| "Red Alert" Excerpt |
CUT TO EXT. PARK IN EL SEGUNDO - DAY Directly next to the burned-out refinery. Still smoldering. The park's open, but COPS keep LOOKIELOOS from getting close. EXT. PARK PICNIC AREA Baseball diamond with a Little League game. Nearby picnic tables. DAD, MOM and three kids - GIRL 15, BOY 10, BOY 4. DAD See kids, life isn't all rosy. Things happen. GIRL, 15 You mean, shit happens. MOM Watch your words, please. Not too stern but the girl pouts anyway. The Boy is only concerned with the ball game. Little one running around. DAD I'm just saying, life goes on. GIRL, 15 Tell me that when gas is like twenty dollars a gallon and you bitch even more when we fill up. Before they can respond, the little boy runs back, eyes wide. BOY, 4 The tree was looking at me. DAD Trees can't look, son. They don't have eyes. BOY, 4 That one does. He points. Mom winks at Dad. He grins. DAD Show me. They walk over to the bush. The boy hides behind his dad's leg and points. Dad leans closer to look. Sees... In the bush - a human eyeball hanging by sinew. CUT TO INT. POLICE STATION - DAY Small and old, doesn't see much action. Doors says Gym. It opens. Hear CLANKING of WEIGHTS. Marta and Eric come out. MARTA Don't hurt yourselves. Cops in there laugh as she closes the doors, walks with Eric past rooms with placards: rest rooms, kitchen, detectives room, interrogation, and: The Chief. Marta stops, leans in. MARTA You won't believe what I did. INT. CHIEF'S OFFICE Chip Cramm, THE CHIEF - 58, doughy and a real salesman. CHIEF Marta! And on the weekend, too. ERIC We thought it was yesterday. The Chief stands, gives a phony smile at the kid. Then: CHIEF Mamie Colton called in. Someone stole her tomatoes again. Six, she thinks. I expect a full report. Condescending bastard. It's all Marta can do not to scream. MARTA She's 97. CHIEF She pays taxes. He walks out past a fat guy in a slouchy uniform named BUBBA. CHIEF Hey Bubba. How's Janine? BUBBA About to drop. CHIEF Don't name it after me. I got enough problems. He laughs. Marta grimaces, turns away as a man in a nice suit enters: BOBBY BAER, the town's premier defense lawyer. CHIEF Counselor. Suing us again? BAER I'm sure I will be if you don't find something for your men to do. CHIEF It's a full-time job keepin' an eye on you! He laughs. Bobby returns it, politely. The Chief leaves. Bobby passes Bubba in the hall. BAER Records room unlocked? BUBBA When is it ain't? Baer chuckles and heads that way as Marta returns from the ladies room. They exchange civil hellos. Bubba asks her: BUBBA My brother asked me to ask you to go out with him, again. MARTA Why doesn't he ask me himself. BUBBA Shy, I guess. MARTA Maybe his wife intimidates him. BUBBA Could be. As if it's a real possibility. He goes in the mens room. INT. DETECTIVES ROOM Messy, despite the low case load. One other guy in there, FRANK EVERLY - 45, career cop. A good guy. Sees Eric. EVERLY Hey buddy. How's it hangin'? ERIC A little left. They giggle. Marta rolls her eyes. MARTA Frank, good god. He's eight. EVERLY Well, he needs a role model. MARTA So do you. Frank just laughs with good nature. Marta flops down. MARTA Did you hear Bubba? EVERLY Yeah. What is it with you and married men? MARTA Beats the hell outa me. Must be the pheromones kicking up. I'm having my period you know. She flops in her chair. Everly and Eric groan. MARTA Anything going on? EVERLY You're lookin' at it. Marta looks around. Duller than dull. Sighs. EVERLY Could be worse. We could have to work for a living. Get shot at. MARTA At this point, it might be a blessing. She stands, takes Eric's hand. He hops down. EVERLY Better take your weapon. MARTA Yeah. But she doesn't. It's sitting on her desk. She takes Eric. CUT TO INT. ATF, D.C. - DAY Sterile. MEN and WOMEN in suits and flak jackets. This is the real deal. Aerial shots of the burning refinery. INT. JIMMY WELBORN'S OFFICE Organized but empty as JOHN MYERS peeks in. Myers is management - soft body, hard head. He turns back out. MYERS Where's Welborn? He's asking any one of the four other AGENTS at desks. AGENT #1 Doctor's appointment. Myers grunts. Starts back to his office. MYERS Hope it isn't terminal. Tell him I wanna see him when he gets back. He doesn't look back. The others share a look. CUT TO INT. DOCTOR'S OFFICE - DAY Books, degrees, white coat hanging on a tree with - a bra. Because, just a few feet away... A goodlooking black guy about 38 - JIMMY WELBORN - is hard at it with a hardbody black woman SHERRY, on her desk. They come. Jimmy flops in her chair. Sherry straddles him. Smiling. SHERRY Will you need a note, today? JIMMY Knowing Myers? SHERRY I'll just say your testosterone was low and we were running tests. JIMMY Baby, if there's one thing not wrong with me, it's that. As they start to rub on each other, the INTERCOM buzzes. NURSE (ON INTERCOM) Doctor, the Pfizer guy's here. The cute one. SHERRY Tell him I'll be right with him. I'm just finishing a consultation. NURSE Okay, I'm getting him a latte. She clicks off. Immediately, Sherry is up, putting herself together, dressing. Jimmy watching. JIMMY He must really be cute. SHERRY I am at work. Unlike you. JIMMY Yeah, why is it I always have to come to where you are? She snaps her bra - brimming over it. Leaning down. SHERRY Would you like me to show up like this at ATF? JIMMY I meant, my house. Your house. She stands, puts on her blouse and skirt. SHERRY You don't like the arrangements, you can always call it quits. She throws on her coat. Looks stern. SHERRY I have to buy some drugs. She means: Get dressed and go. Jimmy scowls. Stands. CUT TO INT. MAMIE'S HOUSE - DAY MAMIE is 97 with little to do. Marta sits with Eric by her. Both stare blankly as Mamie goes to the window. MAMIE Now dear, I'm quite sure I had 57 tomatoes yesterday evening. But this morning, I only had 51. That's counting the green ones, of course. MARTA Of course. Eric tugs on her sleeve to go. She pats him and smiles. CUT TO EXT. DULLES INT'L AIRPORT - LATE AFTERNOON An ATF Suburban drives onto the tarmac to a waiting gov't jet. Other agents are around. This is big time cop stuff. Jimmy gets out with his boss, John Myers. They're rushing. JIMMY I hate California. MYERS So? Yours is not to questions why, yours is do or die if I tell you. JIMMY I'm just asking: Is it my case or yours? Who's babysitting who? Myers stops. Faces Jimmy testily. Terse, quiet. MYERS Don't fuck with me on this one, Welborn. I'm getting a lot of heat from above. Know what I mean? I mean way above. So I don't need your shit. You got a review coming up next month. I suggest, you want that raise, or say, to keep your job at all, you do what I say, when I say to do it, don't fuck this up in any way shape or form, and I might, and I mean might, give you an extra buck an hour. Jimmy stands still, a bit shell-shocked. MYERS Are we clear on this now? Jimmy stares, going cold. Myers feels in control. MYERS Good. Now get on the fucking plane and don't talk to anyone unless I tell you what to say first. And he stands there - waiting for Jimmy to go ahead! Jimmy sucks his tooth - then goes. Leaving Myers to mutter: MYERS Fuckin' arrogant dick. Myers is not a happy man. His only joy, apparently, is taking it out on underlings. Which, he relishes. CUT TO |