J.D. Ho |
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ACT THREE FADE IN: EXT./INT. BANNERMAN HOME - NIGHT Johnny pounds on the front door. A moment later, the porch light goes on and a sleepy, bathrobe-clad Walt opens the door. WALT What's happening? JOHNNY Can I come in? Walt steps aside, letting Johnny pass. Sarah enters the living room, also in her bathrobe. SARAH Johnny, what's going on? Johnny paces. Sarah and Walt sit beside each other on the couch. JOHNNY She's an assassin. We need to find out who she's supposed to kill. WALT Whoa. Back up a little. Who are we talking about here? JOHNNY Chelsea McEvoy. SARAH Oh my God. Walt puts calming hand on Sarah's knee. WALT Just tell me what happened. JOHNNY I followed her tonight. To the old Hodgkins Mill. She met someone there. After they left, I went to the mill. I had a vision of-- WALT I thought you said she was blocking your visions? JOHNNY She is. But her boss--or partner- whatever he is-- WALT (weary of it all) Did you have a vision that she was going to kill someone in the immediate future? JOHNNY No. But she's done it before. WALT So it happened already? JOHNNY Yes, but-- SARAH She's been stalking Johnny. WALT What? SARAH It's true. She got his phone number and she's been asking to meet with him. JOHNNY Actually, I-- WALT You think she wants to kill Johnny? SARAH It makes sense. And it wouldn't be the first time someone wanted to hurt him. JOHNNY She's not trying to kill me. Walt looks like he's watching a tennis match. SARAH But she's lying to you. Can't you see? I don't need visions to know she's hiding a lot more than she's showing. Walt gets what this is really about. JOHNNY There's more to it than that. I think you're misjudging her. WALT Okay, calm down. Both of you. I can't just arrest her. But I will put one of my men on surveillance. And we'll look further into her background. SARAH (quietly) You said yourself she's an assassin. What's to misjudge? She meets Johnny's intense stare. JOHNNY (frustrated) I wish I could get inside her head. WALT We'll do what we can with good old fashioned police work. JOHNNY You won't find anything that way. CUT TO: INT. STILLSON'S OFFICE - NIGHT Stillson and Chelsea are having something of a standoff. STILLSON When are you going to get me something useful? CHELSEA I'm making progress. I confessed to him that I didn't trust your politics. I said I thought you were up to something. He hasn't taken the bait. But he will. STILLSON Will he? CHELSEA Are you questioning my methods? I know what I'm doing. STILLSON You were supposed to ally yourself with him. CHELSEA My job is to find his weakness and exploit it. He's a lonely man. He lives in isolation--no one to trust. I have to offer him something no one else will offer him. (hypnotic) Once I do that, he's mine. Don't worry, I'm an expert. She sidles up to Stillson, runs her hand along his chest. STILLSON That's why I hired you. He pushes her against the wall, kissing her, hands everywhere. CHELSEA Is it? She kisses back passionately. CUT TO: INT. JOHNNY'S LIVING ROOM - DAY Johnny sits in front of his television, but he has other things on his mind. The intercom BUZZER startles him. CUT TO: EXT. JOHNNY'S HOUSE - SAME Chelsea stands at the intercom. JOHNNY (V.O.) Hi. CHELSEA Hi. It's Chelsea. JOHNNY (V.O.) I know. CHELSEA Can I come in? Silence. CHELSEA (cont'd) I'm sorry about the other night. JOHNNY (V.O.) (softly) Me too. CUT TO: INT. JOHNNY'S KITCHEN - SAME Johnny stares thoughtfully at the intercom panel. CHELSEA (V.O.) I understand if you don't want to see me, but I'd really like to talk to you. Can we just go for a walk? Johnny hesitates, unsure. CUT TO: EXT. JOHNNY'S STREET - A FEW MINUTES LATER Johnny inspects Chelsea like he has x-ray vision. CHELSEA What? JOHNNY Nothing. They begin walking. Myriad expressions cross Chelsea's face as she decides what to say first. JOHNNY (cont'd) Just say it. CHELSEA It's not easy. JOHNNY (gently) Believe me, I know. CHELSEA I know you think I've been hiding things from you. She steals a glance at Johnny, but his face is impassive. CHELSEA (cont'd) And I have. (beat, deep breath) I work for Greg Stillson. (amending) Sort of. This doesn't really shock Johnny. He scrutinizes her. CHELSEA (cont'd) He hired me to get the dirt on you, actually. He wanted to know your political views because he thinks you're a threat. Johnny stops walking. JOHNNY Why you? Did he know about what you can do? His directness surprises Chelsea. CHELSEA Yes, he knew. He searched a long time before he found me. I tested you that night we met. When it went without a hitch, he gave me my assignment. (rushing) I had a job to do and I thought it would be easy--just get to know you, get you to trust me. Feed Stillson the information. JOHNNY You're still not telling me everything. Again, Chelsea is taken by surprise. She's not as in control of the situation as she thought. CHELSEA I can't tell you any more than-- JOHNNY (getting angry) All I'm asking is for you to be honest with me. Can you do that? CHELSEA I'm trying. (beat, deliberately) It's the hardest thing I've ever done. She searches Johnny's face. He extends his hand. Chelsea contemplates it for a moment. Knows what Johnny wants. JOHNNY You don't have to say anything. Their eyes lock. Chelsea is torn. Finally, she reaches with a trembling hand. Johnny takes it in his and we RUSH into his VISION - EXT. APARTMENT - DAY It's the apartment Chelsea described earlier--a split Victorian with a little garden in back. 14 YEAR-OLD CHELSEA sits on the back steps crying. Halstead approaches, car keys in hand. HALSTEAD It's time to go, Mandy. We can't stay here. Chelsea looks up at him full of fury. 14 YEAR-OLD CHELSEA I'm not leaving. She stands and yanks the back door open. Steps inside and SLAMS the door. We RETURN TO SCENE as the door SLAMS on Johnny's vision. Chelsea jerks away, recoils. She's hyperventilating and crying at the same time. CHELSEA (cont'd) I can't. I'm sorry. I just can't. Johnny grabs for her hand, but she's already hurrying away and all he can do is watch her go. CUT TO: INT. CHELSEA'S MOTEL - NIGHT The unsure Chelsea is gone and only a cold, determined killer remains. Dressed in a black tank top, holster, and black pants, Chelsea loads her sniper rifle and checks her sights. Professional. Mechanical. There's not an ounce of hesitation or wasted motion. She puts the rifle in a case and snaps it shut. Then she picks up a glock pistol from the bed and tucks it into her hip holster. Striding to the window, she peeks through the gap in the curtain. CHELSEA Cops are so stupid. She thinks for a second, then grabs a duffel from the closet. CUT TO: EXT. STREET OUTSIDE THE MOTEL - SAME A POLICE OFFICER sits in an unmarked car down the street from the motel, watchful. CUT TO: INT. MOTEL BATHROOM - SAME Chelsea opens the window and shimmies out into the night. CUT TO: EXT. MOTEL - MORNING Johnny KNOCKS on the door to Chelsea's room. There is no response. Johnny KNOCKS again. Glances behind him and sees Chelsea's car parked where it belongs. JOHNNY Chelsea? It's Johnny. Can we talk? Please? Johnny listens at the door. Then glances down the street. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - PLAIN CAR - A FEW MINUTES LATER Johnny approaches WYSARD, a different plainclothes officer from the night before. He recognizes Johnny. WYSARD Hey, Johnny. Johnny leans in. JOHNNY Have you been here since last night? WYSARD Came on shift at 6 this morning. JOHNNY And you haven't seen her leave? Wysard shakes his head. JOHNNY (cont'd) What about the last shift. What did he say? Wysard consults a notepad on the center console. WYSARD She came in around 7 last night. Hasn't left since. Johnny turns and assesses the motel. JOHNNY Get Walt on the radio. CUT TO: EXT. CHELSEA'S MOTEL - LATER Walt accompanies a Motel Clerk to the door. The clerk slides a keycard. Walt shoves the door open and aims his weapon inside. But, of course, there's no one there. And there's no sign that anyone ever was. CUT TO: EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME (MORNING) Chelsea has everything set up. She waits, protected from sight by an air vent, chin on her rifle. Patient. CUT TO: EXT. JOHNNY'S HOUSE - LATER Walt, usually unflappable, is now a bit stressed out. He and Johnny contemplate the security system at the house. Several OFFICERS emerge from behind the house. OFFICER #1 We checked everything out, Walt. No sign that anyone's been here. WALT (thinking aloud) Okay, what do we have to go on? You don't just leave your car at a motel and evade surveillance unless you're on a mission. (to Johnny) You were a possible target, but she's not here. He does a 360, surveying the area. JOHNNY She told me she worked for Stillson. She said he hired her to spy on me. Maybe he hired her to kill someone too. Walt runs this through his brain. WALT Stillson? I don't think so. (beat, conceding) Who else does he dislike? JOHNNY Stillson's speaking at the opening of that new factory this afternoon. It's a big union rally. WALT Let's go. CUT TO: EXT. FACTORY - LATER An industrial section of town--lots of warehouses and old brick lumber mills, etc. Johnny watches Stillson make his way through the crowd surrounded by Sonny and other bodyguards. Johnny is completely focussed and intent as he makes a beeline for Stillson. CUT TO: EXT. ROOFTOP - A FEW MINUTES LATER Chelsea sets up her rifle, lying on her stomach, aiming toward the stage. CUT TO: EXT. STAGE - SAME Johnny's closing in on Stillson now. JOHNNY Mr. Stillson! Stillson turns to Johnny. Stillson's guards form a tight circle around him. JOHNNY (cont'd) Can I talk to you? It'll just take a second. STILLSON I'm sorry Mr. Smith. You can see I'm a little busy right now. Stillson's thugs prevent all access. In desperation, Johnny crouches down, touches the stage and there is CONFUSION As a SHOT rings out. The scene FREEZES. Johnny watches the path of the bullet as it heads right toward him. He follows its trajectory to a building across and down the street. RETURN TO SCENE Johnny snaps out of the vision. Stillson watches Johnny with something akin to horror. Johnny doesn't have time for niceties--he staggers to his feet and disappears into the crowd. CUT TO: EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME Chelsea sights her rifle. CHELSEA'S POV THROUGH HER SIGHTS: Johnny leaves the stage area in a hurry and Chelsea follows him for a moment, keeping him in the crosshairs. BACK TO SCENE Chelsea pulls away from the eyepiece. CHELSEA Dammit, Johnny. She focusses again. CHELSEA'S POV THROUGH HER SIGHTS: Instead of following Johnny, Chelsea's crosshairs go back to Stillson and stay there. It is then that we realize STILLSON is her target. CUT TO: EXT. CROWD - SAME Johnny finds Walt. WALT (into his radio) Check the perimeter. Report to me in a few minutes. JOHNNY She's in that building. The one with the tower. Johnny nods toward a tall brick building. He's a bit out of breath and he reaches out to steady himself on Walt's arm. We suddenly SMASH into JOHNNY'S VISION: Walt lies on the ground, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound. BACK TO SCENE Johnny pulls away. JOHNNY (cont'd) Don't go up there. WALT (impatient) You just told me to. JOHNNY She'll try to kill you. Let me go. WALT You're not going up there. I'll be careful. He backs away from Johnny, simultaneously grabbing his walkie. WALT (cont'd) I need backup at the old Kessler Building. Pronto. CUT TO: INT. OLD BUILDING - STAIRWELL - A FEW MINUTES LATER Walt scrambles up the dark, rickety stairs. He slows down as he nears the top of the flight. There's a door. He's reached the roof. CUT TO: EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME Chelsea, intent on her target, hears the soft CLICK of the rooftop door opening. WALT (O.S.) Put the gun down. Chelsea reacts with lightning speed, whirls around and fires toward Walt. She has the wrong weapon for the task and misses, but Walt has lost control of the situation. CUT TO: INT. STAIRWAY - SAME Johnny mounts the stairs as quickly as he can, struggling with his body's limitations. CUT TO: EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME Chelsea doesn't give Walt a chance to think. She bolts, running toward the edge of the roof. Walt recovers his senses, realizes he's not injured, and takes off after Chelsea. Chelsea doesn't even hesitate at the edge of the rooftop, but leaps, landing on the roof of the adjacent building. Walt sees this and fear marks his face. WALT God help me. He leaps after her. Doesn't do as well as Chelsea and ends up on all fours. The impact knocks the wind out of him. Chelsea keeps running. Still holding her rifle, she pivots suddenly, unholsters her glock, and aims one-handed. Walt has the agility and presence of mind to raise his weapon too. GUNFIRE shatters the air as we FADE OUT. END ACT THREE ACT FOUR FADE IN: EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY Chelsea's shot goes wild, but not because of poor aim or training: Walt's shot hits first--with injurious accuracy. Chelsea drops her rifle, but clings to her glock. With her black clothes, we don't see it right away, but Chelsea puts her hand to her belly and looks down at her blood in wonder. Walt just stares, unsure. He trains his weapon on Chelsea. CHELSEA (quietly) No. WALT Come with me, Chelsea. Chelsea turns on her heel and stumbles toward the edge of the roof. Walt just watches, knows she won't make it to the next rooftop. Chelsea halts at the edge. CUT TO: EXT. ADJACENT ROOFTOP - SAME Johnny emerges from the stairwell and scans the rooftop for Chelsea and Walt. He sees them on the next roof over. JOHNNY Chelsea, no! CUT TO: EXT. ROOFTOP - SAME Chelsea seems suspended in time as we await her decision. CHELSEA'S POV A vertiginous view of a six-story drop. The pavement sways. BACK TO SCENE Chelsea glances back at Walt. Then leaps, not aiming for the next roof, just the pavement below. DISSOLVE TO: INT. HOSPITAL - LATER Johnny and Walt stand in the corridor talking to a DOCTOR. DOCTOR Frankly, it's shocking that she's still alive. JOHNNY Is she going to pull through? DOCTOR Do you believe in miracles? JOHNNY Yes. DOCTOR It'll take at least ten to save her. Really, the most we can do is make her as comfortable as we can. WALT Is she conscious? DOCTOR Barely. I have her on a heavy dose of morphine. WALT May we go in? The Doctor gestures toward a room down the hall. DOCTOR Go ahead. CUT TO: INT. ICU - CHELSEA - A MINUTE LATER Tubes, machines, you name it, Chelsea is hooked up to it. She's almost unrecognizable. She manages a weak smile when Johnny walks in. JOHNNY Hi. WALT (feeling like a shit for asking) Chelsea...I'm sorry, I know you're in a lot of pain, but we need to know who you were working for and why they wanted Johnny killed. Chelsea shakes her head almost imperceptibly. Walt leans in to hear her whisper. CHELSEA I wasn't trying to kill Johnny. WALT Then who? Chelsea doesn't answer. Johnny meets Chelsea's almost lifeless gaze. JOHNNY Walt, would you mind leaving us alone for a minute? Walt hesitates. JOHNNY (cont'd) Please. WALT Find out-- JOHNNY (cutting Walt off) I'll see what I can do. Walt exits, closing the door quietly behind him. Johnny pulls up a chair and sits next to the bed. Chelsea closes her eyes. When she speaks, she is barely audible. It's taking all she's got just to say a few words. CHELSEA I never wanted this life. (beat) I had no choice. Johnny nods, understanding. CHELSEA (cont'd) Take my hand? Johnny does. And we RAMP to his face as he has a vision. This time there are no doors slamming, no static, just regular images flooding his senses. Not Halstead's POV this time, but Chelsea's. The visions come one after another, like someone's life flashing before them in the moments before death. CUT TO: INT. YOUNG CHELSEA'S BEDROOM - JOHNNY'S VISION Young Chelsea lies sleeping, when suddenly two BLASTS from a gun wake her. She sits up, terrified. Halstead enters the room and goes to the bed. YOUNG CHELSEA Daddy? He takes her in his arms. CUT TO: INT. HOUSE - DAY - JOHNNY'S VISION TWELVE YEAR-OLD CHELSEA swings a pair of rollerskates as she heads for the front door. Halstead appears from another room. HALSTEAD Where are you going? TWELVE YEAR-OLD CHELSEA Rollerskating with Annie. HALSTEAD Annie again? You've been seeing too much of her. TWELVE YEAR-OLD CHELSEA I'm just going skating. It's no big deal. HALSTEAD I don't want her parents asking questions. CUT TO: INT. FIRING RANGE - DAY - JOHNNY'S VISION TEENAGED CHELSEA wears ear protection and goggles. Halstead watches her load a mag into a pistol and FIRE at her target. She's fast and sure of herself. And she has deadly aim. CUT TO: INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT - JOHNNY'S VISION An exhausted and beaten-up Chelsea lowers her pistol, glassy eyed. We follow her line of sight until we come to rest on the bloody form of a man. As he takes his last breaths, he looks at Chelsea beseechingly. A sound, a muffled CRY, snags Chelsea's attention. A woman SOBS in the corner. Chelsea aims and FIRES. The woman collapses. Chelsea works to hold in her emotions, but a tear escapes her and her breaths hitch as she turns to leave the scene. CUT TO: INT. CAR - DAY - JOHNNY'S VISION Halstead sits in the driver's seat briefing Chelsea. HALSTEAD Your cover is that you're working for him -he wants information on Johnny Smith. Get it for him. No one else will know you're working for Stillson. You'll tell people you're a political analyst. Chelsea nods, confirming. Then stares out the window. HALSTEAD (cont'd) You sure you can handle this one by yourself? CHELSEA I'm fine. CUT TO: INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - EVENING - JOHNNY'S VISION Chelsea studies Johnny. JOHNNY I guess I'm lucky to be alive. CHELSEA But is it the life you want? CUT TO: EXT. CHELSEA'S MOTEL - NIGHT - JOHNNY'S VISION Johnny stands at Chelsea's door. JOHNNY You're more interesting than you think you are. Johnny leans in quite suddenly, catching Chelsea off guard, and kisses her. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - DAY - JOHNNY'S VISION CLOSE ON Johnny and Chelsea. JOHNNY (getting angry) All I'm asking is for you to be honest with me. Can you do that? CHELSEA I'm trying. (beat, deliberately) It's the hardest thing I've ever done. She searches Johnny's face. He extends his hand. Chelsea contemplates it for a moment. Knows what Johnny wants. JOHNNY You don't have to say anything. INT. HOSPITAL - JOHNNY'S VISION Chelsea's heart monitor goes flatline. She's gone. And with that we CUT TO: INT. ICU - PRESENT Chelsea opens her eyes. Johnny lets go of her hand. JOHNNY Stillson was your target. CHELSEA Yes. Johnny regards her for a moment, then takes her hand again. No vision. Just stillness. And the hum and beep of the machines monitoring Chelsea's life. CHELSEA (cont'd) I've never failed before. They sit in silence. JOHNNY I'm sorry.... (for so many things) Chelsea offers a weak smile. CHELSEA I just wanted what everyone wants. (beat) I should have trusted you. JOHNNY I don't deserve that. He stands, leans in to kiss her forehead. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - A MOMENT LATER Walt paces the hall, anxious. He looks up when Johnny emerges from Chelsea's room. WALT What did she say? Johnny just shakes his head. JOHNNY Nothing. Walt stops. WALT I'm going back in there. I want to know who she worked-- (realizing) You okay? JOHNNY Leave her alone. Walt tries to decipher Johnny's meaning. JOHNNY You know how they say when you're about to die, your life passes before your eyes? WALT Is that what you saw? Two nurses and a doctor race down the hall. JOHNNY They're too late. DISSOLVE TO: INT. JOHNNY'S LIVING ROOM - DAY Bruce is trying to teach Johnny yoga. With limited success. They sit on their yoga mats. BRUCE You didn't see who she worked for? JOHNNY He's untraceable. An alias. Walt handed it over to the FBI. Johnny breathes deeply. Bruce is done asking questions. JOHNNY (cont'd) He killed her parents. And she didn't even know. He was just like her father. Except he lied to her every day of her life. BRUCE Let it all go, Johnny. (beat) Yoga clears out the mind. It's not about the body. Focus your energy. Johnny tries, but in a second, his eyes are open again, and he is breathing normally. BRUCE (cont'd) Your mind is cluttered. JOHNNY Of course it is. (beat) I can't stop thinking about her. In a way, it's my fault, what happened. If I hadn't interfered, she would have done her job and disappeared. BRUCE Someone would be dead. You might be dead. JOHNNY No. BRUCE And what kind of life is that, anyway? Hiding from everyone, living on the run... JOHNNY She didn't have anyone. She was alone. BRUCE She didn't have to live that life. JOHNNY I don't think she had a choice. CUT TO: INT. JOHNNY'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT CLOSE ON Chelsea's business card. Johnny sits alone on the couch contemplating it. After a moment, he lays the card on the coffee table, picks up the remote and clicks on the television. ON THE TELEVISION We move in on the television until it becomes our reality. A Stillson rally: Crowds cheer as Stillson runs on stage waving his arms like he's doing a victory dance. A reporter, ROBIN KAZINSKI, practically shouts to be heard above the din. ROBIN Supporters turned out in unprecedented numbers in spite of today's cold winds. Stillson continues to blast the competition in the polls. It doesn't look like anything can stop him now. An enthusiastic FAN edges into the frame. FAN Go, Stillson!!! ROBIN (laughing) I'm Robin Kazinski reporting for WABC Bangor. Back to you, Jeff. RETURN TO SCENE Johnny is glued to the television. JOHNNY (meditative) Unstoppable. And with that, we FADE OUT. END ACT FOUR THE END
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