MRAZ INC
“Devil's Den”
Written by Taylor Shann
TEASER
INT. MRAZ INC- HOLDING CELL- DAY
LINDSAY looks straight at the camera, in an orange prison jumpsuit, but with a calm expression.
ANGLE ON:
Lindsay’s hands, handcuffed. She holds a playing card, the Queen of Spades. She plays with the card. It seems to be made of something other than paper.
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
Where’d you get that?
ANGLE ON: KRYSTAL sits across from Lindsay. The room is very small and practical, with benches bolted into the wall. Krystal wears a bulletproof vest and holds an assault rifle.
Lindsay stares at Krystal, not answering. Then, she begins playing with the card like a magician. It dances on her fingers, goes in and out and then disappears completely. After showing there is nothing at all in her hands, she makes it reappear, and offers it to Krystal.
KRYSTAL
…’pick a card’?
Lindsay smiles. Krystal glares. Silence. ERIC bursts in.
ERIC
(in TAC gear)
We’re ready.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- SIDE ENTRANCE SECURITY GATE
A dingy little cubicle that stands between the side entrance and the service elevator. Inside, a BURLY GUARD sits in his chair, reading the New York Post. His monitor begins beeping. He sighs, folds the paper and stares at his screen-
ANGLE ON: The monitor. It reads EAM EAM PRISONER TRANSFER 0966WOLF…
MATCH CUT:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- COMPUTER ROOM- DAY
An expensive monitor has a window open, displaying the same message. A new message pops up: TRANSFER AUTHO 934 TEXAS
A SHAPE fills the screen, which we realize is the back of someone’s head. It blocks our view of the monitor. We hear a gravelly voice:
VOICE
The problem with Mraz Inc., is that it’s run by Mraz.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- SIDE ENTRANCE SECURITY STATION- DAY
The Burley Guard leans out of his little room, nervously.
The service elevator door opens, and Krystal and Eric escort Lindsay out of it. They are flanked by two ARMED GUARDS. The Burley Guard, sweating, hits a button.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- COMPUTER ROOM- DAY
We see a disfigured hand typing on a keyboard.
More windows open up on the monitor, one per security camera feed. Both we and the Voice are watching a live feed of the prisoner transfer, and outside the security door.
VOICE (O.S.)
If it wasn’t for the leadership, the organization could be tolerated.
On the monitor, one of the feeds shows the side door opening…
MATCH CUT TO:
EXT. MRAZ INC- SIDE ENTRANCE- DAY
We see the same door opening in the daylight. A yellow light flashes and we hear a buzzer.
A van sits, twenty feet from the side entrance, with DRIVER and GUARDS ready.
ERIC
Prisoner Transfer! 0944! Authorization-
DRIVER
Yes, thank you-
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- COMPUTER ROOM- DAY
We see the corresponding image on the monitor. The Driver can be heard over speakers:
DRIVER (V.O.)
-you, we can handle it from here…
ANGLE ON: The eyes of the voice, darting back and forth
ERIC (V.O.)
Just want to make sure everything-
KRYSTAL (V.O.)
Hold on.. what is th-
The eyes go wide as we hear gunshots over the speakers…
EXT. MRAZ INC- SIDE ENTRANCE- DAY
The Driver is down on the ground, a dark red stain on his shoulder.
ERIC
Get down!
The street comes alive with gunfire, seemingly coming in from all directions. The other Guards return fire, only to be shot down. Krystal and Eric are kneeling, trying to get a bearing. Lindsay stands still looking around with an eerie calm. Krystal sees this, screams:
KRYSTAL
Get down you crazy-
She is cut off by gunfire. Lindsay pulls out her card, and uses it to cut through the cuffs easily.
Lindsay begins to run. Krystal aims her assault rifle, only to get hit in the neck.
She slumps down, red dripping everywhere. Eric grabs her and starts dragging her towards the door-
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- COMPUTER ROOM- DAY
The Voice begins jumping up and down, watching the drama with delight.
While we cannot see his face we see it is a hulking man with a lot of bulk, wearing a mismatched suit and screaming at the top of his lungs:
MAN
Bravo! Bra-Vo!
We hear Eric screaming over the monitors:
ERIC (O.S.)
Open the door! Open the damn door!
INT. MRAZ INC- SIDE ENTRANCE SECURITY GATE- DAY
Eric drags the unconscious Krystal in, while the Burly Guard closes the door. Bullets are still flying, at the door, only stopping when it closes.
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- COMPUTER ROOM- DAY
We see Lindsay on the monitor, still running, now well out of range of capture.
The man claps, highly amused, then stops. He turns and faces the camera:
It is RUDEZ. He is highly disfigured since the last time we’ve seen him. His eyes gleam with madness.
RUDEZ
Good show, good show. (stops, angles his head, looking around) Buddy? BUDDY!
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- BUDDY’S CHAMBER- DAY
A small, dingy room with chains and hooks on the walls. It is haphazardly lit.
BUDDY stands, staring offscreen. He cocks his head, like a bird, and looks, at best, on drugs, and worst, crazy. He holds something in his hand.
RUDEZ (O.S.)
BUDDY!
A door opens behind Buddy, bringing harsh light into the chamber. We see Rudez in sillouette. Buddy does not turn.
RUDEZ
Buddy! We’ve been cooped up here too long. It’s time to reconnect with old friends.
(disappears for a moment; reappears)
Stop playing with your food! We’ve got work to do!
Buddy waits for him to close the door, reveals the object in his hand- it is a knife. He takes a breath, then stabs at what/whoever he has offscreen…
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- SIDE ENTRANCE SECURITY GATE- DAY
Krystal’s neck wound. It is awfully bloody, but there seems to be no actual opening. The Burly Guard kneels over her. Eric runs to the Guard’s monitor, reads the message.
ERIC
We’re clear!
Krystal suddenly springs up, screaming.
KRYSTAL
Gyah! Do you have any idea how much that STINGS?!
She wipes her neck. The karo syrup comes off in her hands. Eric grins.
SMASH CUT TO:
MAIN TITLES
END TEASER
__________________________________________________________________________________
ACT ONE
On a black screen, we hear the opening strains of U2’S "Mysterious Ways".
INT. CVS- DAY
In one unbroken shot:
We see Lindsay, free of her handcuffs and wearing her prison shirt inside out, walk down an aisle in CVS. Casually, she uses her Queen of Spades to cut a support for a sale display in half.
We follow her into the next aisle, as we hear the display crash offscreen. As the EMPLOYEES scatter to pick everything up, she grabs a bottle of hair dye and walks out the front door.
INT. STARBUCKS BATHROOM- DAY
Lindsay stares at herself in the mirror. She still wears her prison gear. In a series of quick cuts
-she takes her pants off-
-She rips off half of the pant legs with her card-
-She ripe up her shirt with her hands-
-She pulls out the small bottle of hair dye-
-She dunks her head in the sink, pouring the dye on it-
-She pours the excess dye on her ripped pants-
INT. OUTSIDE STARBUCKS BATHROOM-
An ANGRY PATRON knocks on the door.
ANGRY PATRON
You almost done in there?
(knocks)
What are you doing??
Suddenly the door opens-
ANGLE ON: Lindsay, with jet black hair, an improvised tank top made out her prison shirt with an inside out jumpsuit, and black/orange pants that have been ripped into shorts.
ANGRY PATRON
Jesus. Is it Halloween already?
She gives him a look, then grabs him and kisses him. The Patron doesn’t know what to do, as she runs her hands down his back and pants. Just as quickly as it begins, it stops. She saunters away. He stares at her, dumbfounded, then goes into the bathroom.
CUT TO:
EXT. STARBUCKS- DAY
Lindsay walks out of the Starbucks, holding the Patron’s wallet. She takes out the cash and credit cards, and throws the rest on the ground. This is over in about 5 seconds.
As she walks away, her eyes dart up.
ANGLE ON: We see a ROBO-PIGEON, cocking its head, staring at her.
ANGLE ON: Lindsay, staring up at the bird, cocking her head.
MATCH CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC. MRAZ’S OFFICE- DAY
The same image on Mraz’s monitor. MRAZ stares at it, then turns. In his office are KEATING, Krystal, EDDIE, and Eric.
KRYSTAL
She comes in here, breaks through all the security- almost kills Brian-
ERIC
You had us scouting out all over town for a convict you said was trying to kill you-
EDDIE
And someone did get killed, let’s not forget.
ERIC
Yes- thank you- God rest him- and after ALL of that, now we’re using her as bait?
A moment. Mraz says nothing.
KEATING
It’s a lot to swallow, Mike.
MRAZ
Lindsay had her reasons.
KRYSTAL
So do all psycho-killers.
MRAZ
Her actions and Andy’s death are unrelated.
EDDIE/KRYSTAL/KEATING
I’m not/Mike!/Well-
EDDIE
Look, it boils down to this, and only this. Bitch is crazy.
KEATING
You’ve never dated a woman who’s voted, have you?
MRAZ
Lindsay Wolf did NOT kill Andy Chemelko. Anyone who thinks otherwise can leave this mission right now. Alright?
KRYSTAL
That’s not the same thing as ‘unrelated’, is it?
Pause.
MRAZ
Okay. You want a briefing? Fine. Steve?
STEVE enters.
KEATING
The intern?
EDDIE
No way.
Steve whips off a wig, and completely adjusts his posture. Eric and Eddie react, the girls don’t recognize him. Eddie is shaking his head.
STEVE
Hi guys. Long time, huh?
EDDIE
Yeah. Cause. You know. You were DEAD, YOU SON OF A-
Eddie lunges at Steve, and is held back by Keating and Krystal.
CUT TO:
INT. ANDY’S APARTMENT- DAY
A burned out shell of an apartment. MARK and DUCKY stand among the ashes and sticks of furniture. Ducky is examining a piece of the wall, Mark is pouring whiskey in his coffee.
MARK
There should be people here.
(pause)
Detectives. Forensics. Something. This is a crime scene, not an accident. People’s apartments don’t just explode.
(pause)
Well?
DUCKY
I think this building should be condemned. I can’t tell you how many fire codes were being broken BEFORE the boom. Still… Someone wanted this place to go up.
MARK
(grimaces)
Mraz wants us to let it play out for now. Get to it later.
DUCKY
Sad, but Andy’s death IS a distraction from whatever Andy was digging up…
(Mark gives him a look)
Don’t think this is easy. A guy lives 30 good years, and now he’s dead. And we’re left to pick up the pieces…
Ducky unearths a BATMAN poster that was somehow spared from the fire. They stare at it, sadly.
DUCKY
What can you do?
MARK
(rolls up the Batman poster)
Do? No, we find. We find the guy that did this.
DUCKY
(thoughtfully)
Or girl.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY- SUNSET
Lindsay opens her eyes, shaking her head. She’s leaning against a barrel in a dingy alleyway. Hours have passed, the sun is setting. She shakes her head.
She hears a scraping noise against brick. She narrows her eyes, stands, holding her card like a knife.
LINDSAY
I hear you. You want me to hear you. Speak.
BUDDY (O.S.)
Me?
Buddy steps into view. He is a stringy, thin man with an uneasy smile. He has his hands in his pockets.
BUDDY
It’s just me.
LINDSAY
And who is that?
BUDDY
I’m Buddy. And I want to be your buddy.
LINDSAY
Uh. Huh. Well, I’m seeing someone, Buddy; and I’m not in the market for friends right now.
BUDDY
But I just want to play a game. A little game.
LINDSAY
(pointedly)
It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye, Buddy.
BUDDY
Oh. I wouldn’t do anything.
(he smiles innocently)
To your eyes.
Lindsay looks around. There are no Robobirds to be seen, or escape routes. She’s on her own.
Buddy pulls out two knives, one from each pocket. Lindsay takes a defensive pose, holding her playing card to parry.
Buddy lunges, and Lindsay ducks out of the way, swinging her hand with the card. She misses Buddy, who spins around, and grabs her arm.
They struggle. The card drops, as does one of his knives. Buddy forces her to the ground. They struggle over the remaining knife, that Buddy is trying to shove into her chest. Suddenly, Buddy cries out in pain and reaches for his neck. Lindsay uses this opening to kick him against the wall.
Lindsay recovers her card and one of his knives, but Buddy is whimpering against the wall, grabbing at his neck. A metal band around it is electrocuting him.
RUDEZ (O.S.)
You ass! You had one job to do!
Rudez appears, seemingly out of nowhere, with his suit and mask. He stomps over to Buddy, and gives him a hard kick. Buddy falls to the ground.
RUDEZ
This is just like Beijing! I leave you for five minutes, and then-! Can't you control yourself for-
He stops, seeing Lindsay. He grins crookedly, which looks even stranger under the mask.
RUDEZ
You must forgive Buddy. He simply does not know how to behave… Or how to deliver a message properly.
Lindsay stares at him, ready to fight or fly.
LINDSAY
What message?
RUDEZ
(pulls out an embossed invitation)
Would the lady like to attend a party?
FADE TO BLACK
END OF ACT ONE.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
ACT TWO
INT. MRAZ INC- ANDY'S TERMINAL- DAY
ANDY’S Terminal fills the screen. It says
LOADING…
Then the list appears on the screen of Andy's terminal.
ANDY
DUCKY
EDDIE
KEATING
MRAZ
Mark stares at it. Ducky stands behind him.
MARK
This is the list Andy showed me the day he died.
DUCKY
So one of these names…
MARK
Is dealing with Andrea. Funneling money out of the company account. And, until proved otherwise, is Andy's killer.
DUCKY
I'm on that list.
MARK
(turns, faces Ducky)
Did you murder Andy and embezzle millions of dollars from the company?
DUCKY:
… no?
MARK
Okay then.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- INTERROGATION ROOM- DAY
Steve sits in an interrogation room. It is cold and clinical, a metal chair, metal desk and bare walls. Eddie and Krystal sit, looking at him. Mraz stands against the wall, staring at the ground.
Steve plays with a deck of cards, zoned out.
STEVE
23 months. Ten in recovery. Twelve trying to figure out how to get back to her. And, one here.
KRYSTAL
And you didn’t try to contact her?
STEVE
I did. I tried. Whoever you guys have in there is very good and very bored, because every letter, every phone call, fft. She might as well have been a ghost. Like me.
MRAZ
(not looking)
We had nothing to do with that.
STEVE
Maybe, Maybe not. But. She thought you did. She was in there twenty three months, waiting. For you. For killing me.
(shuffles the cards)
Which, as far as you knew, you had. Ta-Da.
EDDIE
(after a moment)
You could have called.
STEVE
Yep. It would have been a neat trick, for a dead man.
KRYSTAL
Steve. You broke into Mraz Inc.
STEVE
I, uh, interviewed. Actually. Two month process, to become an intern here. Slowest
break-in on record, really. It’s interesting-
EDDIE
Steve, you ever read the Poetics? Aristotle. Of course you did, we took that class together. He says in there, it’s one of the principles of drama- there’s a time to masterbate, when it comes to telling the truth, and a time to stop wasting our goddamn time.
KRYSTAL
I don’t remember that.
EDDIE
Why. Why are you here?
STEVE
I wanted nothing more… than to get her out. To find her, and just run away. And now, what I want, I have. But I can’t take credit for it. I didn’t do it.
Eddie looks at Krystal. She shrugs.
KRYSTAL
Interns certainly don’t have that level of access. Unless he stole a code from-
STEVE
I did not know she was out until you evacuated the building. And only YOU guys had the pull to get her out so fast. So if you didn’t, and I didn’t, that means there’s someone else.
EDDIE
I don’t understand.
STEVE
Does anyone? You know, acting or running a multi-level spy organization, still, no one around here THINKS.
(frustrated, the cards explode out of his hand)
Someone else wanted Lindsay Wolf out of prison. And it was someone at THIS company
MRAZ
(goes to the door)
It means we have a traitor. It means Lindsay’s the key. They want her? Let her come to them. Then, we attack.
STEVE
I didn’t agree to that.
MRAZ
I didn’t ask.
TAYLOR appears at the door, in a rush.
TAYLOR
We’ve got something on the… uh, the.
(looks at everyone’s expressions)
Robobird.
Mraz storms past him, slams the door.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY- SUNSET
Lindsay circles Rudez, uneasily. Rudez is smiling, but blocking her exit. Buddy remains on the ground, twitching and grasping his ‘collar.’
RUDEZ.
Tonight, at Devil’s Den. It’s a little suare, if they still use the term,
LINDSAY
I don’t know what or where Devil’s Den is.
RUDEZ
Then I’m doing something right. Think, dear, when was the last time you cut loose?
LINDSAY
Three years, give or take. What’s the occasion?
RUDEZ
You know, a little song, a little dance. Mraz's head on a lance. That kind of thing.
LINDSAY
Mraz. What do you have against Mike Mraz…
RUDEZ
Mraz? MRAZ? I owe him my life. I am in debt to him for more than he can repay. In any case, there might be a little business, there might be a lot of recreational pharmaceuticals, and darling, you look like you could use a roll in the hay. Metaphysically.
(he holds out a card)
No strings attached, of course.
LINDSAY
Maybe. Let me see-
She reaches for the card, grabs Rudez by the arm and pins it behind his back. He lets out a cry that is half laugh and half pain, and bends to his knees. Lindsay growls.
LINDSAY
Don’t follow me.
RUDEZ
I outweigh you and it’s not muscle. How-
But she’s already gone, running down the alley.
RUDEZ (CON’T)
… charming.
(he presses a button on his cane)
Easy, Buddy.
Buddy snarls, gets up, rubbing his ‘collar.’
BUDDY
She took one of my knives. Not fair, NOT fair. I only did what you told me to do, what you told me, what did I do?
RUDEZ
Do as I say, not as I do.
(twirls cane, once, thinking)
Is the enemy of my enemy my friend? Or my enemy?
BUDDY
(clicks tongue)
I eagerly await your imminent demise.
Rudez stares at Buddy, then shocks him again. Buddy cries out in pain, and Rudez suddenly grabs him, lifting him off the ground.
RUDEZ
You’re an irritating sick bastard, you know that? You know how expensive it is to keep you sweet? Do you?
(looks up, and drops him onto the ground)
Pretty bird.
ANGLE ON: One of the Robobirds. It twists its head and then flys away.
Rudez grimaces, releases Buddy from the shocking. He cracks his neck.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- ANDY'S TERMINAL- SUNSET
Ducky stares at Mark, bleary-eyed. Mark stares at the monitor, now sporting a 5 o'clock shadow, but expression unchanged. A moment of silence.
DUCKY
You know, you can stare at that list all day, it’s still going to say-
MARK
Shut up.
DUCKY
(sighs)
Yes, it is going to say shut up. Exactimundo.
MARK
Look. The answer is here. Andy was looking here. And whatever he saw, whoever saw him had him-
DUCKY
Back up. Didn’t someone try to kill you the night Andy died?
MARK
Huh? Yeah. Some jerk in a deathcab contraption. I torched it. If he got away, horribly burned. So?
DUCKY
So? So. So, a guy tails you from the bar and tries to kill you. And Andy, going home from said bar, is bombed. So. These are unrelated, or, or what? Am I crazy?
MARK
…no. But I might be stupid.
DUCKY
I didn’t say that.
A voice over the intercom interrupts them.
INTERCOM (KEATING) (O.S.)
All staff on active duty. Briefing room, immediately.
They look at each other.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- BRIEFING ROOM- EVENING
Mraz stands at the front. Everyone else is jammed into the briefing room, watching expectantly.
MRAZ
Alright. You’ve been on alert all day, and now, I’m going to tell you why. I know some of you have felt that I let Andy’s death… go unnoticed. Or lacked passion. Well, I mourn as well. But I mourn tonight. With bullets. For years, we’ve made it our business to stamp out parasites where we find them. In one night-tonight- we take out the hornet’s nest.
Mraz presses a button, a visual of the building containing the DEVIL’S DEN comes up.
MRAZ
What he was tracking- what killed Andy Chmelko- is inside this building. The money tracks there. This has been independently confirmed by surveillance of Lindsay Wolf.
Mraz presses another button, bringing up a still of Rudez giving Lindsay the invitation. There are murmurs.
MRAZ
Our intel indicates that tonight, all the major players will be in attendance. Rudez. Buddy- yes, THAT Buddy. And the major prize, the holy of holies… Andrea Davis. Tonight, they’re having a party. We’re gonna crash it. All of us. Eric?
ERIC
This is going to take everyone here, fully armed and equipped. Only Keating, Ducky and the Lawyer are staying behind. I know some of you are more equipped for pencil-pushing than swat-teaming, but there’s a reason you’re all trained in small-arms fire. We cover the building, the exits, and we don’t stop until the last scumbag is in cuffs.
ANGLE ON: The back of the room. Mark leans over to a very anxious Taylor.
MARK
This is legal, right?
TAYLOR
Ish. Legal-ish.
ANGLE ON: Mraz sits on the briefing table, pulling out his gun.
MRAZ
Nothing we do tonight will bring Andy… will bring our friend back. But tonight, at Devil’s Den, we will have our wake. There will be our eulogy.
(he loads his pistol)
We are going to the Devil’s Den-
(he cocks it)
and HELL is coming with us!
The room erupts in cheers. All except for Mark, who stands in the back, watching silently. And Taylor, who is drinking Jameson straight from the bottle.
FADE TO BLACK
END OF ACT TWO
__________________________________________________________________________________
ACT THREE.
OVER A BLACK SCREEN:
We hear the start of the Smashing Pumpkins' "Ave Adore". At the the start of the beat
FADE IN:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- NIGHT
Elevator doors open, and the camera sees:
A cross between Las Vegas, a warehouse rave and Dante’s Inferno.
Lights spin wildly and pulsing music blares. Writhing bodies mix with improvised booths, featuring arms dealers and drug pushers. A lot of money is in the room.
In one shot, the camera proceeds in a bee-line to the center of the room, past security guards, men in suits, coked-out party girls. They all look at the camera in deference, and we realize that it’s someone’s POV.
At the center of the room is Rudez- he is in the spotlight, ringmaster, speaking over the sound system.
RUDEZ
Remember, we take all kinds here- jews, pimps, whores, blacks, muslims, even Baptist ministers- I don’t care if you’re a transsexual hobo, if you have cash and a cause, we’ll take your money!
(someone whispers to him, he spots Andrea)
Ah, Ms. Davis!
ANGLE ON: ANDREA, our former POV. She stands in her little black dress, wearing sunglasses. She is not happy.
ANDREA
(cold)
Michael.
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICE BUILDING- LOBBY- LATE
A large, expensive looking office building. White marble walls. Late at night. A BORED SECURITY GUARD stands at his desk. He flips through a magazine.
LINDSAY
I’m here for the audition.
BORED SECURITY GUARD
13th floor. Go ahead.
Lindsay walks past. The banks of elevators say 1-12 FLOORS and 14-29th FLOORS. She stares.
LINDSAY
Which elevator?
BORED SECURITY GUARD
13th Floor.
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICE BUILDING- ELEVATOR- LATE
The elevator doors close. Lindsay looks at the buttons 14-29. There is an entry for a keycard.
ANGLE ON: She turns the invitation over in her hands, and a keycard falls out. It says “13” on it.
Lindsay smirks, inserts the KEYCARD. The lights blink on and off, and the down arrow illuminates.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- OUTSIDE BUDDY’S CHAMBER - NIGHT
Buddy leans against the back wall, playing with his knife. Rudez and Andrea can be seen in the distance, sitting in chairs at an improvised bar. He is rolling his head.
PARTY GIRL (O.S.)
Hey.
Buddy looks up. A PARTY GIRL, probably too young to be drinking, eyes him. She has a nervous smile.
PARTY GIRL
Are you Buddy?
BUDDY
Are you pretty?
PARTY GIRL
(laughs)
They say you’re someone, uh… someone to get to know.
(whispers low)
The guy at the door says I’m out unless I know somebody here… and if I go I gotta go home… and home’s in Bensonhurst. Help me out?
Buddy looks past her. By the elevator, a muscled BODYGUARD stares, gives a single nod. Buddy looks back at the girl, and smiles wide, extending his hand.
BUDDY
I’m Buddy. And I want to be YOUR Buddy.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- ELEVATOR- NIGHT
The Bodyguard watches Buddy and the Party Girl walk up to Buddy’s room. Behind him, the elevator doors open and Lindsay steps out. The Bodyguard, without turning, shoots out his arm and blocks her from entering.
BODYGUARD
Invitation.
Lindsay hands him the invitation. He grunts, crumpling it.
BODYGUARD
Behave.
Lindsay takes a step in. She watches the Bodyguard’s gaze, looking up just in time to see Buddy closing his door.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- NIGHT
Rudez and Andrea sit at the improvised bar.
RUDEZ
The thing about momentum is, once you have it, you can’t not have it. It builds and builds and then BAM POP WOWEE. You can’t stop it. I can’t stop it. I can’t-
ANDREA
It’s 9:30 and I should be across town flirting with bartenders who can’t afford me. What do you want, Rudez?
RUDEZ
I want a lot of things. Money. Power. Competent help. Sodomy while I sleep. What I will have is Mraz. Dead.
ANDREA
And is this business or personal?
RUDEZ
This is War, Andrea. The two become the same, which is to say, irrelevant.
ANDREA
See, Michael, this is why I don’t drop in anymore. I have enough problem with blowhards like ex-Governor Sherman, I don’t need to deal with you as well. Mraz carved up your face, made you do a Phantom of the Opera bit. I understand you’re upset. But carte-blanche to go around blowing things up; I just won’t have it.
Rudez pulls out a vial, begins cutting lines of something powdery on the table.
RUDEZ
C’mon now, Andrea. We’re not savages here.
ANDREA
(sighs)
So, do you have Ketel One here, or is it strictly moonshine?
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC.- CONTROL ROOM- LATE
Ducky, Taylor and Keating watch a booth of monitors, each live feeds from various command teams. They are all marked by small names- MRAZ, MARK, KRYSTAL, ERIC, etc.
DUCKY
(tense)
We should be getting audio. Why aren’t we getting audio?
KEATING
(calm)
You designed the system. The switch is off.
DUCKY
…right.
Ducky flips the switch. Taylor opens a Diet Mountain Dew®.
We hear audio from the teams.
MRAZ(V.O)
Alright… Eric, I want you with your team at the back, when they try to bolt.
ERIC(V.O.)
Copy.
MRAZ (V.O.)
Krystal, you’re with Eric on the back door. Remember, the priorities get put in separate cars. Everyone else in the paddy wagons. Ducky, when I give the G-O, you cut the power from home. Eddie, Moumin, you’re gonna take the vents; let’s give’em a little shock and awe. You’ll probably come in through the bathrooms, so, it won’t be hard.
MOUMIN (V.O)
Oh, hell.
EDDIE (V.O.)
We’re disgusted, but we copy.
MRAZ (V.O.)
The G-O is Chemelko. Again, the G-O is Chemelko. Remember. We hit them fast and hard; we WANT them to run. This thing should be over in a matter of minutes, if that.
Keating leans over into the microphone.
KEATING
Mraz, it’s Keating. How are you and Mark getting in?
MARK (V.O.)
We’re gonna walk in the front door.
Everyone in the control room balks.
DUCKY
Come back, did you say the front door?
MARK (V.O.)
Don’t wait up.
Taylor stands, exits the room, ranting
TAYLOR
I’m not hearing this, I never heard that, I’m not liable, I don’t know this is going on. Where’s the whiskey?!
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- BUDDY’S CHAMBER- NIGHT
The chamber is lit almost romantically, so you can’t see the chains on the walls. Buddy stands with his back to the Party Girl, who is on the cusp of getting freaked out.
PARTY GIRL
So, your room, huh? It’s uh. It’s nice.
BUDDY
This is my studio. This is where I make art.
PARTY GIRL
Do you paint?
BUDDY
(sharp)
I sculpt.
Buddy exits to a separate room. The PArty Girl plays with her purse, looking around. Something is not right.
PARTY GIRL
Are you going to offer me a drink?
BUDDY (O.S.)
Alcohol toxifies the mind.
PARTY GIRL
(sighs)
Look, I’m just gonna come out and say it- do you have any drugs, or what?
Offscreen, we and she hear a door locking. Party Girl thinks, then pulls out her cell phone- She has no signal.
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICE BUILDING- LOBBY- LATE
The same lobby. The Bored Security Guard stares at his monitors, having already filled out the crossword on his magazine.
MARK (O.S.)
We’re here for the audition.
Bored Security Guard looks up. Mraz and Mark stand in front of him. Mraz is in his suit, Mark is in his leather jacket.
BORED SECURITY GUARD
Man. These auditions just getting weirder. 13th Floor.
They stare at the two signs 1-12th Floor, 14-29th Floor.
MRAZ
Uh. Which one?
BORED SECURITY GUARD
13th Floor. You know- actually- where’s your invitation.
(looks past them)
I’m gonna get fired. Where all ya’ll’s invitations?
Mraz and Mark stare at each other, blank. Then, Mark grabs the Guard’s head and slams it into the desk.
MATCH CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- IMPROVISED BAR- NIGHT
Rudez’s head snaps up, having just snorted a line of a powdery substance.
RUDEZ
A man with a gun decides to wipe out a tribe that, once upon a time, wiped out his family. The U.N. Passes a resolution. And everyone wonders who will do something about something. Meanwhile, the man with the gun, and the will to use it- that tribe is already gone.
Rudez snorts another line. Andrea puts down her drink in disgust.
ANDREA
(grimly)
How’s the cocaine?
RUDEZ
I wouldn’t know. This is- what is this?
ANDREA
(reads label)
Vicadin, Ecstacy and Children’s Benadryl.
Rudez snorts the last line, makes a Howard Dean-esque scream, then shakes his head violently.
RUDEZ
Right and wrong is easy, when no one’s trying to kill you. Words, laws, and all the political correctness of the world mean nothing, without the firepower to make it stick.
ANDREA
You’ve come to the wrong gal for anarchy, brother. I like laws. Profit is much easier, and safer when you know which rules you’re breaking. Are we done here?
RUDEZ
Listen to me.
ANDREA
Because I’ve heard enough.
RUDEZ
No, you LISTEN to ME! It’s coming.
(beat)
Something big is coming. And I can’t stop it. If I wanted to.
ANDREA
Who says?
RUDEZ
Someone on the inside. It’s already in motion. Dominos are gonna fall. But now- this- here- is the ground floor.
Rudez snorts another line, coughs, spits up on the table. It is not pretty.
ANDREA
Jesus, Michael.
RUDEZ
(closes his eyes)
A genocide is about to be inflicted on this city. Are you with me, like Buddy and Lindsay Wolf? Or will you be a statistic?
ANDREA
…you let Lindsay Wolf in here?
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- BUDDY’S CHAMBER- NIGHT
The Party Girl tries the door, but it’s locked. She’s starting to get worried. She raises her voice.
PARTY GIRL
Buddy?
(pause)
… oh God, I didn’t offend you did I? I’m so sorry, I-
Buddy re-enters, wearing a poncho. His hands are behind his back. Party Girl does not see him re-enter. He stands between the Party Girl and the exit.
PARTY GIRL
Didn’t mean to- I. I shouldn’t be here. This whole night has been so-
(sees Buddy, tilts her head)
What is that?
BUDDY
It’s a Mraz Inc poncho. I got it at a picnic.
PARTY GIRL
You’re wearing a rain poncho- inside?
BUDDY
Before I slit your throat.
(beat, pulls out a roll of duct tape)
I’m going to exract your eyes.
FADE TO BLACK
END OF ACT THREE
____________________________________________________________________________________
ACT FOUR
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- PASSPORT BOOTH- NIGHT
A HAWKER sells his wares. Lindsay approaches.
HAWKER
We got fake IDS! Real IDs that we put your name in! We got passports, From Albania to Zimbabwe! You, miss, what can I do for you? Who would you like to be?
LINDSAY
(a small smile)
I’d like to be me, just, somewhere else.
HAWKER
Hey no problem! We got a combo visa-travel ticket passport, right up your alley! I can get you anywhere except London or Russia. That’s extra.
LINDSAY
Could you do two? A couple?
HAWKER
Sure. Brother and Sister? Marriage? Whatever you want. Fake marriage license is the easiest thing to fake. But I don’t like to think of them as fakes, you know? I’d like to think of it as art. So, can I put you down for-
LINDSAY
…have you ever killed anyone?
HAWKER
Uh. Personally? No. I shot a guy once. Accident. He lived.
(grins uncertainly)
Is that, like, uh, a prerequisite to sell here? This is my first time.
Hawker becomes more uncertain as Lindsay stares him down. Finally, she says:
LINDSAY
You’re honest. For a thief. So here’s a tip.
(leans close, almost whispers)
In 5 minutes, all hell is gonna come down on this place. Get out now.
HAWKER
(swallows)
Really? But, you know… all my stuff. I can’t leave it.
LINDSAY
Warning is a warning.
There is a faint scream heard over the rave music. Lindsay quickly runs toward the sound. Hawker looks around.
HAWKER
Yes sir! Fake IDs for sale!
(quieter)
Everything must go.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- BUDDY’S CHAMBER- LATE
The Party Girl is chained up against a wall. Buddy has just silenced her with Duct Tape. She struggles. He coos to her-
BUDDY
Now, pretty. Pretty. PRETTY.
(she stops)
Do you want drugs. Or no drugs. It’s up to you.
(she stares at him)
We’re not savages. Do you want drugs? Just nod.
(she closes her eyes, nods)
You do? You want drugs. So it doesn’t hurt.
(pause)
Too bad.
Party Girl, tries to scream again, struggles. Buddy takes out his knife, methodically moves it towards her eyes-
There is a knock at the front door.
BUDDY
Later.
(knocking continues)
Later. Later. LATER.
Buddy storms to the front door, throws it open holding out his knife.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- OUTSIDE BUDDY’S CHAMBER- NIGHT
BUDDY
LATE-
Buddy stands, alone. There is no one there. The Bodyguard is in the distance, looking at him quizzically. Buddy steps back, disturbed, closes the door.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- BUDDY’S CHAMBER- NIGHT
From Buddy’s POV, we see him close the door, then turn to face Party Girl. However, in front of her is Lindsay.
In one swift motion, she slices with her Queen of Spades right across the camera horizontally. The screen goes RED-
ANGLE ON: Buddy, screaming, kneels and covers his eyes. Blood gushes out. The duct tape and knives fall to the ground.
Lindsay cuts Party Girl free, who doesn’t even wait to remove the duct tape before kicking Buddy while he’s down. After two or three solid connections, Buddy stops screaming and just moans. Party Girl stops, and starts to cry. Lindsay holds her up.
LINDSAY
There’s no time. There’s no-
(she rips off the duct tape)
PARTY GIRL
Ow!
LINDSAY
Look at me. There’s no time. What’s your name.
PARTY GIRL/KIRA
…Kira.
LINDSAY
Kira? Can you walk?
(KIRA nods)
Good. I need you to walk, walk, not run and I need you to look embarrassed and upset, but- Kira? Kira. You can’t scream. You need to just walk and look upset, and you can’t stop until you’re breathing fresh air. Then you can run. Can you do that?
KIRA
(trying not to lose it)
Yeah. I’m an actress.
LINDSAY
(tries not to smile)
Aren’t we all?
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- OUTSIDE BUDDY’S CHAMBER- NIGHT
Rudez, now high as a kite, angrily stalks toward the door. Andrea and the Bodyguard follow after him-
RUDEZ
I know I heard something.
ANDREA
The voices in your head?
The door flies open, and Kira walks/runs out, ‘acting’ upset. She stops when she sees Rudez, then ‘acts’ embarrassed and walks away, toward the elevator. Rudez gives the Bodyguard a look, and the Bodyguard follows Kira.
Rudez then looks in the door, and his face falls.
RUDEZ
Buddy-
Rudez enters the room. Andrea turns and watches the Bodyguard, concerned.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- ENTRANCE- LATE
Kira reaches to press the button on the elevator. The Bodyguard grabs her before she can, pulls her back.
BODYGUARD
Hold on there.
KIRA
Let go of me.
BODYGUARD
Right now you are trying my patience.
Rudez screams with rage, offscreen. Kira turns toward it.
KIRA
…please… let me go. I just want to go home.
MRAZ (O.S.)
Hey.
They both turn to see Mraz and Mark in the elevator.
MRAZ
She said she wants to go.
The Bodyguard loosens his grip on her wrist, but does not let go. He grimaces at the pair.
BODYGUARD
Can I see your invitations please?
Mraz opens his mouth, Mark stops him.
MARK
Sure. Here’s our invitation.
Mark shoots Bodyguard with a silenced pistol, right in the head. The Bodyguard instantly lets go of Kira and falls over dead. No one notices. They walk out of the elevator and stand over the corpse. Kira stares, agog.
MARK
God, I’ve always wanted to do that.
MRAZ
You’re sick, you know that?
KIRA
…who are you?
MRAZ
We’re Mraz Inc. And you should leave.
Mraz pulls her into the elevator. Mark presses the button for her.
MARK
Relax. We’re the good guys.
KIRA
(as the doors close on her)
…who are you??
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- BUDDY’S CHAMBER- NIGHT
Buddy is on the floor, grasping for his knives. He has gauze over his eyes, which is completely soaked through with blood.
Andrea stands close to the wall and the door, nervous.
Two GOONS hold Lindsay, who is being screamed at by Rudez.
RUDEZ
WHO? ARE. YOU?!
ANDREA
She’s Lindsay Wolf, and she shouldn’t be here.
RUDEZ
SHUT UP!
(he punches the wall)
Everyone is talking, everyone must be SHUT UP.
LINDSAY
(deadpan)
I was invited. Buddy was about to carve up a woman. I decided that wasn’t going to happen.
(looks around)
At least, not tonight. And not again.
RUDEZ
How dare you… how dare you treat my friends…
(grabs her by the head)
So SHAMEFULLY?!
BUDDY
Buddy can’t see… Buddy can’t see the pretty…
Andrea watches in horror as Buddy begins to duct tape the knives to his hands. She begins edging to the door.
RUDEZ
(still watching Lindsay)
Buddy. Buddy, we’re gonna get someone to look at your peepers. But until then, you can still play. You can still hear. And she’s a pretty. And she’ll scream.
(rolling his head, coming down)
She will scream. Time to scream. Time, time is on my side… yes it is…
(he stumbles backwards, groggily)
Yes it is… time to…
LINDSAY
Mike, you know I’m telling you the truth.
RUDEZ
(tries to focus on her)
…yearg…
Lindsay looks him right in the eyes.
LINDSAY
My friends, my old friends, are coming to kill you.
ANDREA
(looking out of the door)
Oh my God.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- ELEVATOR ENTRANCE- NIGHT
Mraz and Mark stand side by side, blocking the elevator and holding loaded assault rifles. PARTY GOERS begin to notice them and point. GOONS begin walking towards them.
MRAZ
You ready?
MARK
Don’t stop till you get enough.
MRAZ
(looks at him)
Get help. Seriously. I’ll pay for it.
(into his microphone)
Ducky. Chmelko.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- CONTROL ROOM- NIGHT
Ducky says into the microphone.
DUCKY
Copy that.
He looks at Keating. She exhales, then presses her button.
KEATING
All channels, all channels. Chmelko. Chmelko.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- BATHROOM- NIGHT
The Hawker sits on the pot, counting his money and praying to himself. Then he stops, as he can faintly hear-
KEATING (V.O.)
-melko. Chme-
The voice stops. We hear rattling and clonking. Hawker stares up, scared.
Beat.
Then, MOUMIN and Eddie come crashing through the ceiling, yelling and firing assault rifles.
The Hawker screams and hides underneath his broken door.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- MAIN AREA- NIGHT
Distracted by the gunfire, the Goons look away, just in time for Mraz and Mark to start firing their rifles.
They aim high, initially not hitting anyone and causing the confusion they wanted. The Party-Goers, Drug-Dealers and Arms Dealers begin to scatter. Chaos.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- BUDDY’S CHAMBER- NIGHT
Rudez stares out the door, still sluggish. Andrea is livid.
ANDREA
She led them right to us.
Rudez growls at her, then lumbers down the steps and into the fray. The Goons follow, with Lindsay in tow.
ANDREA
Enjoy the rest of your party!
She turns and looks in the chamber…
ANGLE ON: Buddy has duct taped three knives to each hand, and is feeling his way around the room. The band of gauze, soaked through, has two dark red holes where eyes should be. Buddy looks as much like a monster as one can without make-up.
Andrea stares, then shuts him inside, and locks the door.
CUT TO:
EXT. DEVIL’S DEN- BACK ENTRANCE- NIGHT
The loading dock and fire escape for the office building.
The crowd runs out, and right into Krystal and Eric, who hold assault rifles of their own. Behind them several paddy wagon trucks, with MRAZ INC emblazoned on them; and their SWAT teams, forming a human chain.
ERIC
Alright ladies and genetlmen! In the trucks! Everyone try to get into the trucks, and we’ll try not to shoot you!
KRYSTAL
(trips a Goon, aims her gun at him)
In the truck, sunshine.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- NIGHT
The battle was over before it began.
Rudez stands in the center, where he was the ringmaster a short time ago. The place is almost deserted, his Goons have fled or are on the ground, wounded.
He still has a grip on Lindsay. She looks at the lights of the Assault rifles.
The four lights of assault rifles near Rudez. We hear the voices of Mark, Mraz, Eddie and Moumin telling him to stand down.
The lights of the assault rifles shine on Rudez’s face.
MATCH CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- CONTROL ROOM- NIGHT
The same image of Rudez, via a video feed of one of the four commandos. He looks even more lost on video.
KEATING
Alright. Alright.
(to Ducky)
Cut the power.
Ducky flips the switch.
CUT TO:
INT. DEVIL’S DEN- NIGHT
The lights go off- plunging the place into darkness- and then the emergency power comes back on-
The place looks pathetic in the harsh light. Deserted booths and weapons are everywhere. Broken glass, ammunition and wounded guards litter the floor.
Rudez mutters almost to himself, not seeing his attackers.
RUDEZ
(whispering)
Something’s coming… something big… can’t stop it… even if-
There is a thunk, and Rudez crumples to the floor. Lindsay stands behind him, rubbing her fist in pain. She eyes Mraz.
LINDSAY
He’s still a big guy.
MRAZ
(lowers his rifle)
So. I think, uh. I think we’re even.
(looks around)
Yeah?
MARK
Sure.
EDDIE
I guess.
MOUMIN
Who is she again?
LINDSAY
Where’s Steve?
CUT TO:
EXT. DEVIL’S DEN- BACK ENTRANCE- NIGHT
We see Andrea being led in handcuffs, and thrown in the back of a MRAZ INC car by Krystal. They share a look before Krystal slams the door, and taps the top of the car.
The car drives off into the night.
FADE OUT.
TITLE CARD
2 HOURS LATER
INT. MRAZ INC- INTERROGATION ROOM- NIGHT
Steve sits in the same room as before. He's shuffling his special deck, and stacking the cards. He finishes, and there is one open spot. The Queen of Spades. He looks at the empty spot.
The door opens. He looks up.
It is Mraz. They share a look, then Mraz steps aside and lets Lindsay in. She holds up the beaten and bloody metal Queen of Spades.
Steve smiles. Lindsay begins to cry. They embrace.
LINDSAY
We’re free… we’re free…
STEVE
Sssh…
ANGLE ON: The face of the Queen, as it lays on the table. We hear Lindsay crying and Steve comforting her.
MATCH CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- HOLDING CELL- NIGHT
Andrea’s face, at the same angle as the queen, staring at the camera, behind bars. We hear shouting and yelling just behind her. The assorted Goons, Drug Dealers and Arms Dealers are arguing and laying blame loudly.
After a moment, her face glowers with frustration. Then, she slams her pocket-bag against the bars, making a loud metal sound that shuts everyone up.
ANDREA
ALRIGHT. We all got screwed tonight. And we’re all in it, pretty deep.
(begins taking metal parts out of her handbag)
And we’re all pissed. And we all want a piece of Rudez. And Mraz.
There is some grumbling agreement. Andrea begins to assemble the parts into a device.
ANDREA
So we can sit here, bitch each other out, and get taken apart one by one in a few hours, after they’re done partying- or-
Andrea finishes her device. It is unmistakably a gun. She holds it up.
ANDREA
We can get the hell out of here.
HAWKER
(badly bruised)
Lady. The old “I got a gun, no bullets” routine ain’t-
Andrea pulls out lipstick, which is in fact, bullets. She begins loading gun. Hawker shuts up.
ANDREA
Anyone else? Okay then.
(she cocks the gun, stares at the camera)
Let’s get organized.
FADE TO BLACK
TO BE CONTINUED…
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Episode 1.8 "Running a Red" Written by Taylor Shann
Mraz Inc.
"Running a Red"
Written by Taylor Shann
TEASER
OVER BLACK SCREEN:
ANDY (V.O.)
I believe in Mraz. Inc.
INT SOLAS. - NIGHT
The bar is deserted, for the most part. ANDY sits, beer in hand. He takes a sip, then puts it down starts to speak- but stops, and takes another sip.
Andy puts the beer down, looks at the camera:
ANDY
I believe in what we do, I mostly believe in how we do it. Mraz Inc has been good to me. So when I…
We hear a DOOR OPEN, he looks up, stops. He is nervous and weary. He takes a quick sip of beer.
ANDY
So when I say what I’m saying I don’t say it lightly.
(pause)
Something is wrong at Mraz Inc. Very, very wrong.
Camera pulls back to reveal the person he is talking to: it is MARK. He has a pint of Guinness in front of him, untouched. His expression is neutral.
MARK
Well. I tell ya, I’d love to change the name to Souza Inc. But I don’t think Mraz will go for it.
Mark waits for a laugh that does not come, and then sips his Guinness. Andy finishes his beer, puts it down silently.
MARK
Well. You must be upset, because that was funny.
ANDY
It started as just a, I don’t know, a routine search I thought. But I found something yesterday… a crime. And the deeper I’m digging, the dirtier it gets. And people… well people aren’t going to like what I found.
(motions to bartender)
Another Stella? Thanks.
(pause)
I know it’s none- it’s really none of my business. That’s why I’m talking to you.
The Stella appears, and Andy takes a hearty swig. Mark does the same with his Guinness, now genuinely concerned.
ANDY
Finance, numbers, are like any ocean. There are sharks, there are, uh, minnows. And there are… bodies, Mark. There are bodies that are buried there that no one is supposed to find. And I, I, like an idiot, just kept…
MARK
You saw a dead guy? That’s what this is about?
ANDY
I found a dead guy’s bank account. The problem is, dead men don’t have 63 active transactions in the past six months.
Andy takes a sip, then produces a file.
ANDY (CON’T)
And then I looked up who was transacting with the dead man.
CUT TO:
EXT- SOLAS- NIGHT
Outside of the bar, a few moments later.
Mark bursts through the door, fuming. Andy follows him, putting on his coat and holding the door open.
ANDY
Mark! Jesus, hold on.
MARK
Where’s my gun, I want to shoot somebody.
ANDY
Calm down. I don’t know for sure who is doing it.
MARK
What we have is a serious breach of security.
ANDY
What we have is a clue. What I need is… I’m going to keep digging. If I find a name, if I can PROVE it…
MARK
I’m not Legal. I don’t care about evidence. If you have a name, and I have your word, that’s enough.
ANDY
(takes a deep breath)
No matter whose name it might be…
MARK
The second people flip on me; they’re dead to me. I don’t care who it is. Find me the traitor, I’ll take care of it.
ANDY
…thank you, Mark. I’ve been going crazy these-
MARK
Don’t mention it. Listen, I have to go back to work.
Andy looks embarrassed. Mark starts to walk away.
MARK
(stops walking)
And Andy?
Andy looks up.
MARK
Good work.
Andy smiles, and walks away. Mark's smile vanishes. He is thinking, and begins to walk in the opposite direction.
CUT TO:
INT- CAR- NIGHT (CON’T)
We are inside a car, which is parked in an Alley. Through the windshield we see Mark walk in front of the alley.
A gloved hand turns on the engine.
CUT TO:
EXT- ALLEY- NIGHT (CON’T)
Mark is suddenly BLINDED by headlights. He shields his eyes, trying to see what or who it is.
CUT TO:
INT- CAR- NIGHT (CON’T)
We see Mark in silhouette through the windshield.
The Gloved hand shifts gears, and begins to drive as fast as possible. The tires SQUEAL.
CUT TO:
EXT- ALLEY NIGHT (CON’T)
Mark pulls out his gun, begins FIRING blindly at the car speeding towards him.
ANGLE ON:
From Mark’s POV, the car speeds towards the camera. We hear Mark’s gun firing, the flash illuminating the alley. The car keeps driving towards us, until the right headlight envelops the camera-
smash cut to:
MAIN TITLES.
FADE OUT.
END OF TEASER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT ONE
TITLE CARD:
24 HOURS AGO
FADE IN:
INT- GOVERENOR’S BALL. – EVENING
It is the going away party for GOVERNOR JOSH SHERMAN at the Ritz Carlton hotel in New York City.
Lots of party-goers and the well-to-do mingle and drink.
We hear a familiar voice near the bar:
MRAZ(O.S.)
Let me make sure I understand…
CUT TO:
INT-GOVERNOR’S BALL BAR- EVENING
MRAZ stands in a tuxedo at the bar and is sadly sober. He talks in slow, clear tones to the BARTENDER:
MRAZ
You’re saying, there’s not a drop of Jameson in this entire hotel?
BARTENDER
I’m sorry, bud. The bar in the lobby might have some…
MRAZ
(a hand on his forehead)
I can’t leave because they won’t let me back in. And I have to stay until the Governor makes his speech. And I can’t listen to that speech sober. So. What can you do for me?
BARTENDER
I got Johnny Walker Red.
MRAZ
(grimaces)
Just give me whatever bottle of beer you have.
ANDREA (O.S.)
Beer and whiskey. Whiskey and beer.
ANDREA sweeps in, wearing a black dress and holding a glass of wine. She smiles at him, but not in a friendly way.
ANDREA (CONT'D)
You’re just so all-American, Mraz. Would you like some meat and potatoes to go with your bourgeois choice of beverages?
MRAZ
Andrea.
Mraz takes the bottle, tips the guy and steps away.
ANDREA
That all you have to say to me?
MRAZ
There are words that I want to say, many of them, in the form of questions that have answers that would save lives. But this is a party, so I’ll settle with ‘Andrea’.
Andrea downs her wine, slams the glass down and offers her wrists to Mraz, as if saying “Arrest me.”
ANDREA
Go on. Like you said, it’s a party. I dare you. I’d love you to try. So would my lawyers.
(pause)
No? Well, then. I’ll settle with-
But Mraz walks away, leaving her standing.
ANDREA (CON’T)
…Mraz.
BARTENDER
Ma’m? What can I-
ANDREA
White. Two glasses. No talking.
CUT TO:
INT- RITZ CARLTON HOTEL ROOM - EVENING
Governor Josh Sherman, in a tuxedo, sits in front of a mirror. An ASSISTANT stands behind him. Sherman is tying his tie while watching CLOSED CIRCUIT TV
(CCTV) of the party.
SHERMAN
“If you want to test a man's character, give him power.” You know who said that?
ASSISTANT
Lincoln?
SHERMAN
Lincoln said that. Of course, if he was really that smart, he wouldn’t have gotten his head blown off by an actor.
Sherman looks at the CCTV, grimacing.
SHERMAN (CON’T)
Look at ‘em. Gorging themselves like it’s their job, cause it’s free. Jesus. They’re like starved wolves. Or goddamn actors.
Sherman adjusts the picture on his CCTV, zooming in on someone. He smirks.
SHERMAN (CON’T)
Except her. She is VERY attractive. Do we know her?
ASSISTANT
We’re twenty minutes late, sir.
SHERMAN
(vicious)
Look. When you wake up tomorrow, your job and title will be exactly the same. When I wake up, I’ll be… Mr. Sherman. Mister. The word’s like drinking acid So those assholes drinking on my dime can wait, you hear me?
The Assistant is mute. Sherman stares at the mirror. His face is a Jackson Pollack of emotion.
SHERMAN
Is there any word?
ASSITANT
No. Nothing different, anyway. Same request. Sorry, Sir.
There is an awful silence.
SHERMAN
Alright, give me the order. Let’s get this over with.
(looks at the CCTV)
Then we’ll get THAT over with.
ANGLE ON:
The CCTV image. This particular camera is pointed at MRAZ, sitting at a table by himself with his Heineken.
CUT TO:
INT-GOVERNOR’S BALL BAR- EVENING
The same scene. Mraz sits, sipping his beer. Mark comes up behind him, in a black suit with his tie undone. He is gleefully not sober, holding two beers.
MARK
There is a VERY attractive woman over there. Do we know her?
MRAZ
Not now.
MARK
Whoa. Okay.
MRAZ
…can you cover this? I feel like I might shoot somebody.
MARK
(confused)
I’m sorry, are you me or are you, you? I’m enjoying the old bastard’s party, and you look like you’re about to rip a puppy’s head off.
MRAZ
If it was named Andrea, I might.
There is a silence. Mark chugs one of the beers.
MARK
Ah. OK. Go home.
(Mraz looks at him)
Go on, get out of here. I can play Mr. Kiss-ass for a night.
Mraz nods silently, appreciatively, and leaves. Mark drinks the other beer, puts it down, in a thoughtful mood.
After a beat, Andrea sits down with her two glasses of wine. One is already almost empty.
ANDREA
He’s upset with me.
MARK
(bemused and with a wave)
Hello, She-Bitch!
CUT TO:
EXT- RITZ CARLTON - NIGHT
Guests are still arriving to the ball. Mraz exits, fuming. He starts walking away from the hotel, opens his cell phone, hits the speed dial.
MRAZ
It’s Mraz, authorization 934-Texas. Patch me through to Keating.
SPLIT SCREEN:
KRYSTAL, sitting at KEATING’s desk. Her phone rings, she answers it.
KRYSTAL
Office of Mike Mraz.
MRAZ
Keating it’s me. I need-
KRYSTAL
(with a smile)
Sorry, try again. Mikey.
MRAZ
…Krystal. Hello.
CUT TO:
INT- GOVERNOR’S BALL- NIGHT
Andrea and Mark sit at the same table as before.
ANDREA
Bitches. The both of you. Whiny bitches. I know we’re on opposite sides, but that doesn’t mean-
MARK
It DOES. It does. He wants to arrest you, I just want to put a bullet in your head. No offense.
ANDREA
TAKEN. Heh. You know, Mraz, he’s all about his rules. His company. His ‘Legal’. But you and I, have an equal disdain for rules. You and I-
MARK
No. I don’t fund terrorists. I don’t hurt innocents.
ANDREA
No, you just put bullets in heads! You decide who’s innocent and who’s not! Man and Superman.
(finishes her wine)
Yeah, you’re the sober yin and I’m the raging yang. Jesus Christ. Consider, Mr. Souza, petty criminals only need petty cops. If it wasn’t for my ‘side’, you’d be out of a job.
Mark says nothing. The P.A. system crackles to life.
VOICE ON THE P.A.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Governor Josh Sherman!
The room BURSTS into applause. Pomp MUSIC starts playing. Andrea and Mark reluctantly get up and applaud, then turn to each other:
BOTH
Hail to the Thief.
They stare at each other, surprised at having made the same joke.
CUT TO:
INT- MRAZ INC- EVENING
Krystal is on Keating’s headset. Andy is ten feet away, at another terminal.
KRYSTAL
Yeah, the schedule got mixed up. It’s just me and Andy on the night shift.
MRAZ (O.S.)
(over phone)
Andy and I, Krystal. Andy and I. What would your mother think?
KRYSTAL
I don’t know, she’s in Newark. You want me to call her?
ANGLE ON:
Andy’s Terminal. He is typing lazily into the computer. We can hear the continuation of Mraz’s conversation.
MRAZ (O.S.)
(over phone)
I want a lot of things, but I’ll settle for keeping your eyes and ears open.
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
What’s going on?
MRAZ (O.S.)
(over phone)
Call it intuition. A bad feeling. Something’s up.
Andy stops typing, frowns. He has found something.
MRAZ (O.S.) (CON’T)
(over phone)
Anything come over the wire?
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
Not really… well, actually I was thinking of you- The Governor just issued a pardon. Hold on. Andy?
Andy stares into space, thinking.
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
Andy. ANDY!
ANGLE ON:
Andy turns and faces Krystal, startled.
KRYSTAL:
Fax.
Andy blinks, then reaches and hands Krystal a fax out of her inbox. Krystal reads off of it.
During this, we stay on Andy, as he stares at his computer.
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
Here we go- “the Governor orders… reasons of mercy… Immediate release.” Conviction unlisted..
MRAZ (O.S.)
(over phone)
Probably trying to let one of his donors get off the hook at the last minute. What’s the name?
CUT TO:
EXT- NYC STREET– NIGHT (CON’T)
Mraz is trying to hail a cab.
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
(over phone)
Uh… Lindsay. Lindsay Wolf.
Mraz stops dead in his tracks.
KRYSTAL (O.S.) (CON’T)
(over phone)
No further details. I didn’t-
MRAZ
Confirmation. I need confirmation IMMEDIATELY.
CUT TO:
EXT- MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON – NIGHT
The entrance to a very high tech prison facility. The gates swing open, and LINDSAY WOLF walks out. She has a little smile on her face, and she is humming a song. As she walks toward the camera, we can hear it-
It is TIME IS ON MY SIDE.
FADE OUT.
END ACT ONE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT TWO
TITLE CARD:
12 HOURS AGO
FADE IN:
INT. MRAZ INC- FRONT DESK DAY
Keating stands over INTERN STEVE at the front desk.
KEATING
One more time. If someone calls, and asks what we import, you say…
INTERN STEVE
We import… imports.
KEATING
And if they ask what we export?
INTERN STEVE
We export… exports.
KEATING
Very good. You're gonna be fine, Intern.
INTERN STEVE
My name is Steve, actually, um- question? One question. What do we actually import?
KEATING
(leans in close)
…well, don't tell anyone. But we import Good into the country, and we export Evil out of it… Permanently. But try explaining that to Congress, you know?
Steve stares at her, agog. There is a KNOCK. They both turn and see a hung-over Mark, with dark sunglasses and a cup of coffee behind a glass door. He waves slowly, as if every movement hurts. He enters slowly.
MARK
Where's Mraz?
KEATING
Where do you think?
(Mark nods)
I'll walk with you.
INTERN STEVE:
Wait, what if someone calls?
MARK
(to Intern)
Answer it. What do you think we're paying you for?
INTERN STEVE
Right. Right.
KEATING
(whispering to Mark)
We don't pay them.
Mark blinks, then walks away. Keating gives a thumbs up to Steve and leaves. Steve watches them go, when a phone RINGS and startles him. He picks up:
INTERN STEVE
Mraz Inc, we Import Evil!
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- HALLWAY- DAY (CON’T)
Keating and Mark walking down a hallway. The office buzzes with Monday Morning activity.
KEATING
Andy and Krystal were on the overnight when something came in over the wire. I don't know what it was, but Mraz was pretty upset…
MARK
How upset?
KEATING
Phone against the wall upset.
MARK
(sad sigh)
Same as it ever was. What is that, the third this month?
KEATING
Fourth. I’m ordering them in bulk now. What happened at that party last night?
MARK
Some ribbing from Andrea put him in a mood, but other than that-
KEATING
Whatever it was, we recalled everyone from leave and this whole place has been put on alert. You're late, actually, we've been here for 3 hours.
MARK
Late…? Wait, what time is it?
Keating looks at a wall clock. It displays all time zones of the world. The one that has NYC says "10:43".
KEATING
(slightly accusatory)
We did call. Your phone was off. Probably still is.
MARK
…I really gotta stop drinking those last call Jaegerbombs.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- MRAZ’S OFFICE- DAY
Mraz sits in his office, with bloodshot eyes and a grim expression. He is throwing away the broken parts of his phone. There is a nice, new phone sitting on his desk.
A moment. Then, he violently SMASHES his phone against the wall, and pulls out his familiar bottle of Jameson. As he goes to angrily pour a shot, there is a quiet KNOCK at the door.
BRIAN "DUCKY" SMALLWOOD is standing in the doorway, with a laptop underneath his arm. He wears a goofy, yet cautious smile.
DUCKY
Bad time?
MRAZ
Bad night. What’s up?
DUCKY
Got a minute?
MRAZ
I always have time for Ducky.
Mraz puts the bottle away. Ducky sits, opens his laptop. He looks at the broken phone.
DUCKY
What is that, the third this month?
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- FRONT DESK- DAY
Steve sits at his desk, a deer in the headlights. His desk is covered with message notes. Andy approaches with a pile of papers.
ANDY
Hey, uh- um. I'm sorry. You’re-
STEVE
Intern Steve.
ANDY
Intern- Steve, wow. That's your full name, huh. Great. Anyway, I'm Andy, I'm in Finance, and I need you to run these account numbers. I need dates, I need dollar amounts and I need names. As soon as is possible.
Intern Steve's expression screams, “I am screwed.”
STEVE
Okay. Sure. I can do that. Do I know how to do that? I don’t-
ANDY
A trained monkey could do it.
(pause)
So I guess that means, I'll train you, and then you can be my monkey.
STEVE
Great. Happy to help.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- MRAZ’S OFFICE- DAY
The same scene as before. Mraz is a bit more relaxed. Ducky is setting up a whole display of monitors and computers.
MRAZ
It's Andrea. She was at the ball last night, practically daring me to arrest her. And then I got the call that- well, I can’t talk about it yet, but it’s why we’re on alert.
(swivels in his chair)
I never feel more powerless than when evil taunts me in the face, and gets away with it.
DUCKY
C'mon, man. You've put away more bad guys than Bruce Willis. BRUCE F-ING WILLIS. Don't be so hard on yourself.
MRAZ
I founded this company to do the things others can't. To operate above the system. For Justice. And now, I feel of the system. Trapped by it. Frozen in it. Like… Mr Freeze.
Beat. Mraz is lost in thought. Ducky flips a switch.
DUCKY
Either that or it's Monday and you're hung over.
Finally, Mraz chuckles.
MRAZ
I'm always hung over. So what’s this?
DUCKY
Well, first, first- yes you are, and you should consider your heart. Second? This is the future.
A series of images pop up on the monitors. Each moving person or vehicle is assigned a Variable: X3, Z8, etc.
DUCKY
I call it the DSS. Ducky Survelliance System. I was going to call it BSS, but, I decided against that for acronym purposes.
MRAZ
So it's cameras. So what. We already have cameras.
DUCKY
Cameras that can do… this?
ANGLE ON: Ducky types the following command: FOLLOW X3
ANGLE ON: The image begins moving , following the person marked as X3. Mraz leans in close, watching it.
DUCKY
DSS can follow anyone, anywhere as long as it's open air. And it instantly sends back and records its images. I only have 10 prototypes right now. But can you imagine?
MRAZ
And the people don't know they're being followed.
DUCKY
Not unless the perp starts to suspect pigeons.
MRAZ
(genuine admiration)
Robot Pigeons. You crazy son of a bitch. How are you able to do this?
DUCKY
Yeah… about that.
(holds a bunch of bills)
Full disclosure? I went a bit into the hole on this one.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- ANDY’S TERMINAL- DAY
Andy looks worse than Mraz, if that’s possible. He types with a mad desperation. Coffee cups litter his desk. He sips from one, and stares at his screen.
ANGLE ON: His monitor asks him a question: EXECUTE? (Y/N)
Andy hesitates. Suddenly, a hand grabs his shoulder-
ANDY
Jesus!
INTERN STEVE (O.S.)
Sorry!
Steve appears behind him, carrying papers.
INTERN STEVE
Didn’t mean to, uh, scare the bejesus out of you.
ANDY
That’s… that’s okay… whew… What’ve you got?
INTERN STEVE
Uh, let’s see… dates, dollar amounts, and names. That was it, right?
Andy takes the list and stares at it.
ANGLE ON: Andy’s POV, as he scans from name to name:
ANDY
DUCKY
EDDIE
KEATING
It lingers on the last one:
MRAZ
Andy closes his eyes in pain.
ANDY
And you’re sure this is accurate.
INTERN STEVE
This is all who accessed the file. You can add names but you can’t remove them. Someone may be adding names to cover their tracks, but it’s one of these five. Is there a problem?
ANDY
No, no. Thank you. This is, uh. Good work.
INTERN STEVE
Oooh oooh AH AH AH!
Andy stares at Steve.
INTERN STEVE
Monkey! Ha… uh… I’ll just be going.
Steve leaves. Andy watches him go, then turns to his computer.
ANGLE ON: EXECUTE? (Y/N)
Andy types: Y.
PROCESSING…
ONE (1) MATCH FOUND:
ANDREA
Andy sits upright in his chair.
ANDY
Andrea?
CUT TO:
INT. ANDREA’S APARTMENT- LIVING ROOM- DAY
Andrea is having a midday cocktail party. A HIRED GOON is trying to get her attention.
ANDREA
Yes?
HIRED GOON
Sorry, Ms. Andrea, there’s some broad here who says she knows you. I don’t recognize her.
ANDREA
Some ‘broad.’
(to her guests)
Excuse me. Pre-feminism Muscle calls.
CUT TO:
INT. ANDREA’S APARTMENT- ATRIUM- DAY
Andrea is dragging her hired goon to the front door.
ANDREA
And if you EVER say the word Broad again I swear to God they’ll never find the-
There is the sound of FIST HITTING FLESH as a 2nd HIRED GOON is sent flying through the front door and against the wall. Lindsay steps over the body and into the room, calm but ready to spring.
The 1st hired goon pulls a gun, but Andrea stops him. She wears the same smile she flashed Mraz.
ANDREA
Lindsay. Dear. You don’t call, or write. You beat up the help.
LINDSAY
I. Want.
ANDREA
(tones herself down)
What can I do for you?
LINDSAY
I want my money. I want my tools. And I want them both, right now.
ANDREA
(pause)
Birdo, be a dear.
(pause)
Fetch.
The 1st hired goon (BIRDO) nods dumbly and runs off. Andrea sits in an atrium chaise-lounge.
ANDREA
Anything else, while you’re in this mood? Nice to see you, by the way.
ANGLE ON: Lindsay looks straight at the camera, eyes focused.
LINDSAY
… Mraz. I want. Michael. Mraz.
FADE TO BLACK.
END ACT TWO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT THREE
TITLE CARD:
6 HOURS AGO
FADE IN:
INT MRAZ INC. CONFERENCE ROOM- AFTERNOON
Mark stands in front of a room of RECRUITS, still wearing the dark sunglasses. A slide projected behind him says, “RECON TRAINING 102”. EDDIE and MOUMIN sit to the side of Mark, looking beyond bored.
MARK
We call this play a Running a Red. As in, herring. And if you don’t know what a Red Herring is… well, then HR isn’t doing it’s job. Now.
Mark clicks the slide projector. A new SCENE is depicted, a heavily armed entrance. Narrating with a laser pointer:
MARK (CON’T)
You have the target here. Entrance to target is heavily armed, and no doubt brimming with malicious evil. You want to enter target, with minimal collateral damage and no loss of team members. How do you do this?
Mark clicks the slide projector. In the new SCENE, a man dressed up like a CLOWN is running around with an assault rifle, while the GURADS are trying to catch him.
MARK (CON’T)
You create a highly visible, unavoidable, but ultimately non-lethal diversion. You manufacture a distraction that requires immediate attention and throws target into disarray. In this case, a clown with a machinegun.
Mark clicks the slide projector. In the new SCENE, the guards are beating the clown mercilessly, while two COMMANDOS sneak into the building.
MARK (CON’T)
This is a very simple, very useful tactic. But it cuts both ways. Anyone with a brain and a willing stooge can run a Red. The trick is to know when the threat is real, and when it’s a…
There is a SNORE. Eddie has passed out. Moumin is trying not to laugh. Mark whips off his sunglasses.
MARK (CON’T)
…clown. This concludes the a/v portion. And now, for some final words, please welcome special visiting commando lecturer, Eddie, Ladies and Gentlemen!
Mark starts the clapping, which is loud and wakes Eddie up. Moumin is now whole-heartedly guffawing.
Eddie looks around, groggily. He stumbles to the lectern, and peers at the audience. There is a silence. Finally:
EDDIE
(points finger)
Don’t screw up.
Eddie walks away and leaves the room. Moumin runs up to the lectern.
MOUMIN
Uh, so- That will be on the test. Study hard. Peace out!
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- ANDY’S TERMINAL- AFTERNOON
Andy, leans against his chair. He looks dejected and tired. Krystal walks by, stops, smiles at Andy.
KRYSTAL
Busy night, huh?
ANDY
What?
KRYSTAL
Last night. The Fax. The, crisis. No sleep. Remember?
ANDY
(thinks, pauses)
Can I ask you a question?
KRYSTAL
Shoot.
ANDY
If you had to choose between doing the Right thing… that might get you in trouble and might even get you fired… and letting something go, which would mean absolutely no trouble. Well? Am I crazy?
KRYSTAL
I'm going to need a little bit more info than that.
ANDY
I found something that, well, might be big. Internal. Big.
KRYSTAL
Well, if you want, I can probably get it to Mraz-
ANDY
I don't know, every bit of common sense is telling me to drop this, but…
KRYSTAL
This company survived the Mexican Nuke Scandal, I think we can survive whatever you find in Finance. No offense.
Andy makes a "brush off" gesture. Krystal smiles.
KRYSTAL (CON’T)
Look, it's trite, but I say you do the Right thing. If nothing else, Mraz will believe you.
ANDY
What if it involves him?
Krystal's expression changes.
KRYSTAL
Now that IS crazy.
Krystal walks away. Andy stares into space.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- MRAZ’S OFFICE- AFTERNOON
Mraz is seated at his desk. In his office: Keating, Eddie, Moumin, Ducky and, still in dark sunglasses, Mark. Eddie is in the center of the group:
EDDIE
Look, I had a choice to make. Recruits go one of two ways. I told them to right way to go.
KEATING
“Don’t screw up.”
EDDIE
(small satisfied nod)
The defense rests.
MRAZ
What the hell is going on here? The past 24 hours I feel like I’ve been in crazyland! What do you think this is? A game?!
A cell phone rings with the Theme to LEGEND OF ZELDA. No one moves. Finally, Ducky reaches into his pocket. The phone stops ringing.
DUCKY
Rachel and I haven’t figured out how to change that yet.
EDDIE
Uh. Huh.
MARK
Jesus, Mraz, what crawled up your ass and laid eggs before it died? What’s going on?
Mraz says nothing, turns away. Ducky begins punching up images on the monitors.
KEATING
Mike… I don’t share his choice of words? But he’s right. You’ve been on edge all day. This place is on full alert and we don’t know why.
EDDIE
Yeah, man. What the hell?
MRAZ
Lindsay Wolf is free.
Utter silence and shock. Even Ducky stops typing.
MRAZ
It came over the wire last night. 2 hours before his term was up, Governor Sherman, he, pardoned her. She walked out of Maximum Security, free. Free to network. Free to disappear.
EDDIE
(knowingly)
Free to act.
KEATING
Oh God. She’s coming after you.
MARK
(deeply upset)
Well. If you’d told me that sooner, I wouldn’t have spent all afternoon dicking around with college grads.
(stands)
Let’s pick her up.
MRAZ
We can’t. Look, she’s-
KEATING
I’ll pull all units under your command. Total sweep by sundown-
MARK
Where can we find her?
MRAZ
She’s a free citizen. We can’t just pick-
EDDIE
Gonna be difficult. Once upon a time, she trained with us.
MOUMIN
We’re gonna have to go old school. Safe house to safe house. No sleep till Brooklyn.
MRAZ
What am I, a ghost? Listen, this is my-
MARK
No it’s not.
(pause)
You’re her target. You’re our asset to be protected. That’s where your involvement ends.
MRAZ
That’s crap.
KEATING
That’s Mraz Inc Op-Protocol.
EDDIE
She should know, man, she’s the only one who reads ’em.
MRAZ
(faltering)
I am- this investigation-
MARK
You can’t lead this investigation without being in the field. You can’t be in the field, you’d be a liability. You’ve already cost us valuable time by withholding intel.
(to others)
Let’s go.
MRAZ
…Mark…
But Mark is gone. Moumin and Eddie follow him out. Keating lingers a moment, then leaves. Beat.
Ducky stands up and slowly begins to walk out.
MRAZ
And you had nothing to say.
DUCKY
I had nothing to add.
MRAZ
What about your- what about Robobirds? I could use them-
DUCKY
Mike, they’re prototypes. You told me to have a demonstration ready, not an active test.
Mraz says nothing. Unknown to both of them, one of the 10 monitor images has gone to STATIC.
DUCKY
(at door)
Honestly Mike? If anyone was going to spot a drone following her, it’s Lindsay Wolf.
CUT TO:
EXT. NEW YORK- ALLEYWAY- AFTERNOON
A smoking remains of one of Ducky's DSS birds. A gloved hand picks it up and inspects it.
It is Lindsay. She stares with idle curiosity.
LINDSAY
Where do they get these wonderful toys?
CUT TO:
TITLE CARD:
3 HOURS AGO
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- ARMORY- EARLY EVENING
The various teams are suiting up. In a series of quick cuts, we see Eddie, Moumin, and Keating arming themselves. The last one is Mark.
As Mark checks his clip, Andy runs up to him.
ANDY
We gotta talk.
MARK
Not now.
ANDY
It’s, uh. Pressing.
MARK
Andy, Lindsay Wolf has been free for almost an entire day. She’s armed, she’s dangerous and talk to me after we catch her, okay? Mraz’s life is in danger.
Mark gets a few steps away when Andy explodes:
ANDY
This whole COMPANY is in danger, Mark!
(Mark stops walking)
Have I ever asked you to look at something that wasn’t important? Wasted your time? Have I ever… I’m asking you, friend. Brother. Coworker. Will you trust me?
(pause)
Sorry, I’ve been up for 24 plus hours. Was that over the top?
MARK
A bit.
ANDY
Yeah. A bit. Look- just- I know you have to go. Meet me in three hours. I’ll have more info then. SOLAS.
MARK
Alright. SOLAS. Three hours.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- MRAZ’S OFFICE- EARLY EVENING
Mraz stands, picking up the pieces of his phone(s). He looks thoroughly dejected and tired.
Krystal knocks on the door, in the same way that Ducky did earlier.
KRYSTAL
Bad time?
MRAZ
(a little laugh)
Always. The strike teams?
KRYSTAL
You know the policy. Do overnight one night, get the next night off. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.
MRAZ
I’m fine.
(she stares at him)
No, I’m not. I’m an idiot. I put myself over Mraz Inc.
KRYSTAL
You did the right thing.
MRAZ
I don’t know. There’s a woman out there, who is pissed and who wants to kill me. She may have a point.
A moment. Krystal looks at some of the papers piled on his desk. Krystal smiles.
ANGLE ON: The post reads: GOV. SHERMAN TO HOLD PARTY ON FIRST NIGHT AS PRIVATE CITIZEN.
KRYSTAL
You know, in the movies… what happens to the man who sits inside his impregnable fortress, while all his guards are trying to keep out the one assassin trying to get in?
MRAZ
Don’t try to cheer me up.
KRYSTAL
Seriously.
MRAZ
The assassin gets in, and the man must face down the assassin. Usually loses.
KRYSTAL
So you can stay here waiting for your angel of death, or…
(holds up newspaper)
You can bust some fat heads.
Mraz stares at the paper, then at her. He gets it.
MRAZ
Wanna go to a party?
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S LAB- EARLY EVENING
Ducky sits typing on a keyboard, silently. Prototypes for the Robobird sit all around the lab.
His phone RINGS. He picks it up:
DUCKY
Go for Ducky.
LINDSAY (O.S.)
Hello… old friend.
DUCKY
(stops typing)
Hello.
LINDSAY(O.S.)
I’m coming, Ducky. I’m coming for Mraz.
DUCKY
So I heard. You’ve got everyone here, uh… very concerned.
LINDSAY (O.S.)
No one has to die… except Mike.
DUCKY
It’s revenge, right? For him?
LINDSAY (O.S.)
Only Mraz has to die.
DUCKY
Yes, you’ve made that, uh, crystal. I meant more… as opposed to killing my friend and your former boss, what can we give you? What do you want?
LINDSAY (O.S.)
I want. What I had.
The phone goes dead. Ducky stares at it.
FADE TO BLACK
END ACT THREE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT FOUR
TITLE CARD:
NOW
FADE IN:
CUT TO:
EXT. SHERMAN’S APARTMENT- NIGHT
A gorgeous entire-floor New York apartment. From outside, we see people in rich clothes drinking.
CUT TO:
INT. SHERMAN’S APARTMENT- NIGHT
We see Ex Governor Sherman entertaining GUESTS. He is having a ball, telling jokes loudly.
SHERMAN
So I says to Mabel I says… look, if you want the bird up your dress, I’ll do it, but first… I need to know how you voted in 2006!
The Guests burst into laughter, although a few of them exchange “huh?” looks.
MRAZ (O.S.)
That’s funny. But I know a better one.
The crowd of Guests parts and there is Mraz, with Krystal on his arm. They look fantastic. Mraz has a glass of Jameson in his hand.
MRAZ
What do you call a big, fat, pathetic white Republican man who’s afraid of change and has lost all purpose in life?
KRYSTAL
I don’t know, Michael. What do you call all of that?
MRAZ
The elephant in the room.
Sherman and Mraz stare each other down. Finally, after a moment:
A DRUNK WHITE PARTY GUEST:
Daaaaaaaamn!
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S LAB- EARLY EVENING
Ducky sits, his eyes now bloodshot, watching his 9 working monitors. He drinks a Red Bull™, eyes darting from screen to screen.
DUCKY
I know you’re there Lindsay. I know… I know.
Monitor 7 suddenly has a flash. Ducky frowns, zooms in on the image… it’s a CAR speeding…
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY- EVENING (CON’T)
That same CAR trying to run down Mark misses him by an inch as he ROLLS out of the way.
Mark hits the ground, pulls out a gun, and starts firing wildly.
ANGLE ON: The TIRES of the car, squealing in reverse.
ANGLE ON: The front of the CAB. One of the headlights is SHOT OUT. Suddenly, two gun muzzles SMASH out of the headlights, breaking the other. The engine revs.
Mark stops FIRING, and jumps behind a dumpster as the CAB begins FIRING mercilessly.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S LAB- EVENING (CON’T)
Ducky realizes that the intended victim is Mark.
DUCKY
Jesus…
Ducky reaches for the phone, when a gloved hand grabs his wrist and slams the phone down.
ANGLE ON: Ducky’s face, as Lindsay whispers in his ear:
LINDSAY:
Duck…Duck…Duck…
A pause.
DUCKY
(barely a whisper)
Goose.
CUT TO:
INT. SHERMAN’S APARTMENT- OFFICE- EVENING (CON’T)
Sherman sits in his office, jacket off, drinking a beer. He is miserable and pissed.
SHERMAN
So, I’m just curious. What part of, President of Mraz Inc, where in the job description does it say- I can show up and crash any party I feel like?
KRYSTAL
What crashing? You advertised it in the “Post.”
Krystal throws down the paper. Sherman stares at it for a moment.
SHERMAN
This reminds me. I have to fire EVERYBODY. Alright. So, what I can do for you, so that you’ll get out of my house?
MRAZ
I don’t really give a damn if you hand out pardons right and left to inside traders, rich kids who do blow… I could care less. But when you decide to pardon a cold blooded killer, someone with the ability to kill a man from sixty yards with nothing but a spork-
KRYSTAL
A spork? Really?
MRAZ
Someone who in fact has no larger purpose in life left but to kill me-
SHERMAN
Please, Mraz, this is New York. Anyone I meet who doesn’t want you dead, I get suspicious.
KRYSTAL
You’re stalling. And we don’t have time. Lives are at stake.
SHERMAN
“lives…” If I had a nickel, I’d have a dollar eighty-three.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY- EVENING
Mark hides behind an industrial trash bin. The CAB keeps firing at his position. It’s getting rough.
MARK
Alright. You want to play it soft, we’ll play it soft. You want to play it hard?
(pulls out explosive)
We’ll play it hard.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S LAB- EVENING
Ducky is now tied to his chair. Lindsay is using the Robobirds to find Mraz.
LINDSAY
Where is he, Ducky?
DUCKY
Well, it’s tricky. If I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. But I don’t know, so I can’t.
LINDSAY
Where is Mraz, Ducky?
DUCKY
It’s not his fault.
(she stops typing)
I’m sorry. But it was a mission with risks, and Steve knew it, and he accepted it. And now he’s dead, and I’m sorry. But it’s not Mike’s fault.
Lindsay mutters something, holding her knife.
DUCKY
What?
Lindsay leaps onto Ducky with her knife, screaming.
LINDSAY
Liar! LIAR!
CUT TO:
INT. SHERMAN’S APARTMENT- OFFICE- EVENING (CON’T)
Sherman waves his hands expansively:
SHERMAN
What cracks me up about this, other than the fact that you’re so obviously attracted to her it hurts-
(Mraz balks)
Is that you haven’t thought it through. You assume I did what I did because she was who she was. I don’t know who Lindsay Wolinski is.
KRYSTAL
(blushing)
Wolf.
SHERMAN
Wolinski, Wolf, wha-wha-whattever. Wasn’t even on the pardon list. I was all set to enjoy my party. And then THIS.
(brandishes Fax)
Even when the damn Governor gets a request from Mraz F-ing Inc, he’s gotta take notice.
MRAZ
…excuse me?
SHERMAN
Read it yourself. It’s an official request from MRAZ INC.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY- EVENING (CON’T)
Mark rolls into the ALLEY path.
The CAR takes the bait, revving and driving towards him, guns blazing.
Mark waits, waits… bullets bounce off the ground next to him.
ANGLE ON: The CAR speeding towards us.
ANGLE ON: Mark watches it, calmly.
As the CAR is about to run him down, he throws up the EXPLOSIVE and rolls out of the way. It sticks to the CAR, which makes a sharp U-TURN at the other end of the ALLEY.
Mark stands, holds up his detonator. He clicks it.
CUT TO:
INT- CAR- NIGHT (CON’T)
The GLOVED HANDS rise up in shock and dismay as the CAR EXPLODES. We hear a SCREAM, but it is cut short.
CUT TO:
INT- SHERMAN APARTIMENT- OFFICE- NIGHT
Mraz angrily waves the paper at Sherman:
MRAZ
I never signed this. This order didn’t come from me.
SHERMAN
Look. If someone over there is photocopying signatures to get their girlfriend out of jail, I can’t help you. The order came on your stationary. I owed you one last favor. We’re even, which means, we’re done.
(stands)
Now get out. I have a girl from the Midwest who thinks Albany is in Albania, and I don’t want to disappoint her. OUT!
CUT TO:
INT- MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S OFFICE- NIGHT (CON’T)
Lindsay holds the knife very close to Ducky's throat.
LINDSAY
Now… before I have to start filleting a good friend of mine… where is Mraz…
DUCKY
Your concern is touching… but again, and until further notice… I don’t know where he is…
A single tear runs down Lindsay’s face. She closes her eyes. Then, she raises her knife-
STEVE (O.S.)
STOP!
Lindsay and Ducky turn, and their shock is equal.
ANGLE ON: In the doorway stands intern Steve. But all his youthful naïveté and innocence is gone. His face is now a mask of weariness and relief.
INTERN STEVE
I knew.
(he takes a step in)
I knew if I interned here long enough.
(offers her a hand)
I’d find you again.
Lindsay drops the knife. Shaking, she takes his hand.
They embrace. Lindsay begins to cry. Ducky lets out a huge sigh of relief.
CUT TO:
EXT- ALLEY- NIGHT
Mark watches the car burn. Eddie runs up with an assault rifle, then slows down.
EDDIE
That your handiwork?
MARK
Yeah. Standard killer with customized car deal. Amateur-hour, really.
EDDIE
Looks real enough.
MARK
Nothing compared to Lindsay Wolf. But an amusing disctraction, nonethe-
Mark stops.
EDDIE
Still, legal’s gonna have a-
MARK
Distraction. Oh shi-
He begins to run-
EDDIE
What is it? What?
CUT TO:
INT- ANDY’S APARTMENT- NIGHT
A small but homey apartment. BATMAN memorabilia lines the place. Andy enters, locks the door behind him.
He puts down his stuff, goes through his mail. Sighs.
ANGLE ON: He opens his fridge, grabs a beer.
ANGLE ON: He runs down his shelf of DVDs, picks out BATMAN BEGINS.
ANGLE ON: He pops the DVD in, presses play, settles onto his chair.
Andy presses power on the TV. Nothing happens but a low, persistent beep. He looks confused. He presses power again. Nothing. He puts down his beer, walks over to the entertainment center.
The beep gets louder. He squints-
ANGLE ON:
Several small metal boxes, attached to the TV. One of them has a little red light.
ANGLE ON: We can see Andy's face and the red light. His expression goes from confusion, to shock, to acceptance before it goes GREEN-
CUT TO:
EXT- STREETS- NIGHT
Mark turns the corner just in time to see Andy’s apartment EXPLODE. The shockwave sends him to the ground.
Fire and debris rain down from the fifth floor walkup’s window. Car alarms SCREAM into the night.
Mark looks up, looks down, puts his head in his hands.
FADE TO BLACK.
TO BE CONTINUED...
"Running a Red"
Written by Taylor Shann
TEASER
OVER BLACK SCREEN:
ANDY (V.O.)
I believe in Mraz. Inc.
INT SOLAS. - NIGHT
The bar is deserted, for the most part. ANDY sits, beer in hand. He takes a sip, then puts it down starts to speak- but stops, and takes another sip.
Andy puts the beer down, looks at the camera:
ANDY
I believe in what we do, I mostly believe in how we do it. Mraz Inc has been good to me. So when I…
We hear a DOOR OPEN, he looks up, stops. He is nervous and weary. He takes a quick sip of beer.
ANDY
So when I say what I’m saying I don’t say it lightly.
(pause)
Something is wrong at Mraz Inc. Very, very wrong.
Camera pulls back to reveal the person he is talking to: it is MARK. He has a pint of Guinness in front of him, untouched. His expression is neutral.
MARK
Well. I tell ya, I’d love to change the name to Souza Inc. But I don’t think Mraz will go for it.
Mark waits for a laugh that does not come, and then sips his Guinness. Andy finishes his beer, puts it down silently.
MARK
Well. You must be upset, because that was funny.
ANDY
It started as just a, I don’t know, a routine search I thought. But I found something yesterday… a crime. And the deeper I’m digging, the dirtier it gets. And people… well people aren’t going to like what I found.
(motions to bartender)
Another Stella? Thanks.
(pause)
I know it’s none- it’s really none of my business. That’s why I’m talking to you.
The Stella appears, and Andy takes a hearty swig. Mark does the same with his Guinness, now genuinely concerned.
ANDY
Finance, numbers, are like any ocean. There are sharks, there are, uh, minnows. And there are… bodies, Mark. There are bodies that are buried there that no one is supposed to find. And I, I, like an idiot, just kept…
MARK
You saw a dead guy? That’s what this is about?
ANDY
I found a dead guy’s bank account. The problem is, dead men don’t have 63 active transactions in the past six months.
Andy takes a sip, then produces a file.
ANDY (CON’T)
And then I looked up who was transacting with the dead man.
CUT TO:
EXT- SOLAS- NIGHT
Outside of the bar, a few moments later.
Mark bursts through the door, fuming. Andy follows him, putting on his coat and holding the door open.
ANDY
Mark! Jesus, hold on.
MARK
Where’s my gun, I want to shoot somebody.
ANDY
Calm down. I don’t know for sure who is doing it.
MARK
What we have is a serious breach of security.
ANDY
What we have is a clue. What I need is… I’m going to keep digging. If I find a name, if I can PROVE it…
MARK
I’m not Legal. I don’t care about evidence. If you have a name, and I have your word, that’s enough.
ANDY
(takes a deep breath)
No matter whose name it might be…
MARK
The second people flip on me; they’re dead to me. I don’t care who it is. Find me the traitor, I’ll take care of it.
ANDY
…thank you, Mark. I’ve been going crazy these-
MARK
Don’t mention it. Listen, I have to go back to work.
Andy looks embarrassed. Mark starts to walk away.
MARK
(stops walking)
And Andy?
Andy looks up.
MARK
Good work.
Andy smiles, and walks away. Mark's smile vanishes. He is thinking, and begins to walk in the opposite direction.
CUT TO:
INT- CAR- NIGHT (CON’T)
We are inside a car, which is parked in an Alley. Through the windshield we see Mark walk in front of the alley.
A gloved hand turns on the engine.
CUT TO:
EXT- ALLEY- NIGHT (CON’T)
Mark is suddenly BLINDED by headlights. He shields his eyes, trying to see what or who it is.
CUT TO:
INT- CAR- NIGHT (CON’T)
We see Mark in silhouette through the windshield.
The Gloved hand shifts gears, and begins to drive as fast as possible. The tires SQUEAL.
CUT TO:
EXT- ALLEY NIGHT (CON’T)
Mark pulls out his gun, begins FIRING blindly at the car speeding towards him.
ANGLE ON:
From Mark’s POV, the car speeds towards the camera. We hear Mark’s gun firing, the flash illuminating the alley. The car keeps driving towards us, until the right headlight envelops the camera-
smash cut to:
MAIN TITLES.
FADE OUT.
END OF TEASER
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT ONE
TITLE CARD:
24 HOURS AGO
FADE IN:
INT- GOVERENOR’S BALL. – EVENING
It is the going away party for GOVERNOR JOSH SHERMAN at the Ritz Carlton hotel in New York City.
Lots of party-goers and the well-to-do mingle and drink.
We hear a familiar voice near the bar:
MRAZ(O.S.)
Let me make sure I understand…
CUT TO:
INT-GOVERNOR’S BALL BAR- EVENING
MRAZ stands in a tuxedo at the bar and is sadly sober. He talks in slow, clear tones to the BARTENDER:
MRAZ
You’re saying, there’s not a drop of Jameson in this entire hotel?
BARTENDER
I’m sorry, bud. The bar in the lobby might have some…
MRAZ
(a hand on his forehead)
I can’t leave because they won’t let me back in. And I have to stay until the Governor makes his speech. And I can’t listen to that speech sober. So. What can you do for me?
BARTENDER
I got Johnny Walker Red.
MRAZ
(grimaces)
Just give me whatever bottle of beer you have.
ANDREA (O.S.)
Beer and whiskey. Whiskey and beer.
ANDREA sweeps in, wearing a black dress and holding a glass of wine. She smiles at him, but not in a friendly way.
ANDREA (CONT'D)
You’re just so all-American, Mraz. Would you like some meat and potatoes to go with your bourgeois choice of beverages?
MRAZ
Andrea.
Mraz takes the bottle, tips the guy and steps away.
ANDREA
That all you have to say to me?
MRAZ
There are words that I want to say, many of them, in the form of questions that have answers that would save lives. But this is a party, so I’ll settle with ‘Andrea’.
Andrea downs her wine, slams the glass down and offers her wrists to Mraz, as if saying “Arrest me.”
ANDREA
Go on. Like you said, it’s a party. I dare you. I’d love you to try. So would my lawyers.
(pause)
No? Well, then. I’ll settle with-
But Mraz walks away, leaving her standing.
ANDREA (CON’T)
…Mraz.
BARTENDER
Ma’m? What can I-
ANDREA
White. Two glasses. No talking.
CUT TO:
INT- RITZ CARLTON HOTEL ROOM - EVENING
Governor Josh Sherman, in a tuxedo, sits in front of a mirror. An ASSISTANT stands behind him. Sherman is tying his tie while watching CLOSED CIRCUIT TV
(CCTV) of the party.
SHERMAN
“If you want to test a man's character, give him power.” You know who said that?
ASSISTANT
Lincoln?
SHERMAN
Lincoln said that. Of course, if he was really that smart, he wouldn’t have gotten his head blown off by an actor.
Sherman looks at the CCTV, grimacing.
SHERMAN (CON’T)
Look at ‘em. Gorging themselves like it’s their job, cause it’s free. Jesus. They’re like starved wolves. Or goddamn actors.
Sherman adjusts the picture on his CCTV, zooming in on someone. He smirks.
SHERMAN (CON’T)
Except her. She is VERY attractive. Do we know her?
ASSISTANT
We’re twenty minutes late, sir.
SHERMAN
(vicious)
Look. When you wake up tomorrow, your job and title will be exactly the same. When I wake up, I’ll be… Mr. Sherman. Mister. The word’s like drinking acid So those assholes drinking on my dime can wait, you hear me?
The Assistant is mute. Sherman stares at the mirror. His face is a Jackson Pollack of emotion.
SHERMAN
Is there any word?
ASSITANT
No. Nothing different, anyway. Same request. Sorry, Sir.
There is an awful silence.
SHERMAN
Alright, give me the order. Let’s get this over with.
(looks at the CCTV)
Then we’ll get THAT over with.
ANGLE ON:
The CCTV image. This particular camera is pointed at MRAZ, sitting at a table by himself with his Heineken.
CUT TO:
INT-GOVERNOR’S BALL BAR- EVENING
The same scene. Mraz sits, sipping his beer. Mark comes up behind him, in a black suit with his tie undone. He is gleefully not sober, holding two beers.
MARK
There is a VERY attractive woman over there. Do we know her?
MRAZ
Not now.
MARK
Whoa. Okay.
MRAZ
…can you cover this? I feel like I might shoot somebody.
MARK
(confused)
I’m sorry, are you me or are you, you? I’m enjoying the old bastard’s party, and you look like you’re about to rip a puppy’s head off.
MRAZ
If it was named Andrea, I might.
There is a silence. Mark chugs one of the beers.
MARK
Ah. OK. Go home.
(Mraz looks at him)
Go on, get out of here. I can play Mr. Kiss-ass for a night.
Mraz nods silently, appreciatively, and leaves. Mark drinks the other beer, puts it down, in a thoughtful mood.
After a beat, Andrea sits down with her two glasses of wine. One is already almost empty.
ANDREA
He’s upset with me.
MARK
(bemused and with a wave)
Hello, She-Bitch!
CUT TO:
EXT- RITZ CARLTON - NIGHT
Guests are still arriving to the ball. Mraz exits, fuming. He starts walking away from the hotel, opens his cell phone, hits the speed dial.
MRAZ
It’s Mraz, authorization 934-Texas. Patch me through to Keating.
SPLIT SCREEN:
KRYSTAL, sitting at KEATING’s desk. Her phone rings, she answers it.
KRYSTAL
Office of Mike Mraz.
MRAZ
Keating it’s me. I need-
KRYSTAL
(with a smile)
Sorry, try again. Mikey.
MRAZ
…Krystal. Hello.
CUT TO:
INT- GOVERNOR’S BALL- NIGHT
Andrea and Mark sit at the same table as before.
ANDREA
Bitches. The both of you. Whiny bitches. I know we’re on opposite sides, but that doesn’t mean-
MARK
It DOES. It does. He wants to arrest you, I just want to put a bullet in your head. No offense.
ANDREA
TAKEN. Heh. You know, Mraz, he’s all about his rules. His company. His ‘Legal’. But you and I, have an equal disdain for rules. You and I-
MARK
No. I don’t fund terrorists. I don’t hurt innocents.
ANDREA
No, you just put bullets in heads! You decide who’s innocent and who’s not! Man and Superman.
(finishes her wine)
Yeah, you’re the sober yin and I’m the raging yang. Jesus Christ. Consider, Mr. Souza, petty criminals only need petty cops. If it wasn’t for my ‘side’, you’d be out of a job.
Mark says nothing. The P.A. system crackles to life.
VOICE ON THE P.A.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Governor Josh Sherman!
The room BURSTS into applause. Pomp MUSIC starts playing. Andrea and Mark reluctantly get up and applaud, then turn to each other:
BOTH
Hail to the Thief.
They stare at each other, surprised at having made the same joke.
CUT TO:
INT- MRAZ INC- EVENING
Krystal is on Keating’s headset. Andy is ten feet away, at another terminal.
KRYSTAL
Yeah, the schedule got mixed up. It’s just me and Andy on the night shift.
MRAZ (O.S.)
(over phone)
Andy and I, Krystal. Andy and I. What would your mother think?
KRYSTAL
I don’t know, she’s in Newark. You want me to call her?
ANGLE ON:
Andy’s Terminal. He is typing lazily into the computer. We can hear the continuation of Mraz’s conversation.
MRAZ (O.S.)
(over phone)
I want a lot of things, but I’ll settle for keeping your eyes and ears open.
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
What’s going on?
MRAZ (O.S.)
(over phone)
Call it intuition. A bad feeling. Something’s up.
Andy stops typing, frowns. He has found something.
MRAZ (O.S.) (CON’T)
(over phone)
Anything come over the wire?
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
Not really… well, actually I was thinking of you- The Governor just issued a pardon. Hold on. Andy?
Andy stares into space, thinking.
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
Andy. ANDY!
ANGLE ON:
Andy turns and faces Krystal, startled.
KRYSTAL:
Fax.
Andy blinks, then reaches and hands Krystal a fax out of her inbox. Krystal reads off of it.
During this, we stay on Andy, as he stares at his computer.
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
Here we go- “the Governor orders… reasons of mercy… Immediate release.” Conviction unlisted..
MRAZ (O.S.)
(over phone)
Probably trying to let one of his donors get off the hook at the last minute. What’s the name?
CUT TO:
EXT- NYC STREET– NIGHT (CON’T)
Mraz is trying to hail a cab.
KRYSTAL (O.S.)
(over phone)
Uh… Lindsay. Lindsay Wolf.
Mraz stops dead in his tracks.
KRYSTAL (O.S.) (CON’T)
(over phone)
No further details. I didn’t-
MRAZ
Confirmation. I need confirmation IMMEDIATELY.
CUT TO:
EXT- MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON – NIGHT
The entrance to a very high tech prison facility. The gates swing open, and LINDSAY WOLF walks out. She has a little smile on her face, and she is humming a song. As she walks toward the camera, we can hear it-
It is TIME IS ON MY SIDE.
FADE OUT.
END ACT ONE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT TWO
TITLE CARD:
12 HOURS AGO
FADE IN:
INT. MRAZ INC- FRONT DESK DAY
Keating stands over INTERN STEVE at the front desk.
KEATING
One more time. If someone calls, and asks what we import, you say…
INTERN STEVE
We import… imports.
KEATING
And if they ask what we export?
INTERN STEVE
We export… exports.
KEATING
Very good. You're gonna be fine, Intern.
INTERN STEVE
My name is Steve, actually, um- question? One question. What do we actually import?
KEATING
(leans in close)
…well, don't tell anyone. But we import Good into the country, and we export Evil out of it… Permanently. But try explaining that to Congress, you know?
Steve stares at her, agog. There is a KNOCK. They both turn and see a hung-over Mark, with dark sunglasses and a cup of coffee behind a glass door. He waves slowly, as if every movement hurts. He enters slowly.
MARK
Where's Mraz?
KEATING
Where do you think?
(Mark nods)
I'll walk with you.
INTERN STEVE:
Wait, what if someone calls?
MARK
(to Intern)
Answer it. What do you think we're paying you for?
INTERN STEVE
Right. Right.
KEATING
(whispering to Mark)
We don't pay them.
Mark blinks, then walks away. Keating gives a thumbs up to Steve and leaves. Steve watches them go, when a phone RINGS and startles him. He picks up:
INTERN STEVE
Mraz Inc, we Import Evil!
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- HALLWAY- DAY (CON’T)
Keating and Mark walking down a hallway. The office buzzes with Monday Morning activity.
KEATING
Andy and Krystal were on the overnight when something came in over the wire. I don't know what it was, but Mraz was pretty upset…
MARK
How upset?
KEATING
Phone against the wall upset.
MARK
(sad sigh)
Same as it ever was. What is that, the third this month?
KEATING
Fourth. I’m ordering them in bulk now. What happened at that party last night?
MARK
Some ribbing from Andrea put him in a mood, but other than that-
KEATING
Whatever it was, we recalled everyone from leave and this whole place has been put on alert. You're late, actually, we've been here for 3 hours.
MARK
Late…? Wait, what time is it?
Keating looks at a wall clock. It displays all time zones of the world. The one that has NYC says "10:43".
KEATING
(slightly accusatory)
We did call. Your phone was off. Probably still is.
MARK
…I really gotta stop drinking those last call Jaegerbombs.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- MRAZ’S OFFICE- DAY
Mraz sits in his office, with bloodshot eyes and a grim expression. He is throwing away the broken parts of his phone. There is a nice, new phone sitting on his desk.
A moment. Then, he violently SMASHES his phone against the wall, and pulls out his familiar bottle of Jameson. As he goes to angrily pour a shot, there is a quiet KNOCK at the door.
BRIAN "DUCKY" SMALLWOOD is standing in the doorway, with a laptop underneath his arm. He wears a goofy, yet cautious smile.
DUCKY
Bad time?
MRAZ
Bad night. What’s up?
DUCKY
Got a minute?
MRAZ
I always have time for Ducky.
Mraz puts the bottle away. Ducky sits, opens his laptop. He looks at the broken phone.
DUCKY
What is that, the third this month?
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- FRONT DESK- DAY
Steve sits at his desk, a deer in the headlights. His desk is covered with message notes. Andy approaches with a pile of papers.
ANDY
Hey, uh- um. I'm sorry. You’re-
STEVE
Intern Steve.
ANDY
Intern- Steve, wow. That's your full name, huh. Great. Anyway, I'm Andy, I'm in Finance, and I need you to run these account numbers. I need dates, I need dollar amounts and I need names. As soon as is possible.
Intern Steve's expression screams, “I am screwed.”
STEVE
Okay. Sure. I can do that. Do I know how to do that? I don’t-
ANDY
A trained monkey could do it.
(pause)
So I guess that means, I'll train you, and then you can be my monkey.
STEVE
Great. Happy to help.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- MRAZ’S OFFICE- DAY
The same scene as before. Mraz is a bit more relaxed. Ducky is setting up a whole display of monitors and computers.
MRAZ
It's Andrea. She was at the ball last night, practically daring me to arrest her. And then I got the call that- well, I can’t talk about it yet, but it’s why we’re on alert.
(swivels in his chair)
I never feel more powerless than when evil taunts me in the face, and gets away with it.
DUCKY
C'mon, man. You've put away more bad guys than Bruce Willis. BRUCE F-ING WILLIS. Don't be so hard on yourself.
MRAZ
I founded this company to do the things others can't. To operate above the system. For Justice. And now, I feel of the system. Trapped by it. Frozen in it. Like… Mr Freeze.
Beat. Mraz is lost in thought. Ducky flips a switch.
DUCKY
Either that or it's Monday and you're hung over.
Finally, Mraz chuckles.
MRAZ
I'm always hung over. So what’s this?
DUCKY
Well, first, first- yes you are, and you should consider your heart. Second? This is the future.
A series of images pop up on the monitors. Each moving person or vehicle is assigned a Variable: X3, Z8, etc.
DUCKY
I call it the DSS. Ducky Survelliance System. I was going to call it BSS, but, I decided against that for acronym purposes.
MRAZ
So it's cameras. So what. We already have cameras.
DUCKY
Cameras that can do… this?
ANGLE ON: Ducky types the following command: FOLLOW X3
ANGLE ON: The image begins moving , following the person marked as X3. Mraz leans in close, watching it.
DUCKY
DSS can follow anyone, anywhere as long as it's open air. And it instantly sends back and records its images. I only have 10 prototypes right now. But can you imagine?
MRAZ
And the people don't know they're being followed.
DUCKY
Not unless the perp starts to suspect pigeons.
MRAZ
(genuine admiration)
Robot Pigeons. You crazy son of a bitch. How are you able to do this?
DUCKY
Yeah… about that.
(holds a bunch of bills)
Full disclosure? I went a bit into the hole on this one.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- ANDY’S TERMINAL- DAY
Andy looks worse than Mraz, if that’s possible. He types with a mad desperation. Coffee cups litter his desk. He sips from one, and stares at his screen.
ANGLE ON: His monitor asks him a question: EXECUTE? (Y/N)
Andy hesitates. Suddenly, a hand grabs his shoulder-
ANDY
Jesus!
INTERN STEVE (O.S.)
Sorry!
Steve appears behind him, carrying papers.
INTERN STEVE
Didn’t mean to, uh, scare the bejesus out of you.
ANDY
That’s… that’s okay… whew… What’ve you got?
INTERN STEVE
Uh, let’s see… dates, dollar amounts, and names. That was it, right?
Andy takes the list and stares at it.
ANGLE ON: Andy’s POV, as he scans from name to name:
ANDY
DUCKY
EDDIE
KEATING
It lingers on the last one:
MRAZ
Andy closes his eyes in pain.
ANDY
And you’re sure this is accurate.
INTERN STEVE
This is all who accessed the file. You can add names but you can’t remove them. Someone may be adding names to cover their tracks, but it’s one of these five. Is there a problem?
ANDY
No, no. Thank you. This is, uh. Good work.
INTERN STEVE
Oooh oooh AH AH AH!
Andy stares at Steve.
INTERN STEVE
Monkey! Ha… uh… I’ll just be going.
Steve leaves. Andy watches him go, then turns to his computer.
ANGLE ON: EXECUTE? (Y/N)
Andy types: Y.
PROCESSING…
ONE (1) MATCH FOUND:
ANDREA
Andy sits upright in his chair.
ANDY
Andrea?
CUT TO:
INT. ANDREA’S APARTMENT- LIVING ROOM- DAY
Andrea is having a midday cocktail party. A HIRED GOON is trying to get her attention.
ANDREA
Yes?
HIRED GOON
Sorry, Ms. Andrea, there’s some broad here who says she knows you. I don’t recognize her.
ANDREA
Some ‘broad.’
(to her guests)
Excuse me. Pre-feminism Muscle calls.
CUT TO:
INT. ANDREA’S APARTMENT- ATRIUM- DAY
Andrea is dragging her hired goon to the front door.
ANDREA
And if you EVER say the word Broad again I swear to God they’ll never find the-
There is the sound of FIST HITTING FLESH as a 2nd HIRED GOON is sent flying through the front door and against the wall. Lindsay steps over the body and into the room, calm but ready to spring.
The 1st hired goon pulls a gun, but Andrea stops him. She wears the same smile she flashed Mraz.
ANDREA
Lindsay. Dear. You don’t call, or write. You beat up the help.
LINDSAY
I. Want.
ANDREA
(tones herself down)
What can I do for you?
LINDSAY
I want my money. I want my tools. And I want them both, right now.
ANDREA
(pause)
Birdo, be a dear.
(pause)
Fetch.
The 1st hired goon (BIRDO) nods dumbly and runs off. Andrea sits in an atrium chaise-lounge.
ANDREA
Anything else, while you’re in this mood? Nice to see you, by the way.
ANGLE ON: Lindsay looks straight at the camera, eyes focused.
LINDSAY
… Mraz. I want. Michael. Mraz.
FADE TO BLACK.
END ACT TWO
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT THREE
TITLE CARD:
6 HOURS AGO
FADE IN:
INT MRAZ INC. CONFERENCE ROOM- AFTERNOON
Mark stands in front of a room of RECRUITS, still wearing the dark sunglasses. A slide projected behind him says, “RECON TRAINING 102”. EDDIE and MOUMIN sit to the side of Mark, looking beyond bored.
MARK
We call this play a Running a Red. As in, herring. And if you don’t know what a Red Herring is… well, then HR isn’t doing it’s job. Now.
Mark clicks the slide projector. A new SCENE is depicted, a heavily armed entrance. Narrating with a laser pointer:
MARK (CON’T)
You have the target here. Entrance to target is heavily armed, and no doubt brimming with malicious evil. You want to enter target, with minimal collateral damage and no loss of team members. How do you do this?
Mark clicks the slide projector. In the new SCENE, a man dressed up like a CLOWN is running around with an assault rifle, while the GURADS are trying to catch him.
MARK (CON’T)
You create a highly visible, unavoidable, but ultimately non-lethal diversion. You manufacture a distraction that requires immediate attention and throws target into disarray. In this case, a clown with a machinegun.
Mark clicks the slide projector. In the new SCENE, the guards are beating the clown mercilessly, while two COMMANDOS sneak into the building.
MARK (CON’T)
This is a very simple, very useful tactic. But it cuts both ways. Anyone with a brain and a willing stooge can run a Red. The trick is to know when the threat is real, and when it’s a…
There is a SNORE. Eddie has passed out. Moumin is trying not to laugh. Mark whips off his sunglasses.
MARK (CON’T)
…clown. This concludes the a/v portion. And now, for some final words, please welcome special visiting commando lecturer, Eddie, Ladies and Gentlemen!
Mark starts the clapping, which is loud and wakes Eddie up. Moumin is now whole-heartedly guffawing.
Eddie looks around, groggily. He stumbles to the lectern, and peers at the audience. There is a silence. Finally:
EDDIE
(points finger)
Don’t screw up.
Eddie walks away and leaves the room. Moumin runs up to the lectern.
MOUMIN
Uh, so- That will be on the test. Study hard. Peace out!
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- ANDY’S TERMINAL- AFTERNOON
Andy, leans against his chair. He looks dejected and tired. Krystal walks by, stops, smiles at Andy.
KRYSTAL
Busy night, huh?
ANDY
What?
KRYSTAL
Last night. The Fax. The, crisis. No sleep. Remember?
ANDY
(thinks, pauses)
Can I ask you a question?
KRYSTAL
Shoot.
ANDY
If you had to choose between doing the Right thing… that might get you in trouble and might even get you fired… and letting something go, which would mean absolutely no trouble. Well? Am I crazy?
KRYSTAL
I'm going to need a little bit more info than that.
ANDY
I found something that, well, might be big. Internal. Big.
KRYSTAL
Well, if you want, I can probably get it to Mraz-
ANDY
I don't know, every bit of common sense is telling me to drop this, but…
KRYSTAL
This company survived the Mexican Nuke Scandal, I think we can survive whatever you find in Finance. No offense.
Andy makes a "brush off" gesture. Krystal smiles.
KRYSTAL (CON’T)
Look, it's trite, but I say you do the Right thing. If nothing else, Mraz will believe you.
ANDY
What if it involves him?
Krystal's expression changes.
KRYSTAL
Now that IS crazy.
Krystal walks away. Andy stares into space.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- MRAZ’S OFFICE- AFTERNOON
Mraz is seated at his desk. In his office: Keating, Eddie, Moumin, Ducky and, still in dark sunglasses, Mark. Eddie is in the center of the group:
EDDIE
Look, I had a choice to make. Recruits go one of two ways. I told them to right way to go.
KEATING
“Don’t screw up.”
EDDIE
(small satisfied nod)
The defense rests.
MRAZ
What the hell is going on here? The past 24 hours I feel like I’ve been in crazyland! What do you think this is? A game?!
A cell phone rings with the Theme to LEGEND OF ZELDA. No one moves. Finally, Ducky reaches into his pocket. The phone stops ringing.
DUCKY
Rachel and I haven’t figured out how to change that yet.
EDDIE
Uh. Huh.
MARK
Jesus, Mraz, what crawled up your ass and laid eggs before it died? What’s going on?
Mraz says nothing, turns away. Ducky begins punching up images on the monitors.
KEATING
Mike… I don’t share his choice of words? But he’s right. You’ve been on edge all day. This place is on full alert and we don’t know why.
EDDIE
Yeah, man. What the hell?
MRAZ
Lindsay Wolf is free.
Utter silence and shock. Even Ducky stops typing.
MRAZ
It came over the wire last night. 2 hours before his term was up, Governor Sherman, he, pardoned her. She walked out of Maximum Security, free. Free to network. Free to disappear.
EDDIE
(knowingly)
Free to act.
KEATING
Oh God. She’s coming after you.
MARK
(deeply upset)
Well. If you’d told me that sooner, I wouldn’t have spent all afternoon dicking around with college grads.
(stands)
Let’s pick her up.
MRAZ
We can’t. Look, she’s-
KEATING
I’ll pull all units under your command. Total sweep by sundown-
MARK
Where can we find her?
MRAZ
She’s a free citizen. We can’t just pick-
EDDIE
Gonna be difficult. Once upon a time, she trained with us.
MOUMIN
We’re gonna have to go old school. Safe house to safe house. No sleep till Brooklyn.
MRAZ
What am I, a ghost? Listen, this is my-
MARK
No it’s not.
(pause)
You’re her target. You’re our asset to be protected. That’s where your involvement ends.
MRAZ
That’s crap.
KEATING
That’s Mraz Inc Op-Protocol.
EDDIE
She should know, man, she’s the only one who reads ’em.
MRAZ
(faltering)
I am- this investigation-
MARK
You can’t lead this investigation without being in the field. You can’t be in the field, you’d be a liability. You’ve already cost us valuable time by withholding intel.
(to others)
Let’s go.
MRAZ
…Mark…
But Mark is gone. Moumin and Eddie follow him out. Keating lingers a moment, then leaves. Beat.
Ducky stands up and slowly begins to walk out.
MRAZ
And you had nothing to say.
DUCKY
I had nothing to add.
MRAZ
What about your- what about Robobirds? I could use them-
DUCKY
Mike, they’re prototypes. You told me to have a demonstration ready, not an active test.
Mraz says nothing. Unknown to both of them, one of the 10 monitor images has gone to STATIC.
DUCKY
(at door)
Honestly Mike? If anyone was going to spot a drone following her, it’s Lindsay Wolf.
CUT TO:
EXT. NEW YORK- ALLEYWAY- AFTERNOON
A smoking remains of one of Ducky's DSS birds. A gloved hand picks it up and inspects it.
It is Lindsay. She stares with idle curiosity.
LINDSAY
Where do they get these wonderful toys?
CUT TO:
TITLE CARD:
3 HOURS AGO
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- ARMORY- EARLY EVENING
The various teams are suiting up. In a series of quick cuts, we see Eddie, Moumin, and Keating arming themselves. The last one is Mark.
As Mark checks his clip, Andy runs up to him.
ANDY
We gotta talk.
MARK
Not now.
ANDY
It’s, uh. Pressing.
MARK
Andy, Lindsay Wolf has been free for almost an entire day. She’s armed, she’s dangerous and talk to me after we catch her, okay? Mraz’s life is in danger.
Mark gets a few steps away when Andy explodes:
ANDY
This whole COMPANY is in danger, Mark!
(Mark stops walking)
Have I ever asked you to look at something that wasn’t important? Wasted your time? Have I ever… I’m asking you, friend. Brother. Coworker. Will you trust me?
(pause)
Sorry, I’ve been up for 24 plus hours. Was that over the top?
MARK
A bit.
ANDY
Yeah. A bit. Look- just- I know you have to go. Meet me in three hours. I’ll have more info then. SOLAS.
MARK
Alright. SOLAS. Three hours.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- MRAZ’S OFFICE- EARLY EVENING
Mraz stands, picking up the pieces of his phone(s). He looks thoroughly dejected and tired.
Krystal knocks on the door, in the same way that Ducky did earlier.
KRYSTAL
Bad time?
MRAZ
(a little laugh)
Always. The strike teams?
KRYSTAL
You know the policy. Do overnight one night, get the next night off. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.
MRAZ
I’m fine.
(she stares at him)
No, I’m not. I’m an idiot. I put myself over Mraz Inc.
KRYSTAL
You did the right thing.
MRAZ
I don’t know. There’s a woman out there, who is pissed and who wants to kill me. She may have a point.
A moment. Krystal looks at some of the papers piled on his desk. Krystal smiles.
ANGLE ON: The post reads: GOV. SHERMAN TO HOLD PARTY ON FIRST NIGHT AS PRIVATE CITIZEN.
KRYSTAL
You know, in the movies… what happens to the man who sits inside his impregnable fortress, while all his guards are trying to keep out the one assassin trying to get in?
MRAZ
Don’t try to cheer me up.
KRYSTAL
Seriously.
MRAZ
The assassin gets in, and the man must face down the assassin. Usually loses.
KRYSTAL
So you can stay here waiting for your angel of death, or…
(holds up newspaper)
You can bust some fat heads.
Mraz stares at the paper, then at her. He gets it.
MRAZ
Wanna go to a party?
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S LAB- EARLY EVENING
Ducky sits typing on a keyboard, silently. Prototypes for the Robobird sit all around the lab.
His phone RINGS. He picks it up:
DUCKY
Go for Ducky.
LINDSAY (O.S.)
Hello… old friend.
DUCKY
(stops typing)
Hello.
LINDSAY(O.S.)
I’m coming, Ducky. I’m coming for Mraz.
DUCKY
So I heard. You’ve got everyone here, uh… very concerned.
LINDSAY (O.S.)
No one has to die… except Mike.
DUCKY
It’s revenge, right? For him?
LINDSAY (O.S.)
Only Mraz has to die.
DUCKY
Yes, you’ve made that, uh, crystal. I meant more… as opposed to killing my friend and your former boss, what can we give you? What do you want?
LINDSAY (O.S.)
I want. What I had.
The phone goes dead. Ducky stares at it.
FADE TO BLACK
END ACT THREE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACT FOUR
TITLE CARD:
NOW
FADE IN:
CUT TO:
EXT. SHERMAN’S APARTMENT- NIGHT
A gorgeous entire-floor New York apartment. From outside, we see people in rich clothes drinking.
CUT TO:
INT. SHERMAN’S APARTMENT- NIGHT
We see Ex Governor Sherman entertaining GUESTS. He is having a ball, telling jokes loudly.
SHERMAN
So I says to Mabel I says… look, if you want the bird up your dress, I’ll do it, but first… I need to know how you voted in 2006!
The Guests burst into laughter, although a few of them exchange “huh?” looks.
MRAZ (O.S.)
That’s funny. But I know a better one.
The crowd of Guests parts and there is Mraz, with Krystal on his arm. They look fantastic. Mraz has a glass of Jameson in his hand.
MRAZ
What do you call a big, fat, pathetic white Republican man who’s afraid of change and has lost all purpose in life?
KRYSTAL
I don’t know, Michael. What do you call all of that?
MRAZ
The elephant in the room.
Sherman and Mraz stare each other down. Finally, after a moment:
A DRUNK WHITE PARTY GUEST:
Daaaaaaaamn!
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S LAB- EARLY EVENING
Ducky sits, his eyes now bloodshot, watching his 9 working monitors. He drinks a Red Bull™, eyes darting from screen to screen.
DUCKY
I know you’re there Lindsay. I know… I know.
Monitor 7 suddenly has a flash. Ducky frowns, zooms in on the image… it’s a CAR speeding…
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY- EVENING (CON’T)
That same CAR trying to run down Mark misses him by an inch as he ROLLS out of the way.
Mark hits the ground, pulls out a gun, and starts firing wildly.
ANGLE ON: The TIRES of the car, squealing in reverse.
ANGLE ON: The front of the CAB. One of the headlights is SHOT OUT. Suddenly, two gun muzzles SMASH out of the headlights, breaking the other. The engine revs.
Mark stops FIRING, and jumps behind a dumpster as the CAB begins FIRING mercilessly.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S LAB- EVENING (CON’T)
Ducky realizes that the intended victim is Mark.
DUCKY
Jesus…
Ducky reaches for the phone, when a gloved hand grabs his wrist and slams the phone down.
ANGLE ON: Ducky’s face, as Lindsay whispers in his ear:
LINDSAY:
Duck…Duck…Duck…
A pause.
DUCKY
(barely a whisper)
Goose.
CUT TO:
INT. SHERMAN’S APARTMENT- OFFICE- EVENING (CON’T)
Sherman sits in his office, jacket off, drinking a beer. He is miserable and pissed.
SHERMAN
So, I’m just curious. What part of, President of Mraz Inc, where in the job description does it say- I can show up and crash any party I feel like?
KRYSTAL
What crashing? You advertised it in the “Post.”
Krystal throws down the paper. Sherman stares at it for a moment.
SHERMAN
This reminds me. I have to fire EVERYBODY. Alright. So, what I can do for you, so that you’ll get out of my house?
MRAZ
I don’t really give a damn if you hand out pardons right and left to inside traders, rich kids who do blow… I could care less. But when you decide to pardon a cold blooded killer, someone with the ability to kill a man from sixty yards with nothing but a spork-
KRYSTAL
A spork? Really?
MRAZ
Someone who in fact has no larger purpose in life left but to kill me-
SHERMAN
Please, Mraz, this is New York. Anyone I meet who doesn’t want you dead, I get suspicious.
KRYSTAL
You’re stalling. And we don’t have time. Lives are at stake.
SHERMAN
“lives…” If I had a nickel, I’d have a dollar eighty-three.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY- EVENING
Mark hides behind an industrial trash bin. The CAB keeps firing at his position. It’s getting rough.
MARK
Alright. You want to play it soft, we’ll play it soft. You want to play it hard?
(pulls out explosive)
We’ll play it hard.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S LAB- EVENING
Ducky is now tied to his chair. Lindsay is using the Robobirds to find Mraz.
LINDSAY
Where is he, Ducky?
DUCKY
Well, it’s tricky. If I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. But I don’t know, so I can’t.
LINDSAY
Where is Mraz, Ducky?
DUCKY
It’s not his fault.
(she stops typing)
I’m sorry. But it was a mission with risks, and Steve knew it, and he accepted it. And now he’s dead, and I’m sorry. But it’s not Mike’s fault.
Lindsay mutters something, holding her knife.
DUCKY
What?
Lindsay leaps onto Ducky with her knife, screaming.
LINDSAY
Liar! LIAR!
CUT TO:
INT. SHERMAN’S APARTMENT- OFFICE- EVENING (CON’T)
Sherman waves his hands expansively:
SHERMAN
What cracks me up about this, other than the fact that you’re so obviously attracted to her it hurts-
(Mraz balks)
Is that you haven’t thought it through. You assume I did what I did because she was who she was. I don’t know who Lindsay Wolinski is.
KRYSTAL
(blushing)
Wolf.
SHERMAN
Wolinski, Wolf, wha-wha-whattever. Wasn’t even on the pardon list. I was all set to enjoy my party. And then THIS.
(brandishes Fax)
Even when the damn Governor gets a request from Mraz F-ing Inc, he’s gotta take notice.
MRAZ
…excuse me?
SHERMAN
Read it yourself. It’s an official request from MRAZ INC.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY- EVENING (CON’T)
Mark rolls into the ALLEY path.
The CAR takes the bait, revving and driving towards him, guns blazing.
Mark waits, waits… bullets bounce off the ground next to him.
ANGLE ON: The CAR speeding towards us.
ANGLE ON: Mark watches it, calmly.
As the CAR is about to run him down, he throws up the EXPLOSIVE and rolls out of the way. It sticks to the CAR, which makes a sharp U-TURN at the other end of the ALLEY.
Mark stands, holds up his detonator. He clicks it.
CUT TO:
INT- CAR- NIGHT (CON’T)
The GLOVED HANDS rise up in shock and dismay as the CAR EXPLODES. We hear a SCREAM, but it is cut short.
CUT TO:
INT- SHERMAN APARTIMENT- OFFICE- NIGHT
Mraz angrily waves the paper at Sherman:
MRAZ
I never signed this. This order didn’t come from me.
SHERMAN
Look. If someone over there is photocopying signatures to get their girlfriend out of jail, I can’t help you. The order came on your stationary. I owed you one last favor. We’re even, which means, we’re done.
(stands)
Now get out. I have a girl from the Midwest who thinks Albany is in Albania, and I don’t want to disappoint her. OUT!
CUT TO:
INT- MRAZ INC- DUCKY’S OFFICE- NIGHT (CON’T)
Lindsay holds the knife very close to Ducky's throat.
LINDSAY
Now… before I have to start filleting a good friend of mine… where is Mraz…
DUCKY
Your concern is touching… but again, and until further notice… I don’t know where he is…
A single tear runs down Lindsay’s face. She closes her eyes. Then, she raises her knife-
STEVE (O.S.)
STOP!
Lindsay and Ducky turn, and their shock is equal.
ANGLE ON: In the doorway stands intern Steve. But all his youthful naïveté and innocence is gone. His face is now a mask of weariness and relief.
INTERN STEVE
I knew.
(he takes a step in)
I knew if I interned here long enough.
(offers her a hand)
I’d find you again.
Lindsay drops the knife. Shaking, she takes his hand.
They embrace. Lindsay begins to cry. Ducky lets out a huge sigh of relief.
CUT TO:
EXT- ALLEY- NIGHT
Mark watches the car burn. Eddie runs up with an assault rifle, then slows down.
EDDIE
That your handiwork?
MARK
Yeah. Standard killer with customized car deal. Amateur-hour, really.
EDDIE
Looks real enough.
MARK
Nothing compared to Lindsay Wolf. But an amusing disctraction, nonethe-
Mark stops.
EDDIE
Still, legal’s gonna have a-
MARK
Distraction. Oh shi-
He begins to run-
EDDIE
What is it? What?
CUT TO:
INT- ANDY’S APARTMENT- NIGHT
A small but homey apartment. BATMAN memorabilia lines the place. Andy enters, locks the door behind him.
He puts down his stuff, goes through his mail. Sighs.
ANGLE ON: He opens his fridge, grabs a beer.
ANGLE ON: He runs down his shelf of DVDs, picks out BATMAN BEGINS.
ANGLE ON: He pops the DVD in, presses play, settles onto his chair.
Andy presses power on the TV. Nothing happens but a low, persistent beep. He looks confused. He presses power again. Nothing. He puts down his beer, walks over to the entertainment center.
The beep gets louder. He squints-
ANGLE ON:
Several small metal boxes, attached to the TV. One of them has a little red light.
ANGLE ON: We can see Andy's face and the red light. His expression goes from confusion, to shock, to acceptance before it goes GREEN-
CUT TO:
EXT- STREETS- NIGHT
Mark turns the corner just in time to see Andy’s apartment EXPLODE. The shockwave sends him to the ground.
Fire and debris rain down from the fifth floor walkup’s window. Car alarms SCREAM into the night.
Mark looks up, looks down, puts his head in his hands.
FADE TO BLACK.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Episode 1.7 "This Living Hand, Part 2" written by Michael Mraz
Mraz Inc.
"This Living Hand, Part 2"
Written by Michael Mraz
TEASER
FADE IN:
INT. BRENDAN’s STRONGHOLD- NIGHT
Radiohead’s “You And Whose Army” plays under the scene. There is no sound but the music. KRYSTAL is passed out, cuffed to the chair. Brendan lifts her head by the chin, and drops it. Her head falls limp. On “You think…”:
CUT TO:
INT. ANDREA’S OFFICE- SAME TIME
ANDREA stands in her darkened office, looking out over the city. She drinks a glass of champagne and smiles slightly. On the second set of “Come On”s:
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM- SAME TIME
MRAZ stands in tac gear. He slides a clip into his handgun and chambers a round.
CUT TO:
INT WAREHOUSE, MANHATTAN- SAME TIME
MICHENER stands in front of a crate; a laptop and an assault rifle sit on the crate in front of him.
ANGLE: On the small army of men that Andrea had assembled for the assault. The are moving around, organizing seemingly ready to go.
Michener wears a subtle look of triumph and concentration. He looks back at his computer and begins typing.
CUT TO:
EXT WAREHOUSE, MANHATTAN- SAME TIME
EDDIE and MOUMIN watch from the rooftop skylight. They are now joined by a squad of MRAZ INC TACTICAL OPERATIVES.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM- SAME TIME
MARK fastens his tac gear and fits an earpiece to his ear.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC WAR ROOM- SAME TIME
On “Holy Roman Empire”, the camera resting on DUCKY and KEATING zooms out revealing a busy roomful of employees, buzzing about; prepping to run the missions.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM- SAME TIME
ERIC, kneeling down, slides a knife into his boot sheathe. He stands tall, ready to go.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, WILLIAMSBURG- SAME TIME
JANICE leans up against a car. A small computer sits in front of her with intel data scrolling. She sits, intent on her gun clip, in which she is meticulously placing each individual bullet.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD- SAME TIME
Brendan stands in a room with the MAN who was recording the interrogation. Their voices are the only sound in the duration of the Teaser.
BRENDAN
Make sure you make a copy of the tape.
MAN
Should I have it delivered?
BRENDAN
No. I’ll deliver it personally after we destroy Mraz Inc.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREETS- SAME TIME
A black van drives down the street.
MAN (V.O.)
What about the girl?
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD- SAME TIME
Brendan turns to him, manacingly.
BRENDAN
Prepare a cyanide drip.
CUT TO:
INT. VAN- SAME TIME
Mraz, Mark, and Eric sit in the van, their expressions hard, concentrated.
BRENDAN (V.O.)
We kill her within the hour.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, WILLIAMSBURG- SAME TIME
At the build of the song, the van stops in front of the warehouse where Brendan is holed up. A Mraz Inc TAC SQUAD starts spilling out and fanning out. Eric leads them off. Janice walks up to meet Mark and Mraz.
The squad starts pouring over the building climbing up to the roof; surrounding it.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD ROOFTOP- SAME TIME
Eric and three others move over the roof stealthily. Eric sneaks up on a guard and breaks his neck, quickly and professionally.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD ROOFTOP,OPPOSITE SIDE- SAME TIME
Another group of men neutralize another GUARD. They place a charge on the ground and press a button. A small red light comes on.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD FIRE-ESCAPE- SAME TIME
Another team of THREE MEN climb down a fire-escape and infiltrate through a window.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, REAR-BUILDING- SAME TIME
A team-stands near a wall with a charge attached to it. The charge goes off and the wall crumbles. They move into the building.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, FRONT DOOR- SAME TIME
Mraz and Mark walk up to the front door, with their guns out. They stop in front of the dilapidated door. Mraz kicks the door in. The walk slowly in the front door into the darkness, with determination. The picture fades to black as the song fades.
SMASH CUT TO:
MAIN TITLES.
FADE TO BLACK.
END OF TEASER
___________________________________________________________________________________
ACT ONE
INT. BRENDAN’s STRONGHOLD- NIGHT
Brendan walks down the hallway with a MAN following on his heels. He talks on his cellphone.
BRENDAN
I’ll be there in an hour. Be ready to move when I arrive.
CUT TO:
INT WAREHOUSE, MANHATTAN- SAME TIME
Michener, on the other side of the conversation, talks, still staring at the computer; with an annoyed look.
MICHENER
That’s cutting it close, Bradley. Andrea wants us moving out at 5 AM, before the bulk of Mraz’s staff is there.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’s STRONGHOLD- SAME TIME
BRENDAN
This is my plan, Michener. My operation. You’re nothing but hired help. You’ll follow my orders and we’ll move when I’m good and ready.
MICHENER (O.S.)
That’s cute. The dog thinks he got out of his leash. 1 hour. And try not to bring any unwanted guests.
Brendan scowls; his rage growing.
BRENDAN
I’ll remind you that it wasn’t me that got captured. My position is secure. None of Mraz’s people can find this place.
CUT TO:
INT WAREHOUSE, MANHATTAN- SAME TIME
MICHENER
(smiling)
So, you just happened to run into Mraz’s personal assassin? Dumb luck, right?
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’s STRONGHOLD- SAME TIME
Brendan angrily snaps the phone shut.
BRENDAN
Arrogant pr-- Double our watch. I don’t want anyone within 2 blocks of this place. I don’t care if they’re bums, kids, or—
They turn a corner. Brendan’s eyes goes wide.
ANGLE ON: Mraz, gun in hand, followed closely by Mark.
BRENDAN (CONT.)
--Mraz…
Mraz aims his gun and fires off 3 quick shots. Brendan quickly grabs the Man he is talking to and uses him as a shield. After the man absorbs the bullets he pulls his own gun blind fires running back down the hallway. Mraz and Mark scatter to either side dodging the bullets. Mark taps his earpiece.
MARK
All units move. We have contact.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC WAR ROOM- SAME TIME
Keating watches a screen displaying a schematic of Brendan’s stronghold. Red dots indicating the location of the Mraz Inc teams are spread throughout the building.
KEATING
Mraz and Mark have engaged. Lethal force is authorized but try to keep casualties to a minimum. Ducky, can you get a read on enemy positions?
DUCKY
Yeah, the infrared readings just came up.
KEATING
And?
DUCKY
Keeping casualties to a minimum may have to take a backseat…
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD ROOM- SAME TIME
A Mraz Inc squad bursts into a room firing, making short, efficient work of 5 armed men. They quickly make their way through, securing the area.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD HALLWAY- SAME TIME
Two armed GUARDS walk down the hall about 10 feet behind a third GAURD, surveying the area. Suddenly, there are 2 pops as darts appear in the backs of the 2 rear Guards. As they fall, the third Guard turns as the door next to him flies open. He catches a rifle butt in the face, knocking him unconscious. 3 Mraz Inc Squad members emerge from their offscreen positions and secure the men.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD- ANOTHER HALLWAY- SAME TIME
Eric and 2 Mraz Inc Squad members walk slowly, quietly down a hall. They hear sounds of commotion and duck into a open doorway.
ANGLE ON: Eric’s POV from inside the room he ducked into. A group of armed Guards sprint by yelling.
With the coast clear, they duck back out and continue down the hall.
CUT TO:
MAIN CONCOURSE- SAME TIME
Mraz and Mark move quickly down a hall lined with doors, trying to follow the path that Brendan took. They approach a large doorway. They both stop and exchange a glance. As they prep to make a move through the door, the door next to Mark slams open into him. A GUARD jumps out tackling him. As they begin to grapple, Mraz takes aim at the guard and is immediately knocked off his feet, his gun scattering across the floor.
ANGLE ON: Brendan, standing over him.
Brendan pounces. Straddling Mraz and trying to choke him. Mraz punches him in the face and uses the moment to roll Brendan over on his back.
MRAZ
You should have kept running.
He head-butts Brendan. Brendan elbows him in the stomach and flips Mraz forward into the wall. Brendan springs up, pulls Mraz up and pins him against the wall. They struggle but Brendan keeps him pinned.
BRENDAN
You’re too late. She’ll be dead in ten minutes and in less than an hour your headquarters will be slag. And you won’t get to either in time to stop it.
Mraz face fills with rage. Brendan just smiles triumphantly.
ANGLE ON: Mark, who has dispatched his assailant and is rising to his feet, and starting toward Mraz and Brendan. He stops short and winces when his earpiece shrieks with feedback.
KEATING (O.S.)
--repeat-- multiple contacts –extreme caution—center-- main—
MARK
Keating, you’re breaking up. Please repeat.
ANGLE ON: Mraz and Brendan.
BRENDAN
I doubt it’ll matter though. You probably won’t survive the next ten minutes.
Brendan swings Mraz around driving him into the closed double-doors of the large doorway.
The camera pulls back to a wide angle as Mark watches as Mraz and Brendan impact the doors. The doors fly open revealing a large room filled 20-30 GUARDS.
KEATING (O.S.)
--we have multiple hostiles in the center room connecting to the main concourse of the building—
ANGLE ON: Mark’s face going wide with surprise.
MARK
Oh hell.
Mark sprints into the room.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD- HALLWAY- SAME TIME
Eric and the two Tac Members approach a doorway. Above it a thick bunch of wires run through the wall. Eric points up.
ERIC
Bet next week’s pay this is the interrogation room.
They approach the door and open it. They enter, cautiously.
CUT TO:
INT. OUTER INTERROGATION ROOM- CONTINUOUS
The three walk into the outer room and see Krystal through the glass immediately. She doesn’t look conscious. It is unclear whether she is dead or alive. Eric looks down at the desk. There are empty syringes.
ERIC
Keep watch. I’m gonna get her out of there.
TAC MEMBER #1
It’s too quiet.
TAC MEMBER #2
They’re too busy dealing with the rest of the squad.
CUT TO:
INT. INNER INTERROGATION ROOM- CONTINUOUS
Eric enters the room and rushes straight to Krystal. The two team members continue talking in the background.
TAC MEMBER #1 (O.S.)
But why leave the prisoner unguarded?
TAC MEMBER #2 (O.S.)
(lowering his voice)
Think she’s even alive?
Eric kneels down and sets his gun beside him. He notices 2 more syringes on a tray next to him. These ones are full. He checks Krystal’s pulse. He snaps into action and moves to untie her from the chair.
TAC MEMBER #1 (O.S.)
SIR--?!
Eric turns in time to catch a pistol whip in the face. The attacking MAN puts him in a headlock then spins and fires two shots at the Tac members, catching one in the head and one in the throat. The man shot in the throat drops to the floor gurgling. Eric drives his forearm into the Man’s gun-arm, sending his pistol across the room. Still in a head-lock, he reaches for his own pistol but the man kicks it away and punches Eric in the face.
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN ROOM- SAME TIME
Mark sprints toward the room, as the men take notice and converge on Mraz, pulling him up by the arms. One tosses a pistol to Brendan.
MARK
Keating, divert all teams to our position-It’s a trap--must be their staging area. MRAZ, BLIND!
Mark tosses a cylinder into the room. The men are first distracted by Mark’s yell-then by the object entering the room. Mraz squeezes his eyes shut. The object-a flashbang grenade- explodes, blinding the men in the room momentarily. It erupts into chaos.
Mraz yanks the two men holding his arms forward slamming their heads together and sends a backward kick into the stomach of the man behind him.
Mark charges into the room and launches into an aerial roundhouse kick landing in the face of one man. He seizes the gun-arm of the man next to him, pulling it straight and breaking it at the elbow, following with as backhanded fist to his face. On the follow through, he grabs the next-nearest man by the arm, pulling him forward, off-balance, straight into his elbow, snapping the man’s head back. He engages the next man, slowly making his way to Mraz.
ANGLE ON: Brendan, lost in the swarm of men, comes to. He eyes Mark and Mraz, engaged with multiple men and starts to discreetly crawl away toward the door.
Mraz, holding a man in a headlock, swings him straight into the blind swing of another man. He grabs the puncher and drives his face down into his knee. Feeling a presence behind, he swings around with a backhanded fist. Mark, however is the presence and narrowly ducks the swing.
MARK
Jesus, Mraz! Nice way to show your gratitude!
He sends a jab at Mraz’s face. Mraz ducks and the jab lands in the face of an unseen attacked behind Mraz. Mraz rolls under the punch and sweeps the legs of a man behind Mark.
MRAZ
Gratitude for what?
MARK
Saving your ass! Or maybe you wanted Brendan to put a bullet in you.
Mraz begins to grapple with another man. Mark gets tackled backward slamming him back to back with Mraz. Mraz pushes his man back, getting separation. He casts a quick glance and a smirk back to Mark.
MRAZ
Maybe you could have found a moment to pick up your gun?
MARK
It’s just never enough for you, is it?
The man charges Mark; Mark sidesteps and Mraz whips a double-fisted punch backwards, close-lining the man and taking him off his feet. Mraz then swings forward catching his man with a double-fisted punch.
MRAZ
Speaking of Brendan, have you seen him?
They both survey the room.
MARK
Damn it!
MRAZ
These guys are recovering from the flash-bang.
MARK
Hey, Keating? What’s the word on back-up? This is about to get messy.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC WAR ROOM- SAME TIME
KEATING
Teams 3 and 4 are converging. But they were both coming from the far ends of the building. ETA 3 minutes.
MARK (O.S)
Good, 3 minutes. No sweat.
KEATING
Any luck on hailing Eric’s team?
DUCKY
No. No response. But see how the infrared dots notating the rest of his team are getting smaller?
KEATING
Yeah?
DUCKY
Only one reason for that. Unless they just took a sub-zero bath.
CUT TO:
INT. INNER INTERROGATION ROOM- SAME TIME
Eric launches up from a crouch, with a back-handed right swing. The man counters with a double-handed block. Eric follows with a hard left jab to the man’s ribs. The man winces but quickly counters, with a devastating,descending left-punch to Eric’s head. With Eric doubled over, the man kicks his square in the chest knocking him off his feet, near where his gun landed.
Eric slowly writhes for the gun and the man scrambles to get there first, but when he gets in Eric’s range, Eric drops his incapacitated “act”, kicks the man in the ribs with his right foot, and drives his left foot into the man’s shin, sending him to the ground. Eric rolls him over, punches him in the face, and begins to throttle him. The man gets his own grip around Eric’s throat. Eric releases one hand and reaches for the gun, just beyond the man’s head. His hand begins to grasp the handle as they wrestle, but the man sends a knee to his groin and flips him over, scattering the gun away-near Krystal’s unmoving form.
The man advances again. This time, in an effort to get the fight back on it’s feet, Eric launches upward, driving his shoulder into the man’s chest, then headbutts him under his chin. Eric lands a quick right cross, then a left cross, but his attempt at a second right is blocked, and the man hits him on the side of the head with an open-fisted left.
The man in quick succession right jabs Eric in the face, follows with left to the stomach, then a right elbow under the chin. The man swings again with a right-cross, Eric weakly deflects it, but the man simply gives him a shove to the chest, sending Eric to the ground, landing Eric near the 2 full syringes. The man straddles Eric and slams him into the ground, then grabs a syringe, and starts stabbing down toward Eric’s head. Eric struggles with his last ounces of strength to stop the needle’s trajectory. But it inches closer and closer until it comes within a centimeter or two of his eye.
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN ROOM- SAME TIME
ANGLE ON: Mraz, taking a brutal punch across face.
The next that comes in, Mraz catches by the wrist, and he sends an elbow into his attacker’s temple. Instantly, he is pinned from behind, as another man moves in from the front
MRAZ
How’s that back-up –
Mraz launches his feet up, kicking the man in front of him.
MRAZ (CONT)
-coming.
He uses his forward momentum to flip the man behind him, forward over his head.
ANGLE ON: Mark. He is engaged with three men. The man to his right flank, launches a punch which he easily blocks with his right, then quickly left jabs the man to his left in the face. The man behind him tackles him around the waste.
MARK
(Out of breath)
C’mon, Mraz. What’s the problem? Been sitting in your posh office chair too much?
He drives his elbow down into the head of the man wrapped around his waist.
MARK (CONT)
You don’t get out enough. I think you could use a work-out. This is a piece of ca—
Mark, forgetting to dispatch his first opponent, takes a punch in the face mid-quip.
MRAZ
Idiot.
Mraz gets tackled to the ground by three men. Mark slams his man into the wall and then catches a man behind him with a fist in the face without looking.
MARK
What was that you were saying?
Mraz struggles with the three men.
MRAZ
I hate you.
In anger, he throws a right cross, catching all three men in the face. He simultaneously kicks one in the groin, sends his right elbow into one’s face. Then comes back across with a left hitting the other two.
Mark punches a man in the throat, then in the face, but catches a punch in the kidney.
MARK
Rrrrr. What about Brendan?!
He grapples the man into a headlock and quickly snaps his neck.
Mraz gets driven into a wall.
MRAZ
Taken…care of.
He pile drive punches the man.
MRAZ
…back-up.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC WAR ROOM- SAME TIME
KEATING
Time-on-target, guys? I really don’t want to have to scrape my boss up off the floor.
TAC LEADER #1 (O.S)
90 seconds.
TAC LEADER #2 (O.S)
2 minutes.
KEATING
Hurry. Or I’ll be out of a job.
DUCKY
Should we send a team to Eric?
KEATING
…No…Mraz is the priority.
DUCKY
I thought Krystal was.
Keating shoots him a venomous look.
CUT TO:
INT. INNER INTERROGATION ROOM- SAME TIME
ANLGE ON: The needle a centimeter from Eric’s eye. All sound has dropped out, but Eric’s occasional deep breath and heart beat in slow motion. Two slow blinks of the eye. Slowly the breath steady’s, the heart-beat slows, and Eric’s brow furrows.
ANGLE ON: An overhead tight shot on the syringe going down. The world bursts out of slow-motion. Lightning-fast, Eric’s head twists to the left and the needle crashes into the concrete, narrowly missing. Eric palm smashes the man in the nose, breaking it. The man cries out, stunned.
He launches the man off of him – back toward the other side of the room. Eric locates the gun near Krystals and scrambles toward it on his hands and knees.
The man comes out of his shock and his eyes fill with victory.
ANGLE ON: The other gun, just a few feet away.
They both race to the guns. Eric gets to his and, in one-motion whips around and fires. Only to see the man wheel and shoot at the same time. Eric catches the bullet in the shoulder. His gun drops. He writhes. The man takes his hit in the stomach. With much strain, man grips his gun and starts crawling to the immobile Eric. Eric starts to worm towards his. But not quite fast enough—
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN ROOM- SAME TIME
The tides have turned. Mark and Mraz are tiring under the seemingly unweary army of henchmen. They have been moved apart by the men and can no longer team up. Mark breaks free of a man’s grapple, pushing him away. He right jabs another man twice in the face. But quickly two men are upon him. He headbutts one but cannot quite break free of the other.
Mraz elbows a man in the face and holds another at arms length, palming him in the face, but the man pushes him into the wall. He tries for a jab but the man ducks, punches Mraz in the stomach, and flips him. A few men dog-pile Mraz. He kicks one in the shin, but he is out-numbered.
CUT TO:
INT. INNER INTERROGATION ROOM- SAME TIME
The man has closes on Eric, still squirming toward his gun. The man levels the pistol at Eric’s head and cocks the gun. His finger tightens on the trigger. Then he lets out a sharp groan, the finger loosens, and his eyes go wide. He looks down.
ANGLE ON: Krystal, half-conscious. Her hand grasps the last syringe, which she has driven into the man’s thigh.
The man holds a moment, frozen, then falls, motionless. Krystal collapses.
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN ROOM- SAME TIME
The henchmen pull Mraz up, still struggling, and swing him around.
ANGLE ON: Mraz’s POV. Mark is in the same predicament, pinned against the wall by about 6 men. Mark takes a punch in the face then in the stomach.
Mraz takes a shot in the back sending him to his knees. One man grabs his hair. He lets out a growl.
Suddenly, an array of silenced shots pierce the hubbub. 12 men quickly fall. The other 8 turn dropping Mraz and Mark and holding their hands in the air.
ANGLE ON: A Mraz Inc. Tac team- three men- with their weapons trained.
The remaining henchmen back up, slowly. Mark slumps against the wall, panting. Mraz stays on a knee.
MARK
Took you long enough…
TAC LEADER #2
Thought you guys could handle yourselves for 3 minutes.
MARK
Sure…30 guys. No…problem.
MRAZ
I thought we…were limiting…lethal force?
TAC LEADER #2
Sorry, sir…
MARK
Neeeeever enough…
Tac Leader #2 begins to help Mraz to his feet. Something snaps with Mraz, he starts to try to move quickly.
MRAZ
Krystal…!
TAC LEADER #2
Secure, sir. The other team is with her. Keating diverted them. Eric’s wounded and his men are down, but it appears that he saved Miss Kelly’s life.
MRAZ
(to Mark)
Come on.
He starts down the hall, as fast as he can move.
TAC LEADER #2
Sir?
MARK
Secure these men. Prep them to be taken back to HQ for debriefing.
Mark starts running off after Mraz and stops short for a moment, groaning.
TAC LEADER #2
What about Bradley?
MRAZ (O.S.)
He’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S CAR- SAME TIME
Brendan drives down the streets; the camera sinks down, revealing Janice, lying on the floor of the back seat.
FADE TO BLACK.
END ACT ONE
__________________________________________________________________________________
ACT TWO
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, WILLIAMSBURG- NIGHT
Mraz and Mark stand out front of the building with Keating. There is a bustle of activity. Tac Team Members are escorting prisoners into the Mraz Inc. vans. There are also two ambulances with lights flashing. Eric is being wheeled by on stretcher.
KEATING
Our medstaff says he’ll be alright. A couple months rehabbing.
MRAZ
And the word on Krystal?
KEATING
She’s been pumped full of a lot of drugs. She’ll sleep for a few days, but other than that only superficial damage. She’ll live.
MRAZ
Keating, there was no reason for you to come down here yourself. You need to be at Mraz Inc. coordinating the next step of the Op--
MARK
Actually, Mike, I ordered Mraz Inc. cleared out.
MRAZ
What?! Why the hell would you do that?!
MARK
Eddie radioed in that Andrea’s force was getting ready to move. We have 30 minutes, tops.
MRAZ
So let’s take them before they move.
MARK
Why? Mraz Inc. is secure and cleared out. We let them get that far, they’ll think they have us in the bag. Then we ambush. We’ll mow them down. They have nothing without their ace in the hole.
He looks to Keating.
KEATING
Besides, if they attack Mraz Inc., we can justify defense legally. It gives us the best chance to avoid any sticky publicity situations. Our “security staff subdued them”. He’s right.
MRAZ
Fine. It’s your call.
KEATING
All of our Ops staff is mobile here onsite. Ducky is in the van. Andy is working on trying to freeze and trace Brendan and Michener’s funds.
MRAZ
How close is he?
KEATING
Well, he froze the account Michener gave us for transfer and he’s trying to track its history.
MARK
What’s the word on Brendan?
MRAZ
Janice just went off radio-silence. He’s near the warehouse where Michener and Andrea’s men are staging but he made a quick stop.
CUT TO:
INT ANDREA’S PENTHOUSE- SAME TIME
Andrea stares out the window, fuming.
BRENDAN
I don’t know--
ANDREA
I TOLD you!
BRENDAN
What--
ANDREA
WHAT- did I tell you?!
BRENDAN
There was nothing I could do—I don’t know how--
ANDREA
Obviously, Janice followed you!
BRENDAN
I lost her. There was no way—
Andrea wheels to him, suddenly eerily calm.
ANDREA
Is she following you now?
BRENDAN
No. There’s no way--
ANDREA
There was no way before. What’s different now?
He is silent.
ANDREA (CONT.)
Is the girl dead?
BRENDAN
Yes.
ANDREA
And did she give you the information?
BRENDAN
She gave me information.
ANDREA
The codes?
BRENDAN
No, but—
ANDREA
BRENDAN!!
(back to calm)
Go. Proceed with the operation.
BRENDAN
But—
ANDREA
This was your operation. The captain goes down with the ship. Michener shouldn’t have to die alone. So, you’re going to keep him company. And, if you’re not completely worthless, you may just take one or two of them with you.
(she smiles sweetly)
Make it count.
Brendan, speechless, backs out of the apartment.
CUT TO:
EXT ANDREA’S PENTHOUSE- SAME TIME
Janice sits on the ledge with a listening device. She switches it off and begins to climb down.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC SUBLEVEL- SAME TIME
Eddie and Moumin stand in the center of 25 armed MRAZ INC TAC MEMBERS.
EDDIE
ETA of Michener and his men is 20 minutes. Their plan is to simple walk in the front door. We’re going to let them in, then we’re going to pin and flank them.
Moumin brings up a tactical layout on screen.
MOUMIN
We’re breaking into teams of five. We let these guys get in far enough to trip the security countermeasures. The lobby will go on lockdown. There are 40 guys. We’ll cover them from the 2nd floor from different vantages. They get one chance to stand down.
EDDIE
Which I don’t agree with. Most of these guys would kill you or me without a second thought. But even Mark is backing this one up. So they get one quick chance.
MOUMIN
OK, everyone head to your positions. And stand by for Eddie’s orders.
TAC OFFICER
Will we be receiving support from the Williamsburg team?
EDDIE
They’re just leaving now. Ducky will be providing mobile tech support but their ETA is 30 minutes. This’ll all be over by then.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC MOBILE SUPPORT VAN- SAME TIME
Ducky sits back staring at 5 terminals with different tactical displays. ANDY sits with his nose inches away from his laptop.
DUCKY
Are you ready to rock and roll, buddy?
ANDY
Yeah…Of course.
DUCKY
Doesn’t sound like it.
ANDY
Almost…got it…
DUCKY
Got what?
Andy jumps up and points at the screen.
ANDY
VOILA! HA!
DUCKY
What?!?!
ANDY
I knew I could beat you!
DUCKY
Earth to Andy Chmelko.
ANDY
I locked onto the wire-paths of Michener’s off-shore account. There’s an electronic paper trail that gets bounced through a few hundred portals, but managed to reverse the stream and lock onto the source grid.
DUCKY
Electronic paper- wha? Dude, I’m the tech-geek of this company and I didn’t understand a word of that.
ANDY
An electronic game of connect the dots, which I just won. And I have who’s been paying Michener for Mraz Inc secrets.
DUCKY
That’s great!
ANDY
That’s weird!
DUCKY
Why weird?
ANDY
I’ve seen this profile before.
CUT TO:
EXT MRAZ INC – SAME TIME
Janice stands across the street, inconspicuously.
JANICE
…they’re going ahead with it. He was talking to Andrea. Sounds like our boy Brendan has fallen out of favor.
MRAZ (O.S.)
Great. Peel off. We can take it from here. Good work, Janice.
JANICE
Negative. I’m still on Brendan’s tail.
MRAZ (O.S.)
Jan, your work is done…where are you?
JANICE
Outside your second home. Or is it your first home now?
MRAZ (O.S.)
Janice, get out of there. It’s too dangerous. You’ll get caught right in the middle of our tac op.
JANICE
Come on, Mikey. What’re you going to do? Fire me? You should know better. Tell me it’s dangerous I’m more likely to stay.
MRAZ (O.S.)
No. Eddie and Moumin have the situation in hand.
JANICE
And Brendan is my situation. Don’t worry, I won’t burn the place down.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC VAN– SAME TIME
MRAZ
Janice? Dammit!
MARK
What? Was that all about?
MRAZ
Janice.
MARK
(with realization)
Dammit!
CUT TO:
EXT STREETS- SAME TIME
Michener stands with the mercenary army, eying Mraz Inc from a few blocks away.
They are ready to move. Brendan walks up. Michener does not look back. He just smiles.
MICHENER
You’re late.
BRENDAN
Shut up.
MICHENER
You have the codes?
BRENDAN
Yes. We’re ready to go.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC- SAME TIME
Eddie is crouched with his team.
EDDIE
Stand by.
MOUMIN (O.S.)
Teams are ready.
FADE TO BLACK.
END ACT TWO
___________________________________________________________________________________
ACT THREE
EXT MRAZ INC- NIGHT
The group of Andrea’s men have lined against the outer walls of Mraz Inc, with Brendan and Michener on either side of the door.
BRENDAN
There’s an outer door code to open, then a security safeguard; a second code that has to be inputted within one minute after entry. Otherwise, a silent alarm will trip.
MICHENER
Well, stop stalling and enter the codes. I don’t want to be waiting at the front door when Mraz and Souza get back.
Brendan hesitates a moment, takes a breath to enter the code. The door beeps 3 times. He and Michener share a look. The door releases. Michener heads in and nods to the other men. They begin to file in after him, Brendan waits for the end.
Out of view of Michener, Brendan betrays a momentary expression confusion and relief.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- SAME TIME
Moumin holds with his team, crouched on the second level, with binoculars.
ANGLE ON: The view from his binoculars. Men are filing in the front door. The line ends and Brendan moves in the door.
MOUMIN
The package is in the building.
EDDIE (O.S.)
Package confirmed.
MARK (O.S.)
Good.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC VAN- CONTINUOUS
MARK
Permission to move when ready.
MOUMIN (O.S.)
Roger.
EDDIE (O.S.)
With pleasure, champ.
MARK
The ambush is a go. We’ll be there in 7 minutes
Mraz looks over.
MRAZ
Could you drive faster?
Mark shoots him an annoyed look.
MARK
Weren’t you just complaining about my driving?
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
Brendan closes the door behind him and surveys the empty lobby, still suspicious. Michener is at the other end of the lobby.
MICHENER
Clear! Brendan, get on that code.
BRENDAN
Right away.
Brendan heads back toward the door, slowly. He enters three numbers into the key pad. He pauses; his eyes narrow for a moment. He enters the remaining 2 numbers. There are 3 quick beeps again.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
At Eddies position:
EDDIE
Lockdown engage in 5, 4, 3…
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
Brendan slips quietly out the front door, while Michener and the men are otherwise occupied. He closes the door and looks in through the glass.
MICHENER
Brendan, are we—
He looks back and sees Brendan out the door.
MICHENER (CONT.)
BRENDAN?!
Floodlights flash on from above, illuminating the lobby floor and leaving the second floor in darkness. Steel doors drop down at all the exits. On last glimpse of Brendan is seen, watching calmly, before the steel trap closes. Rage fills Michener’s face.
MOUMIN (O.S.)
(unseen, from above)
Attention! You are covered from multiple positions. You have one minute to stand down, and place your weapons on the floor, or we will open fire. I repeat, you are covered from multiple positions.
MICHENER
Damn him! He set us up!
CUT TO:
EXT MRAZ INC- SAME TIME
Brendan runs down the street, toward an alley. The camera pulls out, revealing Janice, watching.
JANICE
Not this time, B.
She pursues.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
The group of men seem torn. They still hold their weapons, waiting for an order from Michener.
MOUMIN (O.S.)
(unseen, from above)
30 seconds.
MAN 1
Michener?!
Michener still stands at the door where Brendan escaped.
MICHENER
Coward!!
He fires a round at the door.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
Eddie is crouched at ready.
EDDIE
Enough for me, OPEN FIRE!
The lobby erupts in gunfire.
CUT TO:
EXT ALLEY – SAME TIME
Janice moves cautiously through the alley where Brendan went. He is nowhere to be seen. She creeps to the end and looks at the street at the other end: nothing.
JANICE
What the--
Janice turns but is sent sprawling to the ground, from a kick.
ANGLE ON: Brendan, dropping from the fire escape above. He stands over her, leveling his gun, smiling
BRENDAN
Looks like this time, I found you.
He cocks the gun. The opening chords of the final verse of Springsteen’s “Lost in the Flood” fade in.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC VAN- CONTINUOUS
Mark and Mraz are silent and tense. Mark is flooring it.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
The battle plays out to the music of the song. There is no sound, only the visual. Muzzles flashes can be seen from multiple elevated positions in the lobby. The men on the floor frantically fire upward, but are quickly mowed down; taken off their feet by sprays of bullets.
ANGLE ON: A quick shot of Eddie firing down at the floor.
ANGLE ON: Moumin, ducked back down, reloading and yelling something.
Michener, staying low, makes his way across the floor, firing upward, blindly. He makes his way to the front security desk and takes cover, continuing to fire upward.
ANGLE ON: A man running for cover, firing, but falling to the floor, taking a hit in the leg.
ANGLE ON: Another man firing, taking three hits to the chest, his gun still firing as he falls an hits the ground.
ANGLE ON: Moumin, he begins to his team across the second floor balcony of the lobby. His team has ceased firing.
Michener steps out from behind the desk, aims upward an firing.
ANGLE ON: Eddie. Michener’s move has opened his back up to Eddie’s sights. Eddie aims and pops off a quick shot, hitting Michener in the shoulder. Michener falls. The first sound, other than music breaks through:
MOUMIN (O.S.)
Cease fire! Cease Fire!!
CUT TO:
EXT MRAZ INC. – SAME TIME
The Mraz Inc van brakes out front, tires squealing. Mraz and Mark jump out of the car. Mark runs toward the front. Mraz runs off to the side. Mark sees Mraz running away from the building and stops.
MARK
Where the hell are you going?!
MRAZ
Loose end! Secure the building!
Mark shakes his head and runs toward the door. He inputs the code. It beeps 3 times and the steel door begins to lift.
CUT TO:
EXT ALLEY – SAME TIME
Janice looks defiant, but trapped. Brendan still holds her at gunpoint.
BRENDAN
You are not going to make me look foolish again!
JANICE
I don’t know. It’s pretty easy, Brendan. I’m not sure I can help it.
Brendan pistol whips Janice, knocking her back.
BRENDAN
You and I are going to finish what we started months ago. I’m going to start with you, then Mraz, until I pull this whole organization down.
JANICE
Well, B, you can’t even take a walk without getting tailed by me. So if your going to carry out those big plans you might want to be a little more discreet.
Brendan fires a shot into the ground in front of her.
BRENDAN
I won’t have to worry about that anymore. Because it’s time for you to say goodnight.
He takes aim at her forehead. She smiles and leans toward the gun.
JANICE
By the way, I forgot to mention how much I love that scar.
BRENDAN
Heheh. Defiant to the last.
JANICE
Just sad I won’t be the one to take care of you for Andrea.
BRENDAN
Well, she did ask me to take a few of you with me.
His finger tightens on the trigger. A shot rings out. The gun falls from his hand. Three more shots. He looks down at his chest to find four bleeding wounds. He looks back up at Janice with surprise. She smiles at him, he falls to the ground, revealing Mraz, behind him aiming a gun.
MRAZ
Too bad. You disappoint her again.
He drops his aim.
JANICE
Thanks, Mikey.
MRAZ
Janice. Why do I always have to save your ass?
JANICE
Because you owe for all the times I’ve saved yours. How did you find me.
Mraz smiles and holds up his phone. There’s a map with a red blinking light.
MRAZ
Tracker in your cell.
Janice tosses her phone against the wall. The red light goes out. She smiles
JANICE
Remind me to never let you put my phone back together again.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC. LOBBY – SAME TIME
Mark walks in and surveys the scene. There are bodies strewn about. The rest of the team, including Moumin, are rounding up the remaining 15 or so men that have surrendered. Eddie makes his way to Mark.
MARK
Seems like you’ve got this pretty well in hand.
EDDIE
No casualties on our side. Michener fired off a shot, sparking the fire-fight. Mo was able to call a cease fire and get the remaining goons to surrender. Let’s wrap this up and grab a victory drink?
MARK
No way; Taylor is gonna scream at me for hours about this tomorrow. My hangover wouldn’t be able to take it.
EDDIE
Fair enough. Your loss.
Moumin walks by, dragging a prisoner.
MARK
Mo, you have bonus check coming your way.
MOUMIN
Why?
MARK
Exceptional performance.
MOUMIN
Sweet.
EDDIE
What’s the real reason?
MARK
Rather not say.
One of the Tac Team Members hauls Michener by.
MARK (CONT.)
Have fun in Sing-Sing, Michener. I’m gonna miss him.
Michener, enraged, breaks free of the man and seizes his sidearm. Before he can fire Souza, wheels and kicks the gun out his hand and knocks him out with a right cross. Eddie shoots him a look. Mark cocks his head and shrugs.
MARK (CONT.)
I’ve been wanting to shut that guy up all day.
Eddie chuckles and slaps him on the shoulder. They walk toward the rest of the group.
CUT TO BLACK.
END ACT THREE
______________________________________________________________________________
ACT FOUR
EXT MRAZ INC- DAY
The camera rotates around a scenic shot of the Mraz Inc building, with the sun glistening off the windows.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC MEDCENTER- SAME TIME
Mraz stands at Krystal’s bedside. She starts to come to, sees Mraz and smiles.
MRAZ
Hey there. You had a rough day.
KRYSTAL
Not bad for my first couples months, huh?
MRAZ
I’d say you definitely have made a splash within the ranks of the company.
KRYSTAL
Living Hand?
MRAZ
Was a failure.
KRYSTAL
And Brendan?
MRAZ
Dead. It’s going to take awhile for Andrea to recover from such a failure. She drained a lot of resources.
KRYSTAL
That’s good. When can I get back?
MRAZ
Heheh. Don’t worry about that too much, I think you deserve a bit of a rest.
He gives her hand a squeeze and leaves it there for a moment. Then he turns and starts heading toward the door. He stops short.
MRAZ (CONT.)
You also might want to pay Eric a visit when you feel a bit better. He was the one responsible for saving you.
KRYSTAL
I guess I’ll have to thank him.
Mraz gives a small laugh and starts toward the door again. It opens just as he gets there and Mark walks in. He looks a bit startled. He leans on the door.
MARK
Oh, hey, Mraz! How’s our champ doing?
MRAZ
I think she’ll be up and about soon. My office?
MARK
Yeah, I’ll be there in about ten.
Mraz exits and Mark slips the rest of the way into the room. He whips a bouquet of flowers out from behind his back, which he had obscured behind the door, and gives a slightly self-conscious smile.
KRYSTAL
Oh, how sweet!
MARK
Heh. I thought I’d get you some flowers for real this time, not leftovers from a bad date.
Krystal lets out a giggle.
MARK (CONT.)
I hear they speed up recovery.
KRYSTAL
Thank you!
MARK
Hey, just don’t go getting yourself kidnapped anymore.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC- SAME TIME
Mraz walks toward his office door. He spots Keating at her desk and changes course, toward her.
MRAZ
Hey.
KEATING
Hey!
MRAZ
I just wanted to say sorry.
KEATING
Sorry for what?
MRAZ
For not figuring out that you were the target earlier, for not being around after the attack, for--
KEATING
Hey, hey. It’s ok.
MRAZ
No, it’s not. Keat— Lauren, your better to me than I deserve. I should have been there. I should have made sure you were alright.
KEATING
Mike, you can’t protect everybody. I knew what I was getting into when I started working here. I’m a big girl.
MRAZ
I know.
KEATING
Stop worrying. I’m fine. I’ll be fine.
Mraz cracks a smile. He gives Keating a gentle kiss on the head, then looks at her, cracking a lopsided grin again.
MRAZ
What would I do without you?
Keating cracks a nervous smile. Mraz goes into his office and Keating watches until the door closes.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ’S OFFICE – SAME TIME
Mraz leans up against his window. The door opens and Mark strolls in. He sits at the desk.
MARK
Sorry, I’m late.
MRAZ
It’s ok. I’m used to it by now.
MARK
Did I miss anything?
MRAZ
You missed Taylor’s report.
MARK
Good.
MRAZ
He wants to see you in an hour.
MARK
Of course he does. I knew I shouldn’t have gone for that drink last night.
MRAZ
Only one?
Mark shrugs, obviously having stayed for more than one. There’s a knock at the door.
MRAZ (O.S.)
Come in.
Andy enters; he seems a bit more on edge than usual.
ANDY
You wanted to see me?
MRAZ
Yeah. Ducky said something about you finding an “electronic paper trail” in his sit-rep?
ANDY
Oh… yes… ummm…
Mraz and Mark both look at him, waiting.
MRAZ
Yes?
ANDY
… …didn’t pan out. I need more time to…work.
His eyes flick quickly to Mark then back to Mraz.
MRAZ
Ok.
ANDY
Should I go?
MRAZ
If there’s nothing else to report?
ANDY
No? No!
Andy exits.
MRAZ
That was weird.
MARK
Eh, it’s Andy.
MRAZ
Even for Andy… Well, I think Andrea may be quiet for awhile.
MARK
Never know, with her.
MRAZ
True.
MARK
Krystal acquitted herself well.
MRAZ
That she did. We can probably use her in the field more.
MARK
She took quite a bit from Brendan and didn’t snap. There aren’t many who can do that.
MRAZ
No, there aren’t.
There’s a silence.
MARK
Alright. What’s wrong?
MRAZ
Nothing. I just don’t like waiting on Andrea. I feel like the more we let her sit in hiding, the stronger she gets.
CUT TO:
INT ANDREA’S PENTHOUSE – DAY
Mraz’s voice continues as a V.O. as the scene progresses. Andrea sits staring out her window, as two figures come into frame.
MRAZ (V.O.)
The longer we leave her idle, the bigger chance she has of finding some unknown edge.
Andrea looks up. Her personal guard, BIRDO, has brought a visitor. It is the man recording Krystal’s interrogation earlier. He holds up a disk.
MRAZ (V.O.)
Some way in that we can’t foresee. Some bit of deadly information.
Andrea eyes the disk.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ’S OFFICE – SAME TIME
MARK
We’ll get her when she surfaces. You’re worrying too much again.
MRAZ
I hope so.
FADE TO BLACK.
THE END
"This Living Hand, Part 2"
Written by Michael Mraz
TEASER
FADE IN:
INT. BRENDAN’s STRONGHOLD- NIGHT
Radiohead’s “You And Whose Army” plays under the scene. There is no sound but the music. KRYSTAL is passed out, cuffed to the chair. Brendan lifts her head by the chin, and drops it. Her head falls limp. On “You think…”:
CUT TO:
INT. ANDREA’S OFFICE- SAME TIME
ANDREA stands in her darkened office, looking out over the city. She drinks a glass of champagne and smiles slightly. On the second set of “Come On”s:
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM- SAME TIME
MRAZ stands in tac gear. He slides a clip into his handgun and chambers a round.
CUT TO:
INT WAREHOUSE, MANHATTAN- SAME TIME
MICHENER stands in front of a crate; a laptop and an assault rifle sit on the crate in front of him.
ANGLE: On the small army of men that Andrea had assembled for the assault. The are moving around, organizing seemingly ready to go.
Michener wears a subtle look of triumph and concentration. He looks back at his computer and begins typing.
CUT TO:
EXT WAREHOUSE, MANHATTAN- SAME TIME
EDDIE and MOUMIN watch from the rooftop skylight. They are now joined by a squad of MRAZ INC TACTICAL OPERATIVES.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM- SAME TIME
MARK fastens his tac gear and fits an earpiece to his ear.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC WAR ROOM- SAME TIME
On “Holy Roman Empire”, the camera resting on DUCKY and KEATING zooms out revealing a busy roomful of employees, buzzing about; prepping to run the missions.
CUT TO:
INT. ROOM- SAME TIME
ERIC, kneeling down, slides a knife into his boot sheathe. He stands tall, ready to go.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, WILLIAMSBURG- SAME TIME
JANICE leans up against a car. A small computer sits in front of her with intel data scrolling. She sits, intent on her gun clip, in which she is meticulously placing each individual bullet.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD- SAME TIME
Brendan stands in a room with the MAN who was recording the interrogation. Their voices are the only sound in the duration of the Teaser.
BRENDAN
Make sure you make a copy of the tape.
MAN
Should I have it delivered?
BRENDAN
No. I’ll deliver it personally after we destroy Mraz Inc.
CUT TO:
EXT. STREETS- SAME TIME
A black van drives down the street.
MAN (V.O.)
What about the girl?
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD- SAME TIME
Brendan turns to him, manacingly.
BRENDAN
Prepare a cyanide drip.
CUT TO:
INT. VAN- SAME TIME
Mraz, Mark, and Eric sit in the van, their expressions hard, concentrated.
BRENDAN (V.O.)
We kill her within the hour.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, WILLIAMSBURG- SAME TIME
At the build of the song, the van stops in front of the warehouse where Brendan is holed up. A Mraz Inc TAC SQUAD starts spilling out and fanning out. Eric leads them off. Janice walks up to meet Mark and Mraz.
The squad starts pouring over the building climbing up to the roof; surrounding it.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD ROOFTOP- SAME TIME
Eric and three others move over the roof stealthily. Eric sneaks up on a guard and breaks his neck, quickly and professionally.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD ROOFTOP,OPPOSITE SIDE- SAME TIME
Another group of men neutralize another GUARD. They place a charge on the ground and press a button. A small red light comes on.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD FIRE-ESCAPE- SAME TIME
Another team of THREE MEN climb down a fire-escape and infiltrate through a window.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, REAR-BUILDING- SAME TIME
A team-stands near a wall with a charge attached to it. The charge goes off and the wall crumbles. They move into the building.
CUT TO:
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, FRONT DOOR- SAME TIME
Mraz and Mark walk up to the front door, with their guns out. They stop in front of the dilapidated door. Mraz kicks the door in. The walk slowly in the front door into the darkness, with determination. The picture fades to black as the song fades.
SMASH CUT TO:
MAIN TITLES.
FADE TO BLACK.
END OF TEASER
___________________________________________________________________________________
ACT ONE
INT. BRENDAN’s STRONGHOLD- NIGHT
Brendan walks down the hallway with a MAN following on his heels. He talks on his cellphone.
BRENDAN
I’ll be there in an hour. Be ready to move when I arrive.
CUT TO:
INT WAREHOUSE, MANHATTAN- SAME TIME
Michener, on the other side of the conversation, talks, still staring at the computer; with an annoyed look.
MICHENER
That’s cutting it close, Bradley. Andrea wants us moving out at 5 AM, before the bulk of Mraz’s staff is there.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’s STRONGHOLD- SAME TIME
BRENDAN
This is my plan, Michener. My operation. You’re nothing but hired help. You’ll follow my orders and we’ll move when I’m good and ready.
MICHENER (O.S.)
That’s cute. The dog thinks he got out of his leash. 1 hour. And try not to bring any unwanted guests.
Brendan scowls; his rage growing.
BRENDAN
I’ll remind you that it wasn’t me that got captured. My position is secure. None of Mraz’s people can find this place.
CUT TO:
INT WAREHOUSE, MANHATTAN- SAME TIME
MICHENER
(smiling)
So, you just happened to run into Mraz’s personal assassin? Dumb luck, right?
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’s STRONGHOLD- SAME TIME
Brendan angrily snaps the phone shut.
BRENDAN
Arrogant pr-- Double our watch. I don’t want anyone within 2 blocks of this place. I don’t care if they’re bums, kids, or—
They turn a corner. Brendan’s eyes goes wide.
ANGLE ON: Mraz, gun in hand, followed closely by Mark.
BRENDAN (CONT.)
--Mraz…
Mraz aims his gun and fires off 3 quick shots. Brendan quickly grabs the Man he is talking to and uses him as a shield. After the man absorbs the bullets he pulls his own gun blind fires running back down the hallway. Mraz and Mark scatter to either side dodging the bullets. Mark taps his earpiece.
MARK
All units move. We have contact.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC WAR ROOM- SAME TIME
Keating watches a screen displaying a schematic of Brendan’s stronghold. Red dots indicating the location of the Mraz Inc teams are spread throughout the building.
KEATING
Mraz and Mark have engaged. Lethal force is authorized but try to keep casualties to a minimum. Ducky, can you get a read on enemy positions?
DUCKY
Yeah, the infrared readings just came up.
KEATING
And?
DUCKY
Keeping casualties to a minimum may have to take a backseat…
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD ROOM- SAME TIME
A Mraz Inc squad bursts into a room firing, making short, efficient work of 5 armed men. They quickly make their way through, securing the area.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD HALLWAY- SAME TIME
Two armed GUARDS walk down the hall about 10 feet behind a third GAURD, surveying the area. Suddenly, there are 2 pops as darts appear in the backs of the 2 rear Guards. As they fall, the third Guard turns as the door next to him flies open. He catches a rifle butt in the face, knocking him unconscious. 3 Mraz Inc Squad members emerge from their offscreen positions and secure the men.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD- ANOTHER HALLWAY- SAME TIME
Eric and 2 Mraz Inc Squad members walk slowly, quietly down a hall. They hear sounds of commotion and duck into a open doorway.
ANGLE ON: Eric’s POV from inside the room he ducked into. A group of armed Guards sprint by yelling.
With the coast clear, they duck back out and continue down the hall.
CUT TO:
MAIN CONCOURSE- SAME TIME
Mraz and Mark move quickly down a hall lined with doors, trying to follow the path that Brendan took. They approach a large doorway. They both stop and exchange a glance. As they prep to make a move through the door, the door next to Mark slams open into him. A GUARD jumps out tackling him. As they begin to grapple, Mraz takes aim at the guard and is immediately knocked off his feet, his gun scattering across the floor.
ANGLE ON: Brendan, standing over him.
Brendan pounces. Straddling Mraz and trying to choke him. Mraz punches him in the face and uses the moment to roll Brendan over on his back.
MRAZ
You should have kept running.
He head-butts Brendan. Brendan elbows him in the stomach and flips Mraz forward into the wall. Brendan springs up, pulls Mraz up and pins him against the wall. They struggle but Brendan keeps him pinned.
BRENDAN
You’re too late. She’ll be dead in ten minutes and in less than an hour your headquarters will be slag. And you won’t get to either in time to stop it.
Mraz face fills with rage. Brendan just smiles triumphantly.
ANGLE ON: Mark, who has dispatched his assailant and is rising to his feet, and starting toward Mraz and Brendan. He stops short and winces when his earpiece shrieks with feedback.
KEATING (O.S.)
--repeat-- multiple contacts –extreme caution—center-- main—
MARK
Keating, you’re breaking up. Please repeat.
ANGLE ON: Mraz and Brendan.
BRENDAN
I doubt it’ll matter though. You probably won’t survive the next ten minutes.
Brendan swings Mraz around driving him into the closed double-doors of the large doorway.
The camera pulls back to a wide angle as Mark watches as Mraz and Brendan impact the doors. The doors fly open revealing a large room filled 20-30 GUARDS.
KEATING (O.S.)
--we have multiple hostiles in the center room connecting to the main concourse of the building—
ANGLE ON: Mark’s face going wide with surprise.
MARK
Oh hell.
Mark sprints into the room.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD- HALLWAY- SAME TIME
Eric and the two Tac Members approach a doorway. Above it a thick bunch of wires run through the wall. Eric points up.
ERIC
Bet next week’s pay this is the interrogation room.
They approach the door and open it. They enter, cautiously.
CUT TO:
INT. OUTER INTERROGATION ROOM- CONTINUOUS
The three walk into the outer room and see Krystal through the glass immediately. She doesn’t look conscious. It is unclear whether she is dead or alive. Eric looks down at the desk. There are empty syringes.
ERIC
Keep watch. I’m gonna get her out of there.
TAC MEMBER #1
It’s too quiet.
TAC MEMBER #2
They’re too busy dealing with the rest of the squad.
CUT TO:
INT. INNER INTERROGATION ROOM- CONTINUOUS
Eric enters the room and rushes straight to Krystal. The two team members continue talking in the background.
TAC MEMBER #1 (O.S.)
But why leave the prisoner unguarded?
TAC MEMBER #2 (O.S.)
(lowering his voice)
Think she’s even alive?
Eric kneels down and sets his gun beside him. He notices 2 more syringes on a tray next to him. These ones are full. He checks Krystal’s pulse. He snaps into action and moves to untie her from the chair.
TAC MEMBER #1 (O.S.)
SIR--?!
Eric turns in time to catch a pistol whip in the face. The attacking MAN puts him in a headlock then spins and fires two shots at the Tac members, catching one in the head and one in the throat. The man shot in the throat drops to the floor gurgling. Eric drives his forearm into the Man’s gun-arm, sending his pistol across the room. Still in a head-lock, he reaches for his own pistol but the man kicks it away and punches Eric in the face.
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN ROOM- SAME TIME
Mark sprints toward the room, as the men take notice and converge on Mraz, pulling him up by the arms. One tosses a pistol to Brendan.
MARK
Keating, divert all teams to our position-It’s a trap--must be their staging area. MRAZ, BLIND!
Mark tosses a cylinder into the room. The men are first distracted by Mark’s yell-then by the object entering the room. Mraz squeezes his eyes shut. The object-a flashbang grenade- explodes, blinding the men in the room momentarily. It erupts into chaos.
Mraz yanks the two men holding his arms forward slamming their heads together and sends a backward kick into the stomach of the man behind him.
Mark charges into the room and launches into an aerial roundhouse kick landing in the face of one man. He seizes the gun-arm of the man next to him, pulling it straight and breaking it at the elbow, following with as backhanded fist to his face. On the follow through, he grabs the next-nearest man by the arm, pulling him forward, off-balance, straight into his elbow, snapping the man’s head back. He engages the next man, slowly making his way to Mraz.
ANGLE ON: Brendan, lost in the swarm of men, comes to. He eyes Mark and Mraz, engaged with multiple men and starts to discreetly crawl away toward the door.
Mraz, holding a man in a headlock, swings him straight into the blind swing of another man. He grabs the puncher and drives his face down into his knee. Feeling a presence behind, he swings around with a backhanded fist. Mark, however is the presence and narrowly ducks the swing.
MARK
Jesus, Mraz! Nice way to show your gratitude!
He sends a jab at Mraz’s face. Mraz ducks and the jab lands in the face of an unseen attacked behind Mraz. Mraz rolls under the punch and sweeps the legs of a man behind Mark.
MRAZ
Gratitude for what?
MARK
Saving your ass! Or maybe you wanted Brendan to put a bullet in you.
Mraz begins to grapple with another man. Mark gets tackled backward slamming him back to back with Mraz. Mraz pushes his man back, getting separation. He casts a quick glance and a smirk back to Mark.
MRAZ
Maybe you could have found a moment to pick up your gun?
MARK
It’s just never enough for you, is it?
The man charges Mark; Mark sidesteps and Mraz whips a double-fisted punch backwards, close-lining the man and taking him off his feet. Mraz then swings forward catching his man with a double-fisted punch.
MRAZ
Speaking of Brendan, have you seen him?
They both survey the room.
MARK
Damn it!
MRAZ
These guys are recovering from the flash-bang.
MARK
Hey, Keating? What’s the word on back-up? This is about to get messy.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC WAR ROOM- SAME TIME
KEATING
Teams 3 and 4 are converging. But they were both coming from the far ends of the building. ETA 3 minutes.
MARK (O.S)
Good, 3 minutes. No sweat.
KEATING
Any luck on hailing Eric’s team?
DUCKY
No. No response. But see how the infrared dots notating the rest of his team are getting smaller?
KEATING
Yeah?
DUCKY
Only one reason for that. Unless they just took a sub-zero bath.
CUT TO:
INT. INNER INTERROGATION ROOM- SAME TIME
Eric launches up from a crouch, with a back-handed right swing. The man counters with a double-handed block. Eric follows with a hard left jab to the man’s ribs. The man winces but quickly counters, with a devastating,descending left-punch to Eric’s head. With Eric doubled over, the man kicks his square in the chest knocking him off his feet, near where his gun landed.
Eric slowly writhes for the gun and the man scrambles to get there first, but when he gets in Eric’s range, Eric drops his incapacitated “act”, kicks the man in the ribs with his right foot, and drives his left foot into the man’s shin, sending him to the ground. Eric rolls him over, punches him in the face, and begins to throttle him. The man gets his own grip around Eric’s throat. Eric releases one hand and reaches for the gun, just beyond the man’s head. His hand begins to grasp the handle as they wrestle, but the man sends a knee to his groin and flips him over, scattering the gun away-near Krystal’s unmoving form.
The man advances again. This time, in an effort to get the fight back on it’s feet, Eric launches upward, driving his shoulder into the man’s chest, then headbutts him under his chin. Eric lands a quick right cross, then a left cross, but his attempt at a second right is blocked, and the man hits him on the side of the head with an open-fisted left.
The man in quick succession right jabs Eric in the face, follows with left to the stomach, then a right elbow under the chin. The man swings again with a right-cross, Eric weakly deflects it, but the man simply gives him a shove to the chest, sending Eric to the ground, landing Eric near the 2 full syringes. The man straddles Eric and slams him into the ground, then grabs a syringe, and starts stabbing down toward Eric’s head. Eric struggles with his last ounces of strength to stop the needle’s trajectory. But it inches closer and closer until it comes within a centimeter or two of his eye.
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN ROOM- SAME TIME
ANGLE ON: Mraz, taking a brutal punch across face.
The next that comes in, Mraz catches by the wrist, and he sends an elbow into his attacker’s temple. Instantly, he is pinned from behind, as another man moves in from the front
MRAZ
How’s that back-up –
Mraz launches his feet up, kicking the man in front of him.
MRAZ (CONT)
-coming.
He uses his forward momentum to flip the man behind him, forward over his head.
ANGLE ON: Mark. He is engaged with three men. The man to his right flank, launches a punch which he easily blocks with his right, then quickly left jabs the man to his left in the face. The man behind him tackles him around the waste.
MARK
(Out of breath)
C’mon, Mraz. What’s the problem? Been sitting in your posh office chair too much?
He drives his elbow down into the head of the man wrapped around his waist.
MARK (CONT)
You don’t get out enough. I think you could use a work-out. This is a piece of ca—
Mark, forgetting to dispatch his first opponent, takes a punch in the face mid-quip.
MRAZ
Idiot.
Mraz gets tackled to the ground by three men. Mark slams his man into the wall and then catches a man behind him with a fist in the face without looking.
MARK
What was that you were saying?
Mraz struggles with the three men.
MRAZ
I hate you.
In anger, he throws a right cross, catching all three men in the face. He simultaneously kicks one in the groin, sends his right elbow into one’s face. Then comes back across with a left hitting the other two.
Mark punches a man in the throat, then in the face, but catches a punch in the kidney.
MARK
Rrrrr. What about Brendan?!
He grapples the man into a headlock and quickly snaps his neck.
Mraz gets driven into a wall.
MRAZ
Taken…care of.
He pile drive punches the man.
MRAZ
…back-up.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC WAR ROOM- SAME TIME
KEATING
Time-on-target, guys? I really don’t want to have to scrape my boss up off the floor.
TAC LEADER #1 (O.S)
90 seconds.
TAC LEADER #2 (O.S)
2 minutes.
KEATING
Hurry. Or I’ll be out of a job.
DUCKY
Should we send a team to Eric?
KEATING
…No…Mraz is the priority.
DUCKY
I thought Krystal was.
Keating shoots him a venomous look.
CUT TO:
INT. INNER INTERROGATION ROOM- SAME TIME
ANLGE ON: The needle a centimeter from Eric’s eye. All sound has dropped out, but Eric’s occasional deep breath and heart beat in slow motion. Two slow blinks of the eye. Slowly the breath steady’s, the heart-beat slows, and Eric’s brow furrows.
ANGLE ON: An overhead tight shot on the syringe going down. The world bursts out of slow-motion. Lightning-fast, Eric’s head twists to the left and the needle crashes into the concrete, narrowly missing. Eric palm smashes the man in the nose, breaking it. The man cries out, stunned.
He launches the man off of him – back toward the other side of the room. Eric locates the gun near Krystals and scrambles toward it on his hands and knees.
The man comes out of his shock and his eyes fill with victory.
ANGLE ON: The other gun, just a few feet away.
They both race to the guns. Eric gets to his and, in one-motion whips around and fires. Only to see the man wheel and shoot at the same time. Eric catches the bullet in the shoulder. His gun drops. He writhes. The man takes his hit in the stomach. With much strain, man grips his gun and starts crawling to the immobile Eric. Eric starts to worm towards his. But not quite fast enough—
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN ROOM- SAME TIME
The tides have turned. Mark and Mraz are tiring under the seemingly unweary army of henchmen. They have been moved apart by the men and can no longer team up. Mark breaks free of a man’s grapple, pushing him away. He right jabs another man twice in the face. But quickly two men are upon him. He headbutts one but cannot quite break free of the other.
Mraz elbows a man in the face and holds another at arms length, palming him in the face, but the man pushes him into the wall. He tries for a jab but the man ducks, punches Mraz in the stomach, and flips him. A few men dog-pile Mraz. He kicks one in the shin, but he is out-numbered.
CUT TO:
INT. INNER INTERROGATION ROOM- SAME TIME
The man has closes on Eric, still squirming toward his gun. The man levels the pistol at Eric’s head and cocks the gun. His finger tightens on the trigger. Then he lets out a sharp groan, the finger loosens, and his eyes go wide. He looks down.
ANGLE ON: Krystal, half-conscious. Her hand grasps the last syringe, which she has driven into the man’s thigh.
The man holds a moment, frozen, then falls, motionless. Krystal collapses.
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN ROOM- SAME TIME
The henchmen pull Mraz up, still struggling, and swing him around.
ANGLE ON: Mraz’s POV. Mark is in the same predicament, pinned against the wall by about 6 men. Mark takes a punch in the face then in the stomach.
Mraz takes a shot in the back sending him to his knees. One man grabs his hair. He lets out a growl.
Suddenly, an array of silenced shots pierce the hubbub. 12 men quickly fall. The other 8 turn dropping Mraz and Mark and holding their hands in the air.
ANGLE ON: A Mraz Inc. Tac team- three men- with their weapons trained.
The remaining henchmen back up, slowly. Mark slumps against the wall, panting. Mraz stays on a knee.
MARK
Took you long enough…
TAC LEADER #2
Thought you guys could handle yourselves for 3 minutes.
MARK
Sure…30 guys. No…problem.
MRAZ
I thought we…were limiting…lethal force?
TAC LEADER #2
Sorry, sir…
MARK
Neeeeever enough…
Tac Leader #2 begins to help Mraz to his feet. Something snaps with Mraz, he starts to try to move quickly.
MRAZ
Krystal…!
TAC LEADER #2
Secure, sir. The other team is with her. Keating diverted them. Eric’s wounded and his men are down, but it appears that he saved Miss Kelly’s life.
MRAZ
(to Mark)
Come on.
He starts down the hall, as fast as he can move.
TAC LEADER #2
Sir?
MARK
Secure these men. Prep them to be taken back to HQ for debriefing.
Mark starts running off after Mraz and stops short for a moment, groaning.
TAC LEADER #2
What about Bradley?
MRAZ (O.S.)
He’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.
CUT TO:
INT. BRENDAN’S CAR- SAME TIME
Brendan drives down the streets; the camera sinks down, revealing Janice, lying on the floor of the back seat.
FADE TO BLACK.
END ACT ONE
__________________________________________________________________________________
ACT TWO
EXT. BRENDAN’S STRONGHOLD, WILLIAMSBURG- NIGHT
Mraz and Mark stand out front of the building with Keating. There is a bustle of activity. Tac Team Members are escorting prisoners into the Mraz Inc. vans. There are also two ambulances with lights flashing. Eric is being wheeled by on stretcher.
KEATING
Our medstaff says he’ll be alright. A couple months rehabbing.
MRAZ
And the word on Krystal?
KEATING
She’s been pumped full of a lot of drugs. She’ll sleep for a few days, but other than that only superficial damage. She’ll live.
MRAZ
Keating, there was no reason for you to come down here yourself. You need to be at Mraz Inc. coordinating the next step of the Op--
MARK
Actually, Mike, I ordered Mraz Inc. cleared out.
MRAZ
What?! Why the hell would you do that?!
MARK
Eddie radioed in that Andrea’s force was getting ready to move. We have 30 minutes, tops.
MRAZ
So let’s take them before they move.
MARK
Why? Mraz Inc. is secure and cleared out. We let them get that far, they’ll think they have us in the bag. Then we ambush. We’ll mow them down. They have nothing without their ace in the hole.
He looks to Keating.
KEATING
Besides, if they attack Mraz Inc., we can justify defense legally. It gives us the best chance to avoid any sticky publicity situations. Our “security staff subdued them”. He’s right.
MRAZ
Fine. It’s your call.
KEATING
All of our Ops staff is mobile here onsite. Ducky is in the van. Andy is working on trying to freeze and trace Brendan and Michener’s funds.
MRAZ
How close is he?
KEATING
Well, he froze the account Michener gave us for transfer and he’s trying to track its history.
MARK
What’s the word on Brendan?
MRAZ
Janice just went off radio-silence. He’s near the warehouse where Michener and Andrea’s men are staging but he made a quick stop.
CUT TO:
INT ANDREA’S PENTHOUSE- SAME TIME
Andrea stares out the window, fuming.
BRENDAN
I don’t know--
ANDREA
I TOLD you!
BRENDAN
What--
ANDREA
WHAT- did I tell you?!
BRENDAN
There was nothing I could do—I don’t know how--
ANDREA
Obviously, Janice followed you!
BRENDAN
I lost her. There was no way—
Andrea wheels to him, suddenly eerily calm.
ANDREA
Is she following you now?
BRENDAN
No. There’s no way--
ANDREA
There was no way before. What’s different now?
He is silent.
ANDREA (CONT.)
Is the girl dead?
BRENDAN
Yes.
ANDREA
And did she give you the information?
BRENDAN
She gave me information.
ANDREA
The codes?
BRENDAN
No, but—
ANDREA
BRENDAN!!
(back to calm)
Go. Proceed with the operation.
BRENDAN
But—
ANDREA
This was your operation. The captain goes down with the ship. Michener shouldn’t have to die alone. So, you’re going to keep him company. And, if you’re not completely worthless, you may just take one or two of them with you.
(she smiles sweetly)
Make it count.
Brendan, speechless, backs out of the apartment.
CUT TO:
EXT ANDREA’S PENTHOUSE- SAME TIME
Janice sits on the ledge with a listening device. She switches it off and begins to climb down.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC SUBLEVEL- SAME TIME
Eddie and Moumin stand in the center of 25 armed MRAZ INC TAC MEMBERS.
EDDIE
ETA of Michener and his men is 20 minutes. Their plan is to simple walk in the front door. We’re going to let them in, then we’re going to pin and flank them.
Moumin brings up a tactical layout on screen.
MOUMIN
We’re breaking into teams of five. We let these guys get in far enough to trip the security countermeasures. The lobby will go on lockdown. There are 40 guys. We’ll cover them from the 2nd floor from different vantages. They get one chance to stand down.
EDDIE
Which I don’t agree with. Most of these guys would kill you or me without a second thought. But even Mark is backing this one up. So they get one quick chance.
MOUMIN
OK, everyone head to your positions. And stand by for Eddie’s orders.
TAC OFFICER
Will we be receiving support from the Williamsburg team?
EDDIE
They’re just leaving now. Ducky will be providing mobile tech support but their ETA is 30 minutes. This’ll all be over by then.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC MOBILE SUPPORT VAN- SAME TIME
Ducky sits back staring at 5 terminals with different tactical displays. ANDY sits with his nose inches away from his laptop.
DUCKY
Are you ready to rock and roll, buddy?
ANDY
Yeah…Of course.
DUCKY
Doesn’t sound like it.
ANDY
Almost…got it…
DUCKY
Got what?
Andy jumps up and points at the screen.
ANDY
VOILA! HA!
DUCKY
What?!?!
ANDY
I knew I could beat you!
DUCKY
Earth to Andy Chmelko.
ANDY
I locked onto the wire-paths of Michener’s off-shore account. There’s an electronic paper trail that gets bounced through a few hundred portals, but managed to reverse the stream and lock onto the source grid.
DUCKY
Electronic paper- wha? Dude, I’m the tech-geek of this company and I didn’t understand a word of that.
ANDY
An electronic game of connect the dots, which I just won. And I have who’s been paying Michener for Mraz Inc secrets.
DUCKY
That’s great!
ANDY
That’s weird!
DUCKY
Why weird?
ANDY
I’ve seen this profile before.
CUT TO:
EXT MRAZ INC – SAME TIME
Janice stands across the street, inconspicuously.
JANICE
…they’re going ahead with it. He was talking to Andrea. Sounds like our boy Brendan has fallen out of favor.
MRAZ (O.S.)
Great. Peel off. We can take it from here. Good work, Janice.
JANICE
Negative. I’m still on Brendan’s tail.
MRAZ (O.S.)
Jan, your work is done…where are you?
JANICE
Outside your second home. Or is it your first home now?
MRAZ (O.S.)
Janice, get out of there. It’s too dangerous. You’ll get caught right in the middle of our tac op.
JANICE
Come on, Mikey. What’re you going to do? Fire me? You should know better. Tell me it’s dangerous I’m more likely to stay.
MRAZ (O.S.)
No. Eddie and Moumin have the situation in hand.
JANICE
And Brendan is my situation. Don’t worry, I won’t burn the place down.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC VAN– SAME TIME
MRAZ
Janice? Dammit!
MARK
What? Was that all about?
MRAZ
Janice.
MARK
(with realization)
Dammit!
CUT TO:
EXT STREETS- SAME TIME
Michener stands with the mercenary army, eying Mraz Inc from a few blocks away.
They are ready to move. Brendan walks up. Michener does not look back. He just smiles.
MICHENER
You’re late.
BRENDAN
Shut up.
MICHENER
You have the codes?
BRENDAN
Yes. We’re ready to go.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC- SAME TIME
Eddie is crouched with his team.
EDDIE
Stand by.
MOUMIN (O.S.)
Teams are ready.
FADE TO BLACK.
END ACT TWO
___________________________________________________________________________________
ACT THREE
EXT MRAZ INC- NIGHT
The group of Andrea’s men have lined against the outer walls of Mraz Inc, with Brendan and Michener on either side of the door.
BRENDAN
There’s an outer door code to open, then a security safeguard; a second code that has to be inputted within one minute after entry. Otherwise, a silent alarm will trip.
MICHENER
Well, stop stalling and enter the codes. I don’t want to be waiting at the front door when Mraz and Souza get back.
Brendan hesitates a moment, takes a breath to enter the code. The door beeps 3 times. He and Michener share a look. The door releases. Michener heads in and nods to the other men. They begin to file in after him, Brendan waits for the end.
Out of view of Michener, Brendan betrays a momentary expression confusion and relief.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC- SAME TIME
Moumin holds with his team, crouched on the second level, with binoculars.
ANGLE ON: The view from his binoculars. Men are filing in the front door. The line ends and Brendan moves in the door.
MOUMIN
The package is in the building.
EDDIE (O.S.)
Package confirmed.
MARK (O.S.)
Good.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC VAN- CONTINUOUS
MARK
Permission to move when ready.
MOUMIN (O.S.)
Roger.
EDDIE (O.S.)
With pleasure, champ.
MARK
The ambush is a go. We’ll be there in 7 minutes
Mraz looks over.
MRAZ
Could you drive faster?
Mark shoots him an annoyed look.
MARK
Weren’t you just complaining about my driving?
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
Brendan closes the door behind him and surveys the empty lobby, still suspicious. Michener is at the other end of the lobby.
MICHENER
Clear! Brendan, get on that code.
BRENDAN
Right away.
Brendan heads back toward the door, slowly. He enters three numbers into the key pad. He pauses; his eyes narrow for a moment. He enters the remaining 2 numbers. There are 3 quick beeps again.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
At Eddies position:
EDDIE
Lockdown engage in 5, 4, 3…
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
Brendan slips quietly out the front door, while Michener and the men are otherwise occupied. He closes the door and looks in through the glass.
MICHENER
Brendan, are we—
He looks back and sees Brendan out the door.
MICHENER (CONT.)
BRENDAN?!
Floodlights flash on from above, illuminating the lobby floor and leaving the second floor in darkness. Steel doors drop down at all the exits. On last glimpse of Brendan is seen, watching calmly, before the steel trap closes. Rage fills Michener’s face.
MOUMIN (O.S.)
(unseen, from above)
Attention! You are covered from multiple positions. You have one minute to stand down, and place your weapons on the floor, or we will open fire. I repeat, you are covered from multiple positions.
MICHENER
Damn him! He set us up!
CUT TO:
EXT MRAZ INC- SAME TIME
Brendan runs down the street, toward an alley. The camera pulls out, revealing Janice, watching.
JANICE
Not this time, B.
She pursues.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
The group of men seem torn. They still hold their weapons, waiting for an order from Michener.
MOUMIN (O.S.)
(unseen, from above)
30 seconds.
MAN 1
Michener?!
Michener still stands at the door where Brendan escaped.
MICHENER
Coward!!
He fires a round at the door.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
Eddie is crouched at ready.
EDDIE
Enough for me, OPEN FIRE!
The lobby erupts in gunfire.
CUT TO:
EXT ALLEY – SAME TIME
Janice moves cautiously through the alley where Brendan went. He is nowhere to be seen. She creeps to the end and looks at the street at the other end: nothing.
JANICE
What the--
Janice turns but is sent sprawling to the ground, from a kick.
ANGLE ON: Brendan, dropping from the fire escape above. He stands over her, leveling his gun, smiling
BRENDAN
Looks like this time, I found you.
He cocks the gun. The opening chords of the final verse of Springsteen’s “Lost in the Flood” fade in.
CUT TO:
INT. MRAZ INC VAN- CONTINUOUS
Mark and Mraz are silent and tense. Mark is flooring it.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC LOBBY- SAME TIME
The battle plays out to the music of the song. There is no sound, only the visual. Muzzles flashes can be seen from multiple elevated positions in the lobby. The men on the floor frantically fire upward, but are quickly mowed down; taken off their feet by sprays of bullets.
ANGLE ON: A quick shot of Eddie firing down at the floor.
ANGLE ON: Moumin, ducked back down, reloading and yelling something.
Michener, staying low, makes his way across the floor, firing upward, blindly. He makes his way to the front security desk and takes cover, continuing to fire upward.
ANGLE ON: A man running for cover, firing, but falling to the floor, taking a hit in the leg.
ANGLE ON: Another man firing, taking three hits to the chest, his gun still firing as he falls an hits the ground.
ANGLE ON: Moumin, he begins to his team across the second floor balcony of the lobby. His team has ceased firing.
Michener steps out from behind the desk, aims upward an firing.
ANGLE ON: Eddie. Michener’s move has opened his back up to Eddie’s sights. Eddie aims and pops off a quick shot, hitting Michener in the shoulder. Michener falls. The first sound, other than music breaks through:
MOUMIN (O.S.)
Cease fire! Cease Fire!!
CUT TO:
EXT MRAZ INC. – SAME TIME
The Mraz Inc van brakes out front, tires squealing. Mraz and Mark jump out of the car. Mark runs toward the front. Mraz runs off to the side. Mark sees Mraz running away from the building and stops.
MARK
Where the hell are you going?!
MRAZ
Loose end! Secure the building!
Mark shakes his head and runs toward the door. He inputs the code. It beeps 3 times and the steel door begins to lift.
CUT TO:
EXT ALLEY – SAME TIME
Janice looks defiant, but trapped. Brendan still holds her at gunpoint.
BRENDAN
You are not going to make me look foolish again!
JANICE
I don’t know. It’s pretty easy, Brendan. I’m not sure I can help it.
Brendan pistol whips Janice, knocking her back.
BRENDAN
You and I are going to finish what we started months ago. I’m going to start with you, then Mraz, until I pull this whole organization down.
JANICE
Well, B, you can’t even take a walk without getting tailed by me. So if your going to carry out those big plans you might want to be a little more discreet.
Brendan fires a shot into the ground in front of her.
BRENDAN
I won’t have to worry about that anymore. Because it’s time for you to say goodnight.
He takes aim at her forehead. She smiles and leans toward the gun.
JANICE
By the way, I forgot to mention how much I love that scar.
BRENDAN
Heheh. Defiant to the last.
JANICE
Just sad I won’t be the one to take care of you for Andrea.
BRENDAN
Well, she did ask me to take a few of you with me.
His finger tightens on the trigger. A shot rings out. The gun falls from his hand. Three more shots. He looks down at his chest to find four bleeding wounds. He looks back up at Janice with surprise. She smiles at him, he falls to the ground, revealing Mraz, behind him aiming a gun.
MRAZ
Too bad. You disappoint her again.
He drops his aim.
JANICE
Thanks, Mikey.
MRAZ
Janice. Why do I always have to save your ass?
JANICE
Because you owe for all the times I’ve saved yours. How did you find me.
Mraz smiles and holds up his phone. There’s a map with a red blinking light.
MRAZ
Tracker in your cell.
Janice tosses her phone against the wall. The red light goes out. She smiles
JANICE
Remind me to never let you put my phone back together again.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC. LOBBY – SAME TIME
Mark walks in and surveys the scene. There are bodies strewn about. The rest of the team, including Moumin, are rounding up the remaining 15 or so men that have surrendered. Eddie makes his way to Mark.
MARK
Seems like you’ve got this pretty well in hand.
EDDIE
No casualties on our side. Michener fired off a shot, sparking the fire-fight. Mo was able to call a cease fire and get the remaining goons to surrender. Let’s wrap this up and grab a victory drink?
MARK
No way; Taylor is gonna scream at me for hours about this tomorrow. My hangover wouldn’t be able to take it.
EDDIE
Fair enough. Your loss.
Moumin walks by, dragging a prisoner.
MARK
Mo, you have bonus check coming your way.
MOUMIN
Why?
MARK
Exceptional performance.
MOUMIN
Sweet.
EDDIE
What’s the real reason?
MARK
Rather not say.
One of the Tac Team Members hauls Michener by.
MARK (CONT.)
Have fun in Sing-Sing, Michener. I’m gonna miss him.
Michener, enraged, breaks free of the man and seizes his sidearm. Before he can fire Souza, wheels and kicks the gun out his hand and knocks him out with a right cross. Eddie shoots him a look. Mark cocks his head and shrugs.
MARK (CONT.)
I’ve been wanting to shut that guy up all day.
Eddie chuckles and slaps him on the shoulder. They walk toward the rest of the group.
CUT TO BLACK.
END ACT THREE
______________________________________________________________________________
ACT FOUR
EXT MRAZ INC- DAY
The camera rotates around a scenic shot of the Mraz Inc building, with the sun glistening off the windows.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC MEDCENTER- SAME TIME
Mraz stands at Krystal’s bedside. She starts to come to, sees Mraz and smiles.
MRAZ
Hey there. You had a rough day.
KRYSTAL
Not bad for my first couples months, huh?
MRAZ
I’d say you definitely have made a splash within the ranks of the company.
KRYSTAL
Living Hand?
MRAZ
Was a failure.
KRYSTAL
And Brendan?
MRAZ
Dead. It’s going to take awhile for Andrea to recover from such a failure. She drained a lot of resources.
KRYSTAL
That’s good. When can I get back?
MRAZ
Heheh. Don’t worry about that too much, I think you deserve a bit of a rest.
He gives her hand a squeeze and leaves it there for a moment. Then he turns and starts heading toward the door. He stops short.
MRAZ (CONT.)
You also might want to pay Eric a visit when you feel a bit better. He was the one responsible for saving you.
KRYSTAL
I guess I’ll have to thank him.
Mraz gives a small laugh and starts toward the door again. It opens just as he gets there and Mark walks in. He looks a bit startled. He leans on the door.
MARK
Oh, hey, Mraz! How’s our champ doing?
MRAZ
I think she’ll be up and about soon. My office?
MARK
Yeah, I’ll be there in about ten.
Mraz exits and Mark slips the rest of the way into the room. He whips a bouquet of flowers out from behind his back, which he had obscured behind the door, and gives a slightly self-conscious smile.
KRYSTAL
Oh, how sweet!
MARK
Heh. I thought I’d get you some flowers for real this time, not leftovers from a bad date.
Krystal lets out a giggle.
MARK (CONT.)
I hear they speed up recovery.
KRYSTAL
Thank you!
MARK
Hey, just don’t go getting yourself kidnapped anymore.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ INC- SAME TIME
Mraz walks toward his office door. He spots Keating at her desk and changes course, toward her.
MRAZ
Hey.
KEATING
Hey!
MRAZ
I just wanted to say sorry.
KEATING
Sorry for what?
MRAZ
For not figuring out that you were the target earlier, for not being around after the attack, for--
KEATING
Hey, hey. It’s ok.
MRAZ
No, it’s not. Keat— Lauren, your better to me than I deserve. I should have been there. I should have made sure you were alright.
KEATING
Mike, you can’t protect everybody. I knew what I was getting into when I started working here. I’m a big girl.
MRAZ
I know.
KEATING
Stop worrying. I’m fine. I’ll be fine.
Mraz cracks a smile. He gives Keating a gentle kiss on the head, then looks at her, cracking a lopsided grin again.
MRAZ
What would I do without you?
Keating cracks a nervous smile. Mraz goes into his office and Keating watches until the door closes.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ’S OFFICE – SAME TIME
Mraz leans up against his window. The door opens and Mark strolls in. He sits at the desk.
MARK
Sorry, I’m late.
MRAZ
It’s ok. I’m used to it by now.
MARK
Did I miss anything?
MRAZ
You missed Taylor’s report.
MARK
Good.
MRAZ
He wants to see you in an hour.
MARK
Of course he does. I knew I shouldn’t have gone for that drink last night.
MRAZ
Only one?
Mark shrugs, obviously having stayed for more than one. There’s a knock at the door.
MRAZ (O.S.)
Come in.
Andy enters; he seems a bit more on edge than usual.
ANDY
You wanted to see me?
MRAZ
Yeah. Ducky said something about you finding an “electronic paper trail” in his sit-rep?
ANDY
Oh… yes… ummm…
Mraz and Mark both look at him, waiting.
MRAZ
Yes?
ANDY
… …didn’t pan out. I need more time to…work.
His eyes flick quickly to Mark then back to Mraz.
MRAZ
Ok.
ANDY
Should I go?
MRAZ
If there’s nothing else to report?
ANDY
No? No!
Andy exits.
MRAZ
That was weird.
MARK
Eh, it’s Andy.
MRAZ
Even for Andy… Well, I think Andrea may be quiet for awhile.
MARK
Never know, with her.
MRAZ
True.
MARK
Krystal acquitted herself well.
MRAZ
That she did. We can probably use her in the field more.
MARK
She took quite a bit from Brendan and didn’t snap. There aren’t many who can do that.
MRAZ
No, there aren’t.
There’s a silence.
MARK
Alright. What’s wrong?
MRAZ
Nothing. I just don’t like waiting on Andrea. I feel like the more we let her sit in hiding, the stronger she gets.
CUT TO:
INT ANDREA’S PENTHOUSE – DAY
Mraz’s voice continues as a V.O. as the scene progresses. Andrea sits staring out her window, as two figures come into frame.
MRAZ (V.O.)
The longer we leave her idle, the bigger chance she has of finding some unknown edge.
Andrea looks up. Her personal guard, BIRDO, has brought a visitor. It is the man recording Krystal’s interrogation earlier. He holds up a disk.
MRAZ (V.O.)
Some way in that we can’t foresee. Some bit of deadly information.
Andrea eyes the disk.
CUT TO:
INT MRAZ’S OFFICE – SAME TIME
MARK
We’ll get her when she surfaces. You’re worrying too much again.
MRAZ
I hope so.
FADE TO BLACK.
THE END
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