she's got propped up on the sonar rig. Fighting white-line fever in the best tradition. INT. CONTROL MODULE 40 Bud and Hippy come in for a rousing chorus. BUD/HIPPY ... I've been driving every kinda rig that's ever been maaaaade... EXT. DEEPCORE 41 Lit up like a proud Peterbilt, the rig crossed the trackless wastes. We hear them singing, carried OVER. EXT. OCEAN DEPTHS/CAB THREE 42 In total blackness, the submersible descends along the rigorous line of the umbilical cable. Two hundred feet below it, the lights of Deepcore resolve out of the darkness. Now we can see the rig crawling over the ocean bottom like some monster lawnmower. LINDSEY (V.O.) Deepcore, Deepcore... this is Cab Three on final approach. HIPPY (V.O.) Gotcha, Cab Three. Who is that? That You, Lindsey? INT. DEEPCORE/CONTROL MODULE 43 Bud stop singing and snaps around at the mention of her name. LINDSEY (V.O.) None other. Bud's expression is nothing less than stricken. BUD Oh no... you gotta be kidding me. EXT./CAB THREE/DEEP CORE 44 Lindsey executes a 180 degree turn and cruises over the control module, back through the A-frame toward the docking hatch. The flange of Cab Three's lockout hatch settles over the pressure collar on the rig's back. There is a CLUNK as it mates up. INT. DEEPCORE/COMPRESSION CHAMBER/GAS CONTROL STATION 45 Lindsey drops down from the hatch into the small cylindrical pressure chamber. The SEALs drop down behind her, passing their gear through hand-over-hand. The chamber is spartan, with steel benches, a folding card table, breathing masks, and medical supplies. Catfish greets them through the tiny porthole at one end. CATFISH Howdy, y'all. Hey, Lindsey! I'll be damned! You shouldn't be down here sweet thing, ya'll might run ya stockings. LINDSEY Couldn't stay away. You running mixture for us? Good. Couldn't ask for better. CATFISH Okay, here we go. Start equalizing, y'all. HISSSS of inrushing compressed gas. The pressure in the chamber rises. The breathing mixture is composed of helium, oxygen and nitrogen. Catfish monitors it carefully from a station outside the chamber, watching the gauges with a practiced eye. Lindsey and the SEALs all grab their noses and start making funny faces... popping their ears with the familiar diver's 'equalization' technique. They continue as: LINDSEY Get comfortable. The bad news is we got six hours in this can, blowing down. The worse news is it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress back to the surface later. COFFEY We've been fully briefed, Mrs. Brigman. LINDSEY Don't call me that, okay... I hate that. Alright, from now on we watch each other closely for signs of HPNS... MONK (as if by rote) High-Pressure Nervous Syndrome. Muscle tremors, usually in the hands first. Nausea, increased excitability, disorientation. LINDSEY Very good. About one person in twenty just can't handle it. They go buggo. They're no way to predict who's susceptible, so stay alert. COFFEY Look, we've all made chamber runs to this depth. We're checked out. LINDSEY Oh... chamber runs. Uh huh, that's good. (Coffey turn away) Well, hey... you guys know any songs? They ignore her. Start going over some diagrams of the Montana's interior. It's going to be a long six hours. INT. GAS CONTROL STATION -- HOURS LATER 46 Catfish checks his watch, then reaches over and adjusts a value on the tri- mix manifold, watching the gauges. Satisfied, he leans over to the pressure window in the door, checking out the SEALs. Hippy has come down from the control deck for an advanced look are the interlopers. Jammer is in a chair, reading a Louis L'Amour paperback. CATFISH Those guys ain't so tough. I fought plenty of guys tougher'n them. HIPPY Now we get to hear about how he used to be a contender. Catfish hold up one calloused fist up in front of Hippy's face. CATFISH You see this? They used to call this the Hammer. JAMMER Hippy wasn't born then. INT. PRESSURE CHAMBER 47 It looks like the end of a long bus trip. Everyone silent... leafing through beat-to-hell magazines or just staring. Lindsey has her feet propped up on the smaller of the SEALs' two equipment cases. She casually toes open one of the latches, then the other. Glances at Coffey. He's reading. She begins to lift the lid with her toe. Gets a GLIMPSE INSIDE, of packing foam, and what looks like a SMALL BLACK METAL BOX. Then... WHAM! Coffey's foot comes down on the lid, slamming it shut. Startled, she looks up into his cool gaze. COFFEY Curiosity killed the cat. CUT TO: INT. GAS

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

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After.Life Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

master

How many times the word 'master' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

carlisle

How many times the word 'carlisle' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

excuses

How many times the word 'excuses' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

pillow

How many times the word 'pillow' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

cruelly

How many times the word 'cruelly' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

o'clock

How many times the word 'o'clock' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

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How many times the word 'var' appears in the text?

After.Life Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

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How many times the word 's' appears in the text?

After.Life Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

building

How many times the word 'building' appears in the text?

After.Life Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

falls

How many times the word 'falls' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

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How many times the word 'slipped' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

suv

How many times the word 'suv' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

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How many times the word 'star' appears in the text?

After.Life Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

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How many times the word 'e' appears in the text?

After.Life Script at IMSDb. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-3785444-3']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); The Internet Movie Script Database (IMSDb) The web's largest movie script resource! Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

cherry

How many times the word 'cherry' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

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How many times the word 'bas' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

dingy

How many times the word 'dingy' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

apartment

How many times the word 'apartment' appears in the text?

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Search IMSDb Alphabetical # A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Genre Action Adventure Animation Comedy Crime Drama Family Fantasy Film-Noir Horror Musical Mystery Romance Sci-Fi Short Thriller War Western Sponsor TV Transcripts Futurama Seinfeld South Park Stargate SG-1 Lost The 4400 International French scripts Movie Software Rip from DVD Rip Blu-Ray Latest Comments Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith10/10 Star Wars: The Force Awakens10/10 Batman Begins9/10 Collateral10/10 Jackie Brown8/10 Movie Chat Message Yell ! ALL SCRIPTS AFTER.LIFE Written by Agnieska Wojtowicz-Vosloo REVISED 10/07/08 INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BEDROOM - DAY BLINDING WHITENESS We hear a MAN GASPING softly. Rhythmically. A LUMINOUS PALE SHAPE slowly forms out of the searing whiteness. Gradually we realize we're moving across the ALABASTER BODY of a WOMAN. Her skin translucent. ON THE WOMAN'S FACE Ethereal. Her eyes closed. Her face lifeless. Then... ...her eyes open. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. This is ANNA (late 20s). We pull back. PAUL (30s) makes love to Anna. Their movements perfunctory. Passionless. He turns to look at her. Realizes she's not there. He suddenly stops. Rolls off her. Sits on the edge of the bed. PAUL What's wrong? ANNA Nothing. Anna leans down and picks up her RED SLIP from the floor. PAUL (SIGHS WEARILY) You used to enjoy it. Now it's... He shakes his head. Frustrated. Lights a cigarette. PAUL ...it's like fucking a corpse. Paul immediately realizes he's gone too far. Turns to Anna. PAUL Shit. I'm sorry. That was-- Anna gets out of bed. Walks towards the bathroom. Paul puts his head in his hands. INT. PAUL'S APARTMENT. BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER Through the fogged shower partition we see the blurred ghostly figure of Anna. Paul walks in. PAUL Anna. I'm sorry. That was a stupid thing to say. But you know sometimes... sometimes it's like you're not here anymore. Like you're somewhere else. 2. Anna doesn't reply. PAUL Is this about us? ON ANNA her head bowed as she lets the water wash over her. ANNA It's not about us. PAUL (O.C.) Then what is it? ANNA I don't know. PAUL (O.C.) I just want us to be happy. Anna doesn't move. We sense the emptiness inside her. PAUL (O.C.) Are you happy? She closes her eyes. Forces herself to reply. ANNA I'm happy. A DROP OF BLOOD falls into the water. Then another drop. ON ANNA her nose is bleeding. She touches her lips. Looks impassively at the blood on her fingertips. The SOUND OF WATER carries into the next scene... FADE TO WHITE. A STREAM OF CRYSTAL BLUE WATER A MAN'S HANDS penetrate the water. Thin and elegant. Perfectly manicured. Turning slowly as he washes them meticulously. He picks up a crisply folded white towel. Dries his hands carefully. Snaps on white latex gloves. EXT. CEMETERY - MORNING A beautiful morning. We move through a tranquil cemetery. Pastoral and idyllic. Dappled light falls through old trees onto statues of grieving angels. 3. EXT. FUNERAL HOME - CONTINUOUS A path leads to an old well-kept house. Amongst a blaze of violet tulips we see a sign: Eliot Deane. Funeral Home. INT. FUNERAL HOME. CASKET DISPLAY ROOM - MORNING Sun streams into an elegant wood-panelled room. The Funeral Director, ELIOT DEANE (40s) guides MRS. AYRES (70s) past caskets tastefully arranged on faux-marble pedestals. He's a serene man. Quiet and professional. ELIOT The Antique Carlisle. Solid cherry. (strokes the wood lovingly) Hand rubbed satin finish. Tufted sovereign interior. Eternal-Rest adjustable mattress with matching pillow. He gestures to a metal casket. ELIOT Or perhaps the Aegean? Solid bronze exterior. Hand brushed finish with Grecian bronze highlights. MRS. AYRES The Antique Carlisle. Definitely the Antique Carlisle. ELIOT (writes in his notebook) Excellent choice. Mrs. Ayres caresses the soft velvet trimming. MRS. AYRES An antique coffin for an antique lady. We suit each other. ELIOT (SMILES) You'll look beautiful. (BEAT) Now about the service. Would you like a private visitation? Mrs. Ayres is miles away. ELIOT Mrs. Ayres? MRS. AYRES I'm sorry. Yes. A private visitation. (HESITATES) Mr. Deane? What happens when we die? 4. Eliot chooses his words carefully. ELIOT It's different every time. Each person dies in their own way. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - MORNING Anna drives past the strip malls of a small suburban town in a GREEN TOYOTA. On the dashboard a KITSCHY BOBBLEHEAD DOLL nods its head from side to side. Anna pulls up to a red light. Glances across at the other cars. We see the vacant faces of COMMUTERS staring blankly into space. The light changes. Anna hasn't noticed. The car behind her HONKS in frustration. She quickly pulls out... ... just as a SUV turns in front of her. She slams on her brakes. Hard. Missing the SUV by inches. The DRIVER screams at her. His face contorted in ugly rage. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. PARKING LOT - MORNING Anna locks her car. Heads towards the main building. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MORNING Classes have started. JACK (11), a serious looking boy, walks through a silent corridor. Up ahead two OLDER BOYS, a TALL KID and a KID with ACNE, push a GEEKY BOY against a locker. Jack tries to pass by unnoticed. TALL KID Hey. Jack-off! Jack walks faster. The two Older Boys set off after him. He darts into a corridor. Ducks into an empty classroom. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. BIOLOGY CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jack waits anxiously by the door. It looks like he's lost the bullies. Then a sudden rustling noise makes him jump. He turns. TINY CHICKS huddle in a plastic incubator on a table. Jack moves over to them. TALL KID (O.C.) Didn't you hear me Jack-off? Jack swivels round. The Tall Kid walks towards him as the Acne Kid guards the door. Jack doesn't reply. ACNE KID He must be deaf. 5. TALL KID You deaf Jack-off? Jack ignores them. Irritating the Tall Kid even more. TALL KID Can't fucking speak either. He pushes Jack against the table, toppling the incubator. Panicked, the CHICKS scatter across the surface. Just then the door opens. Anna walks in. ANNA What's going on? She glances at the Older Boys then at Jack. ANNA Jack? JACK Nothing Miss Bryant. ANNA Nothing? The incubator didn't just fall by itself. The Older Boys stare at Jack. Waiting for his reaction. JACK I tripped. It was an accident. Anna looks at Jack carefully. She knows he's lying. ANNA (to the Older Boys) Show's over. Get to your classes. (TO JACK) Jack. Help me clear up. Jack doesn't hear her. He's mesmerized by a SOLITARY CHICK standing motionless in the corner of the incubator. JACK I think it's dead. Anna reaches in. Tenderly picks up the chick. ANNA No. The poor thing's just scared. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - DAY School's over. Anna listlessly corrects a stack of exercise books. She can't focus. Pulls out a BOTTLE OF PILLS. Shakes a pill into her hand. Swallows it dry. 6. INT. LAW OFFICE. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Paul works with half a dozen COLLEAGUES around a large conference table covered with documents and thick files. He reaches across to a pizza box. It's empty. PAUL OK. Who took the last pepperoni? A PREPPY GUY slides across another pizza box. PAUL Great. Broccoli. (lifts out a slice) Who the fuck ordered broccoli? NEAL, a thin pallid guy, looks up. NEAL Oh that's just disgusting. PREPPY GUY What's wrong with vegetarian pizza? It's healthy. NEAL Pizza isn't supposed to be healthy. Paul glances at his watch. Suddenly realizes the time. He quickly picks up his cell phone. Heads for the door. NEAL You ordering in another pizza? PAUL Yeah. With wheatgrass and alfalfa sprouts. Everyone laughs. PREPPY GUY (MUTTERS) Yeah. Yeah. Smart asses. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Paul walks into the corridor dialling his cell phone. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. TEACHERS' COMMON ROOM - SAME TIME Anna's cell phone rings as she closes her locker. She fishes it out from her bag as she heads to the door. Checks the ID. Hesitates. Then takes the call. 7. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul cups his cell. Worried he'll be overheard. PAUL Hi baby. I'm really sorry about this morning. I fucked up. I know. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Anna steps into an empty corridor. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) We still on for tonight? (BEAT) Anna? ANNA I don't know Paul. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul's anxious. We sense he's hiding something. PAUL Please Anna. It took me weeks to get the table. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Maybe we can change it to Thursday-- PAUL No. It has to be tonight. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Paul? What's the matter? Paul tries hard to cover his nervousness. Forces a smile. PAUL Nothing. Don't worry. I just need... I just want us to have dinner tonight. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Despite Paul's reassurances Anna is clearly worried now. ANNA (HESITATES) OK. 8. PAUL (O.S.) (FILTERED) Great. INT. LAW OFFICE. CORRIDOR - SAME TIME Paul hesitates. Lowers his voice. PAUL And Anna. Everything's going to be fine. ANNA (O.S.) (FILTERED) Promise? PAUL I promise. INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her phone back into her bag as she walks through the deserted corridor. Her high heels echo loudly in the eerie quietness. Suddenly one of the fluorescent ceiling lights behind her blows out with a loud WHUMPH. Anna starts. Turns. WHUMPH. The next light dies. Anna quickens her step. The lights go off one by one. The darkness quickly creeping up behind her. There's only one light still on as she reaches the exit. She looks up. The light flickers. But then strangely stays on. Bathing her in a cold pool of light. Anna's unsettled. She turns and frantically pushes the door. It doesn't open. She pushes hard with both hands. Nothing. It's locked. She turns back slowly. The darkness around her impenetrable. Almost viscous. She reaches out... ... her hand DISAPPEARS into the thick blackness. Anna snatches her hand back. Stares at it. Then we hear the sound of SLOW FOOTSTEPS. Moving deliberately towards her. ANNA (NERVOUSLY) Hello? Her voice echoes down the silent corridor. She glimpses something move in the blackness. ANNA Is someone there? 9. A BLACK SHAPE materializes inside the darkness. Silent. Brooding. Anna can't move. Terrified. Suddenly the corridor's flooded with a BLINDING WHITE LIGHT. Anna's dazzled. Shades her eyes with her hand. As she tentatively pulls her hand away... ...it's only Jack. His hand on the light switch. ANNA Jack! JACK Did I scare you Miss Bryant? Jack moves over to the door. ANNA It's locked. He gently pushes against the door. The door slowly opens. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Anna, still shaken, walks with Jack towards the parking lot. ANNA Shouldn't you be home? JACK My mom's picking me up. (BEAT) It's my birthday. We're going to MacDonald's. Then on Saturday my mom's taking me to Busch Gardens. We're going to ride the Alpengeist. (EARNESTLY) Continually voted one of the top ten roller coaster rides in America, the Alpengeist is a breathtaking avalanche of adventure. ANNA (tries to keep a straight-face) I didn't know the park was open yet. JACK My mom's friends with the manager. They're opening it specially for me. She knows he's lying again. Smiles sadly. ANNA Sounds like fun. JACK Yes. It will be fun. 10. They reach Anna's car. Stand in silence for a moment. ANNA Jack. Those boys. Do they bother you a lot? Jack hesitates. Then slowly nods his head. ANNA You know you can always talk to me about it if you want to. He nods. Anna's clearly worried about him. ANNA You sure you don't need a ride? Jack shakes his head. Anna glances at her watch. ANNA Well. I better run. JACK Where are you going? ANNA (HESITATES) I have to go to a funeral. My old piano teacher. JACK (with sudden interest) Can I come? ANNA No Jack. Funerals are very private affairs. JACK I've never been to a funeral. ANNA It wouldn't be appropriate Jack. Anyway wouldn't your mom worry about you? JACK (SHRUGS) Not really. ANNA I'm sure she would. I'll see you tomorrow in class. Have a wonderful birthday. Jack nods disappointed. Anna watches him walk away then gets in her car. 11. INT. ANNA'S CAR - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips her key into the ignition. Loud music suddenly blares from the car radio. She switches it off. Squeezes the bridge of her nose. She pulls out a bottle of pills from her bag. It's empty. She rummages in the glove compartment. Finds another bottle. Empty. She sighs. EXT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL - MOMENTS LATER Jack sits on the bench. Watches Anna drive away. Then unzips his backpack. Something moves inside. A strange jerky movement. Jack closes the backpack. Glances up and down the empty street. Then walks away on his own. EXT. STRIP MALL. PHARMACY - DAY Anna steps out of the Pharmacy. As she washes down a pill with a bottle of water she notices a small Hair Salon. Looks critically at herself in the Pharmacy window. Anna moves over to the Salon. Reaches for the door handle... then hesitates. She's about to walk away when the Salon door suddenly opens. Anna smiles shyly as a freshly COIFFURED WOMAN politely holds the door for her. INT. HAIR SALON - DAY Anna leans back against a washbasin. Her neck tightly cradled against the white porcelain. The light's harsh and not particularly flattering. She closes her eyes. Behind her the HANDS of a HAIRDRESSER in latex gloves begin to rinse dye from Anna's hair. ON SINK Startling white. A stream of water flows into the sink. Then after a moment the spiralling clear water gradually turns a deep crimson red. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. HALLWAY - DAY Anna closes the front door behind her. She smiles as she catches her reflection in the hallway mirror. Her hair a dark vibrant red. Just then, from another room, we hear an OLD WOMAN'S hacking cough. OLD WOMAN (O.S.) Anna? Is that you? ANNA Yes Mother. 12. INT. MOTHER'S HOUSE. BEDROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna's mother, BEATRICE (50s), sits in bed, knitting with swift, violent precision. The bedside table's stacked with medication. She's clearly been bed-ridden for some time. An electric wheelchair in the corner of the room. Anna appears at the door. Beatrice scrutinizes her for a second. Then returns to her knitting. BEATRICE Terrible color. Anna moves to the beside table. Picks up a dirty plate. ANNA Can I get you something to eat? BEATRICE I'm not hungry. ANNA You have to eat. BEATRICE I don't have to do anything. ANNA The doctor said-- BEATRICE The doctor's an idiot. He doesn't know what he's talking about. Anna sighs. Trying hard not to let her Mother provoke her. Beatrice glances up. Anna avoids her look. BEATRICE Why did you do it? Today of all days. ANNA What have I done wrong this time? Anna goes to the window. Draws back the curtains. BEATRICE You've forgotten haven't you? ANNA No I haven't forgotten. The service isn't till six. BEATRICE Then you've got plenty of time to wash it out. 13. ANNA It's permanent. You can't wash it out. BEATRICE Then dye it back. You can't show up at the funeral looking like that. Like some prostitute. ANNA I don't look-- BEATRICE Don't argue with me. Why are you constantly arguing with me? Anna bites her tongue. Heads to the door. BEATRICE Where are you going? ANNA To do the washing up. BEATRICE The sheets need changing. They haven't been changed in months. ANNA I changed them Monday. Anna goes to the cupboard. Takes out clean sheets. BEATRICE You weren't here Monday. You never sleep at home anymore. What if something happened to me in the middle of the night? ANNA Nothing is going to happen to you. ANYWAY DIANE-- BEATRICE (SNORTS) Fat lot of good she is. I wouldn't have to pay for a Nurse if my only daughter wasn't living in sin with that lawyer of hers. Doing God knows what. They always leave you in the end. You'll see. Just like your father-- ANNA That's enough Mother! Anna dumps the sheets on the bed. As she turns to leave Beatrice's hand darts out and grabs Anna's wrist. BEATRICE That's it. Go and cry to Paul. 14. Anna pulls herself free. Moves to the door. BEATRICE Go and bitch to Paul about your mean old mother. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - DAY A warm intimate room. Peaceful. Rows of chairs filled with ELDERLY MOURNERS. Eliot stands respectfully beside a casket. FATHER GRAHAM (50s) reads at a lectern. FATHER GRAHAM We have entrusted our brother James Hutton to God's mercy in sure and... EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - CONTINUOUS Anna, in a black dress, walks quickly along the gravel driveway. She stops. Stares out over the cemetery. FATHER GRAHAM (O.S.) ...certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again for us. INT. FUNERAL HOME. VIEWING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Anna slips into the back of the room. Eliot leads MRS. HUTTON (60s) to the body of her husband, JAMES HUTTON (70S), lying in the casket. Mrs. Hutton touches a bouquet of white roses by the casket. MRS. HUTTON White roses. They were his favorite. How did you know? ELIOT They just seemed appropriate somehow. MRS. HUTTON He looks so peaceful. As if he's only sleeping. Anna approaches Mrs. Hutton. She doesn't notice Eliot watching her carefully. ANNA Mrs. Hutton. I'm so sorry. MRS. HUTTON Thank you Anna. You were always his favorite student. 15. Anna smiles awkwardly. Uncomfortable. MRS. HUTTON How's your mother? ANNA Fine. She sends her condolences. MRS. HUTTON You look tired dear. ANNA No. I'm fine. Everything's fine. But we can see in her eyes that everything's not fine. Mrs. Hutton nods, then turns to greet another MOURNER. Anna steps nervously up to the coffin. ANNA'S POV James Hutton lies peacefully amongst the velvet trimming. Suddenly his LIPS PART... as he GASPS SOFTLY. VIEWING ROOM Anna steps back terrified. Stares at Hutton. His face serene again. It must have been her imagination. She glances up quickly. Embarrassed. Eliot's still observing her. He nods to her cordially. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY A spartan room at the top of the house. Eliot carefully pins a POLAROID of Hutton lying in a coffin to the wall. Next to Hutton's photograph, we briefly glimpse the edge of ANOTHER POLAROID. Eliot stares intently at Hutton's image for a moment, then takes off his jacket and moves to the window. ELIOT'S POV Anna's by her car rummaging in a bag for her keys. Getting increasingly frustrated. EXT. FUNERAL HOME. DRIVEWAY - DAY Anna suddenly looses it. Angrily dumps the contents of her bag onto the driveway. She kneels down. Grabs the keys. Throws the rest of her things back into the bag. She stands. Leans against the car. She looks weary. She glances up at the sky desperately trying to hold back her tears. Black storm clouds gather on the horizon. 16. Anna brusquely wipes away her eyes with the back of her hand. Pulls herself together. Angry with herself. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - DAY Eliot watches intently as Anna drives away. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Paul sits at a window table. It's raining hard outside. He glances at his watch then nervously checks his pockets. Pulls out a RING BOX. He looks at it for a moment then slips it back into his pocket. As he refills his glass, Anna appears outside holding her raincoat above her head. She stares at Paul for a moment through the window marbled with rain. Paul suddenly notices Anna at the window. He starts. Spills some of his red wine on his shirt. CLOSE on the red stain. It unfurls like a flower. Spreading out over the white material. ANNA (O.C.) Sorry about that. Paul dabs the stain with a napkin. PAUL You scared the life out of me. Anna laughs as she sits down. Paul looks up at her. PAUL Your hair. ANNA You don't like it. PAUL I didn't say that. It's just very... red. I mean it's not really you is it? A WAITER appears at the table before Anna can reply. WAITER Are you ready to order? PAUL Yes. We'll have the duck. ANNA Paul. 17. PAUL What? You always have the duck here. ANNA (picks up the menu) I don't always have the duck. Paul shrugs. Pours Anna some wine as she looks through the menu. The Waiter taps his pen on his pad impatiently. Anna sighs. Puts the menu aside. ANNA I'll have the duck. Paul smiles as the Waiter leaves. Anna tries to ignore him. But after a second she can't help smiling back. PAUL The duck is very good. Anna's smile broadens. The tension between them broken for the moment. Paul reaches across. Touches her hand. PAUL Let's not argue tonight. OK? ANNA OK. Anna takes a sip of wine. ANNA This is good. She picks up the bottle. Checks the label. ANNA And looks very expensive... (SMILES QUESTIONINGLY) What's the special occasion? Paul's momentarily thrown. He tries to cover it by rearranging his napkin. Anna notices. PAUL (suddenly very serious) Actually there is something I need to talk to you about. Now Anna's nervous. PAUL I've been offered a transfer to head office in Chicago. Anna looks down. Stares at her hands on the table. 18. PAUL It'll mean more work of course. More responsibility. A lot of changes. But it's an incredible opportunity. I'd be crazy to turn it down. And... (NERVOUS) ...well I've been thinking. Maybe it's time for us to... Paul pauses as he reaches inside his jacket. ANNA (without looking up) You're going to leave me. Paul's stunned. Speechless. Before he can say anything-- ANNA You could've just told me this morning. You didn't need to buy me off with an expensive meal. Paul reaches for her hand. Anna gets up to leave. PAUL Anna wait. ANNA Why did you lie to me? You promised everything was going to be OK. PAUL (INCREASINGLY FRUSTRATED) Don't be ridiculous. Anna. You've got it all wrong. ANNA I'm not being ridiculous. Why do you always talk to me like I'm a small child? PAUL (as if talking to a small child) Anna. ANNA See? There you go again. Do you know how irritating that is? PAUL (LOSES IT) Jesus. Can't we just have one fucking meal without arguing-- ANNA Fuck you! The other DINERS turn and stare at them. Paul glances at them embarrassed. Anna doesn't notice. Upset. 19. PAUL Keep your voice down, everyone's watching. ANNA FUCK YOU! PAUL You're crazy. You know that? Just like your mother. ANNA I'm nothing like my mother! Anna grabs her coat. Pushes her way through the restaurant. PAUL (STANDS) I'm not running after you this time Anna. ANNA Good. Paul's suddenly aware that everyone's looking at him. He quickly sits down. Drains his glass of wine. Furious. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - NIGHT Anna closes the car door. It's still raining hard outside. Her hair, perfect minutes ago, is now bedraggled. Her make- up's running. She places her hands on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to pull herself together. Suddenly. THUMP. Anna jumps. Turns. Paul's at the car window. He thumps the glass again. Anna hits the locks. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul grabs the door handle. PAUL Anna. Open the door. Please. I want you to come with me. I want to... INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna can't hear him above the sound of the RAIN HAMMERING onto the car. She shakes her head. Puts the car in drive. EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS Paul stumbles aside as Anna's car pulls away. She stops at the parking lot exit a short distance away. 20. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR - CONTINUOUS Anna looks up into the rearview mirror. ON REARVIEW MIRROR Paul stands forlornly in the rain. Their eyes meet. ANNA'S CAR She hesitates. For a moment we think she might go back to him... EXT. RESTAURANT. PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS ... but then Anna pulls out and drives away. Leaving Paul alone in the parking lot. The rain pounding the asphalt. INT/EXT. ANNA'S CAR. HIGHWAY - NIGHT Anna peers through the blurred windshield as the wipers battle with the TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR. A LARGE TRUCK plows past menacingly on the rain-slicked highway. Anna's still upset. She wipes away her tears. On the dashboard the kitschy doll bobs its head from side to side. Anna picks up her cell phone. Glances down as she dials a number. She looks up... a WHITE VAN with black tinted windows cuts in front of her. ANNA Shit! Anna swerves into the next lane. We hear the blaring horn from the car behind her. ANNA (into rear-view mirror) OK. OK. I saw you. (MUTTERING) Jerk. The cell phone connects. We hear Paul's answering machine. ANNA Paul? You home yet? Can you pick up? I just don't want it to end like this. Anna drops the phone into her bag on the passenger seat. Wipes away the mist on the inside of the glass. A TRACTOR TRAILER shudders past loaded with metal pipes. 21. ON METAL PIPES The badly loaded pipes BANG OMINOUSLY against each other. CUT TO BLACK. INT. FUNERAL HOME. ELIOT'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING Darkness. A bright light comes on. CLOSE ON a MAN'S HANDS. Turning slowly under a stream of crystal blue water. We pull back. Eliot dries his hands. Opens a cabinet. Takes out a pair of latex gloves. INT. FUNERAL HOME. PREP ROOM - EARLY MORNING A large room. Tall vaulted ceilings. White tiles. Soft morning light seeps in from a small round window set high on one wall. The room is silent. Still. Like a chapel. In the semi-darkness we see a BODY on a porcelain slab covered with a white sheet. We hear a key turn in a lock. Then another lock. The room's suddenly flooded with a harsh white light. Eliot steps inside the room. He takes off his jacket. Carefully places it on a coat-hanger. Puts on a pale blue smock then snaps on the latex gloves. His every move meticulous. Measured. Like a ritual. Eliot walks over to the slab, his surgery clogs softly clacking against the tiled floor. He looks at the slab for a moment then slowly pulls the sheet away revealing... ANNA'S BODY. Pale and lifeless. An ugly gash above her eyebrow. Cracked violet lips. A rip in her black dress soaked with a dark stain. She's only wearing one shoe. Eliot gently takes off the watch from her stiff wrist. Places it inside a brown paper bag. Eases off the shoe. Picks up a scalpel from a tray of instruments on a steel trolley. Delicately slices open her dress. Peels it off. He's about to cut the straps of her RED SLIP when... Anna OPENS HER EYES. She looks straight at us with unseeing pale blue eyes. Strangely Eliot's not surprised. He calmly steps back. Watches her carefully. Anna's eyes slowly focus on Eliot. She's groggy. Confused. 22. ANNA Where am I? She talks with difficulty. Her breathe labored. ELIOT You're in a funeral home. (BEAT) You're dead. Anna's vacant eyes widen in shock. She struggles to sit up but she can't even raise her head. Her body stiff. Rigid. Eliot speaks to her calmly. Soothingly. ELIOT You had a car accident. It was raining. You hit a truck loaded with metal pipes. She looks fearfully at the bloodied dress in Eliot's hand. ANNA I'm not dead. ELIOT You were pronounced dead eight hours ago. Your blood no longer circulates through your body. Your brain cells are slowly dying. Your body's already decomposing. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot looks at her sadly for a moment. He places the bloodied dress on the trolley. Then picks up a document. Holds it up for her. ON DOCUMENT It's Anna's death certificate. ELIOT (O.C.) This is your death certificate. Cause of death. Massive internal trauma. Time of death. 8.23PM. PREP ROOM ELIOT You were dead on arrival. The attending physician signed here... (points to document) ...at 9.45 last night. I picked up your body from the hospital morgue at 12.10 this morning. Anna stares with horror at her death certificate, then at Eliot. He looks away. It pains him to see her so distressed. 23. ELIOT I'm sorry. Eliot picks up a sponge from the trolley. Wets it. ANNA Who are you? Eliot delicately washes Anna's face. She doesn't flinch as he dabs the wound above her eye brow. ANNA Don't touch me! Why are you touching me? ELIOT I'm preparing your body. You have to look beautiful for your funeral. ANNA I'm not dead. Eliot sighs wearily. As if he'd had this conversation many times before. ELIOT You all say the same thing. (BEAT) I'm sorry. Maybe you should rest now. Eliot peels off his latex gloves and heads for the door. As he hangs his pale blue smock on the peg he turns and looks at Anna for a moment. ON ANNA The lights go off. O.S. the door clicks shut as it locks automatically behind Eliot. ANNA (SOFTLY) I can't be dead. It's just a nightmare. I'll wake up soon.

motion

How many times the word 'motion' appears in the text?