Frameshift: All In

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Frameshift: "All In"



TEASER

EXT. CLIFF-NIGHT

An empty stretch dirt spotted with rugged vegetation; no one
around, no roads, no lightposts, nothing. Just the moon
overhead and shining off the ocean, lapping against the base
of the cliff, a hundred feet below. Trees back the cliff for
a long stretch.

The sound of a car engine, growing louder. Louder.

Headlights break through the trees and illuminate the vaguest
concept of a path. Overgrown with grass, weeds, even a few
determined saplings that are cut down as a VAN-- with an
EXTERMINATOR'S LOGO on the side-- idles onto the bluff.

It drives out to the edge. Stops. Headlights wink out, engine
cuts off. The door opens.

DR. PAGET climbs out the van. The keys still in-- the van
rings its alert until Paget shuts the door. He goes to the
back of the van, pulls his gloves tighter and pushes.

The van rolls forward and the front wheels drop off. Paget
pushes further before the van overbalances. He backs up, the
van falls out of sight.

Down a hundred feet, crashing onto the rocks and water below.

Paget takes a few deep breaths, then steps to the edge. He
gazes down at the van, still mostly in one piece. He takes a
remote detonator from his pocket. Presses the button.

A hundred feet down, the van explodes, blown to pieces, the
fire quickly extinguished by the waves. Paget absently wipes
the detonator on his pants despite his gloves, then tosses it
into the water.

Then he drops to his knees and heaves.

INT. NOAH'S ROOM-DAY

The end of an episode of "Battlestar Galactica" (plays on the
television.

CU, Josh's face, awed.

JOSH:
Wow.

Noah walks past Josh's feet, straight in the air. He halts a
stopwatch.

NOAH:
Okay, that's an hour.

Josh lowers his feet and comes out of his headstand. He looks
at Noah.

JOSH:
Really? Hardly noticed.

NOAH:
See what happens when you skip a
decade? And you haven't even seen
"24" yet. Pop culture decimation,
it's just inhuman.

JOSH:
It's just a TV show, Noah.

Noah stares at him as if slapped.

NOAH:
Right, and an hour long headstand
and four minute mile are just
interesting.

JOSH:
I told, you must've hit the button
early.

NOAH:
Three times?

JOSH:
Incredibly punctual epilepsy.

NOAH:
Lunch.

JOSH:
Your watch?

NOAH:
Turkey and swiss, I thought. But we
can swing Timex on rye.

INT. NOAH'S HOUSE, HALLWAY-DAY

Noah, Josh, walk down a nicely decorated hallway; paintings,
couple sculptures.

JOSH:
Why do you even need to know I can
run a four minute mile?

NOAH:
Same reason I need to know if you
can tell me what sort of underwear
I'm wearing.

JOSH:
Latent homosexuality?

NOAH:
No. Figuring out what's up with
you, since you don't seem very
concerned about it.

JOSH:
That's because there's nothing I
can do about it.

NOAH:
You can't diagnose a disease if you
don't know the symptoms. You'll
never know what happened to you if
you don't know what you can do.

JOSH:
How does knowing I can run help?

NOAH:
It doesn't. Knowing you can run at
speed only Olympians tend to reach
does. And the fact that you can see
anything, that's odd. I want to see
what your limits are, because then
I can try and find out how you go
about maki--

BANG! BANG!

Josh and Noah stop dead. Josh turns to Noah. Shrugs.

JOSH:
Didn't see that coming.

Josh sprints down the hall in the direction of the shots.
Noah runs back to his room.



END OF TEASER
ACT ONE

INT. NOAH'S HOUSE, HALLWAY 2-DAY

Josh jumps the last four steps of a highly polished staircase
and barrels down a plainer hall; just paint and walls.

BANG!

He stops and eyes a closed door. Edges up to it and pushes it
open an inch.

INT. NOAH'S HOUSE, KITCHEN-CONTINUOUS

A THUG, a 30-ish Chinese man, aims a gun at a MAID's head.
She's on the ground, crying, and spouting off a chain of
Mandarin. The Thug yells something, then presses the gun to
her head, forcing her to the ground.

Josh leans back and lets the door close. It creaks, Josh
halts it fast, but it's late.

The Thug looks at the door and forgets the Maid. He walks
over to the door, around an island counter.

Josh takes a deep breath as the Thug gets closer, then closes
his eyes. The Thug steps in front of the door. Josh leaps
into action.

He slams the door open, knocking the Thug backwards into the
kitchen. Josh comes through the door, knees him in the groin,
smashes his wrist against the counter, and takes the gun,
ejects the magazine and the chambered round, and tosses them
away.

The Thug tries to fight back, and Josh quickly has him on the
ground. Josh hauls him up and drags him to a rear door, and
throws him out.

JOSH:
(in Mandarin)
Don't come back. I have your gun.

Josh slams the door. Noah bursts through the other one
wielding a baseball bat and roaring. He freezes when he sees
the empty kitchen. Sets the bat down.

NOAH:
Nevermind.

...

NOAH: (CONT'D)
What happened?

Josh shrugs, points at Noah's maid.

JOSH:
Ask her.

Josh goes over to the woman, still shell-shocked on the
floor. He crouches.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
(in Mandarin-- still)
Are you okay? What happened?

The woman stares at Josh. So does Noah.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
(yeah, still)
Can you talk?

NOAH:
Josh?

JOSH:
(English)
What?

NOAH:
Care to translate?

JOSH:
Translate what?

NOAH:
Chinese to English, apparently.

JOSH:
I'm not speaking Chine--

Josh turns to the Maid.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
(Mandarin)
Am I speaking Chinese?

The Maid nods.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Huh.
(Mandarin)
Do you speak English?

MAID:
(heavy accent, but clear
enough)
Yes.

JOSH:
(English)
Then let's talk.

INT. NOAH'S HOUSE, KITCHEN-LATER

Noah is fiddling with a stove and a teapot. The Maid is
sitting at a small breakfast table, shivering. Josh leans
against the counter.

JOSH:
Who was that guy?

She doesn't respond. Just stares at her hands, blank.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Noah?

NOAH:
What?

JOSH:
What's her name?

Noah looks at his feet.

NOAH:
We have a lot of help.

Josh rolls his eyes, turns back to the maid.

JOSH:
Look, you're safe. He's gone, can't
hurt you. So, easy question: what's
your name?

The maid looks up. She's mid-, late twenties, probably pretty
if she weren't terrified.

MAID:
AN.

JOSH:
Okay. Nice to meet you, An. I'm
Josh, that's Noah... Maybe you've
met him.

Josh glances at Noah, who gives AN/MAID a wave.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Now, not to be pushy, but there was
a guy with a gun. Begs questions
outside war zones and Texas. Feel
like telling us who he was? I've
got some ideas, but you know better
than me.

An looks away; her entire body seems to clam up.

AN:
It's not your problem.

NOAH:
You know, she's got a point.

JOSH:
Handle the tea. An?

An looks at Josh.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
You're right. Not my business. But,
the guy shot up my friend's house.
Makes that Noah's business, and the
damage-- that makes it police
business.

Josh takes out his cell phone. An seizes his wrist.

AN:
No, don't.

Josh sets the phone down and crouches level with An.

JOSH:
Then tell me how much.

Noah comes to the table.

NOAH:
What are you talking about, "how
much"?

JOSH:
How much she owes. For her passage.
I'm not wrong, am I An?

An looks away again.

AN:
No.

JOSH:
Then how much?

AN:
Two hundred.

NOAH:
Thousand?

JOSH:
Just you?

An shakes her head.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Who else?

AN:
Mother. Sister. Brothers. Daughter.

JOSH:
How much more do you owe?

AN:
Two hundred. Was two hundred fifty.

Josh's eyes go far and he nods to himself.

JOSH:
An?

An looks up.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
It'll be okay.

Josh straightens, takes Noah away toward the stove.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
I need a suit, a thousand dollars,
and one of your dad's better cars.
Can you manage it?

NOAH:
What do you need--

JOSH:
Later. Can you get it?

Noah pauses a second. Slow nod.

NOAH:
Yeah. Dad's out of town. Diet book
tour. LA this week, I think.
Evidently they're still eating too
much.

JOSH:
You can get all of it?

NOAH:
Yeah. You're near my dad's size,
and my allowance is obscene.

JOSH:
I bet.
(Josh glances at An)
Did you really not know her name?

NOAH:
A lot of help. And my mom's
demanding. You try to remember how
many ice cubes in what drink and
see how long you last.

The teapot screams. Josh grabs the pot, not the handle, and
takes it off.

Noah scans the counter, then turns to An.

NOAH: (CONT'D)
Where's the tea?

INT. NOAH'S HOUSE, GARAGE-DAY

Noah and Josh enter through a door. The place is clean,
large, housing a half dozen cars, none of them with a
pricetag under 35k. Noah leads Josh to a BMW sedan.

NOAH:
This is the most money I'll let you
behind the wheel of. Automatic
transmission, so you shouldn't have
trouble there. Been practicing?

JOSH:
Gran Turismo count?

NOAH:
No.

JOSH:
Then no.

Noah shrugs.

NOAH:
I'll keep the help out of the
garage, leave one of the doors up.
If you crash, tell me so I can
report it stolen.

JOSH:
Anyone ever tell you you're a fine,
upstanding young man?

Noah grins.

NOAH:
All the time. But they don't know
what I read. Now, onto the money
issues.

Noah take his wallet out and removes ten hundred dollar bills
and gives them to Josh, who stares at the cash.

JOSH:
You carry this much in your wallet?

NOAH:
I told you my allowance is obscene.
Absentee parents pay well. Don't do
a lot else well, but the money's
good.

Awkward silence, 'cause Noah's good at those.

NOAH: (CONT'D)
Anyway-- let's get you dressed.

EXT. JOSH'S HOUSE-DAY

A BOY of about 14 finishes mowing the last bit of the lawn.
He shuts the mower off, wipes sweat from his forehead, then
goes to the front door and knocks. It opens, and DAN KENDALL
is revealed. He steps out of the way, beckons the boy in.

Across the street, there's a light colored car. A rental,
with all the genericity that comes with that.

INT. CAR-DAY

Dr. COHEN sits in the driver's seat, eyes on the house. The
door closes, and he turns to the passenger seat.

A laptop sits there, lid half closed. Cohen opens it up and
watches a four panel split screen. The front door, kitchen,
Josh's room, and bathroom.

Dan and the boy pass out of the frame covering the front
door. The screens are empty a second, then they enter the
kitchen. Dan takes a bottle of water from the fridge, hands
it to the boy, then leaves the frame again.

The boy takes couple gulps and Dan's back. He hands the boy a
check. The boy leaves the kitchen, passes briefly through the
front door frame, and is back in the front yard in seconds.

Cohen watches as the boy hops onto a bicycle by the door and
pedals down the drive and up the street, past Cohen's car and
on.

Dr. Cohen shifts the car into gear and drives away.

INT. NOAH'S HOUSE, PARENT'S ROOM-DAY

Noah sits on a large bed, intricate headboard, shiny wood
night stands, thick carpet. Like the rest of the house bar
the service halls, luxury. Noah talks to a shut door.

NOAH:
So... You speak Chinese.

A pause from the door.

JOSH:
I guess so.

NOAH:
Any idea how you learned it?

JOSH:
I don't think I did. What's the
inseam on these pants?

NOAH:
Too short?

JOSH:
A bit.

NOAH:
Don't worry, your socks will match,
no one should notice. So how do you
speak Chinese without learning it?

Josh sighs. The door opens and he comes out in pants an inch
too short. Noah tosses him a jacket from the bed.

JOSH:
I can't now. I only could when I
was near An. And TRIAD THUG
GUY[/Enforcer]. It just sort of
synced up, sounded English.

NOAH:
So, like, linguistic Bluetooth?

JOSH:
Maybe, if you want to tell me what
that is.

NOAH:
Not important. I keep forgetting
the missing decade bit.

JOSH:
Lucky you.

Hey, Josh managed one....

NOAH:
So, like, how're you doing? With
all that stuff?

Josh pulls the jacket on. It is, like the pants, on the small
side.

JOSH:
Fine. Or not. Depends on the day.
Some days the... Gap is more
obvious than others. School days
suck, half the slang goes over my
head, lost on TV shows and movies.
Don't even ask about music. But I'm
not about to, you know, go all
bibbledy-wonky and top myself.

NOAH:
"Bibbledy-wonky"?

Josh shrugs.

JOSH:
Crazy. Add it to your Josh Shepherd
Decade Gap question file. File it
after four minute mile and before
possibly schizophrenic delusions.
Seems like a good middle on the
normal scale. Do I need a tie?

Noah shrugs.

NOAH:
Depends. Where're you going?

JOSH:
Illegal casino. If you've got a
hundred fifty thousand immigration
debt from a Triad, I'm guessing
that'll be near the abandoned
warehouses by the docks.

NOAH:
Does this town have those?

JOSH:
We have docks? International
shipping?

NOAH:
Well-- yeah.

JOSH:
Then you've got abandoned dockside
warehouses. I think it might be a
union thing.

Noah nods and stands.

NOAH:
Yeah, you need a tie. So, what're
you going to do at this illegal
casino?

JOSH:
Multiply a grand one hundred and
fifty-fold.

NOAH:
Right. Of course. And how're you
gonna do that?

JOSH:
I figured I'd take advantage of my
possibly schizophrenic delusions.
Just because you're crazy doesn't
mean you can't help people out.

NOAH:
And why are you helping?

Josh shrugs and looks away.

JOSH:
You've seen me fight. I doubt
that's just from after-school
classes. So, call it my attempt at
preempting karma.

NOAH:
You don't think karma already hit?
You were shot three times, nearly
killed by your guidance counselor,
and caught up in a black-ops money
laundering scheme.

Josh smirks.

JOSH:
Well, then, I guess it'll be smooth
sailing tonight, huh?

KNOCK, KNOCK. The bedroom door opens and SARA CARSON enters.

SARA:
Your, uh, butler let me in. What's
up?

JOSH:
You got plans tonight?

SARA:
Nothing definite.

JOSH:
Good. How do you feel about playing
distraction while I count cards to
win a hundred fifty thousand in an
illegal casino to pay off a Triad
for Noah's maid's family's illegal
emigration from China?

Sara mulls that over.

SARA:
I feel... You should go on anti
psychotics.

JOSH:
But apart from that. And, to
sweeten the pot--

Josh opens another door. Walk-in closet, a fashion jackpot.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Lots of slinky dress choices. Eh?

Sara steps to Josh.

SARA:
Do you really think I'm that easy?
A nice dress and you expect me to
walk into a possible death trap?

JOSH:
There're shoes, too.

INT. NOAH'S HOUSE, GARAGE-NIGHT

Josh leans against the car, Noah bounces a rubber ball off
the wall.

NOAH:
So... Is this really the best way
to do this?

JOSH:
Depends. Do you have two hundred
thousand dollars you want to give
away?

NOAH:
I don't have two hundred thousand
dollars.

JOSH:
Then yeah, this is the best way.

NOAH:
And bringing Sara? That's just
dumb. Incredibly dangerous.

JOSH:
She'll be fine. I know what I'm
doing.

NOAH:
I kind of doubt it. I mean, a legal
casino doesn't take kindly to
getting cheated. An illegal one,
that's a death sentence to the
legal's life. I mean, do you even
know how to play anything? And
still, why are you taking her?
Josh?

Noah continues throwing the ball.

Sara clears her throat. She's standing in the doorway.
Gorgeous doesn't describe her. Gorgeous times 12 to the
powers of Stunning gets about halfway.

SARA:
So? Do I look okay?

Josh and Noah just stare. The ball smacks Noah in the
forehead.

EXT. CASINO WAREHOUSE-NIGHT

Josh and Sara get out of Noah's car. They're parked in a row
with other cars-- ranging from successful banker's mid-life
crisis to English Ph.D candidate's death trap-- in front of
big old warehouse, just the safe side of condemnable, windows
boarded up.

There's a door, though. A single light illuminating it and a
GUARD who could be the door, if you stuck a few hinges to
him.

Sara looks to Josh with a nervous smile.

SARA:
You ready?

Josh shakes his head.

JOSH:
Not even remotely.

Josh takes a deep breath and heads for the door.

Josh and Sara halt in front of the guard. Josh looks up at
him.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Hi.

The guard glowers down at Josh.

Josh reaches into his jacket. The guard tenses. Josh sighs
and pulls back.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Honestly, man, you're a head taller
and your bicep is the size of my
skull. What do you think I'd try?

Josh pulls out his wallet and opens it, displaying the cash.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
I just wanted to show you this.
What do you think, let me in to
lose my shirt?

The guard steps aside. Holds the door open for Josh

GUARD:
Good luck, sir. Miss.

Josh and Sara enter the casino.



END OF ACT ONE

ACT TWO

INT. CASINO WAREHOUSE-NIGHT

The heavy door closes behind them. Josh and Sara look around
at a whole 'nother world. The interior is everything the
exterior wasn't. The walls are clean, whole, painted in
bright red. Where the windows were boarded on the outside,
soft lighting beams down.

The casino floor is rich, vivid carpet. The entire floor of
the warehouse is covered in games, from slot machines to
blackjack to roulette. The place is buzzing.

Above the floor, 6 GUARDS dressed in dark suits patrol the
catwalks, eyes on the players and proceedings below.

Josh takes this all in, guards last, and laughs.

JOSH:
I can't believe I was right!

Sara glances at Josh.

SARA:
What're you on about?

Josh takes Sara's arm and they walk onto the floor.

JOSH:
Oh, come on. An illegal casino in
an abandoned warehouse by the
docks? Seriously, what're the odds?

SARA:
I thought you knew--

JOSH:
Wild guess. Educated, sure, but
still. It's so overdone, you don't
think anyone actually bothers
anymore. But here you go, Triad
running illegal immigration and
gaming right by the docks. Hidden
in the shadow of cliche. It's
frakkin' brilliant.

SARA:
Frakkin'?

JOSH:
New word I learned.

SARA:
Okay, so now you've found the
place, what's next? Just play until
you get enough money?

Josh stops, considers it. Then he nods.

JOSH:
Pretty much.

SARA:
Grand plan.

JOSH:
No, dumb plan. But it's the best
one that keeps everybody alive and
with all their fingers.

He starts walking again.

Sara stops dead, staring at Josh, puzzled.

SARA:
So why am I here? I mean, you're
the one playing, and I'm just
standing here?

Josh shrugs.

JOSH:
You didn't have anything better to
do, apparently.

She frowns.

SARA:
But you made it sound like you
needed--

JOSH:
Nevermind. Let's play some
blackjack.

Josh takes off towards the table. He sits down next to
ANOTHER PLAYER and across from the DEALER. He places all of
the money on the table. It promptly vanishes. Sara stands
over his shoulder. Josh looks up.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Relax. This is supposed to be fun.
Or maybe addictive. I forget which.

Sara sighs and shakes her head.

SARA:
Just hurry up and save someone's
life. I don't want to be here any
longer than I need to be.

Josh glances above at the guards. Mostly to himself:

JOSH:
Neither do I.

INT. JOSH'S HOUSE, FRONT DOOR-DAY

Dan pulls on a jacket and cranes his head, staring up the
stairs.

DAN:
Uh, this decade would be really
good. Or really anytime under the
drinking age.

ADRIENNE:
Two more minutes. My hair hates me.

DAN:
My boss already hates me. They'll
have a lot in common.

ADRIENNE:
Okay, just two seconds...

ADRIENNE SHEPHERD rushes down the stairs, still fussing
halfheartedly with her hair (even though it's fantastic) in a
black dress. She kisses Dan.

ADRIENNE: (CONT'D)
Okay. Now we can go.

Dan feints toward the stairs.

DAN:
Okay, just let me powder my nose
real quick.

EXT. JOSH'S HOUSE-NIGHT

Dan and Adrienne walk out of the house and to the car. Dan
opens the door for her, gets in the other side. The car pulls
out and drives away.

Right past the generic Cohen rental.

The street is empty for all of a few seconds. Then Dr. Cohen
gets out of the car and jogs across the street to Josh's
house.

He bends over one of several rocks lining plants along the
front. Cracks open the Hide-a-key, opens the front door, and
disappears inside.

INT. BACKROOM-CASINO-NIGHT

WHAM! Josh stumbles into a pile of empty boxes and staggers
back to his feet. His lip is bloodies and his eye is
swelling. He straightens, blinks, and turns--

To face the Thug from Noah's house.

INT. CATWALKS-CASINO WAREHOUSE-NIGHT

A closed office door opens and the Thug walks out onto the
catwalks. GUARD 1 approaches and exchanges a walkie-talkie
for a cup of coffee. The Thug walks out onto the catwalks and
stares down into space.

Into the blackjack pit.

At Josh.

MONTAGE

1. Josh collects a large pile of chips. The Thug's hand claps
onto Josh's shoulder.

2. Josh and Sara are forced by the Thug and GUARD 2 through
an ugly gray door hidden at the end of a row of slots.

3. The guard pistol whips in the BACKROOM Josh across the
eye, sending him nearly to the ground.

4. A second whack to the mouth from the gun, and Josh crashes
into the boxes.

INT. BACKROOM-CASINO-NIGHT

Okay, we're back. The thug takes another swing with the gun,
but Josh catches this one. He yanks the guard toward him,
wrenches the wrist hard, and takes the gun away.

Points it at the Thug's head.

CLICK. Josh glances at Guard 2, who has a machine pistol to
Sara's head. She's not taking it very well (understatement).

Josh shrugs and flips the gun, offering it back to the Thug.

JOSH:
We're not going to get anywhere
like this. How about you let me
talk to your boss?

The Thug reaches for the gun and Josh flips it, turns it back
on the Thug.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Just so there's no
misunderstanding, know you're only
breathing because I'm not inclined
to stop you doing it. Got me?

Josh hands the gun back.

INT. BACK HALLWAY-CASINO-NIGHT

The Thug leads the way, Josh and Sara walk side-by-side, with
Guard 2 covering them with his gun.

SARA:
(whispering throughout)
So, was this part of the plan?

JOSH:
(ditto)
Actually, it was the part I was
really hoping to avoid.

SARA:
Oh, well, good to know the
situation's under control.

JOSH:
Don't worry. It will be.

SARA:
Do I have a point yet?

JOSH:
Yes. When it happens, get away from
your guard.

SARA:
What's "it"?

JOSH:
You'll know.

SARA:
Yeah, that's not at all cryptic.

INT. JOSH'S HOUSE-JOSH'S ROOM-NIGHT

The door eases open, and Dr. Cohen slips into the room. Cohen
pulls out a flashlight, keeping the beam clear of windows.

Cohen goes to Josh's desk, opens a notebook. Notes, homework.
He flips to random pages. Nothing special. He shuts it.

Night stand. Opens the drawer. Odds and ends, neglected toys
from ten years past. Closes it.

Cohen crouches next to the bed, peers under. Spotless. He
raises the mattress. Pulls out just the edge of a magazine.
He slips it back, pulls out a notepad, and writes something.

Up, over to the dresser. He opens drawers. Top one, nothing
out of the ordinary. Second, just more old toys, kid's books.

Third, clothes. Cohen reaches in, rummages around, lifting
shirts, until-- Something. Josh's drawing pad. He lifts it
out, and takes it to the desk.

Opens it, flips past scenes from all of Josh's dreams and
visions. Portraits of Cohen himself, Josh's room and cell,
Keegan, Lily, Wendy.... Cohen takes out a digital camera and
begins shooting every page.

CLUNK! Cohen's head snaps up. He pockets the camera and kills
the torch, goes to the window, peers out.

EXT. JOSH'S HOUSE-NIGHT

Dan climbs out of the car. Adrienne looks out at him.

ADRIENNE:
I get grief over hair and you
forget your wallet? Who's the woman
around here?

Dan cocks his head and looks at Adrienne in her dress.

DAN:
You. Most definitely.

Adrienne smiles.

DAN: (CONT'D)
Two seconds, I swear.

Dan closes the door and sprints to the door.

INT. JOSH'S HOUSE-FRONT DOOR-NIGHT-CONTINUOUS

Dan rushes in, and starts up the stairs. Stops dead as he
sees Cohen coming down them.

They stare at each other

...

Dan steps back down them and to the side. Cohen comes down,
and looks at him.

DAN:
The back door is unlocked. Key?

Cohen reaches into a pocket and hands it over.

...

Cohen turns and exits into the kitchen. Dan watches him go.
Couple seconds, and a door knocks shut.

Dan turns and goes up the stairs.

INT. OFFICE-CASINO-NIGHT

The door (heavy, polished wood) opens and the Thug enters.
Josh and Sara follow. Josh stops dead and stares.

The office is richly decorated. Art on the walls, expensive
knick-knacks on the desk and some shelves along the walls, a
heavy, dark wood desk, a heavy Chinese man of around sixty
behind it.

FLASH: BEHIND THE DESK. THE TOP LEFT DRAWER WHOOSHES OPEN,
REVEALING A REVOLVER INSIDE. IT SLAMS SHUT AGAIN.

NEXT, A PAINTING ABOVE THE MAN'S HEAD. IT SWINGS OPEN ON
HINGES, REVEALING A SAFE.

Guard 2 pokes Josh in the back with his gun and shoves him
and Sara forward.

The Thug grabs Josh and shoves him toward the man behind the
desk. Guard 2 holds Sara back, moves off to the left.

THUG:
This boy wants to see you.

The man's English is perfect. Native. American accent.

Josh grins.

JOSH:
(to Thug)
How cute, you're American. No
wonder you're just muscle.

The man (MR. HUANG) behind the desk looks Josh up and down.
The suit's wrinkled, dusty. Josh is bruised and bloodied.

MR. HUANG:
(to Thug)
Why do I care?

There's the vaguest trace of an accent, but perfect English.

THUG:
He's persistent.

JOSH:
Actually, your man's just bad. He
can't kick my ass, so he's
referring me. But it's okay, you
and I have business anyway.

Huang looks at Josh like a cat looks at someone attempting to
pet it.

MR. HUANG:
Do we?

JOSH:
We do.

MR. HUANG:
And what, pray tell, is that?

JOSH:
A girl named An.

Mr. Huang looks at the Thug.

MR. HUANG:
Harry?

THUG/HARRY:
Cargo. Two hundred fifty
originally, fifty paid.

Mr. Huang nods.

MR. HUANG:
Okay, then, to business. I'm Mr.
Huang, pleased. Can you pay?

Josh sighs.

JOSH:
See, that's the problem. Your guy,
he came into my friend's house and
scared An and I just couldn't help
getting involved. So I decided I'd
help her out. Using your casino and
my ability to cheat. Only, Harry,
here kind of got in the way.

Huang perks up a bit now, jaw tightens. His hands recede on
the desktop. Josh eyes the left one.

MR. HUANG:
Is that right?

JOSH:
It is. So, considering how messy
things have gotten, I've decided
I'll simply give you the option of
forgiving the debt.

MR. HUANG:
Ah. I see.

Josh smirks.

JOSH:
Probably not.

MR. HUANG:
And... If I refuse?

Josh shrugs.

JOSH:
Something along the lines of "Or
else", cliche aside.

Mr. Huang smiles.

MR. HUANG:
Ah. Well, I am sorry to disappoint
you, but I'm refusing. And you are
leaving. And not pleasantly. For
you. Or your girlfriend.

Josh glances back at Sara. Guard 2's hand is running up, way
too close to her chest.

JOSH:
Oh. Well. Frak.

Harry puts his hand on Josh's shoulder. Somewhere between
instantly and a millisecond, Harry's head hits the desk and
he's down. Josh yanks Harry's gun free.

Lunges forward, pulls a letter open from a cup and pins
Huang's left hand to the desk. Josh then spins, pitches
Harry's gun at Guard 2. It slams his forehead, sends him--
not unlike a sack of potatoes, really-- to the floor.

Sara's free. Huang spins in his chair to use his right hand
to get the gun, too large to just reach across.

Josh vaults the desk, slams his feet into Huang's chest,
knocking the chair and him backwards, to the floor. A shred
of sleeve is left pinned on the desk.

Josh sits on the front edge of the chair, one foot pressed on
Huang's chest. He crouches down.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Welcome to the People's Republic of
Or Else. The exit fee just went up.

Josh looks back at Sara.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
There're some zip ties in the right
hand drawer. Hand me a couple?

INT. OFFICE-CASINO-LATER

Josh stands in front of the desk, placing money into a
leather case. He finishes, and shows the contents to Huang.

He's in his chair, arms zip tied to the chair, mouth duct
taped shut. He's pissed. Like, Carrie pissed.

JOSH:
Now, that's one hundred thousand
dollars. Fifty was paid, we can
forget all about that. You abused
your power, and kind of pissed me
off, so pretend you've been fined.
You probably made this back out
there tonight. The rest, let it go.
Trust me on that one, okay?

Huang just glares.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Okay?

Huang gives a quarter of a nod. Josh smiles.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Thanks. Good doing business with
you. An will be gone by morning, so
don't try payback through her. Come
after me, or anyone else, you will
be sorry. Again, trust that.

Josh turns to Sara.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Ready to go?

Sara doesn't say anything at all as they exit the office.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING-NIGHT

Sara follows Josh down a dingy, dilapidated hallway. He
knocks on a door that sounds barely thicker than cardboard.

The door cracks open and an eye peers out. Then the door
opens fully. An. Josh peers past her, into a one room
apartment crammed with FIVE OTHER PEOPLE.

Josh passes the case to An. She opens it and gapes at the
contents. Looks up, eyes wet.

JOSH:
Come on, there's not a lot of time.

EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING-NIGHT

Josh and An help an elderly woman, AN'S MOM, into the back of
an old FORD ECONOLINE. They shut the door on the others. Josh
turns to An.

JOSH:
I'd head for California, if I were
you. San Francisco might be a
decent idea. Chinatown and all.
There's nearly a hundred thousand
there. It should be enough to get
some decent papers for most of you.
Or a lawyer to sort out
immigration. Anyway, this is where
I end.

An stares at Josh, hugs him very hard very quickly and rushes
to the van. It starts up and pulls away. Josh and Sara watch
it go. Josh turns to Sara. She's crying.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Are you okay?

Sara wipes her eyes.

SARA:
No clue. On one hand, I want to
strangle you for nearly getting us
killed. But, then there's that--
(gesturing after the van)
Good job.

JOSH:
Thanks.

Sara steps closer.

SARA:
But don't do it again. Maybe it's
normal for you, but I can't handle
that. I thought we were dead. Or
worse. Just-- no more.

Sara turns away and walks back towards the car. Josh stares
after her; barely holding back tears of his own.

INT./EXT. SARA'S HOUSE-NIGHT

Josh stops the car. They sit for a few seconds before Sara
opens the door and climbs out. Slams the door. Josh takes a
deep breath, lowers the window.

JOSH:
Sara!

Sara stops and turns.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
I'm sorry.

Sara nods.

SARA:
Yeah. I know you are.

Then she turns and walks to her door. Enters.

Josh slumps back in his seat stares. Then leans forward and
lays his head against the steering wheel and exhales.



END OF ACT TWO
ACT THREE

INT. JOSH'S HOUSE-JOSH'S ROOM-NIGHT

The door swings open, and Josh plods into his room. Looks
around. Falls facedown across the bed.

Doesn't notice the dresser drawer, part open. Or the spine of
the drawing pad, hastily jammed in.

INT. JOSH'S HOUSE-JOSH'S ROOM-LATER

The door is still ajar. Dan slips into the room, scans the
room. Josh on the bed, the open drawer.

He goes to the dresser and eases it open. Lifts clothes and
shuffles the pad back under them. Pats it smooth.

Josh groans. Dan turns toward the noise. Then he crosses to
the bed, pulls the covers down over Josh; tucks him in.

EXT. SARA'S HOUSE-MORNING

Rain pours on everything. More nasty evening than morning.
Sara exits her house, runs to her car. Backs out of the drive
and pulls away, headlights on.

A DARK SEDAN watches for half a block, then starts after her.
No headlights.

INT. KEENE HIGH, HALLWAY-DAY

After school. The halls are full and loud. Josh leans in his
locker, head inside. The door bangs, and Noah pops around.

Josh hauls his head out and glowers at Noah. His eye is
purple and his lip a bit chubby.

JOSH:
Aren't I supposed to heal fast?

Noah shrugs.

NOAH:
Maybe it doesn't count when you do
something stupid.

Josh closes his locker. Not a slam, but not gentle. They
begin walking.

JOSH:
I help save a family, and all I get
is grief. How does that work?

NOAH:
It's not the helping An part that's
stupid. It was dragging Sara along.
What were you thinking?

Josh nods.

JOSH:
I wasn't. I guess... Impress her?
Like, being fastest on the monkey
bars at recess.

NOAH:
Only with guns and ruthless human
traffickers. Naturally.

JOSH:
She wasn't in any danger.

NOAH:
Your face doesn't seem to agree.

Josh stops. His eyes darken and lose focus.

JOSH:
It's weird. It's like, most of the
time, I'm 17, and there's just a
sort of... Blank. Other times, I'm
seven. Other times, it's between,
and there's sort of two of me. And
they're both whiners.

NOAH:
You did lose a decade. Can't expect
that to mean nothing. Aren't you
seeing someone?

Josh comes back. Shrugs.

JOSH:
Sure, but I can't exactly come
clean without getting tossed into a
padded room, can I?

NOAH:
Guess not. Besides, Sara's not
really mad at you. She's scared.

JOSH:
Yeah, she made that crystal clear
last night.

Josh starts off, Noah shakes his head and stops him.

NOAH:
No, she probably didn't. She's
scared for you.

JOSH:
How would you know?

Noah shrugs and half smiles.

NOAH:
I've got eyes. I can see how she
looks at you.

Josh's cell phone rings. He takes it out, glances at the
caller ID: Sara. He puts it to his ear.

JOSH:
Hey Sara.

MR. HUANG:
Try again, Mr. Shepherd.

Josh tenses and straightens. Glances around the hall at the
passing students, teachers, for something out of place.

JOSH:
Where are you?

MR. HUANG:
Nowhere near you, I'd think.
Despite last night's antics, I'm
not a stupid man. You and I have
unfinished business.

JOSH:
Do we?

MR. HUANG:
Oh, most certainly. As I'm sure
you're seeing, right about now.

The phone beeps again. Josh lowers it and looks at the
screen. Sara. Tied to a chair, half dressed, gagged.

Josh raises the phone.

JOSH:
How did you find me?

MR. HUANG:
I have my connections. A boy who's
lost ten years isn't low profile.

JOSH:
Why not me? What did she do?

MR. HUANG:
She was with you. You're
unpredictable, a risk. And you and
I still have business to do.
Business that requires you
breathing, unfortunately.

JOSH:
And that is?

MR. HUANG:
The money you stole back. And my
debtors. By midnight tonight. Or--
Let's just say, my transport runs
both ways, and exporting is
infinitely more unpleasant.

JOSH:
I don't have the money. I don't
know where An is.

MR. HUANG:
I sincerely hope you're lying, Mr.
Shepherd. For Sara's sake.
Midnight. Tonight. One chance.

Line goes dead. Josh lowers the phone, pale. Noah stares.

NOAH:
What happened?

Josh turns and leans against the row of lockers for a long
second. Taps his head against the doors gently.

Josh slams his fist into a locker door, makes a dent at least twice the expected.

EXT. HILLSIDE-AFTERNOON

Overlooking the sprawl of old warehouses. Still dreary gray,
but not raining anymore. To the left, the ocean, to the
right, town. Josh and Noah stand just inside the tree line,
staring down at the buildings.

Josh holds a pair of binoculars. Puts them to his eyes.

THROUGH BINOCULARS: Close-ups of the warehouses. The main
casino, two guards on the roof, four others on the perimeter.
Josh scans outward, another four roam a collection of rusting
cargo containers.

Josh lowers the binoculars.

JOSH:
At least ten. Probably more at
night. In the dark, probably an
extra couple, and the roof guards
lose meaning. This'll work.

NOAH:
So, what? Maybe 12, but you only
have to really worry about ten of
them? Is that a good thing?

Josh turns to Noah.

JOSH:
Very good. Because if I'm lucky, I
won't have to worry about any of
them.

NOAH:
But you're not lucky. Like, ever.

JOSH:
Shot three times, lived to tell the
tale.

NOAH:
Of amnesia.

JOSH:
Okay, so call it even money we're
screwed.

NOAH:
"We"?

JOSH:
Yeah. Can't do this without you.

NOAH:
And what are we doing?

Josh gazes down at the warehouses again. Focus on the casino
itself. He turns to Noah. Shrugs, looking younger than ever.

JOSH:
Going all in.

INT. BACKROOM-CASINO-AFTERNOON

Sara's still tied to a chair, gagged. Harry sits near the
door, eyes on her. Staring. Leering. He takes a long look at
his watch.

HARRY:
Six hours. Not much time at all.

He stands up, and walks close to Sara. Crouches down. Puts
his hand on her cheek. Sara flinches away, and he seizes her
face, pulls her close.

HARRY: (CONT'D)
Then you belong to us.
(his eyes rove down)
Every. Little. Inch of you.

Sara's eyes are wild with fear and disgust. Harry pulls her
to him and kisses her over the gag. Then he stands up and
backs to his chair. Sits down. Eyes still on her.

INT. ARMY SURPLUS-AFTERNOON

Broken down place. A basement store, dusty windows at street
level let trickles of gray light in. Josh and Noah come
through a door, bells jingle.

Noah sticks close to Josh as they approach a glass counter,
last cleaned during Reagan, containing everything from
compasses to canteens to medals.

NOAH:
Why are we here?

They reach the counter. Josh dings a tarnished counter bell.
Noah keeps just behind Josh.

A moment's silence, then hacking cough behind a curtain over
a doorway behind the counter.

The MANAGER comes out, pulling a threadbare fatigue top on
over a formerly white-- now yellow-- wifebeater. He's fifty
going on seventy, thoroughly disgracing the uniform.

Bloodshot eyes settle on Josh and Noah. He sighs.

MANAGER:
Boots're in back. All sizes.

He starts to turn away.

JOSH:
Not here for boots.

The Manager turns back.

MANAGER:
What do you want then?

Josh catches the Manager's eye.

JOSH:
A gun.

MANAGER:
Don't sell guns.

The Manager turns away again, Josh catches his shoulder.

JOSH:
You sell guns. No other way you're
affording the rent. Boots to teens
and used medals won't cover it.

MANAGER:
Illegal to sell guns to kids.

JOSH:
So is pretending you don't sell
guns and doing it anyway. Police
would probably like to know
something like that.

The Manager eyes Josh.

MANAGER:
What're you looking for?

JOSH:
Nothing hard. M16, full auto. Very
basic. Ammo, too.

The Manager sucks his teeth a second.

MANAGER:
3500.

JOSH:
That'll be fine.

The Manager turns and shuffles back behind the curtain.

Noah steps forward.

NOAH:
Why do we need guns?

JOSH:
We don't.

NOAH:
Then why are we getting one?

Josh turns to Noah.

JOSH:
Because you need one.

EXT. HILLSIDE-NIGHT

Josh and Noah crouch at the tree line, dressed dark. Josh has
a bag and the gun. He hands it to Noah. It's unloaded, but
Noah still handles it as if it might eat him.

Josh takes out a pre-paid cell phone, dials 911. His tone
goes fast and panicked.

JOSH:
Hello, 911? I heard shooting down
by the docks. I don't know who, I I
got away fast as I could. Hurry, I
think someone might be hurt.

Josh lowers the phone, takes the battery out. He wipes both
down with his sleeves and chucks them into the woods. Turns
back to Noah.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Okay, time crunch. Gimme the gun.

Noah hands it over. Josh takes a magazine from the bag and
loads it. Passes it back to Noah.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Safety's off. What you do is, run
back away from the water. In a
minute, start firing towards the
warehouses. Quick bursts, run ten,
twenty feet to the beach, fire
again. Got it?

Noah nods.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Okay. Here's the bag--

Josh slings the bag over Noah's shoulder.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
There's two more magazines, reload
if you need to. When you hit the
beach, throw the gun, the
magazines, and the bag as hard as
you can into the water. Get back to
the car. 10:30, you come roaring up
to the casino. If Sara and I aren't
there, take off again. Do not wait.
Understand?

NOAH:
What if I hit somebody.

Josh smiles in the moonlight, pats Noah's shoulder.

JOSH:
This is why you shouldn't panic and
leave the store. I bought blanks.
No real danger. Just bark, no bite.
Are you good?

Noah glances down at the warehouses, along the hillside. He
shrugs and stands up.

NOAH:
Not much choice, is there?

JOSH:
Not really.

NOAH:
Then yeah.

They stand there, a few seconds.

JOSH:
So go.

NOAH:
Oh. Right.

Noah takes off away from the beach. Josh watches him go. Then
he sets off down the hill at top speed.

EXT. CASINO WAREHOUSE-ROOF-NIGHT

GUARD 3 paces along the rooftop. Moonlight gives decent
visibility. Glances at GUARD 4 on the other side. They both
carry sniper rifles.

EXT. HILLSIDE-NIGHT

Noah sprints along the trees, holding the gun way out in
front of him. He stops and crouches, facing the warehouses.
He aims the gun toward them.

NOAH:
Oh, god.

Noah closes his eyes and flinches before pulling the trigger.
The gun fires (BANGBANGBANG!), and recoil knocks it from
Noah's dainty grip. It hits the ground.

Noah lurches toward it, and kicks into the trees and shadow.

EXT. CASINO WAREHOUSE-ROOF-NIGHT

BANGBANGBANG!

Guards 3 & 4 hit the floor. Guard 3 raises his rifle, aims--

THROUGH NIGHT VISION SCOPE: toward the hillside. Catches
movement at the trees. Noah fumbles the gun, kicks it away.

Guard 3 FIRES.

EXT. HILLSIDE-NIGHT

BANG!

THWACK, the shot finds a tree instead of Noah's head. Noah
hits his belly and scrambles deeper into the trees. His hands
find the gun.

Noah sits up against a tree, glances back at the warehouses.
Closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths.

NOAH:
Okay, you can do this. It's dark,
and they're probably not very good
shots anyway. Right, Elmer Fudd--

BANG! THWACK! Another tree, only the one Noah's against.

Noah scrambles away and gets to his feet.

NOAH: (CONT'D)
Not Elmer Fudd. Lee Harvey Oswald.
Okay. Fine. Bad guy. Shoot back.

Noah raises the gun again.

NOAH: (CONT'D)
Just pull the trigger, Noah.

Noah squeezes his eyes close. Pulls the trigger.

EXT. CARGO CONTAINERS-NIGHT

BANGBANGBANGBANG!

Josh presses against the edge of a container, peers around.

GUARD 5 creeps forward, pistol and flashlight extended in
front of him, clearing the aisles of containers. Josh is
comfortably concealed in shadow. For the moment.

Guard 5 checks the preceding aisle, then creeps forward. One
step... Two... Three... One more...

The gun comes into view. Another step. The guard's fully in
view. Another step. He's in the middle of the aisle. Past
Josh, but back to him.

Josh launches. He slams Guard 5 into the opposite container
hard, rips the gun away, and smacks Guard 5 hard with it. He
goes down (he's smaller, so bag of carrots).

Josh then takes off the way Guard 5 came, armed.

EXT. CASINO WAREHOUSE-ROOF-NIGHT

Guard 3 is still behind his scope, scanning the tree line.
BANGBANG! Muzzle flash, but nothing else.

SIRENS. Guard 3 lifts his head. Looks toward town. Sees blue
and red swirls, the sirens Doppler closer. Guard 3 shoulders
his gun, raises a radio.

GUARD 3:
It's a raid!

EXT. CASINO WAREHOUSE-ROOF-NIGHT

The side of the building. Josh edges to the corner, peers
around. Same Guard from last night, his own door.

It's too far to charge, to light to sneak. New tact. Josh
slips the gun into his waistband.

Josh steps into full view, putting a zig into his step, a zag
in the rest of his body. A stagger, to be short via long.

The Guard notices Josh. He takes out a radio and says
something, puts it away. Approaches, hand in jacket.

GUARD:
Sir, what are you doing here?

Josh seems to just notice him. Slight slur, tad too loud.

JOSH:
Hey! I know you. From last night!
Oh, man, you must be lucky! Six
thousand big ones!
(Josh holds up eight
fingers)
You're like a- a- kitten's foot.

Josh gets closer still, the Guard relaxes, arm slips from the
jacket a bit. Josh's head jerks up, he snaps his fingers.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
No! That's wrong. Fox's tail, tha's
it. Yep. Lucky guard guy, fox tail
walking. Kevin Costner movie, too.
Good one. Mm-hmm.

Close enough now. The Guard's hand withdraws completely. He
even steps forward to catch Josh as he trips.

--And slams his head up into the Guard's chin. Guard staggers
back, hits the ground (barrel of bricks, if you must know).

Josh straightens and spins around, unsteady, rubs his head.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Son of a- Are you made of steel?!
God! Sorry, by the way. You seem
like a nice guy, for a racketeer.

SIRENS wail. Guard's radio issues Guard 3's muffled warning.

Josh runs to the door, pulls the gun, smashes the light
(hiding the Guard), enters--

INT. CASINO WAREHOUSE-NIGHT

Dark. Empty. Some minor light for safety, nothing more.

JOSH:
Okay, Mondays. Off day. Easier.

Josh sprints across the room, down the row of slots, into--

INT. BACK HALLWAY-CASINO-NIGHT

Josh bursts in. Several doors, all unmarked. Josh looks both
ways. Sirens grow closer.

He starts in the direction of Huang's office. Stops at a door
half open on a computer monitor running Excel. He enters....



END OF ACT THREE
ACT FOUR

INT. OFFICE-CASINO-NIGHT

Mr. Huang rushes about the room. The safe is open and empty,
a bag on the desk overflows with cash topped with passports.

Huang crams a few expensive knick-knacks in on top of the
money and ID, yanks the bag closed.

The door crashes open and Josh strides in. Huang freezes,
eyes dart to the desk. Josh comes out smoothly with his gun.

JOSH:
Few things you should know about
me. I look young, and I am. Which
makes me dumb, and impulsive. Which
means, you go for your gun, I shoot
you with mine. Wouldn't be a happy
thing for me, but I'd do it.

Josh arrives at the desk, pulls the bag toward him, gun still
on Huang. He opens it, examines the contents.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
Planning a trip? Man like you, I'd
figure you owned enough police to
make this go away?

Huang finally comes back to himself. The fear evaporates, and
he smiles.

MR. HUANG:
Oh, I do. You were the unknown.
Honestly, I was impressed, little
scared. Hence, the bag. But, now
you've just waltzed into the lion's
den, haven't you? Very, very dumb.

Josh backs away from Huang.

JOSH:
Not at all. Your nearest guards are
out, or distracted. Police, and a
little diversion of my own.

MR. HUANG:
Is that right? Very clever. And you
may succeed tonight. But how do you
plan to survive tomorrow? And what
about your girlfriend? I see you
don't have her yet.

Josh nods.

JOSH:
Quite right. I don't. You're going
to tell me where she is.

MR. HUANG:
Am I?

JOSH:
Absolutely. Otherwise, I'll e-mail
the contents of your accounting
department to everybody in your
address book. Now, that may mean
nothing, but I figure, sleazy
bugger like you, you're cheating
somebody, somewhere in the line.

Huang stares at Josh a long second before a smirk spreads.

MR. HUANG:
Very good bluff. But I don't cheat
my superiors.

Josh shrugs it off.

JOSH:
Okay, then. I'm sure they won't
mind the quick financial update,
then.

Huang's smile vanishes.

MR. HUANG:
You wouldn't.

JOSH:
You don't know I haven't already.
You've lost, end of story. Cops are
coming, probably too many to keep
quiet, your questionable accounting
might already be across the
Pacific, and I've got a gun on you.
Give me my friend. 50-50 chance of
ending up dead is better than the
hundred you got now.

Josh locks gazes with Huang. Huang breaks first. He loses
twenty pounds and ages a decade in a second. He slumps
against his desk.

MR. HUANG:
She's a lucky girl.

JOSH:
How do you figure?

MR. HUANG:
Most men would pee themselves
getting held up outside a theater.
You come after me-- and I'm no
street hoodlum-- and don't flinch.

Josh's eyes kick himself.

JOSH:
She wouldn't be here without me.

Huang scoffs.

MR. HUANG:
Spare me. She's in the room
Harry took you to. It's
soundproofed. You'll want to hurry.
She's due to be loaded soon, and
Harry's not a Boy Scout.

Josh glances towards the desk, where the gun is. Huang
realizes and shrugs.

MR. HUANG: (CONT'D)
Can't shoot you. No time to dispose
of you, and even the cops I own
search. 17 year old kid, it's
unforgivable. You win.

JOSH:
Joy.

MR. HUANG:
Go.

Josh takes one last look at Huang/the desk, turns and leaves.

Huang pulls the drawer and removes the revolver. Walks slowly
to the office door. Closes it.

INT. BACK HALLWAY/BACKROOM-CASINO-NIGHT

Josh runs back up the hall when BLAM! from the closed office
door behind him, only wood door in the hall. Josh stares back
along it, something in his gaze; remorse barely controlled?

Josh turns and runs, back to the old door. He stops outside
it, pressed his hand and forehead to it.

FLASH: SARA IN CHAIR, TIED AND GAGGED. HARRY STANDS IN FRONT
OF AND TO THE LEFT, HIS HAND TRACES HER SHOULDER, SARA
STRUGGLES TO NO POINT, HARRY PULLS HER COLLAR, SLIPS DOWN....

Josh lifts his head and throws his shoulder into the door,
sends it crashing open. Harry just has time to spin before--

BANG! Josh obliterates Harry's knee. He's on Harry in a
second. The gun in a shoulder holster thrown away. Fists fly.

Black. The sound of flesh colliding with flesh, panting.

Bright white.

Back to the room. Sara's urgent screams around the gag. Josh
abruptly stops, fists bloody. He stares down at Harry, who is
breathing-- barely-- through a broken nose, and stares up at
Josh through swelling slits.

Josh turns to Sara, something there; fear, revulsion? He
glances back at Harry. To Sara. The shame kicks in. He's up
in an instant, wipes his hands on his pants. Then he frees
Sara. Helps her up.

JOSH:
Are you okay?

Sara looks at Harry.

SARA:
Is he?

Josh glances. Harry groans, rolls on his side, curls fetal.

JOSH:
Cops are on the way. Ambulance, no
doubt. He'll be fine.

SARA:
What happened? You- Where'd you go?

Josh fakes a glance to his watch.

JOSH:
We need to go.

Josh grabs Sara by the wrist and pulls her along with him,
leaving Harry in his own blood, trembling.

EXT. CASINO WAREHOUSE-NIGHT

Josh and Sara burst out into the night. Josh glances both
ways, then at his watch.

JOSH:
Where is he?

SARA:
Who?

JOSH:
Noah.

SARA:
You brought Noah?

The sound of an engine growing louder.

JOSH:
Yeah. Needed two people.

Tires squeal, and Noah swings into view behind the wheel of a
sports car, high beams on. He screeches to a stop at Josh.

Josh lets Sara in back, and throws himself in the passenger
seat. Noah takes off again, a luxury rocket.

INT. NOAH'S SPORTSCAR-NIGHT

Noah steers onto a main street. 3 COP CARS are rapidly
closing. Josh leans forward.

JOSH:
Slow down, high beams off.

Noah listens. The cop cars hurtle past. Josh watches them.

JOSH: (CONT'D)
(to himself)
Only three.

Josh turns forward, slumps against the window.

INT. NOAH'S SPORTSCAR-LATER

Noah's driving along. Talking in excess of the speed limit.

NOAH:
And then, they shot at me! Real
bullets! This close!

Apparently, adrenal conversion makes three feet one inch.

NOAH: (CONT'D)
(glances back at Sara)
Are you sure you're okay? We can go
to the hospital if you need to?

Sara sprawls in back. She gives a weak smile.

SARA:
I'll be okay. Just... Bad day.

Josh is quiet. Hunched and slumped, hands palm up on his lap.

Noah slows and stops. Stoplight.

NOAH:
And they kept shooting. Missed and
all, but still. So, Josh, how'd it
go? Inside? Easy?

Silence.

NOAH: (CONT'D)
Josh? Josh, you okay?

Noah puts his hand on Josh's shoulder and receives a
shudder/flinch. Noah pulls his hand back. Josh dry heaves,
then lunges for the door, spills onto--

EXT. STREET-NIGHT

And sprints away, left across the intersection, out of sight.

INT. NOAH'S SPORTSCAR-SAME

Sara sits forward, watches him run.

EXT. ALLEY-NIGHT

Josh stumbles into an alley. Nothing special; dumpster,
gutter downpipes, scrape boxes.

Josh collapses to his knees in front of a downpipe, sobbing.
He holds his hands in front of him, smeared in Harry's blood.

He cups water from the pipe's puddle and scrubs furiously.

Scrubbing with crumbled asphalt, makeshift washcloth,
scraping his own hands raw.

Finished, back on the alley wall, staring into space. His
eyes slide shut, into the black.

FLASH: JOSH'S POV, HAMMERING HARRY, THE BLOOD FLYING, HARRY'S
FUTILE BLOCKS.

INT. CELL (FLASHBACK)

YOUNG JOSH is in the corner. A GERMAN SHEPHERD lunges at him.

Again. Again.

Sound of ripping cloth.

TWO LAUGHING GUARDS watch.

CU, Young Josh. Fear evaporates. Replaced with... Cold.

Black. YELP!

EXT. ALLEY-NIGHT

FLASH: HARRY CURLED FETAL, SHAKING IN PAIN.

HUANG PLODS TO HIS DOOR, PUSHES THE DOOR SHUT. STUMPS BACK TO
HIS DESK, CLOSES THE PAINTING COVERING THE SAFE. STROKES THE
CANVAS ONE LAST TIME, AND PUTS THE GUN IN HIS MOUTH.

BLACK. BLAM!

Josh jerks awake, kicking, screaming.

SARA:
Josh! Josh!

Sara holds Josh firm at the shoulders. Rain pours, they're
both drenched.

SARA: (CONT'D)
Josh! It's okay. Just me.

Sara's voice slips through. Josh calms, stares up through the
rain at her. She's not smiling. Worry's etched in her face.

He surges forward, holds her tight, cries into her. Muffled:

JOSH:
I killed him. I didn't, but I did,
really. And you, almost. Harry. The
blood, and the pain. And the dogs,
and-- and-- I'm sorry!

Sara's taken aback a long second, arms dead at her sides,
shocked. Josh repeats the same thing, over and over, more
jumbled, muffled, until they're sobs.

Sara wraps her arms around him again. Hugs him. Then tighter.



END OF SHOW