THE ROCK
BY
Jonathan Hensleigh
Revised 10/10/95
BEGIN MAIN 'TITLE SEQUENCE:
An impressionistic montage:
A SILHOUETTED MAN in front of mirror dons his Marine dress blues. Spit
polish shoes laced. Medals clipped to jacket. All in CLOSE-UP. We
never see him fully.
The Man puts HIS HAT squarely on his head. EYES glint.
On the man's dresser: MARINE MEMORABILIA. Three Purple Hearts, photos
of a WOMAN (his wife), PHOTOS OF MARINES in combat locales. TIGHTER
into the photos, we HEAR PANICKED VOICES, EXPLOSIONS, NOISES OF BRUTAL
COMBAT.
IMAGES: Through smoke, a desperate MARINE PRIVATE who knows he will
never be rescued... TWO MARINES walk up to a farmhouse door; through the
screen we see a MOTHER AND DAUGHTER who know what the news will be...
IMAGES: A MARINE COLOUR GUARD carries a COFFIN... Now we are the coffin
as a FLAG drapes down on us. placed into a YOUNG WOMAN'S HAND.
Now we're in ARLINGTON CEMETERY. Images of the cemetery are reflected
in wet puddles, as the SPIT-SHINED SHOES walk past images of the TOMB OF
THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER a ROW OF GRAVES comes into focus
A1G CLOSE-UP on the MARINE'S HAT, and his EYES. Suddenly AN EXPLOSION
and we see --
A MARINE in a jungle, radioing for help: ,You gotta get us outta here
sir, Jesus, they're all over us... ! And an' EXPLOSION ends the
communication ...
AII CLOSE-UP on the MARINE'S EYES and FADE IN:
EXT. ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY - MORNING
Two groundskeepers on "ride 'em" lawn mowers, BENNIE and MARLIN, smoke
Camels and watch the MARINE OFFICER from the opening montage. He's
alone, across the cemetery.
BENNIE
You'll get used to him. Every Sunday morning - rain, snow,
holidays nothin, keeps him Away.
ACROSS THE CEMETERY
Brig. Gen. FRANCIS XAVIER HUMMEL stands before a headstone: BARBARA
MCLEAN HUMMEL 1946-1996.
HUMMEL
Hi Barb. The house sold yesterday. I know, I know, the market's
depressed. Anyway, I'm leaving the area. Some things I have to
do. Things I couldn't do while you were here. Maybe you would have
approved. Hell, I know you wouldn't have. (beat) I've tried everything
and I can't seem to get their attention. But now they'll learn how it
feels on the other side. Let's hope it elevates their thinking.
Hummel puts new flowers on the grave. Walks off.
EXT. ACCESS ROAD TO ARMY WEAPONS COMPOUND - NIGHT
Heavy rain. A road next to a heavily guarded bunker facility. A canvas
covered ARMY TRUCK blows a tire in the road. The DRIVER gets out.
Inspects the tire.
INT. ARMY TRUCK - NIGHT
FOUR MARINES in black suits dive through a hole in the truckbed floor
into a MANHOLE IN THE ROAD.
EXT. ARMY WEAPONS COMPOUND - FRONT GATE - NIGHT
Three ARMY M.P.s at the front GUARDHOUSE. GENERAL HUMMEL pulls up in a
SUBURBAN. The M.P.s immediately recognise him and stand more rigidly.
ARMY M. P.
General Hummel, sir. It's an honour. Is the Colonel
expecting you, sir?
HUMMEL
Held better be. This is a security inspection.
ARMY M. P.
Yes, sir!
The M.P. waves Hummel in, saluting crisply.
INT. GRATED STORM DRAIN IN BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT
The four marines from the truck are waiting, readying arms. The leader
is looking at his watch. Gives a hand signal to the others, and up they
go --
EXT. BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT
The four marines emerge from the storm drain and move toward covered
positions in the compound.
200 YARDS AWAY - TWO ARMY "MAGAZINE CHECKERS" emerge from a building
with clipboards, on routine check.
INT. BUNKER SECURITY BUILDING - NIGHT
The Army M.P.s escort General Hummel inside. THREE ARMY GUARDS spring
up from their SURVEILLANCE MONITORS. Everyone's nervous, in awe, rigid
at attention. COLONEL CALLAHAN emerges from an adjacent room,
sleepy-eyed.
COLONEL CALLAHAN
General Hummel! This is a surprise!
HUMMEL
That's the idea, Colonel.
EXT. BUNKER COMPOUND - WATCH TOWER - NIGHT
Two marines position themselves outside the door to the bunker
compound's elevated watch tower.
…EXT. BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT
Below the watch tower, the ARMY MAGAZINE CHECKERS approach. Marines 1
and 2 spring out, armed with M-16s with over/under grenade launchers
They shoot BEAN BAG projectiles at the Army Guards, who collapse, dazed.
INT. BUNKER COMPOUND WATCH TOWER - NIGHT
Marines 3 and 4 burst inside the watch tower. The guards inside spring
up. BOOM BOOM, they're hit by bean bag projectiles, propelling them out
the windows of the watch tower. They fall 10 feet and lie unconscious.
EXT. BUNKER COMPOUND - NIGHT
Marines 1 and 2, now in MAGAZINE CHECYERIS UNIFORMS, move to the BUNKER
DOOR. They open the door with the Magazine checker's CODED CARDS.
INT. CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUNKER - NIGHT
Two ARMY GUARDS, playing poker, look up at the entering marines.
Marines 1 and 2 walk straight up to the Army Guards, holding them at bay
with M-16s. Before any words are spoken, one of the marines injects
each of the guards with a VACCINE PISTOL.
INT. BUNKER SECURITY BUILDING - NIGHT
Four more marines led by SGT. CRISP enter, holding Col. Callahan,
General Hummel and the Army Guards at bay.
SGT. CRISP
This is a security exercise, sir. We've fully breached and
infiltrated your compound. I'm afraid you and your men are my
prisoners, sir.
The marines begin cuffing the Army Guards to the radiator and taping
their mouths.
SGT. CRISP
Sorry sir, you realise the importance of these exercises.
HUMMEL
(to Callahan)
Ten men who could have been terrorists are out there
doing whatever they damn well please to your compound, Colonel. Here
you sit with your ass chained to a fucking radiator. This is not a
tight ship. I would not want to be in your shoes in the morning.
Sgt. Crisp hits the FRONT GATE'S OPEN BUZZER and follows Hummel out of
the room.
EXT. ARMY WEAPONS COMPOUND - FRONT GATE - NIGHT
The gate swings open. TWO HUMVEES enter the compound.
EXT. CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUNKER - NIGHT
The marines use a 'rabbit tool, (hydraulic, compact and powerful) to pry
open the bunker's steel doors. They rush down a hallway.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUNKER - INTERIOR HALLWAY - The marines rush up to
another steel door and quickly pry it open.
INT. C.B.W. BUNKER - NIGHT
A refrigerated storage room for chemical weapons. Storage tubes are
labelled: V.X. POISON GAS. Across the room are rockets labelled: 55 115
MM BOLT ROCKETS.
Using the TRACK HOOK SYSTEM in the bunker's ceiling, the marines move
the V.X. CHEM ROUNDS and BOLT ROCKETS to the waiting humvees. It's very
fast, like clockwork.
EXT. ARMY WEAPONS COMPOLIND - FRONT GATE - NIGHT
The Humvees, followed by Hummel in his Suburban, roar out of the
compound. CUT TQ:
INT. H " EL'S SUBURBAN - NIGHT
Hummel on a c.b. radio: A textbook exercise, gentlemen. Rendezvous in
eleven hours.
EXT. F.B.I. FIELD OFFICE, FT. DIETRICK, MD. - DAY
Establish headquarters for chemical/biological weapons.
INT. F.B.I. OFFICE - CHEMICAL/BIOLOGIAL DIVISION - DAY
A WINDOWED DOOR stencilled "Chemical/Biological Weapons Division." A
RUBBER DART hits the glass and drops into A TRASH CAN next to the door.
ISHERWOOD
(V.O.)
Son of a bitch...
GOODSPEED
(V.O.)
You owe me five dollars, Marvin.
ACROSS THE ROOM - BILL GOODSPEED, 30, and partner/trainee MARVIN
ISHERWOOD, 25, feet up on desks, with toy guns. This is Man's Boredom.
A ceiling fan circles. Isherwood yawns; scratches neck with his gun
barrel.
GOODSPEED reloads. Aims. Fires.
THE DART hits A CARDBOARD TARGET across the room which activates a Rube
Goldberg series of events ending in a PLASTIC GIRL being ignited in a
PAN OF CHEMICALS.
GOODSPEED, without even getting up, casually sprays the pan with flame
retardant foam.
ISHERWOOD
(yawns)
I was told this was exciting work.
GOODSPEED
Patience, Marvin. It has its moments.
A KLAXON sounds. Isherwood smiles excitedly.
INT. F.B.I. CHEMICAL WEAPONS - BASEMENT CORRIDOR - DAY
Isherwood follows Goodspeed down a grimy, off-white corridor illuminated
by antiseptic light. This is an older building. Hasn't been
refurbished and shows it.
INT. F.B.I. CHEMICAL WEAPONS - LABORATORY - DAY
A medium-sized laboratory, where 5 F.B.I. TECHNICIANS are bent over
tables of beakers, test-tubes, Bunsen burners, etc. The room and
equipment are old and used; could be 1976 rather than 1996.
Along one side of the lab is a plexi-glass wall. Inside the plexi-glass
is an airlocked GAS CHAMBER. F.B.I chemists LONNER and LING motion to
Goodspeed.
DR. LONNER
C'mere, Billy.
(points inside gas chamber)
A dog at J.F.K. got a whiff of something postmarked to a Bosnian
refugee camp. Could be detergent, could be seran gas.
INSIDE THE GAS CHAMBER - is a LARGE WOODEN CRATE next to a TABLE OF
POISON DETECTION INSTRUMENTS.
ISHERWOOD
Bosnian refugee camp? I don't get it.
GOODSPEED
Half a million Serbians reside in the U.S., Marvin. Serbians
don't like Bosnians. Read a newspaper. It's good for you. Hold out
your hand.
Isherwood does so. It's shaky.
ISHERWOOD
I'm okay. Really. Let's do it-
Hold on Goodspeed's uncertain look, and CUT TO:
INT. GAS C ER - DAY - MINUTES LATER The door HISSES open. Goodspeed
and Isherwood, in vulcanized rubber suits and visored helmets, enter.
They go to the INSTRUMENT TABLE before the crate.
A GLASS VESSEL with tiny air holes (like a salt shaker) descends from
the ceiling. Inside are COCKROACHES. .
GOODSPEED
Coal miners use canaries, we use those. Sorry guys.
DR. LING
(into mike)
We have airlock, Bill. Proceed.
GOODSPEED
(into helmet mike)
July 1, 0.900 hours, agent william
Goodspeed and agent/trainee Marvin Isherwood. Initiating exam of a
wooden crate. Suspicion of seran gas device inside.
Goodspeed grabs a pry-bar from the instrument table-and slowly pries
open the cratels wooden lid. He motions to Isherwood. Together they
gingerly lift the lid.
INSIDE THE CRATE - it's filled with "UNICEF" type stuff. Goodspeed lifts
out a HOT-PLATE. Isherwood lifts out an EGG BEATER. Gocidspeed runs a
POISON SENSOR past each.
GOODSPEED
Appears to be kitchen items, cleaning agents, and... (lifts
out a sweatshirt) ... old clothes.
ISHERWOOD
This is thrilling.
Isherwood lifts out a DOLL. Goodspeed's POISON SENSOR'S NEEDLE goes
crazy... !
GOODSPEED
Careful, goddamn it Marvin!
The doll's eyes open. Its mouth blast a PINKISH SPRAY, hitting
Goodspeed's forearm and Isherwood's palm.
OUTSIDE THE GAS CHAMBER - DR. LING stabs a button marked "exhaust" and
another marked "emergency."
A KLAXON sounds. F.B.I. TECHNICIANS race for the exit.
IN THE GAS CHAMBER - The pinkish gas hovers in the air. CEILING EXHAUST
FANS begin to suck it up.
IN THE GLASS VESSEL - The cockroaches convulse, flip in the air and
explode, guts splattering the vessel walls.
ISHERWOOD
What's hap... what's happening....?
DR. LING looks at a DIGITAL CLOCK on the control panel.
DR. LING
Don't panic, Bill. 50 seconds and the gas will clear. You're
okay.
Goodspeed grabs the doll from Isherwood, slams it on the table, and
grabs A SCALPEL. Cuts open the doll's chest.
GOODSPEED
I've got some bad news and some really bad news. The bad news
is the gas is corrosive. It's eating our suits.
ISHERWOOD looks at his RUBBER GLOVES. The rubber is beginning to bubble
and corrode.
DR. LING
What's the really bad news.
GOODSPEED peels back the doll's plastic chest, revealing: a C-4
EXPLOSIVE DEVICE and TEN POISON AMPULES.
GOODSPEED
Enough C-4 explosive to blow the chamber and enough poison gas
to kill everybody in the building.
Isherwood's and Goodspeed's rubber gloves are melting.
ISHERWOOD
The acid's eating... it's eating my fucking suit...
GOODSPEED
Chill, Marvin.
(yells outside)
WHERE'S THE GODDAMN SPRINKLERS?
Dr. Lonner flips on the sprinklers. The pipes KNOCK. A FEW PATHETIC
DROPS trickle from the SPRINKLER HEADS.
DR. LONNER
Something's blocking the pipes, Bill. When in Christ's name
are they gonna give us a new building ...
DR. LING
Get the atropine, Isherwood. The atropine, Marvin.
Isherwood, terrified, jerks open an OVERHEAD CABINET, revealing several
6 inch needled SYRINGES.
DR. LING
You die, we all die, Bill. Inject yourself, then diffuse it.
(Goodspeed continues to inspect-the device)
Goddamn it, Bill, take the antidote.
Isherwood fumbles with a huge syringe.
GOODSPEED
Get that away from me.
(to himself)
I hate needles.
DR. LING
INJECT YOURSELF!
GOODSPEED
LONNER, WHERE'S THE GODDAMNED WATER?
The pipes are KNOCKING, now they're COUGHING.
DR. LONNER
It's coming, it's coming ...
ISHERWOOD sinks to his knees, holding the huge syringe in front of his
heart, hari-kari style, hands trembling ...
GOODSPEED concentrates on the device; his calm is unsettling. His hands
flash, grabbing instruments and performing precise, deft, functions. He
snips a wire and splices it. Another. Another.
DR. LING
(sweating it out)
Ten seconds, Bill.
Isherwood moves the syringe closer to his chest.
ISHERWOOD
Oh fuck oh shit oh fuck THIS IS LIKE FUCKING PULP FICTION ONLY
IT'S REAL.
ISHERWOOD drops the syringe. Fumbles for another... GOODSPEED,
ice-cold, continues on the device ...
DR. LING
Five seconds, Bill, four seconds, Jesus Christ ...
GOODSPEEDIS RUBBER GLOVE is stretched to transparency. we see
GOODSPEED'S FLESH through the acid-eaten rubber. He makes one final
cut-and-clamp. THE DETONATOR on the poison gas turns off.
DR. LING
Three, two... the gas is clear!
OUTSIDE THE GAS CHAMBER - GREEN LIGRTS FLASR on the control panel and A
TORRENTIAL SPRAY soaks GOODSPEED AND ISRERWOOD. Isherwood is wide-eyed
and trembling. Goodspeed glares at him.
DR. LING
Next time use the atropine!
GOODSPEED
I don't like needles.
EXT. GEORGETOWN - STREETS/ALLEYWAY - DAY
The bohemian part around Georgetown U. Goodspeed heads down an alley
between two townhouses. LOUD COUNTRY MUSIC emanates from an apt. above.
Goodspeed ascends.
INT. GEORGETOWN - GOODSPEED'S APARTMENT - DAY
A young woman stands in the middle of the living room, belting out a
Carlene Carter tune in cowboy boots, rhinestone blouse and skirt. CARLA
PESTALOZZI, 20's, is playing guitar, accompanied by a boom box.
CARLA
Every little dream I dream about you, Every little song I sing
about you, It drives me crazy when you go away, (notices Goodspeed)
Wanna keep you locked up at home ...
Goodspeed walks past her into the kitchen. Carla turns down the music.
Goodspeed re-enters with a Budweiser.
CARLA
(New Jersey accent)
Hey there.
GOODSPEED
Hey honey.
CARLA
Wrote a new song. Wanna hear it?
Goodspeed sits heavily on the couch. Rubs his temples.
GOODSPEED
Not now.
CARLA
Boy, somebody's in a bad mood.
GOODSPEED
Yeah, somebody's in a bad mood.
Carla changes the c.d.: A PUCCINI OPERA plays.
CARLA
Better?
GOODSPEED
Much better. She sits with him. Puts her arm around him.
CARLA
What happened baby. Tell me.
GOODSPEED
Had a close one.
CARLA
You want to talk about it?
GOODSPEED
Not really.
CARLA
You know how I feel about what you do.
GOODSPEED
Could we change the subject?
CARLA
That record company.in Nashville wants to hear my demo tape.
GOODSPEED
Hey! Now there's some good news.
CARLA
You think I'm too... ethnic for country music?
GOODSPEED
Carla Pestalozzi? No. Definitely not. You could have posed
for the Mona Lisa. Sophia Loren looks Swedish next to you.
(smiles)
I hope that's a compliment. I could change my name. How 'bout
Bobby Sue Pestalozzi? Billy io Pestalozzi?
GOODSPEED
Stick with Carla.
CARLA
Okay. How 'bout Carla Goodspeed?
(GOODSPEED frowns)
Six years, Bill. We've lived together six years.
GOODSPEED
We've talked about this, Carla, we've talked it up, down,
inside and out ...
CARLA
Billy, this probably isn't the best time ...
Bill, I'm uhhh.
CARLA
I'm pregnant.
GOODSPEED
You're what ... ?
She holds Up a positive home pregnancy test and CUT TO:
EXT. DESERT AREA (SOUTHWESTERN U.S.) - DAY
TWO = Y GUNSHIPS roar over camera and land next to the two Humvees. The
Huey's doors open. Marine Captains FRYE and DARROW, both late 20's,
drag out two MARINE LANCE CORPORALS, bound and gagged, and sit them
down. Other marines roll gurneys laden with chem rounds, rockets and
other equipment onto the Hueys.
They Hueys ascend and SCREAM off across the desert and CUT TO:
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - AFTERNOON
Establishing shots of San Francisco and Alcatraz Island in the middle of
San Francisco Bay.
EXT. ALCATRAZ ISLAND - AFTERNOON
A PARK RANGER (JOE) leads a group of 80 TOURISTS across the prison
exercise yard. In the background looms the city of San Francisco and
Golden Gate Bridge.
PARK RANGER JOE
Alcatraz - "the Rock" - is the most famous, and was the
most feared, prison ever built. Here the inmates were allowed one hour
of daily exercise.
FEMALE TOURIST
Is it really true no one escaped?
PARK RANGER JOE
True, madam. From 1936 until the prison's closing in
1963, there were fourteen attempts but no one's believed to have made
it to shore - alive at least.
The tourists file off toward the MAIN CELL HOUSE. Bringing up the rear
are Gen. Hummel, Maj. Baxter, Sgt. Crisp, Capt. Hendrix, and Pvts.
Scarpetti,. Royce, Gamble and Starling, all in civilian clothes.
Hummel motions to Crisp, who bleeds off with Scarpetti and Royce.
Hummel and the others continue with the group.
INT. ALCATRAZ - MAIN CELL HOUSE - AFTERNOON
Cell Blocks B and C, which inmates called "Broadway." A long corridor
with three tiers of cells on each side.
The Ranger leads the tourist group inside.
PARK RANGER JOE
Al Capone; Machine Gun Kelly; Robert Stroud, the Birdman
of Alcatraz; all lived in these cells.
The Ranger pulls the CELL DOOR OPEN/SHUT LEVER (recessed in the wall at
the end of cell block). All the cell doors on the first floor slide
open.
PARK RANGER JOE
Now Ladies and Gentlemen, the U.S. Park Service
cordially invites you to become inmates of Alcatraz - temporarily of
course.
The tourists laugh and move inside the cells.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - WHARF - AFTERNOON The side across from San Francisco.
The TOURIST BOAT is docked in front of the U.S. PARK RANGERS' OFFICE.
Sgt. Crisp and Pvts. Scarpetti and Royce walk up to the Ranger's
office. They look left and right, then enter.
INT. ALCATRAZ - U.S. PARK RANGERS OFFICE - AFTERNOON TWO PARK RANGERS
and a SECRETARY look up.
ALCATRAZ PARK RANGER
You're not supposed to leave the tour, guys. Is
there a problem?
SGT. CRISP
Big problem.
INT. ALCATRAZ - MAIN CELL BLOCK - AFTERNOON
The tourists are in the cells, looking around. Park Ranger Joe notices
Hummel, Baxter, and the other marines standing behind him. Smiles:
PARK RANGER JOE
Don't want to be locked up, fellahs?
HUMMEL
Not today. You go ahead.
PARK RANGER JOE
I don't think so hah hah.
Baxter draws a .45 and places it to Ranger ioe's head.
HUMMEL
I think so.
Startled, Park Ranger Joe backs into a cell. Baxter grabs the cell door
open/shut lever and yanks it. The cell doors CLANG shut. Hummel,
Baxter and the others walk off.
TOURISTS
Hey, what are you doing... ? -- wait a minute, what's going
on... ?
EXT. ALCATRAZ - PARADE GROUND - AFTERNOON
Hummel and Baxter walk up to the PARADE GROUND as THE TWO HUEY GUNSHIPS
approach. They hover above the parade ground. Cpts. Frye and Darrow
rope-deploy from the Hueys. They stand at attention, saluting Hummel
and Baxter.
CAPTAIN FRYE
General Hummel: Captains Frye and Darrow.
HUMMEL
Deploy as planned, Captain.
(unison)
Aye, aye, sir.
FRY AND DARROW
They hand signal to the Huey pilots. The Hueys take off around the back
of the island.
CUT TO:
A MONTAGE of short INTERCUT scenes, all AFTERNOON:
THE INFIRMARY, UPSTAIRS ROOM A former hospital room will be the command
and communications center. PVTS. GAMBLE and STARLING set up a portable
desk, chair, and an array of communications equipment (including
portable satellite dish and look out).
EXT. THE ISLAND'S SHORELINE
CPT. HENDRIX AND PVTS. ROYCE and SCARPETTI lay motion sensors on the
perimeter.
INT. THE PRISON MORGUE
PVTS. COX and MCCOY load the V.X. CHEM ROUNDS from INSULATED COOLING
BAGS (size of a big gym bag) into the morguels CORPSE DRAWERS.
MAJOR BAXTER sets up a PORTABLE Rocket LAUNCHER.
EXT. MAIN CELL HOUSE ROOFTOP CAPTS. FRYE and DARROW set up a second
portable rocket launcher.
INT. ALCATRAZ - MAIN CELLHOUSE - DAY
The tourists are now panicked, confused, and making a commotion.
Shouting and yelling. A woman is crying.
Suddenly a .45 is fired. Total silence. Hummel and Baxter, followed by
Pvts. Gamble and Starling (pulling a gurney stacked with MARINE FIELD
RATIONS), walk to the middle of the cell block.
HUMMEL
Hello Ladies and Gentlemen. You are my prisoners. I have no intention
of harming you. You will be fed regularly. That is all you need to
know for now.
Gamble and Starling begin passing out the field rations. 53 INT.
WASHINGTON D.C. - J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING - NIGHT F.B.I. Director JAMES
WOMACK exits his office in a tuxedo, trailed by MARGIE WOOD, a young
F.B.I. Agent.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Can it wait till morning, Agent Wood, I'm going
to hear Bruce Springsteen ...
AGENT WOOD
(re: Womack's tux)
In that?
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Christ, the concert's for the Prince of Wales or
somebody ...
AGENT WOOD
I really think you should take this call personally.
They stare at each other and CUT TO: 54 INT. HOOVER BUILDING - DIRECTOR
WOMACK'S OFFICE - NIGHT -- Womack, grabbing his phone. F.B.I. DIRECTOR
WOMACK F.B.I. Director Womack.
HUMMEL
(V.O.)
First: I am holding eighty-one civilian hostages on
Alcatraz Island. Make an excuse to their families and do not alert the
media or there will not be eighty. Second: fifteen guided rockets armed
with V.X. poison, are currently aimed at the population of San
Francisco. I will call again at 0-hundred hours and state my demands.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Wait. Who is this?
HUMMEL
Brigadier General Francis X. Hummel.
CLICK. Womack stares at the phone: calls to outer office:
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Mary Jane, get the Pentagon! (to Agent Wood) Call
the San Francisco office. It seems Alcatraz was just re-opened.
Agent wood gives him a curious look and CUT TO:
INT. ALCATRAZ - INFIRMARY/COMMAND CENTER - AFTERNOON
Cpts. Hendrix, before Hummel.
Frye, and Darrow, and Sgt. Crisp at attention Maj. Baxter at Hummells
side.
HUMMEL
At ease, Gentlemen. It is traditional for me to meet with my
officers before an operation. The heart performs one thing, the legs
another, the brain another - all better function together or the body
becomes ill, is prone to disease. (beat) Major Baxter, Gunny Crisp and I
have been on the front lines since 'Nam.' Captain Hendrix was my
adjutant in the Gulf. Get a haircut, Pete, you're lookin' like a
beatnik.
(the crew-cutted HENDRIX smiles Captain Frye, Captain Darrow.)
You and your men are new to me.
CAPTAIN FRYE
Would the General like a recitation of our service records?
HUMMEL
I'm well aware of your service records, Captain, they are
excellent. I want to be clear on why you - why all of us are here. You
both stand to profit from this.
CAPTAIN FRYE
Profit is not my motive, sir. I am here to redress a
wrong.
CAPTAIN DARROW
Yes, sir, and to learn some people a lesson.
HUMMEL
This country has places where wrongs are redressed, Captain
Darrow: They are called courts of law. In the military, they are called
Courts Martial. This country has places where lessons a-re leaned. They
are called schools. Am I confusing you?
CAPTAIN DARROW
Well, sir, frankly ...
EL I see that I am '
(beat)
HUMMEL
The only accurate term for what we are doing here is treason.
Plain and simple. An insurrection against a government to which we have
sworn allegiance. Everyone in this room must understand that.
Hummel looks from face to face, studying each.
HUMMEL
The question is what kind of traitor are we. Coward or lion?
Benedict Arnold, or Thomas iefferson? I have posed that question to
myself, have answered it, and my conscience is clear. Have all of you?
HUMMELS' OFFICERS
Yes, sir.
HUMMEL
Within thirty-two.hours you will leave this country and not
return. All of you can live with that?
OTHER OFFICERS
(unison)
Yes, sir.
HUMMEL
Well, I cannot. So, regardless of what happens on this island in
the hours ahead, I will stay. The men exchange surprised glances.
CAPTAIN HENDRIX
But General, you'll be prosecuted.
HUMMEL
Yes, Captain. And I plan on conducting my own defense. it will
make the O.J. Simpson trial look like an episode of "Perry Mason." Take
your posts, gentlemen. Semper fi.
Hummel's men fall out and exit. Baxter, the last to exit, salutes
Hummel.
INT. PENTAGON - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT
Many people around a table, each with a DOSSIER on Hummel:
F.B.I. Director Womack (still in tuxedo), F.B.I. agent Margie Wood,
White House Chief of Staff HAYDEN SINCLAIR, National Security Advisor
LOUIS LINDSTROM, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs GENERAL ALBERT KRAMER, Air
Force General PETERSON, and C.I.A. Director MILTON AMWAY.
GENERAL KRAMER
Last night Hummel and eleven marines, under the guise of
a security exercise, walked off with fifteen V.X. rockets. It wasn't
discovered until the shift change this morning.
ON THE SCREEN - A YOUNGER HUMMEL in Vietnam.
GENERAL KRAMER
Here he is in Vietnam - I think a Major at the time.
MORE SLIDES OF HUMMEL in various international theaters.
HAYDEN SINCLAIR
Four tours in Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm.
Three purple hearts... two silver stars and... the Congressional Medal
of... Jesus.
(looks up)
The man is a hero.
GENERAL KRAMER
A legend. During Tet he held off a brigade of V.C.
single-handedly. Saved his whole company. Hence the nickname
"gunfighter."
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
What was this book Hummel wrote on Vietnam?
Anybody read it?
RAYDEN SINCLAIR
No. Give me the skinny.
GENERAL KRAMER
The "skinny," Mr. Sinclair, is that the U.S. should have
either won the war or gotten the hell out of Vietnam and stopped wasting
American lives. I happen to share General Hummells view.
The door opens. A NAVAL ATTACHE pokes his head in.
NAVAL ATTACHE
General, it's him. The call connects to a phone on the
table.
GENERAL KRAMER
Frank, this is Albert Kramer.
HUMMEL
Hello Al. Howlre Judy and the kids?
GENERAL KRAMER
They're fine. I'm with General Peterson, F.B.I.
Director Womack, Chief of Staff Sinclair, Security Advisor Lindstrom,
and C.I.A. Director Amway. You've got a lot of people worried, Frank.
Can you help us out?
INTERCUT - PENTAGON and ALCATRAZ as necessary.
HUMMEL
I'll come straight to the point, General Kramer: Eighty-three
Force Reconnaissance Marines have died under my various commands.
Forty-seven in northern Laos and southern China ...
HAYDEN SINCLAIR
Southern China? We never admitted we sent troops into
China.
There is a pause.
HUMMEL
Who is that. Identify yourself.
Everyone stares at sinclair.
HAYDEN SINCLAIR
White House Chief of Staff Sinclair, General.
HUMMEL
How old are you, white House Chief of Staff Sinclair.
RAYDEN SINCLAIR
I'm thirty-three.
HUMMEL
Well White House Chief of Staff Sinclair, by your ninth birthday
I had led over two hundred incursions into China and personally killed
that many of the enemy. General, put some duct tape over Mr. sinclair's fat,
ignorant mouth. He has shit for brains and he is wasting my time.
Sinclair's irritation is relieved by the Naval Attache, entering again,
who hands him a phone and whispers:
NAVAL ATTACHE
The President calling from Moscow.
Sinclair walks to the far corner of the room with the phone, speaking
sotto voice.
GENERAL KRAMER
Continue Frank.
HUMMEL
Eighteen others died in covert, illegal operations in Chile and
El Salvador. Remember the Gulf War. Those pretty "smart bomb" pictures
on C.N.N.? My men lased those targets. Ten were left to rot outside
Baghdad when the conflict ended - and let's not even mention Mogadishu,
gentlemen. No benefits were paid to their families; no medals
conferred. These men died for their country and they weren't even given
a coddamn military burial.
(beat)
This situation will not stand: you
will transfer 100 million dollars from a Grand Cayman "Red Sea Trading
Company" account to an account I designate. From these funds,
reparations of one million dollars will be paid to each of the 83
marines, families. The rest of the money will pay for my outfit's
expenses. Am I clear?
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Except for the Red Sea Trading Company. What is
that?
HUMMEL
Identify yourself.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
F.B.I. Director Womack, General.
HUMMEL
You'll be particularly interested: It's a slush fund where the
Pentagon keeps proceeds from illegal arms sales.
GENERAL KRAMER
Frank, Jesus, this is classified information.
WOMACK
(stunned)
Is this true?
General Kramer, embarrassed, nods yes.
HUMMEL
If you want the money back, you'll have to tell the attorney
General and the boys down at Justice where it came from. Good luck.
Hayden Sinclair returns to the table.
HAYDEN SINCLAIR
General, I've just spoken to the President and he is
clear as hell on this: We will not negotiate with you and we do not care
if ...
HUMMEL
Someone please gag that man.
(beat)
Alert the media, I launch the gas. Refuse payment, I launch the gas.
It is just after midnight. You have 36 hours - all of today and half
of tomorrow, until 12 noon - to transfer the money. Don't even consider
the standard counter measure, General.
GENERAL KRAMER
What's the potential casualty rate of a single rocket
armed with V.X., General Peterson?
GENERAL PETERSON
In a dense urban area, sixty, seventy ...
RAYDEN SINCLAIR
Well that's not so bad ...
I GENERAL PETERSON
Thousand. Seventy thousand. Dead. one teaspoon will
kill all living organisms in a three story office building. Get the
point?
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
What did Hummel mean by ",standard countermeasure," General?
GENERAL PETERSON
Napalm. Standard pgison gas can be neutralized by napalm.
It burns it up -- consumes it upon detonation. The problem is
that V.X. gas is ten times more toxic and designed to withstand napalm.
Hummel must know about Willy Peter, General.
GENERAL KRAMER
'Course he does.
(explaining to others)
"Willy Peter," short for "White Phosphorous Incendiary Device," still
in its test phase. It detonates at 6,000 degrees, enough to burn up V.X.
(dawning on him)
That explains Hummells time frame. He knows we're not
operational. What would it take, General?
GENERAL PETERSON
To equip a flight of F-16s with Willy Peter in 36
hours? An act of God.
(off Kramer's look)
All right, we can try. But
view the use of Willy Peter as a secondary initiative.
GENERAL KRAMER
Then on to our primary initiative. (hits intercom button)
Send in S.E.A.L. Team Leader Anderson. (to F.B.I. Womack) Who's your
best chemical biological man?
AGENT WOOD
(rises)
I'll find out.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Tell him to pack a bag for San Francisco.
EXT. GOODSPEED'S HOUSE - ROOFTOP - NIGHT Tarpaper and gravel roof.
Candles burning. Loretta Lynnls "Stand by Your Man" on the boom box.
AMONGST THE RUSTY SUPPORT SCAFFOLDS of an old sign from the 120's --
CARLA and GOODSPEED are, to put it delicately, madly passionately
athletically fucking. Standing up. They both have robes on. A
CORDLESS PHONE RINGS. Again.
CARLA
Don't stop... do no stop.
GOODSPEED
Shit, shit, shit what time is it.
(fumbles for phone)
Hello.
(pause)
I'll be downstairs in ten minutes.
GOODSPEED hangs up. The couple stares at each other. Carla's seen this
look before ...
GOODSPEED
I've got to go to San Francisco.
CARLA
No. I'm sorry, but NO. I need you here with me. We need to talk
about this...
GOODSPEED
I've got to go. She grabs his arm. I can't... I
cannot deal with this right now ... (softly) Bill, I am very Catholic.
And very pregnant. And very unmarried. Help me with this.
She turns away from him. He pulls her back...
GOODSPEED
I love you. I will marry you. I just didn't plan on this,
that's all. Tell you what: come to San Francisco.
CARLA
Really?
(smiles)
Really?
GOODSPEED
It's probably just a training exercise. Check into a hotel,
order up some champagne, I'll finish up my business and ...
CARLA
... We'll finish what we started. Baby, are you sexy in those
boots ...
GOODSPEED walks off in COWBOY BOOTS, robe and boxers,..
INT. PENTAGON - SITUATION ROOM - NIGHT U.S.N. commander CHARLES
ANDERSON, 35, just the hardest looking man you've ever seen, stands
before the group. Anderson is a Navy S.E.A.L., an Incursion Team
Leader. Before Anderson are AERIAL RECON PHOTOS of Alcatraz.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
A precision night drop is out due to the full moon.
Likewise on a frontal, seaside attack: at the first shot, Hummel might
launch. My second in command is working on an attack from within the
prison.
(beat)
The idea is to penetrate the tunnels under the prison,
undetected, emerge in its center, and jump the marines from behind -
take their rocket positions without a shot fired. But I need better
intelligence.
GENERAL KRAMER
You've studied the architectural plans.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
They're useless. Alcatraz was originally a Civil War
fort. It's been ripped up and rebuilt for years. Under there is a maze
of shit, excuse my language.
(beat)
What I need is personal, firsthand
intelligence on the island's tunnels.
CAMERA FOCUSES ON F.B.I. Director Womack, who gives a very significant
look to C.I.A. Director AMWAY.
GENERAL KRAMER
The former warden?
AGENT WOOD
Died in 1979. The guards we contacted are useless. There
was a janitor, "Alcatraz Al". He worked there for twenty years, but he
died in 1983.
GENERAL PETERSON
Didn't three guys escape? I thought I saw a movie about it.
AGENT WOOD
It's a Hollywood myth. No one's escaped Alcatraz and lived.
F.B.I. Director trades a very significant look with C.I.A. Director
AMWAY. Amway clears his throat. He is older, very old school.
Everyone turns to him.
C.I.A. DIRECTORY AMWAY
There is someone who can help us.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
The C.I.A. Director and I have something to
discuss in private.
Womack and Amway rise and exit together. Everyone else sits there,
confused.
INT. PENTAGON - CORRIDOR - NIGHT Womack and Amway exit into the
corridor. They huddle tightly against the wall. Sotto voice: -
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
You're not actually suggesting ...
C.I.A. DIRECTORY AMWAY
The man spent every night for six months making a
dry-run of his escape. He knows every inch of that island. We have to,
Jim.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
I am very uncomfortable about this.
INT. WOLFBURG PENITENTIARY - CELL BLOCK - NIGHT A long row of cells.
CAMERA slowly DOLLIES past cell after cell. Sullen INMATES stare
blankly at us ...
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
(O.S.)
I knew, I knew someday, this would come
back to bite us.
CAMERA moves through a door marked "ISOLATION." At the end of a gloomy
corridor is a CAST-IRON DOOR.
BACK TO THE PENTAGON CORRIDOR
C.I.A. DIRECTORY AMWAY
it won't bite anyone - if handled correctly.
When was the last time you saw him?
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
when he escaped from San Quentin.
C.I.A. DIRECTORY AMWAY
The man was an S.A.S. trained killer.
BACK TO WOLFBURG - IN THE ISOLATION CELL
TWO FEDERAL MARSHALS open the cell.'s steel locking bar. They push open
the door. Dark inside. A MAN sits on the bed.
C.I.A. DIRECTORY AMWAY
Can we risk letting.him out?
A SHAFT OF LIGHT cuts across the cell floor.
C.I.A. DIRECTORY AMWAY
The question is: can we not?
THE SHAFT OF LIGHT slices the face of JOHN PAUL MASON. He is British,
at least once was, imprisoned without trial for 33 years on U.S. soil.
For now, we have no idea why.
EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - DULLES AIRPORT HANGAR - MIGHT
Raining. An F.B.I GULFSTREAM 4 JET sits on the tarmac.
EXT. F.B.I. GULFSTREAM - NIGHT
F.B.I. Director Womack sits with FRANCIS REYNOLDS, 30, an Assistant U.S.
Attorney from the Justice Dept. GOODSPEED sits across the aisle.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
I'm told you're our best chemical weapons man, Goodspeed.
What's your education?
GOODSPEED
B.A. Columbia. M.A. and P.H.D., Johns Hopkins, biochemistry
and toxicology.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Excellent. What do you know about V.X. gas?
Pause. GOODSPEED stares at Womack.
GOODSPEED
This isn't a training exercise, is it sir.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
No Goodspeed. It's not a training exercise.
HOLD ON GOODSPEED'S reaction, and CUT TO:
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - FEDERAL BUILDING - DAWN
Dawn breaks over San Francisoo. A BLACK SEDAN and BLACK SUBURBANS pull
up to the F.B.I.'s West Coast office. Goodspeed, Womack and Reynolds
get out, go inside.
INT. F.B.I. - OBSERVATION ROOM - MORNING
We watch MASON being led into an INTERROGATION ROOM, his legs in irons,
his hands cuffed behind him.
'We are watching through a TWO-WAY MIRROR, and WIDEN TO: Womack,
Goodspeed, Reynolds and ERNEST SANCHEZ, S.F. Bureau Agent in Charge, are
watching Mason. Sanchez is a gruff guy with the subtlety of a heart
attack.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
The following is a state secret. Disclose it to
any party and you will be subject to prosecution. His name is John
Mason. A British national incarcerated on Alcatraz island in 1962,
escaped in 1963.
AGENT SANCHEZ
Director, no one's ever escaped from Alcatraz ...
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
I'm telling you facts, Agent Sanchez. Do not
argue and do not question. He was recaptured and sent to San Quentin,
from which he escaped in February, 1976. He's been held at Wolfburg
since. He has no identity. He does not exist. Understood?
(turns to Sanchez)
I want one thing: how he escaped Alcatraz - specifically the
route he took through the island's tunnels.
AGENT SANCHEZ
You want him conscious or unconscious afterward?
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Don't even entertain it. This man laughs at
strong arm tactics. dodium pentathol doesn't work either.
GOODSPEED
Why's he going to help us now?
U.S. ATTORNEY REYNOLDS
(hands Womack PARDON)
Mason's papers are in order, sir.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Because I'm willing to give him what he wants, GOODSPEED - a full pardon.
AGENT SANCHEZ
Steep price for some information. (waves pardon away) I
don't need that to get what you want.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Sanchez - try subtlety.
AGENT SANCHEZ
It's my middle name.
(to Goodspeed)
Watch kid, maybe you'll learn something.
Sanchez exits.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
(grumbles)
I ask for an interrogator and what do I get ...
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM - MASON looks around. He focuses on the
mirror. He stares right through at GoodsDeed. GOODSPEED is fascinated,
unnerved.
GOODSPEED
(to himself)
Jesus look at this guy.
INT. F.B.I. - INTERROGATION ROOM - MORNING Sanchez walks in, sipping
coffee. Mason sits there, eyes forward.
SANCHEZ
I'm F.B.I. Special Agent in Charge Sanchez.
Sanches sits. Mason stares at the table.
MASON
In charge of what? Fucking me over for another three decades?
SANCHEZ
(congenial)
Hey. Easy. I just want to talk.
MASON
You know what F.B.I. stands for Sanchez? Fucking Bloody Idiots.
I don't want to talk to you.
A pause. Sanchez glares at Mason.
SANCHEZ
Just some questions about Alcatraz. It's a tourist attraction
now. You remember Alcatraz, Mason.
The word "Alcatraz" registers with Mason.
MASON
Do I remember Alcatraz.
SANCHEZ
Not the island itself. The tunnels underneath it.
IN THE OBSERVATION ROOM
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Real subtle, SANCHEZ...
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM
SANCHEZ
There's no harm in cooperating with us.
MASON
Who's "us?" F.B.I.? C.I.A.? Why should I do that?
SANCHEZ
Maybe there's a gift in it for you.
MASON
(to the mirror)
Timeo danaos et dona ferentes.
THE OBSERVATION ROOM
GOODSPEED smiles slightly:
GOODSPEED
"I fear the Greeks even when they bring gifts."
THE INTERROGATION ROOM
MASON
Are you capable of reading, Sanchez?
SANCHEZ is getting flustered.
SANCHEZ
I don't have time for this shit...
(pause; stares at mason)
Yes. I can read.
MASON
The story of Alchimadus. Know it?
SANCHEZ
No.
THE OBSERVATION ROOM
GOODSPEED
(to himself)
Ancient Greece. Alchimadus was imprisoned by his
king.
THE INTERROGATION ROOM
MASON
Thomas a Beckett. Heard of him?
SANCHEZ
Maybe. Not really.
THE OBSERVATION ROOM
GOODSPEED
(to himself)
Archbishop of Canterbury. Imprisoned and
executed by Henry the Second ...
THE INTERROGATION ROOM
MASON
Solzhenitsyn. I've a sneaking suspicion you've heard of him.
THE OBSERVATION ROOM
GOODSPEED
(to himself)
Russian poet and dissident exiled to Siberia.
THE INTERROGATION ROOM
SANCHEZ draws a blank on Solzhenitsyn.
SANCHEZ
Look, I'm asking the fucking questions here.
(beat)
You can trust the F.B.I.
MASON
That's a good one, Sanchez. What do you call and F.B.I. Agent who
can't tell a lie? A mute.
MASON turns away. As if SANCHEZ
no longer exists. Suddenly, over a
wall-mounted INTERCOM:
U.S. ATTORNEY REYNOLDS
(V.O.)
Uhm, Agent Sanchez, could we have a word
with you?
SANCHEZ
Here, call your lawyer and tell him you're going back to jail.
SANCHEZ tosses a quarter on the desk and exits.
IN THE OBSERVATION ROOM
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Impressive, Sanchez.
GOODSPEED
You mind if... uhm.... I take a shot?
SANCHEZ
He'll eat him alive.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
He's already had you for the first course.
(hands GOODSPEED the pardon)
Go.
GOODSPEED takes the pardon, goes for the door.
THE INTERROGATION ROOM
GOODSPEED enters. He's completely out of his element, has no idea what
he's doing, and is-suddenly face-to-face with this.... MASON creature.
The two men regard each other.
GOODSPEED
Take his cuffs off.
The Marshal uncuffs Mason's wrists. MASON rubs his wrists, staring now
at Goodspeed.
MASON
Who the fuck are you, Mother Theresa?
So much for Goodspeed's confidence.
GOODSPEED
No actually, I'm Bill Goodspeed.
(rallys)
Mr. Mason, we really need your help. That's a pardon and release
contract from the Attorney Generals office. It makes you a free man,
provided you cooperate.
He slides a ballpoint pen across to Mason. MASON looks at the pen, then
Goodspeed.
MASON
What do you do for the F.B.I., Goodspeed.
GOODSPEED
(lying)
I'm a field agent.
MASON
Tell me what you really do.
IN THE OBSERVATION ROOM
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Don't answer that, GOODSPEED ....
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM
GOODSPEED
I'm a chemical biological weapons expert.
MASON registers this information.... 73 IN THE OBSERVATION ROOM F.B.I.
DIRECTOR WOMACK Stupid, stupid, stupid ....
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM MASON
stares at the pardon contract, thinking.
MASON
You said I'd be a free man. Define free
GOODSPEED
Uhm, well, emancipated. Unfettered.
MASON
I know what the fucking word means, idiot. In this context.
GOODSPEED
I don't understand....
MASON
During the time I cooperate, will I be outside? Outside a jail?
GOODSPEED
Well yes I suppose ...
MASON
You suppose?
GOODSPEED
Yes. You'll be outside.
IN THE OBSERVATION ROOM
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Don't give away the farm, Goodspeed.
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM
MASON
What's happening on Alcatraz, Goodspeed?
GOODSPEED
A hostage situation. A matter of life and death.
MASON thinks. He picks up the pen.
MASON
(looks at mirror)
Then on one condition: a minimum of two hours in
the Fairmont Hotel - I trust it still exists. I want a shower and a new
suit of clothes.
GOODSPEED
I think we can arrange that.
With that MASON picks up the pen and signs the pardon contract. He
hands it to Goodspeed, who exits.
MASON turns toward the mirror, staring right through.
INT. F.B.I. ~ OBSERVATION ROOM - DAY SANCHEZ
and GOODSPEED enter.
GOODSPEED hands U.S. ATTORNEY REYNOLDS the signed pardon contract.
SANCHEZ
Why didn't you throw in a trip to Fiji?
U.S. ATTORNEY REYNOLDS
I'll have this forwarded to the President,
Director.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
No. You'll give it to me.
(pause)
Give it to me, Reynolds.
Reynolds reluctantly hands the pardon to Womack.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
(to Sanchez)
Show Attorney Reynolds outside there's a car waiting for him. And SANCHEZ -
I'll handle the next stage.
SANCHEZ leads the perturbed Reynolds out. GOODSPEED
and Womack are alone now. And WOMACK tears up the pardon
GOODSPEED
Sir, that's a legal document.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
I'll decide what's legal, Goodspeed.
Over WOMACK'S SHOULDER, GOODSPEED
WATCHES AS --
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM - MASON
places THE QUARTER on the floor. He raises his metal chair; SLAMS it
down on the quarter.
GOODSPEED
Sir, those references to Alchimadus, Beckett, Solzhenitsyn:
all had something in common.
IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM - MASON
picks up the coin. It has a DEEP BURR
in it. He moves to the mirror; begins carving into the glass.
GOODSPEED
They were imprisoned for doing nothing wrong. What's going
on, sir?
GOODSPEED watches MASON over Womack's shoulder.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
You're out of your depth, Goodspeed. You are on
a need to know basis and you do not need to know.
MASON has etched a circle in the mirror. He slams his elbow against it.
The glass caves in, CRASHES to the floor.
GOODSPEED and Womack whirl around, startled. MASON
leans into the observation room.
MASON
one more thing: a shave and a haircut.
(sees Womack)
Hello Womack.
MASON and Womack stare at each other and CUT TO:
EXT. MOJAVE - DESERT FLATS - MORNING A hot desert-vista. Miles of
nowhere. A DODGE sits under a tripod. Suspended from the tripod, a
BLINKING DEVICE.
The device DETONATES, showering the car with WHITE HOT BURNING LIQUID
and amazingly, the car melts into a pool of molten steel, disintegrating
to ash, which blows across the desert.
50 YARDS AWAY - U.S.A.F. LT. JIMMY FISK and CPT. LARRY GILER (both
late 20's) emerge from the heat waves in heat-refletive suits, walking
toward A HEAT PROTECTIVE BUNKER (a wall coated with heat reflective
metal.)
BEHIND THE BUNKER U.S.A.F. General Peterson watches with other Air Force
OFFICERS and TECHNICIANS.
Fisk and Giler enter, pulling off their suit hoods. Their faces are
beet red from the heat.
CPT. GILER
What it's all about, sir: Willy Peter burns steel, burns
titanium; it'll sure burn up your poison and everything else in the
atmosphere.
GENERAL PETERSON
I need four F-16's equipped with air-to-ground missiles
within...
(consults wristwatch)
.... twenty-six hours.
LT. FISK
Let me name some things that are more possible, General, with
all due respect: winning the Lottery, climbing Mt. Everest barefoot,
getting a parking space at Yankee Stadium, marrying Sharon Stone ...
CPT. GILER
Can't do it, General.
GENERAL PETERSON
You can. And you will.
General Peterson walks off.
CPT. GILER
Get yer minds off Budweiser, baseball, and broads, fellahs -
we're goin, ,round the clock!
CUT TO:
INT., F.B.I. VAN - BACK COMPARTMENT - DRIVING - MORNING
A van with no windows. MASON is shackled to a steel loop at one end of
the seating bench. GOODSPEED sits across from him, a CELLULAR PHONE at
his ear.
THREE F.B.I. AGENTS (CORD, STAR and HUNT) sit down the bench, talking
amongst themselves.
CARLA
(V.O.)
(recorded voice message)
Hi! Bill and Carla ain't in!
State your business! Make it interesting!
GOODSPEED
(into phone)
Listen Carla: I'll explain later, but don't come
to San Francisco.
CLOSE ON MASON, watching Goodspeed, picking up anything he can from the
conversation.
INT. GOODSPEED'S APARTMENT - DAY
CARLA stands in the threshold of the apartment, watching the answering
machine --
GOODSPEED
(V.O.)
(on the machine)
I repeat, don't come to San Francisco.
CARLA
Like hell I'm not...
She exits, slamming the door.
INT. F.B.I. VAN - BACK COMPARTMENT - CONTINUOUS , GOODSPEED
clicks off the phone, thinking, nervous.GOODSPEED
notices that MASON is staring at him.
MASON
(sotto)
Who's Carla? And why don't you want her to come to San
Francisco?
GOODSPEED doesn't answer. He notices the F.B.I. AGENTS staring at Mason
and him. He straightens up.
GOODSPEED
You're on a need to know basis and you don't need to know.
MASON
You learn that line in Cub Scouts, Goodspeed?
The van STOPS: the rear doors open to the FAIRMONT HOTEL SERVICE
ENTRANCE.
INT. FAIRMONT HOTEL - PENTHOUSE SUITE - DAY Top floor suite with a
private elevator. Grand, with French doors leading to a balcony.
Director Womack, GOODSPEED
and F.B.I.Agents Star and Hunt are in the
room. Jackets off, shoulder holsters on.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
I personally picked this suite.
(points at elevator)
Only one exit.
IN THE SUITE'S BATHROOM
Steamy, from the shower. F.B.I. Agent Cord sits on the sink. MASON'S
VOICE emanates from the shower. He's singing some ditty off-key. But
MASON isn't washing.
INSIDE THE SHOWER STALL -- Mason's tampering with the BELL HOUSING of
THE RETRACTABLE CLOTHESLINE on the shower wall.
MASON pops off the bell-housing. he pulls out the nylon clothesline cord
(it's thick, about 10 ft.) and rips it from the bell housing. Tests its
strength.
Satisfied, he knots A NOOSE on one end of the clothesline cord, then
coils.
IN THE BATHROOM - MASON
emerges from the shower wearing a huge hotel
bathrobe.
Cord hands him a SUIT OF CLOTHES. MASON
inspects them.
MARSHAL CORD
Put 'em on. You've got forty-five minutes.
MASON
You going to stand there and watch?
MARSHAL CORD
That's right.
MASON
well if it excites-you ...
MARSHAL CORD
Put the goddamn clothes on.
IN THE SUITE'S LIVING ROOM Womack is dumping the contents of a BARBER'S
BAG on the sideboard.
Hands THE HOTEL BARBER, a swishy guy, a COMB, ELECTRIC TRIMMER and BIB.
The BARBER frowns.
BARBER
I can't do a decent job with these.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
That's all you get.
BARBER
I'm an artist, not a barber.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
(holds up scissors)
without these he can't stab you in the throat.
MASON, dressed, emerges from the bathroom. Motions the barber toward
the balcony.
MASON
Shall we do this outside? In the sunshine?
The barber gulps. Follows MASON onto the balcony.
ON THE SUITE'S BALCONY MASON
sits in the sun on a balcony chair. Bib
on.
BARBER
How would you like it sir?
MASON
whatever's in style.
BARBER
oh fabulous. You look shabby. Shall I snip and cut the
shabbiness away?
The barber begins trimming Mason's hair...
THE BALCONY - SOME MINUTES LATER Mason's hair and beard are neatly
trimmed. The barber holds a mirror up; MASON
examines himself.
MASON
Good. Thank-you.
The barber stands. Clears his throat. Rubs his thumb and forefinger
together.
MASON
Yes of course. My secretary will take care of you.-
(to Agent Star)
See to the good man will you?
Agent Star, glaring at Mason, leads the Barber out.
MASON
What say we bury the hatchet, Womack.
MASON extends his hand. Womack looks at it. As Womack reluctantly
takes Mason's hand, MASON slides the noose over Womack's wrist. He
yanks it tight and shoulders director womack bodily over the balustrade.
MASON
In your head.
Womack plunges, HOWLING, 9 stories to his death. No, he only falls 10
feet. SPROOOOOING he stops, hanging by his wrist off the side of the
building, held there by --
-- MASON
on the balcony, clutching the other end of the nylon
clothesline, staring at Goodspeed.
GOODSPEED
Jesus... JESUS CHRIST....
GOODSPEED fumbles for his gun. Finally unholsters it. DIRECTOR WOMACK,
hanging below, is SCREAMING.
MASON
- Drop the gun or I'll drop your boss.
EXT. FAIRMONT HOTEL - ACROSS THE STREET - DAY Two F.B.I. AGENTS,
loitering by their vehicle, look up at WOMACK, dangling off the side of
the building.
F.B.I. AGENT
Holy shit, we got a jumper.
F.B.I. AGENT 2 raises binoculars to his eyes.
F.B.I. AGENT 2
Looks like.... Womack... !
ENT. FAIRMONT HOTEL - PENTHOUSE SUITE - DAY MASON
and GOODSPEED as before.
MASON
Whoops .... I'm feeling tired .... Whoops .... MASON
lets Womack drop a foot. Womack SCREAMS! GOODSPEED
drops his gun and grabs the clothesline. MASON
bolts from the balcony into the suitels library.
AGENT STAR sprints onto the balcony. Star and GOODSPEED
begin hauling Womack up as -- .
MASON steals through the suite, through the vestibule, and into the elevator.
ON THE BALCONY - Agent Star and GOODSPEED
hoist Directory Womack, red-faced and sputtering, over the railing.
GOODSPEED grabs Star's walkie-talkie.
GOODSPEED
All units, this is Caretaker. WE'VE GOT A SIGNAL SIX.
Mason's in the elevator! Let me know where he stops!
INT. FAIRMONT HOTEL - BASEMENT - HOTEL KITCHEN - DAY
MASON exits the elevator. The kitchen is bustling with COOKS AND
BUSBOYS. MASON moves toward the side exit. Two F.B.I. AGENTS enter.
MASON ducks into the dishwashing room. Waits for the Agents to run
past.
MASON emerges, running right into..... GOODSPEED.
WHAMM. MASON'S FIST slams into Goodspeed's jaw. GOODSPEED
goes down on the huge dishwasher. MASON moves off quickly toward the side exit.
EXT. FAIRMONT HOTEL - SIDE EXIT - DAY
MASON exits the hotel. 20 feet away is the PARKING VALET. 10 incredibly
fast expensive European cars are waiting to be parked. First in line,
however, is a HUMVEE.
EXT. FAIRMONT HOTEL - SIDE EXIT - DAY
GOODSPEED
exits, looking at MASON getting into the HUMVEE. The Humvee
explodes out of the hotel driveway.
GOODSPEED shouts to the F.B.I. AGENTS across the street:
GOODSPEED
That's him!
The F.B.I. SEDANS ROAR off after Mason.
GOODSPEED looks around. A Ferrari sitting there. GOODSPEED
gets behind the wheel.
THE FERRARI blasts out of the driveway after the Humvee.
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - STREETS - DAY The HUMVEE lumbers up to a traffic
light. Stops behind several vehicles ahead.
INT. MASON'S CAR - DRIVING - DAY MASON
looks-up in the rear view mirror. The F.B.I. SEDANS are behind him, closing fast. MASON
rams the stickshift into gear; throws the wheel.
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET - DAY MASON'S HUMVEE veers to the side and
CLIMBS OVER a parked, day-glow painted VW BEETLE, squashing it's hood.
The Humvee ROARS through the intersection, leaving --
The F.B.I. SEDANS and GOODSPEED'S FERRARI trapped at the light behind
the other cars.
EXT. THE STREET AHEAD - DAY MASON'S HUMVEE plows through traffic,
hitting the left and right bumpers of the cars in front of it, knocking
them aside. It blows through ten cars like ten-pins.
GOODSPEED'S FERRARI slaloms through the Humvee's wake of dented cars and
accelerates after the Humvee.
TWO POLICE PATROLMEN scramble into their cruisers, throwing on the
CHERRY TOP LIGHTS.
The CRUISERS charge after the Humvee and the Ferrari.
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS (HILL #1) - DAY THE HUMVEE is accelerating
up a very steep hill. '100 yards down the hill, the TWO S.F. POLICE
CRUISERS, the F.B.I. sedans, and GOODSPEED'S FERRARI, all race after it.
INT. MASON'S HUMVEE - DAY
MASON has the radio on. A NEWSFLASH is broadcast:
RADIO NEWSMAN
This just in: More than twenty highway patrolmen are
involved in a highspeed chase on Van Ness Boulevard, north of Trocadero
...
MASON looks at Humvee's CELLULAR PHONE. Grabs it. Studies it. He's
never used one before.
MASON
Modern conveniences. Cheers. (punches numbers) San Francisco.
Jade Angelou. That's A..n..g..e..l ....
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS (HILL #1) - DAY AT THE INTERSECTION - THE
TRAFFIC LIGHT is red. A SPARKLETTS WATER TRUCK proceeds into the
intersection.
103 INT. MASON'S CAR - DRIVING - DAY
MASON runs the red light. The Sparkletts truck is in the intersection.
MASON violently throws the wheel. The Humvee swerves to avoid the
Sparkletts truck --
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS (TOP OF HILL #1) ~ DAY -- but doesn't make
it. Mason's Humvee SLAMS into the Sparkletts truck's BACK END, knocking
it sideways. The HUMVEE blasts through the intersection as --
70 WATER BOTTLES (5 gallon each) tumble off the Sparkletts truck. The
bottles roll down the hill, gaining speed.
104A INT. MASON'S HUMVEE ~ DAY the call connects.
JADE ANGELOU
(O.S.)
Hello?
MASON
Is this Jade Angelou?
JADE ANGELOU
(O.S.)
Yes. Who is this?
MASON
John Mason.
(lengthy pause)
Don't be shocked. I don't have much
time. Please listen carefully ....
INT. GOODSPEED'S FERRARI - DAY
GOODSPEED
Where is he sir? RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. What's he doing?
HE'S ON THE PHONE. I DON'T FUCKING KNOW, HIS STOCKBROKER! Oh shit.
Gotta go.
GOODSPEED looks at SPARKLETTS BOTTLES bearing down on him
INT. S.F. POLICE CRUISER - DAY Two S.F. PATROLMEN. Their eyes widen
too as -- THE SPARKLETTS BOTTLES are bouncing now, roll down on them at
45 m.p.h. A BOTTLE SMASHES through the windshield, showering the
Patrolmen with glass.
EXT. SAN FPANCISCO STPEETS - (MIDWAY UP HILL #1) - DAY Chaos. Bottle
after bottle smashes down on the -
front-running vehicles. DENTING HOODS. SMASHING WINDSHIELDS. THREE
F.B.I. SEDANS and GOODSPEED'S FERRARI negotiate the crashing cars.
They race through the carnage after Mason.
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS - . (HILL #2) - DAY
MASON'S HUMVEE explodes over the crest of a hill at 90 m.p.h. and soars.
A beat, then --
THE F.B.I. SEDANS, followed by GOODSPEED'S FERRARI soar over the crest
of the hill.
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS - (BOTTOM OF HILL #2) - DAY At the
intersection here, TWO S.F. ROAD WORKERS are sliding a STEEL PLATE over
a 6 ft. deep ditch cut in the asphalt (for a water main or equivalent).
The Road Workers, hearing the WAIL OF MASON'S HUMVEE, look up and dive
away just at THE HUMVEE blasts over he steel plate, dislodging it from
its positioning. It TEETERS on the lip of the ditch.
THE F.B.I. SEDAN hits the teetering steel plate, which collapses --
causing the sedan to be swallowed up halfway into the ditch, it's rear
end sticking up in the air. Seconds pass, then --
THE SECOND F.B.I. SEDAN SLAMS into the frontrunning SEDAN'S..EXPOSED
UNDERCARRIAGE. Both vehicles are obliterated.
GOODSPEED'S FERRARI, in the most hair-raising slide ever filmed, veers
and misses the mangled F.B.I. sedans.
Now it's just MASON and GOODSPEED and CUT TO:
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS - (TOP OF HILL #3) - DAY
MASON'S HUMVEE, with GOODSPEED'S FERRARI close behind, races down a
street on the crest of a hill.
IN THE INTERSECTION AHEAD - A CABLE CAR is turning down the hill.
Mason's Humvee also turns down the hill, but as the Humvee rounds the
corner --
AN OLD WOMAN starts crossing the street. MASON throws the wheel
swerving to avoid her, and --
-- THE HUMVEEIS BUMPER catches the BACK OF THE CABLE CAR, dislodging its
rear steel wheels from the CABLE CAR TPACKS. With the front wheels
still lodged in the tracks, the cable car becrins to slide sideways.
GOODSPEED'S FERRARI clears the cable car's sliding back end and sprints
after Mason's Humvee.
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS - MIDWAY DOWN HILL #3 - DAY
the Humvee and Ferrari blast down the hill. The street is thick with
vehicular traffic.
So THE HUMVEE swerves, leaving the street.
onto the sidewalk. Where... SNAP SNAP SNAP it knocks down every parking
meter, then hits A LADDER in a cordoned off area. On the ladder, a
LINEMAN is fixing a MUNICIPAL POWER LINE. The ladder collapses; THE
LINEMAN falls, flailing through the air.
GOODSPEED slams on the brakes. The Ferrari spins 180 degrees and
lurches to a stop facing uphill.
INT. GOODSPEED'S FERRARI - DAY THE AIR BAG'S exploded in Goodspeed's
face.
GOODSPEED
Shit shit SHIT SHIT ...
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS - MIDWAY DOWN HILL #3 - DAY
GOODSPEED looks up the hill. GOODSPEED'S EYES bug.
GOODSPEED'S POV - THE CABLE CAR is still sliding down the hill sideways.
THE SLIDING CABLE CAR, its wheels SPEWING SPARKS down the hill. The
LAST PASSENGER dives. it's now empty and sliding straight for
Goodspeed's Ferrari ...
INT. GOODSPEED'S FERRARI - DAY
GOODSPEED grabs the Ferrarils CELLULAR PHONE and tries the door latch.
The goddamn airbac is all over him.... So GOODSPEED
shoots the fucking air bag.
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREETS - (BOTTOM OF HILL 33) - DAY
THE TUMBLING CABLE CAR hits the Toyotals rear. The Toyotals gas tank
EXPLODES, lifting the cable car.
The Ferrarils door flies open. GOODSPEED dives away as --
-- THE CABLE CAR, aflame, cartwheels in mid-air and lands with a WHUMP
on the FERRARI, crushing it like a tin-can.
GOODSPEED, dazed, wheels away from the wreck, shielding his eyes from
the smoke and fire.
A YOUNG KID ON A MOTORCYCLE rolls up.
MOTORCYCLE KID You just fucked up your Ferrari, man.
GOODSPEED
It's not mine.
MOTORCYCLE KID
Way cool.
(smiles)
GOODSPEED
Neither is this.
GOODSPEED shoves the kid off the Motorcycle. Speeds off into traffic.
The kid stands there dumbstruck.
EXT. STREETS OF SAN FRANCISCO - DAY
Goodspeed, driving through traffic on the kid,s motorcycle, flips open
the cell phone. Punches numbers.
INT. F.B.I. OFFICE - CHEMICAL/BIOLOGICAL DIVISION, FT. DIETRICK,
MARYLAND - DAY
Marvin Isherwood is enjoying another thrilling day. he grabs for the
RINGING PHONE.
ISHERWOOD
Chem weapons. Isherwood.
GOODSPEED
(V.O.)
Marvin, ring up Wolfburg Federal Pen. The inmate is
Mason, John.
Isherwood gets on the computer. Starts tapping....
INTER CUT - MARVIN IN THE LAB / GOODSPEED ON MOTORCYCLE
ISHERWOOD
Wolfburg, got it. Masconi, Magrane, Masters. No MASON
in Wolfburg, Bill, is this arelative of yours... ?
GOODSPEED
NOT NOW Isherwood. Go to February 1976. Who was
transferred to Wolfburg from San Quentin that year?
ISHERWOOD
Two guys. Joseph Wainwright, and a.... they don't have a
name, just "inmate 9999?"
GOODSPEED
Hit nine nine nine nine.
ISHERWOOD
This is weird. They got medical records, place of birth -
Glasgow? but no name. Wait a minute, there's a next of kin. Jade
Angelou of 32 Stenson Drive, San Francisco. Bill did you, like, fuck
something up? Bill? Bill?
GOODSPEED ROARS off on the motorcycle and CUT TO:
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - 32 STENSON DRIVE - DAY A single family house.
Across the street --
GOODSPEED watches the house. The door opens. JADE ANGELOU exits.
She's 19, tall, pretty, purposeful.
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - PIAZZA DES ARTES - DAY MASON
stands next to a massive column, writing on a piece of paper:
"ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, FORT WALTON, KANSAS. FRONT PEW. RIGHT LEG. HOLLOW."
ACROSS THE PARK - JADE ANGELOU enters a city park with a rotunda of
classical design. A walk-way under massive Corinthian columns. She
moves through the rotunda.
MASON sees her. He steps behind the column as she passes. There is a
moment of indecision. MASON looks at THE PIECE OF PAPER in his hand.
MASON
Jade.
Jade Angelou stops cold. Slow-ly turns. And regards Mason.
ACROSS THE ROTUNDA - GOODSPEED sees MASON and Jade. he stealthily moves
toward them.
BY THE COLUMN - MASON AND JADE Jade approaches MASON
tentatively. He is stunned by her. By her beauty, her bearing, her
likeness to'him.
MASON
Hello. Yes. It's me.
JADE
I uhm... I'm not quite sure what to say. This is all a bit much
...
Several POLICE CARS ROAR past, sirens BLARING. MASON
pockets the PIECE
OF PAPER.
MASON
Let's uhm... let's walk a ways.
They walk off next to a TALL HEDGE. GOODSPEED
follows on the other side of the hedge. INTERCUT between MASON
and Jade, and Goodspeed eavesdropping. GOODSPEED
pulls out his cellular phone, begins punching numbers.
JADE
So how long have you been out?
MASON
A while.
JADE
A while. And you didn't call? You are free now, right?
MASON
I'm here with you, aren't I?
JADE
Why now? I mean why today.
MASON
I was driving through San Francisco. I decided it was time.
JADE
Well there's not a lot I know about you other than you escaped from
San Quentin, had a four day affair with my mother, and I'm the result.
You can imagine I'm pretty confused.
MASON
I tried to explain in my letters.
JADE
Ahh. Your letters. They weren't very easy to follow.
She fishes in her pocket. Pulls out A LETTER. WHOLE SECTIONS OF THE
LETTER have been scissored out. Mason. frowns.
MASON
I see.
(grumbles)
Bloody prison censors.
JADE
How about explaining now?
In the b.g. we HEAR POLICE SIRENS. MASON
looks around.
MASON
Maybe this isn't the best time...
(off her look)
Jade. Here sitdown.
MASON and Jade sit on a bench. MORE SIRENS in the b.9. MASON
looks off
nervously.
MASON
All will be explained. You must trust me on this. Someday very soon,
after I get a few things settled, I will come back for you. What I
need to know is: do you want me in your life?
JADE
How can I answer that? I don't know if we can.... after 19 years,
just start like that.
MASON
We are the same blood.
JADE
But I don't know you.
MASON
where to begin.
(sighs)
My name is John Paul Mason. I'm Scottish.
I attended Dartmouth Naval College. My favorite color is green. I
like books. I like a good joke. At one time I shot a pretty fair round
of golf. I'm in my 60's and I've been in jail half my life.
(Jade looks away)
Maybe it's better I go.
She smiles. Puts her hands on his.
JADE
No. You're doing okay.
Police sirens BLARE. And the entire park.is suddenly surrounded by
F.B.I. AND POLICE VEHICLES.
JADE
You lied to me.
GOODSPEED approaches. MASON makes no attempt to move. Jade turns to
him.
GOODSPEED
(flashes his I.D.)
F.B.I. miss. Your father is working with us. He's helping us resolve a....
(looks at Mason)
.... dangerous situation.
JADE
He is?
GOODSPEED
Yes madam. We've got to go, John.
MASON extends his hand to Jade. She takes it.
MASON
Jade - remember what I said.
They hug. Then MASON walks off with GOODSPEED and --
-- Jade opens her hand, revealing the PIECE OF PAPER upon which Mason
wrote his instructions.
ACROSS THE PARK - F.B.I. AGENTS STAR and CORD run up.
GOODSPEED
(sharply)
No cuffs until we get to the cars,
They continue toward the waiting cars.
MASON
You surprise me, Goodspeed. Now I'm going to surprise myself:
thank-you, you could have handled that differently.
GOODSPEED
(tight)
You almost got me killed. Twice.
MASON
Hows your jaw?
GOODSPEED wheels on MASON and swings. SNATCH. MASON
catches Goodspeed's fist. Three inches from his face.
GOODSPEED
It hurts.
SANCHEZ, DIRECTOR WOMACK and the F.B.I. AGENTS approach. Womack's arm is
in a sling; he's in a volcanic rage.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
You cocksucker you dislocated my shoulder and
cost the city of San Francisco ten million dollars. You try to escape
again and Agent Chaney here will break your legs.
AGENT CHANEY, large and mean, comes to Mason's side.
MASON
Pleased to meet you.
INT. PIER 39 - F.B.I. COMMAND CENTER - DAY Night is falling. A large
warehouse room with windows looking out to Alcatraz Island. Looks like
N.A.S.A.
AT A RECTANGULAR TABLE - MASON
sits at the head of the table 122 in
front of a SCALE MODEL OF ALCATRAZ. COMMANDER ANDERSON and ten NAVY
S.E.A.L.s look toward Mason.
Anderson is agitated, staring at Mason.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Okay, one more time: down this second fork
fifty-seven paces to a septic chamber. Turn left at the water pump,
then forty-two paces to the prison showers ...
MASON
No. Forty-two paces to the septic chamber. Fifty-seven to the
showers.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
(pointedly)
That's not what you said three minutes
ago.
MASON
(innocently)
It's not?
COMMANDER ANDERSON
(dagger stare at Mason)
Excuse me.
(rises)
Womack.
Womack follows Anderson aside. They confer heatedly.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
I ask for someone with knowledge of the island's
tunnels. you give me a fuckin, convict who wants to play "twenty
questions."
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
He knows every inch of those tunnels, Commander.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Then he's keeping it to himself. He's fucking with
me and I don't have the time.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
(pause; he thinks)
What if he went with you?
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Out of the question. He'll endanger the mission -
he'll endanger my men. He's a security risk. Who says he won't bolt as
soon as we turn our backs on him?
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
I'll handle that. Chaney.
The hulking Chaney escorts MASON over.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
You're not cooperating, John. Maybe this will
help. I'm sure you're curious about what's happening on Alcatraz.
(no response)
Twelve United States Marines - a terrorist rogue force - have
seized it. They've aimed fifteen poison gas rockets at the city.
Enough poison gas to kill every man, woman and child in San Francisco.
(smiles)
Yes, John, including your daughter.
MASON
You son-of-fucking-Satan.
F.B.I. DIRECTOA WOMACK
Mr. MASON has a strong incentive to help us,
Commander Anderson.
MASON boils. Then springs at Womack. Chaney grabs Mason, headlocking
him. So MASON knees Womack in the balls. Womack doubles over.
Recovers, coughing.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Get him some gear. He's going to the Rock.
Goodspeed!
ACROSS THE ROOM - GOODSPEED
looks up from a computer screen generating
3-D images of different angles of a V.X. ROCKET. He walks over to the
table. Anderson and the other S.E.A.L.s stare at him.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
The goal is to take out the launchers and neutralize
the V.X.chem rounds, Goodspeed. Tell us what you know.
GOODSPEED
Well, the thermal imaging photos picked up the poison gas.
Here. The prison morgue.
(points)
It's probably being kept refrigerated. makes sense. V.X. gas
begins to lose its toxicity at higher temperatures.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Have you ever actually seen one of these devices?
GOODSPEED
No sir, but I've studied them ....
COMMANDER ANDERSON
(sarcastic)
That's great, Goodspeed. You're in the
Bureau, so you've had weapons training.
GOODSPEED
A little, sir.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
So you've never been in a combat situation.
GOODSPEED
No sir.
(beat)
Should I begin the briefing on diffusing and detoxification sir?
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Won't be necessary.
GOODSPEED
Sir, these are very complicated devices...
COMMANDER ANDERSON
I know they are, Goodspeed. That's why you're going
with us.
GOODSPEED
Sir?
COMMANDER ANDERSON
(to S.E.A.L. Reigert)
Get him some gear.
MASON stares at Goodspeed.
MASON
Wait just a minute. This little twat's going to deal with the
poison? He's gonna get us all fuckin' killed!
MASON walks off muttering.
INT. PIER.39 COMMAND CENTER - BATHROOM - A MINUTE LATER
S.E.A.L. Dando stands at a urinal. GOODSPEED bursts in and lunges for
another urinal. He vomits. Gags. Spits.
S.E.A.L. DANDO
Nice to meet you too.
SANCHEZ enters.
SANCHEZ
You look like shit.
GOODSPEED leans back against the wall.
GOODSPEED
Thank you.
SANCHEZ
You're not wimping out on us, Goodspeed.
GOODSPEED
I join the F.B.I. I ask for fieldwork. They say, "Bill,
you're too fucking smart for field work." Every year I put in for a
transfer and every year I sit in that goddamn lab like the fucking
Maytag repairman in the commercial. Then the call finally comes, and
it's a whole fuckin, city at stake? Oh Jesus...
SANCHEZ
Chemical Weapons isn't a cakewalk, Goodspeed.
GOODSPEED splashes cold water on his face.
GOODSPEED
I've got some bad news and some really bad news sir. Maybe
the bad news isn't bad, maybe actually it's good ....
SANCHEZ
Spit it out.
GOODSPEED
My girlfriend's pregnant.
SANCHEZ
(pause)
What's the really bad news.
INT. PIER 39 - OUTSIDE THE BATHROOM - DAY
SANCHEZ
(V.0.)
Goodspeed, GODDAMN IT ...
The door bursts open. Sanchez, veins bulging, exits, followed by
Goodspeed.
SANCHEZ
Agent Cord, get over to the Pan Pacific Hotel and bring
Goodspeed's girlfriend to this facility please!!
and CUT TO:
EXT. ALCATRAZ - LOWER LIGHTHOUSE - SUNSET
Cpts. Darrow and Frye look out . the window at the Marine's Command
Center in the Infirmary.
CAPTAIN DARROW
(mumbling)
Seventeen hours left. What the fuck is he
doing? How much time does it take to transfer money from one account
...
CAPTAIN FRYE
Just a matter of time, buddy. The Pentagonlll cave and
we'll be headin, south of the border a million dollars richer.
INT. ALCATRAZ - INFIRMARY COMMAND CENTER - SUNSET
Hummel sits at hisdesk. The phone RINGS.
HUMMEL
(V.O.)
Hummel.
SECURITY ADVISOR LOUIS LINDSTROM
Hello Frank, Lou Lindstrom. I'm in the
oval office with General Kramer.
INTERCUT - ALCATRAZ INFIRMARY / WHITE HOUSE OVAL OFFICE
GENERAL KRAMER
We're having some problems with the account transfer,
Frank.
HUMMEL
Don't tell me your problems, tell me your solutions.
GENERAL KRAMER
We've spoken to the President. He's not too happy about
this.
Chief of Staff Hayden Sinclair enters.
HUMMEL
Well he'd better give me a goddamn assurance ...
HAYDEN SINCLAIR
The only thing the President will give you is a fair
trial after you're caught, General.
HUMMEL
That you, Sinclair? What exactly do you do at the White House?
Answer the presidential phone? Wash the presidential limousine?
Are you his golf caddy, Sinclair?
HAYDEN SINCLAIR
Now you give me some coddamn respect, General ....
HUMMEL
You want respect, you child, you coffee server? Let's talk about
Dave Ridgeway.
GENERAL KRAMER
Who's Dave Ridgeway, Frank?
HUMMEL
A twenty-two year old marine tortured to death by a communist
death squad in the El Salvadoran jungle. His mother and young wife were
told by the Pentagon that he went A.W.O.L. Let's talk about the respect
he got.
LOUIS LINDSTROM
This is going nowhere Frank ....
HUMMEL
Then let me tell you what is: The most lethal poison gas known to
man into San Franciscols business district. You have twelve hours to
deliver the money or be prepared to reap the whirlwind, gentlemen.
CLICK. National Security Advisor Lindstrom stares at the phone. Shakes
his head.
LOUIS LINDSTROM
What's the word from Mojave?
GENERAL KRAMER
General Petersen can give us no definite assurance on the
Willy Peter capability.
The men stare grimly at each other.
LOUIS LINDSTROM
Greenlight the S.E.A.L. incursion.
General Kramer picks up the phone and CUT TO:
EXT. NAVAL AIRSTRIP (INCURSION STAGING AREA) - DUSK- The INCURSION
STAGING AREA (a base in the S.F. vicinity) GOODSPEED
and MASON, in black dry suits, join COMMANDER ANDERSON
and nine other S.E.A.L.s.
Four S.E.A.L.s will be identified: BOYER, REIGERT, DANDO, and SHEPHERD.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Listen up, men. Mr. MASON
here will run point for us. Lieutenant Shepherd will be attached to your
hip, Mason. You breath, he breathes with you. Understand?
LIEUTENANT SHEPHERD, young, laconic, nods at Mason.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Shep, what's the status on the special operational
gear for Mason.
S.E.A.L. SHEPHERD
(hands over items)
one aluminum fork and one quart of
motor oil in a squeeze tube.
GOODSPEED
Motor oil?
MASON
For cottonmouth.
GOODSPEED and the S.E.A.L.s exchange looks.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
GOODSPEED here's our specialist. We will cover him
while he neutralizes the' chemical threat. If he does his job we'll
launch flares and hold our position 'till the cavalry comes. Make no
mistake about it, gentlemen, we are going in against an entrenched force
led by one hot-shit field commander. We are in the fight of our lives,
I bullshit you not. Any questions? Let's move out.
The move across the staging area to --
A CH-53 SEA STALLION and two HUEY COBRA ATTACK GUNSHIPS, their BLADES
whipping with ferocity.
S.E.A.L. SHEPHERD stands in the Sea Stallion's door. The S.E.A.L.s
board past him. Last are MASON and Goodspeed.
MASON
After you, 'lace."
GOODSPEED gives MASON a look and climbs in. Then Mason. Then Shepherd,
who SLAMS the door shut.
THE GROUND CREW waves red LIGHT SABRES: "all clear." The Hueys and the
Sea Stallion lift off.
INT. SEA STALLION - NIGHT
GOODSPEED and MASON sit with the S.E.A.L.s. Grim, determined faces.
Not a word spoken.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Activate mini-cams.
Anderson, Boyer and the other S.E.A.L.s flip on TINY VIDEOCAMERAS
mounted on their shoulders. A NAVAL MEDIC passes out SYRINGES OF
ATROPINE in ANKLE SHFATHES.
NAVAL MEDIC
Atropine. Any contact with the gas, use it.
Each S.E.A.L. takes one; begins strapping it to ankle. GOODSPEED
shakes his head, declining.
GOODSPEED
Uhn uhn. I hate needles.
INT. PIER 39 - MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS TRAILER - NIGHT
AT THE CONTROL PANEL - F.B.I. TECHNICIANS talk into headsets and watch a
bank of MONITORS displaying: satellite pictures, thermographic images of
Alcatraz, a computer bio of Hummel.
SANCHEZ sits at the control panel wearing a headset. Director Womack
paces behind him.
SANCHEZ
Mini-cams operational.
OUTSIDE IN THE WAREHOUSE
An F.B.I. SEDAN pulls in and parks. F.B.I. AGENT CORD gets out. carla
sits in the back seat.
CARLA
Would you please tell me what is going on?
AGENT CORD
Can't do that, malam. Sorry.
EXT. SKIES OVER SAN FRANCISCO BAY - NIGHT
The Hueys and Sea Stallion fly in formation AT CAMERA. The Sea
Stallion's running lights suddenly BLINK OFF.
INT. SF.A STALLION - NIGHT
The two SEA STALLION PILOTS don NIGHT VISION GOGGLES.
IN THE HOLD - THE S.E.A.L.s begin to prepare themselves; checking their
weapons combat wet-suits, and CLOSED CIRCUIT REBREATHER SCUBA TANKS.
The S.E.A.L.s begin to don their scuba apparatus.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
You know what you're doing?
MASON
Yes. Little fancier than I'm used to.
MASON examines the equipment. It's more modern, but not foreign to him.
He adjusts his depth and oxygen gauges. Goodspeed, having a hard time,
watches Mason.
EXT. SKIES OVER SAN FRANCISCO BAY - NIGHT
THE HUEYS, 50 ft. from the water's surface, SCREAM PAST CAMERA and bear
down on Alcatraz.
THE SEA STALLION, lagging behind the Hueys, BANKS RIGHT and peels away.
It descends lower, below radar.
INT. PIER 39 COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT
The F.B.I. RADAR TECHNICIAN watches the RADAR SCREEN. ..Glowing BLIPS
move toward Alcatraz. One BLIP vanishes.
F.B.I. RADAR TECHNICIAN
They're off radar, headin' 'round Treasure
Island.
EXT. SKIES OVER TREASURE ISLAND - NIGHT
The Sea Stallion rounds Treasure Island and heads toward the rear of
Alcatraz Island.
INT. SEA STALLION - NIGHT
The SEA STALLION PILOT turns to ANDERSON.
SEA STALLION PILOT I got you to the strongest current in the Bay,
Commander. You're on your own from here.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Prepare to deplore!
CUT TO: A SERIES OF SHOTS.
The S.E.A.L.s stand. Each checks the gear of the man in front of him.
Straps tightened. Weapons checked. -
IN THE REAR OF THE HOLD-- FOUR S.E.A.L.s ready two high-tech 139B 3-man
submersibles called 'IS.D.U.sll (Seal Delivery Units), also known as
"Seal Subs."
MASON is ready to go, calm and steady, eyes forward. GOODSPEED'S still
behind. He has his scuba tanks shouldered, but he can't get the
lst of the tricky cATcHEs on the shoulder harness secured ...
MASON reaches over and secures, with a METALLIC DLINK, the catch.
Goodspeed, embarrassed, nods.
AT THE BACK OF THE HOLD
139F SHEPHERD, with a nod, directs MASON
to sit down on the S.D.U.
behind S.E.A.L. BOYER, the S.D.U.ls driver.
MASON does so. Chaney then sits behind Mason. S.E.A.L. Dando then
begins buckling Shepherd and MASON
onto the sled with harnesses (the unit's version of a seat-belt.)
EXT. SAN FRANCISCO BAY (OFF ALCATRAZ) - NIGHT
The Sea Stallion hovers 15 ft. from the surface. The BELLY DOOR opens.
COMMANDER ANDERSON leans out, inspecting the drop area. he hand-signals
to --
-- S.E.A.L. DANDO, reading the two S.D.U.s. GOODSPEED
sits on the SECOND S.D.U. behind S.E.A.L. REIGERT. S.E.A.L. Dando begins
buckling in Goodspeed.
GOODSPEED
Wait a minute.
(Dando stops buckling)
What if this thing crashes ...
Dando looks at Reigert. They laugh. This remark they
obviously find very funny. Dando continues buckling GOODSPEED
in.
MASON
Smile Goodspeed. Live a little. Life is short... especially
yours.
And the S.D.U.ls are released, rolling out of the Sea Stallion on a set
of tracks, SPLASHING DOWN into --
EXT. UNDERWATER - NIGHT
-- the bay here. The S.D.U.s' XENON headlamps
come on.
EXT. THE SEA STALLION - DOORWAY - NIGHT
The rest of the S.E.A.L.s,
carrying equipment and single man mini-S.D.U. units, jump from the Sea
Stallion one by one.
EXT. UNDERWATER - NIGHT
The three-man and single S.D.U.s head toward
Alcatraz, passing ABOVE CAMERA.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - LOWER LIGHTHOUSE - NIGHT
THE SEARCHLIGHT atop the lower
lighthouse scans the bay, back and forth. It fixes on something.
INT. ALCATRAZ - LOWER LIGHTHOUSE - NIGHT
Hummel and Baxter watch from
the window. Captain Fryels voice emanates from the walkie-talkie.
CAPTAIN FRYE
(V.O.)
Something on radar, sir. Two Hueys in standard
formation, due east and approaching.
Hummel raises binoculars. Scans the bay.
HUMMEL'S POV - THROUGH BINOCULARS - THE HUEYS AND SEA STALLION, flying
low, SCREAM toward the island.
BACK TO SCENE - HUMMEL lowers the binoculars, clicks on his
walkie-talkie.
BAXTER
Decoy?
HUMMEL
Royce, Scarpetti, Gamble, Starling: get to the west end of the
island on the double. Think we have visitors.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - WATER TOWER - ALLEY - NIGHT
Pvt. Royce clicks off his walkie-talkie.
ROYCE
You heard the man, let's move it.
Pvts. Royce, Scarpetti, Gamble and.Starling race off.
EXT. UNDERWATER - NIGHT The S.E.A.L.s, pulled by their S.D.U.s, WHOOSH
past camera. The S.D.U.s lights dim the FLUORESCENT GREEN.
CLOSE-UP on BOYER, the three-man S.D.U.ls driver, intense, determined.
CLOSE-UP on Boyer's fluorescent green INSTRUMENT PANEL charting their
approach to the island.
They've drawn close to the island. ' COMMANDER ANDERS6N swings an
UNDERWATER SPOTLIGHT, which reveals --
A LARGE WATER INTAKE PIPE jutting out from the Island's bedrock, 7 ft.
in diameter, covered by a GRATE thick with rust, barnacles and seaweed.
There's a SMALL JAGGED HOLE, presumably through which MASON
escaped 33
years earlier.
EXT. UNDERWATER - POWER P . INTAKE PIPE - NIGHT The S.E.A.L.s cast
off the S.D.U.s and direct their GREEN FLUORESCENT SPOTLIGHTS inside the
hole in the grate.
MASON stares at the hole. COMMANDER ANDERSON
nods to Mason: "lead the way." MASON does so. Enters the pipe. one by one,
the S.E.A.L.s and GOODSPEED follow MASON in.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - SHORELINE NEAR POWER PLANT - NIGHT
Pvts. Royce, Scarpetti, Gamble and Starling walk the shoreline, peering
into the black water.
ROYCE
Looks all clear, sir.
INT. ALCATRAZ - INFIRMARY COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT
Baxter turns to Hummel:
BAXTER
Nothing.
HUMMEL
Tell 'em to stay out there.
INT. ALCATRAZ - SUBTERRANEAN POWER PLANT - NIGHT
A large subterranean room under the island's . power plant. … large
WOODEN CISTERN in the middle.
The S.E.A.L.s emerge in the cistern and climb out. The room . has one
exit, sealed with a HEAVY IRON door.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Thank-you very fucking much, Mr. Mason, you've led us
to a room with no exit.
S.E.A.L. BOYER
Skipper, blow it or burn it?
COMMANDER ANDERSON
No time for the torch. Explosives'll bring the
fucking world down on us. (turns to Mason) An idea, please, we're tight
on time.
MASON
Wait for me to unlock the door.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
You do not look like Jesus Christ, Mr. Mason, so I'm
having a hard time how you're going to accomplish that.
MASON
(points)
Under there.
UNDERNEATH THE STEAM ENGINE is a tiny crawl space. 10 STEAM RELEASE
VALVES periodically emit BURSTS OF STEAM.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
You are shitting me. You catch one of those steam
bursts and you're a corpse.
MASON
True.
(unshoulders his equipment)
I memorized their timing.
MASON sits on the edge of the crawl space. F.B.I. looks inside the
crawl space: WHITE HOT BURSTS of 500 degree Fahrenheit steam BLAST DOWN.
S.E.A.L. SHEPHERD
Uhh sir, you said never leave his side ...
COMMANDER ANDERSON
You're not required to follow, Lieutenant Shepherd.
This man is going to die.
MASON
(grumbles to himself)
That's been said to me before ....
MASON takes a deep breath and he rolls --
INTO THE CRAWL SPACE - MASON
logrolls one revolution... STEAM
BURST another evolution STEAM BURST another revolution STEAM BURST
MASON rolls to a stop on his side. STEAM BURSTS on either side of him.
MASON collects himself. Breathes deeply and rolls again. His movements
are precise, from memory. He rolls past.each burst, any imprecision
certain death ...
IN THE CISTERN ROOM - GOODSPEED, ANDERSON AND THE S.E.A.L.s watch Mason,
amazed.
S.E.A.L. REIGERT
Who the fuck is this guy? Houdini?
IN THE CRAWL SPACE - MASON
rolls past the STEAM RELEME VALVE and
disappears.
IN THE CISTERN ROOM - Several seconds pass. We HEAR THE DOOR being
unbolted. It CREAKS open. There stands Mason.
MASON
Welcome to the Rock.
The Incursion Team files through the door and CUT TO:
INT. TUNNELS UNDER ALCATRAZ - NIGHT Here, the tunnel moves up a steep
incline to a LOCKED STEEL BULKHEAD. S.E.A.L.s REIGERT and DANDO check
it out.
S.E.A.L. DANDO
She's at least three inches thick sir.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Shit. Burn it.
Dando unpacks an ACETYLENE TORCH. Reigert turns on the ACETYLENE VALVES
(tanks rigged to Dandols gear) and sparks the torch. IT FLAMES UP,
white hot.
Dando starts toward the bulkhead. MASON steps past him, bending his
KITCHEN FORK into an awkward shape. He fishes the fork in the lock;
twists it, and...... POP.
MASON throws open the thick bulkhead door. And climbs through the
bulkhead.
MASON
(muttering)
Guys are worthless.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Who is this guy... ?
INT. DRAINAGE PIPES LTNDER MAIN CELL HOUSE - NIGHT The team arrives at
a series of concrete drainage pipes. MASON
points up to one of them.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
The shower room?
(MASON nods yes)
After you.
MASON and the S.E.A.L.s climb into the drainage pipe.
INT. DRAINAGE PIPE UNDER SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT The S.E.A.L. team, Mason
leading the way, climbs toward a FAINT LIGHT emanating from a DRAINAGE
GRATE above.
S.E.A.L. REIGERT readies a FIBRE OPTIC SEEING DEVICE; he pushes the
fibre-optic camera up through the grate.
INT. ALCATRAZ - PRISON SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT
The FIBER-OPTIC CAMERA turns, looking in a 360 degree radius, and
transmitting images of --
THE PRISON SHOWER - a tiled room with shower heads and a 20 160A ft.
ceiling. Above, a mezzanine circles the showers; here Alcatraz's guards
once watched inmates below..
INT. DRAINAGE PIPE UNDER SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT
Commander Anderson views the shower room images on a TINY (2 inch by 2
inch) WRIST-HELD VIDEO MONITOR. The shower is deserted, but there's
something of interest ~-
A MOTION DETECTOR (a blue beam flashed from a transmitter to 161A a
receptor) across the grate.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Motion sensor.
Anderson gingerly lifts the grate. Reigert wiggles his hands past the
edges of the grate and nudges the beam transmitter (with one hand) and
the beam receiver (with the other) away from the grate.
INT. INFIRMARY COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT
A SILENT ALARM next to Pvt. Royce blinks on. Royce turns to Maj.
Baxter.
ROYCE
Sir. Anti-disturbance temblar tripped in the shower. We got
visitors.
INT. MAIN CELL HOUSE - SHOWER ROOM
The grate pops open. S.E.A.IL.s BOYER and REIGERT, wearing NIOHT VISION
GLASSES, emerge taking defensive positions back-to-back. Commander
Anderson follows. Then, one by one, the rest of the S.E.A.L.s emerge.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
(to Lt. Shepherd in the drainage pipe)
Stand fast. We'll secure the area.
ANDERSON directs Boyer and Reigert to a TILED COLUMN. They creep across
the tiled floor, taking "check and defefid" positions behind the
shower's TILED COLUMNS. But suddenly, shockingly.....FLOODLIGHTS flash
on. Coming from the mezzanine above.
The S.E.A.L.s whip off their night vision goggles.
165 INT. PIER 3-9 - MOBILE COMMAND TRAILER - NIGHT
ON THE VIDEO MONITOR - We see the illumination of the shower room
(transmitted from the S.E.A.L.s cameras.)
SANCHEZ
What's that...what the hell is that?
INT. ALCATRAZ - DRAINAGE PIPE UNDER SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT Goodspeed,
Mason, and Lt. Shepherd react to the sudden illumination above.
GOODSPEED
(whispers:)
What's going on?
S.E.A.L. SHEPHERD
(whispers)
Don't know.
INT. SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT
The S.E.A.L.s whirl around, startled, unnerved, squinting into the
blinding whiteness of the floodlights.
HUMMEL
(V.O.)
Drop your weapons.
The S.E.A.L.s, terrified, hesitate but do not drop their weapons They
stand back-to-back, weapons trained at the catwalk. squinting into the
white light.
The S.E.A.L.s behind the tiled columns take cover. we cannot yet see
Hummel and the marines. This plays with as much tension as possible.
The situation is chilling:
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Anderson here, General Hummel. Commander. Team
Leader.
HUMMEL
(V.O.)
Commander Anderson, if you have any concern for the lives
of your men, you will order them to safety their weapons and place them
on the deck at their feet-
INT. PIER 39 COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT
ON THE VIDEO MONITOR - We see the floodlights above on the Mezzanine and
hear Hummells voice:
SANCHEZ
Oh Christ this isn't happening.
INT. ALCATRAZ - SHOWER ROOM MEZZANINE- NIGHT
HUMMEL looks down at the S.E.A.L.s. Baxter's text to him. The other
marines are at positions around the mezzanine perimeter, M-16's trained
and ready.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
Sir, we know why you're out here. God knows I agree
with you sir, but like you sir, I swore to defend this country against
all enemies. Foreign, sir, and domestic. (shouts now) General, we've
spilled the same blood in the same mud. You know goddamn well that I
cannot give that order...
BEHIND A COLUMN - S.E.A.L.s REIGERT and BOYER stare into the
floodlights.
HUMMEL
Your unit is covered from an elevated position, Commander. I'm
not going to ask again.
ON THE MEZZANINE
CPTS. FRYE, DARROW and PVTS. COX, MCCOY, have their weapons trained;
they're pumped and trigger happy.
HUMMEL
Don't do anything stupid, Commander. No one has to die here.
COMMANDER ANDERSON
You men following the General: You are United States
Marines and under oath you forgotten that? We all have shipmates we
remember - some of 'em were shit on and spit on by the Pentagon - that
doesn't give you the right to mutiny.
HUMMEL
That's a nice speech, Commander. I heard plenty like it in the
Pentagon and on Capitol Hill. They all added up to zero. Pretty words
aren't gonna get you out of this, Commander. Now abort this mission.
Goddamn it, abort.
BEHIND THE COLUMN - S.E.A.L. BOYER, just 20, having never seen combat,
is trembling with fear, indecision.
S.E.A.L. BOYER
It's us or them, Reigert, fuck they're gonna waste us ...
S.E.A.L. REIGERT
Get a grip on yourself ....
ON THE MEZZANINE - PVT. COXIS BOOT nudges a TILE which has come loose
from its mortar. The tile inches to the edge of the mezzanine. Then it
falls ......
BOYER, reacting to THE FALLING TILE, brings up his machine gun and fires
A SUSTAINED BURST in its direction --
And all hell breaks loose. THE MARINES fire in unison. A cruel
withering fusillade.
--- THE S.E.A.L.s in the middle of the floor take the brunt of it. They
gamely return fire. But they're hit. Again. Again. Again.
IN THE DRAINAGE HOLE - Goodspeed, Mason, and Lt. Shepherd listen (and
watch, when the view allows) in utter horror to the firefight above.
Lt. Shepherd scrambles up the ladder. GOODSPEED
grabs him. Tries to pull him down.
GOODSPEED
Don' t do it.
S.E.A.L. SHEPHERD
Let go of me.
Lt. Shepherd climbs the ladder.
IN THE SHOWER ROOM - ANDERSON takes a bullet in his leg. His automatic
blazing, he takes a bullet in the forearm. The chest. The shoulder.
-- THREE MARINES on the mezzanine are hit and killed.
-- LT. SHEPHERD climbs out of the drainage pipe and comes up firing.
He instantly takes a bullet through the visor, killing him instantly.
SHEPHERD falls to his knees and pitches over, falling face first into --
THE DRAINAGE HOLE, where SHEPHERD'S lifeless eyes come face-to-face with
Goodspeed, who nearly passes out, then looks away in horror.
S.E.A.L.S BEHIND THE COLUMNS return fire. They're hit, picked off.one
by one.
-- MARINE COX AND MCCOY fire a 50 CAL. GUN (as powerful as
anti-aircraft or anti-tank round) through the column, killing REIGERT
and BOYER.
HUMMEL
HOLD YOUR FIRE HOLD YOUR FIRE ....
INT. DRAINAGE PIPE UNDER SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT
Suddenly the-firing stops. GOODSPEED
and MASON freeze. Thinking fast,
MASON rips the TAC RADIO from Shepherd's helmet, takes his 9 MM PISTOL
and MACHINE GUN, and his SAW-TOOTHED KNIFE AND SHEATH, and climbs down.
Goodspeed, indecisive at first, clambers down after Mason.
INT. PIER 39 - MOBILE COMMAND TRAILER - NIGHT ON THE VIDEO MONITOR - An
image transmitted from Anderson's helmet camera. Anderson has fallen,
so this is at ground level. We see corpses and near corpses.
SANCHEZ
It's over.
F.B.I. TECHNICIAN
We've still got movement. Numbers eleven and twelve.
That's GOODSPEED and.... Mason.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
If mason's still alive, it's not over.
INT. ALCATRAZ - TUNNELS UNDER SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT
MASON and GOODSPEED exit the drainage pipe. GOODSPEED is panting, nearly hysterical.
GOODSPEED
We're never gettin off this island.
INT. PIER 39 - WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
CARLA peers through a crowd of F.B.I. TECHS huddled around video and
audio monitors. She freezes, her hands covering to her mouth at the
sound of:
GOODSPEED
(over tac radio)
.... god Jesus we're gonna die
Sanchez, agitated, exits the Command Trailer with Director Womack. They
huddle, speaking in hushed voices.
SANCHEZ
You told me I am on a "need to know" basis. Well goddamn it, I
need to know. Who the fuck is John Mason. Start talking, Director, or
I swear I will go to the press.
A tense pause. Then Womack sighs, and his voice travels back three
decades ...
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
1962. J. Edgar Hoover is head of the F.B.I.,
some say the country. It's no secret the esteemed Mr. Hoover kept
microfilm files on prominent Americans and Europeans. de Gaulle, British
members of Parliament, even the Prime Minister. The man had dirt on
everyone in the world,
A174 INT. ALCATRAZ - TUNNELS UNDER THE SHOWERS - NIGHT
Goodspeed, slumped in a corner, watches MASON
arm himself.
He is a different person. Alive. Now in his element. pops the clip on
Shepherd's g mil gun. Inspects it. Unsheathes the saw-toothed knife.
Sheathes it.
174 INTERCUT - PIER 39 COMMAND CENTER / ALCATRAZ TUNNELS
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
The British sent over their best operative, John
Mason, to steal it.
MASON grabs Shepherd's machine gun, pops the clip.
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
Our agents caught MASON
at the Canadian border but with no microfilm. It's never been found.
So Hoover held him without trial. The British claimed they didn't know him.
SANCHEZ
What about the daughter? why didn't Hoover use her as leverage?
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
He died in 1972. She wasn't born yet Today it's
a different Bureau and no one wants to touch this.
SANCHEZ
My god, you're not saying ...
MASON slides the clip back in the machine gun. Tests the action.
obviously comfortable with firearms ...
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
John MASON
has been incarcerated without trial on
American soil since 1962. He knows our most intimate secrets of
the last half century. The alien landing at Roswell, the truth about
the J.F.K. assassination.
INT. ALCATRAZ - TUNNELS BELOW SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT
F.B.I. DIRECTOR WOMACK
(O.S.)
John MASON was an S.A.S. trained killer,
one of MI-6's best operatives ever - John MASON
was one of the most dangerous men on earth.
MASON, armed and dangerous for the first time in 33 long years, faces
Goodspeed. Brings his machine gun up. GOODSPEED
raises his -9 mil pistol in self-defense.
GOODSPEED
Don't shoot me. MASON was actually slinging it over his shoulder...
MASON
For christ's sake. MASON trudges down the tu=el. Goodspeed
follows him.
GOODSPEED
Wait. Where're you going?
MASON
Off this island. You mind?
GOODSPEED
Yes I mind. I mind very much.
From the tac radio in Mason's hand:
SANCHEZ
(O.S.)
(over tac radio)
Goodspeed, Goodspeed, come in.
MASON
You've got a phone call.
MASON throws the tac radio at Goodspeed's feet and trudges off. GOODSPEED
grabs the tac radio.
GOODSPEED
It's me sir.
SANCHEZ
(O.S.)
What is happening? Where's Mason?
GOODSPEED
He says he's leaving the island sir.
SANCHEZ
Don't let him do that.
GOODSPEED
He's got a gun, sir.
SANCHEZ
What do you have, a FUCKING WATER PISTOL? Get him back!
GOODSPEED hurries off after Mason.
INT. ALCATRAZ - SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT
Commander Anderson and the S.E.A.L.s lie dead, their blood running over
the tiles into the drainage grate. Hummel, Baxter walk amongst the
corpses.
HUMMEL
I never wanted this. Jesus christ.
BAXTER
We knew it might happen, Frank.
CAPTAIN DARROW
Maybe now they'll pay up.
CAPTAIN HENDRIX
Maybe now they won't.
CAPTAIN DARROW
Then maybe we'll execute a few hostages.
One S.E.A.L. DANDO, is still alive. He's gurgling blood. Staring up at
Hummel.
S.E.A.L. DANDO
You'll go to hell for this General.
CAPTAIN DARROW
(to Pvt. Royce)
Put a bullet in him.
Pvt. Royce, appalled, can't bring himself to do it.
CAPTAIN FRYE
You heard him. End it.
Cpt. Darrow pulls his sidearm and levels it.
HUMMEL
CAPTAIN, HOLSTER THAT SIDEARM.
CAPTAIN DARROW
(lowers sidearm)
Yes sir.
Royce kneels. Feels Dandols carotid artery.
ROYCE
He's dead anyway sir.
Hummel leans down. Stares into Dando's video feed.
INT. PIER 39 - NIGHT womack and SANCHEZ
stare at HUMMEL on the monitor.
HUMMEL
(V.O.)
(over monitor)
You have a made a terrible mistake and more
of our brothers have died in vain. Let's not repeat this.
The transmission goes dead.
INT. ALCATRAZ - SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT
Suddenly, SGT. drainage pipe,
CRISP bent over SHEPHERD'S CORPSE in.the shouts to Hummel:
SGT. CRISP
General! This man's weapons and tac radio are missing!
HUMMEL
Rodent problem, people. Let's flush the pipes.
Pvts. Cox and McCoy go to the drainage pipe.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - MAIN CELL HOUSE - NIGHT
Hummel and his men exit the
Main Cell House and fan out in teams across the island.
SGTS. CRISP and CPT. HENDRIX move toward the power plant (above the
tunnel traveled by MASON and Goodspeed.)
INT. TUNNELS UNDER ALCATRAZ - NIGHT
Goodspeed's still trailing after
Mason.
GOODSPEED
would you stop. Just stop.
(MASON stops)
I don't know whatyou did or why you were sent to jail, but there are a million
people across that bay who might die...
(MASON continues)
Fuck this. Stop. Freeze.
MASON turns. GOODSPEED
has his g gun trained on him. He's not the most
convincing gun handler.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - IN FRONT OF POWER PLANT - NIGHT
Sgt. Crisp and Capt. Hendrix, walking toward the power plant, hear
something. Beneath them, through a VENTILATION GRATE. VOICES.
CAPTAIN HENDRIX
(whispers in tac mike)
Rodents located.
Hendrix and Crisp begin preparing a SATCHEL EXPLOSIVE.
INT. TUNNELS UNDER ALCATRAZ - NIGHT
MASON and GOODSPEED as before.
MASON advances.
GOODSPEED
F.B.I. Stop right there. I really mean it.
MASON
(stops)
If you really mean it, take the safety off.
GOODSPEED fiddles with the safety catch. With a swipe, MASON
snatches the gun. They glare at each other.
SANCHEZ
(V.O.)
(over tac radio)
Goodspeed. Goodspeed, come in. Have you resolved this?
GOODSPEED
Now he has all the guns, sir. .
(clicks off the tac radio)
You've got to help me. What do you want me to do, beg?
MASON
Save your breath and your dignity, if you have any. I am leaving.
I am getting my daughter and getting the hell out of here.
MASON walks off. Suddenly stops. THE SATCHEL EXPLOSIVE has fallen at
his feet. MASON turns, looks at Goodspeed. And they sprint back, the
way they came.
IN THE TUNNEL BEHIND THEM - A MONSTROUS EXPLOSION blows in the tunnel
and knocks MASON and GOODSPEED to their feet.
INT. ALCATRAZ - SHOWER ROOM - NIGHT
PVTS. COX AND MCCOY attach a bundle of C-4 to A TANK OF GASOLINE and
toss it down the drainage pipe.
INT. TUNNELS UNDER ALCATRAZ
The gas bomb detonates, blowin'g a wall of flame through the tunnel.
The fire is looking for an escape, hunting and burning everything in its
path.
DOWN THE TUNNEL - MASON AND GOODSPEED
see the wall of flame ROARING
toward them. MASON
grabs Goodspeed.
MASON
Hold your breath.
They dive into a pool of stagnant water, submersing as the WALL OF FLAME
blows through the tunnel over their heads.
Mason, then Goodspeed, drags himself out of the water.
MASON
Come on. And keep your mouth shut.
MASON hurries off, GOODSPEED on his tail.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - SUBTERRANEAN CIVIL WAR RUINS - NIGHT
The tunnel leads here, to the Civil war era dungeon. The tunnel's
bricked up; brick and mortar circa 1855.
CIVIL WAR RUINS - NIGHT
GOODSPEED
Now what?
MASON moves to the bricked-up wall. Feels around the mortar. Smiles.
Removes a brick. another. Another. A WHOLE CLUMP of bricks falls,
revealing A HOLE.
MASON
Came out right through there. (squeezes through the hole; mutters)
'Course I've gained a few since ...
GOODSPEED follows MASON through the hole.
INT. CIVIL WAR DUNGEON - OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL - NIGHT
MASON and GOODSPEED emerge to a ledge which faces A POOL OF DANK STAGNANT WATER.
It's about 3 ft. deep.
MASON
Across that, then 50 yards to the morgue.
(off Goodspeed's blank stare)
You said that's where the fucking poison is, Goodspeed.
GOODSPEED
I don't get it. You're going to help me?
MASON
No. I'm going to give you dancing lessons. What the fuck do you
think?
GOODSPEED
You don't have to get all bent out of shape.
MASON
What's bent out of shape, idiot, is the tunnel I was going through
to freedom five minutes ago.
GOODSPEED
All right, all right. Don't call me idiot, okay?
MASON what did I do to deserve this? What God did I offend .....
GOODSPEED begins to wade into the pool.
MASON
Stop.
(GOODSPEED stops)
There. And there.
GOODSPEED squints. The water slithers with COTTONMOUTHS. MASON
unpack the QUART OF MOTOR OIL in spray bottle.
MASON
Cottonmouth snakes. They breath through their skin. Oil clogs
it. They hate the stuff.
MASON
sprays the motor oil across the pool. The snakes scatter. The
pool's now coated with an OIL SLICK. MASON
wades in. Goodspeed follows.
The COTTONMOUTHS, repulsed by the oil, stay away. GOODSPEED
tries not to look at the snakes. They make it across.
GOODSPEED
Something's a little off here: I'm the F.B.I. Agent, you're
the convict, and you have all the guns.
MASON slaps the .9 MM pistol into Goodspeed's hand walks off.
GOODSPEED follows.
INT. ALCATRAZ - TUNNEL UNDER PRISON MORGUE - NIGHT
MASON and GOODSPEED
arrive at a fork in the tunnel. _
DOWN THE FORK IN THE TUNNEL - is the PRISON MONO-RAIL SYSTEM: a single
rail suspended from the tunnel ceiling, upon which SMALL CARTS are
suspended.
GOODSPEED
The morgue?
MASON nods. Moves to a STEEL-RUNGED LADDER leading to a GARBAGE CHUTE
against the wall. GOODSPEED
follows.
INT. ROOM ADJACENT TO MORGUE - NIGHT
MASON and GOODSPEED emerge from the garbage chute. They hear VOICES in
the next room.
INT. MORGUE - NIGHT
PVTS. GAMBLE and STARLING are guarding the poison. Starling's walking
around. Gamble's seated on a MORTICIANIS TABLE, smoking.
The door bursts open. MASON stands in the doorway. GAMBLE dives away.
STARLING whirls, raising his M-16.
MASON'S HAND flashes. THE SAW-TOOTHED KNIFE flies the length of the
room and buries in Starling's neck.
MASON
Never hesitate.
Gamble fires from his position around the corner. MASON and Goodspeed
dive for cover behind a cabinet. GOODSPEED fires from cover without
looking, his gun raised over the cabinet. Mason, underneath the
cabinet, fires at GAMBLE'S FOOT. Gamble, shot, hits the deck.
GAMBLE unclips a GRENADE. Before he can pull the pin....
MASON FIRES HIS CLIP EMPTY at the AIR CONDITIONER MOUNT on the ceiling
above Gamble. The mount gives; the ENORMOUS AIR CONDITIONER falls,
crushing Gamble. Gamble's GRENADE, still secured with the pin, rolls
away.
GOODSPEED rises. Looks at Gamble under the air conditioner. Just HIS
LEGS stick out. (Note: the rest of the scene's action plays out around
Gamble's legs.
GOODSPEED
You didn't learn that in prison.
MASON
No, and I used to be a lot quicker.
GOODSPEED
I've got some questions for you but they can wait.
GOODSPEED opens the CORPSE DRAWERS revealing the V.X-. CHEM ROUNDS
(shaped like big tennis ball cans).
GOODSPEED carefully lifts out a chem round. MASON
grabs one, accidentally knocking it against the drawer.
GOODSPEED
Careful. The second you don't respect this, it kills you.
GOODSPEED and MASON set the V.X. chem rounds on the mortician's table. GOODSPEED
pulls out his EQUIPMENT KIT. Begins detaching the tops of the
chem rounds.
GOODSPEED reaches inside a chem round and carefully pulls out..... a
STRAND OF V.X. POISON PEARLS: ping-pong ball sized glass bubbles filled
with poison.
GOODSPEED
I need a hand here.
(MASON looks anxiously at the poison pearls.)
Mason. Now.
GOODSPEED
hands the poison pearl strand to Mason. MASON holds it like a string
of wind chimes.
MASON
What... exactly does this do to you?
GOODSPEED
Any epidermal exposure or inhalation and you'll know: A twinge
at the small of your back as the poison seizes the nervous system.
(hands over another poison pearl strand)
Then loss of muscular function.
Then you spit your guts out, it looks like a tub of spaghettils spilled
on the floor, then your skin turns black...
MASON stares uneasily at the pearl strands.
MASON
Sounds like my first marriage.
GOODSPEED has the chem round's GUIDANCE SYSTEMS exposed. Inside are
tiny GUIDANCE SYSTEM MICRO-CHIPS. GOODSPEED
plucks the chip from each chem round and pockets it.
GOODSPEED
(into tac radio)
Pier 39 come in.
SANCHEZ
(V.O.)
(tac radio)
Goodspeed? Where the hell have you been. Talk to me.
GOODSPEED
We're in the morgue. I'm removing the rocket's guidance
system chips.
(to Mason)
Without em the rocketslll fly about 500
feet and splash down like a wounded duck.
GOODSPEED
moves on to the third and fourth chem rounds. Suddenly there's
a BEEP. GOODSPEED and MASON whirl. Pvt. Gamble's WALKIE TALKIE is
talking to them:
HUMMEL
(O.S.)
Gamble, Starling. Come in.
MASON and GOODSPEED exchange a nervous look.
HUMMEL
(O.S.)
Privates Gamble and Starling, come in.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - INFIRMARY COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT
Hummel clicks off his walkie-talkie. Stands there a second, thinking.
HUMMEL
The morgue. Hummel and Baxter exit quickly.
INT. ALCATRAZ - MORGUE - NIGHT
GOODSPEED goes faster; his hands are
sweating, trembling. It's like he's lost his spine.
(And thinking about Carla, perhaps he has.)
MASON
C'mon c'mon.... faster ....
GOODSPEED nearly drops a chem round. MASON
recoils.
MASON
I thought you were cool under pressure.
GOODSPEED
Shut up; you're making me nervous.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - BETWEEN CELL HOUSE AND MORGUE - NIGHT
Hummel and his men race toward the morgue.
INT. ALCATRAZ - MORGUE - NIGHT
GOODSPEED has dealt with eight chem
rounds. There should be seven more, but there's not. GOODSPEED
counts them ....
MASON
They'll be on us in twenty seconds.
GOODSPEED
Wait a minute. Fuck. Hummel stole fifteen chem rounds.
There's only twelve here. Here. Quickly. Do these last four.
MASON raises the poison pearl strands from each of the remaining four
chem rounds. GOODSPEED quickly plucks the chips from the guidance
systems.
EXT. ALCATRAZ - MORGUE - NIGHT
Hummel and the marines converge on the morgue. Surround the door. They
burst inside, guns trained.
INT. ALCATRAZ - MORGUE - NIGHT
COX, MCCOY, and DARROW fire machine gun bursts at --
-- MASON AND GOODSPEED
sprinting across floor, BULLETS chewing the
floor. They dive into the MORGUE INCINERATOR CHUTE, GOODSPEED
leaving the tac radio behind ....
INT. TUNNEL UNDER MORGUE - NIGHT
GOODSPEED and MASON tumble out of the chute. Two MONO-RAIL CARTS are
hanging there. They exchange a look and climb into the first cart.
MASON throws the cart's RELEASE LEVER. The cart glides down the
mono-rail.
INT. ALCATRAZ - MORGUE - NIGHT
HUMMEL goes to the mortician's table. Sees the theft of the guidance chips.
HUMMEL
Hendrix! Take Royce and Scarpetti!
CAPTAIN HENDRIX and PVTS. ROYCE
and SCARPETTI dive into the incinerator
chute after MASON
and Goodspeed.
BAXTER
Gamble and Starling are dead.
CUT TO:
INT. TUNNEL UNDER MORGUE - MONO-RAIL TRACK - NIGHT
Hendrix, Scarpetti, and Royce tumble from the incinerator chute. Mason
and GOODSPEED are down the Mono-rail track.
Hendrix gets in THE SECOND MONO-RAIL CART. Scarpetti gets in THE THIRD
MONO-RAIL CART. Hendrix and Scarpetti pull the release levers. The
Mono-rail carts rumble after GOODSPEED
and Mason. Hendrix shouts back to Royce:
CAPTAIN HENDRIX
FOLLOW ON FOOT!
INT. ALCATRAZ - MONO-RAIL TUNNEL - NIGHT The three carts fly down the
mono-rail: GOODSPEED and MASON
(in CART 1) 50 feet ahead of Scarpetti
(in CART 2), who is 50 feet ahead of Hendrix (in CART 3)
IN CARTS 2 AND 3 - SCARPETTI and HENDRIX fire M-16s.
IN CART 1 - MASON
and GOODSPEED duck as BULLETS RICOCHET around the tunnel walls.
They pop up and return fire.
IN CART 2 - SCARPETTI arms hi over/under M-16 grenade launcher with a
grenade and... FIRES.
THE GRENADE PROJECTILE shoots down the monorail tunnel.
IN CART 1 - MASON AND GOODSPEED
duck as the GRENADE PROJECTILE wings
over their heads, continues down the tunnel
and DETONATES against the tunnel wall.
CART 1 roars through smoke and debris left by grenade explosion. As it
rounds a corner, MASON
grabs A SPLINTERED TIMBER and releases from the
cart. CART 1, with GOODSPEED
alone continues down the mono-rail.
MASON yanks down a 5 ft. long BROKEN SECTION OF SEWAGE PIPE and presses
hims |
