"WANTED" (2008)

Michael Brandt& Derek Haas

CLOSE ON the faceof WESLEYGIBSON, 25, STARINGAT THE. CAMERA.

His wry smilegives way to •••

The CAMERASTARTS FROMTHE CEILING, pointingstraight down, overlookinga tableof twenty-fivepeople dressed in businesscasual, pretendingto have agood time at lunch inthis cookie-cuttercrappy restaurant.

At the endof the table,a bowl of spinachdip is in. front ofWesley, and theCAMERA STARTS descending directlyfor it, slowly,as we hear•••

WESLEY(V.O.)

- Itwas Rochelle'sbirthday, whichmeant

therewas a certainamount of inter- officepressureto go to Appleby'sand sitat a table oftwenty-five withmy boss Janice presidingat the headeven though she's tootight to pick upthe bill. Which meant,the poor bastard waiting on us hadto split the check twenty-four ways-- everyone contributing to Rochelle's freemeal -- surf andturf, no less -- don'tdo us any favors, Rochelle. Anyway,I ate a plateof extreme nachosand then polishedoff a bowlful of spinachdip pretty muchsingle- handedly•••

The CAMERADISAPPEARS inthe bowl of spinachdip and we •••

••• whereWesleydropshis head down onhis desk.

-

C WESLEY

••• sobythe time Igot back to my cubicle,my eyelidswere so damn heavy,I hadto put my headdown, even if itwas justfor a wink.

A sharplydressed man,MR. X, wearing adark Armani suit, enters a skyscraperthroughthe lobby. He's a shade taller thanmost of theoffice workerswho are coming and going. ·

He headsto an elevatorand presses abutton for the top floor.

And ashis finger pressesthe button, justwhere the thumb meetsthe forefinger,we see a TATTOOof a three headeddog.

Soon ... \.._

••• thedoorsopen againand he finds himselfin an opulentcorridor -- sleekand expensivelydesigned.

Only oneoffice is atthe end of the hall. Expressionless,hemakes his way towardit. Without knocking,he steps inside•••

••• anofficefit fora king. or a queen. Because behind a glassdesk sits abeautiful Indian~qman dressed traditionallyin a serape,with a redbindi on her forehead,the holy thirdeye. Her name isPUJA.

Mr. X sitsin the singlechair oppositeher.

After a moment,Puja looksup.

Shereaches overto an attache caseand removes afile.

Carrying the file,she moves aroundthe desk andstands a few feet away fromMr. X, who risesso that theyare both standing. Shereally is quitebeautiful, exoticeven, with piercingeyes.

,,, andwell hidden. Turnsout his wife's

familyhas a lot ofmoney. He's intown toaccept an award.

Hr.Xis looking at Pujawhen a curiousthing happens•••

••• henoticesthat thered bindi on her foreheadstarts to move alittle. likea second dot is tryingto emerge from it.like an amoebasplitting.

It's asharpshooter's laser!

His eyesgo wide as saucers.

••• butit'stoo lateas bullets rip intoher head. splatteringeverythingabove her eyebrowsinto the wet bar.

- ,') Mr. X crouches,drops his handsbehind hisback, and a PAIR OF GUNS --as technologicallyadvancedas anything we've ever seen-- spring intohis hands.

The bullets.stopflying andhe sprints atthe window from which theycame, smashingthrough what remainsof it, disappearingfrom the demolishedroom •••

••• allthisas Puja's deadbody hits the floor,blood seeping outof that holythird eye.

Mr. X'smomentum carrieshim from one buildingto the next, overan alleyway,the wet concrete shiningbelow.

He lands on the •••

ROOF OF THE NEXTBUILDING:

••• androllsup quickly,guns ready.

His eyes spotFOUR MARKSMENrunning andducking for cover on the neighboringrooftop••~ \ ••• andona dead sprintacross the roof•••

••• hespotsabout a CENTIMETEROF FLESH stickingout from around anair-conditioningvent. He firesthe gun in his left hand.

The bulletflies throughthe air and rocketsinto the flesh.••which happensto be one of themarksmen's ears.

The guyYELPS IN PAIN andfalls back fromthe vent, exposinghimself. That'sall Mr. X needs,and another shot ringsout while he'sstill on a deadrun. THWAP! The bulletfinds its markin the yelpingman's forehead, silencinghim, just as•••

He pullsup his right handand looks downthe barrel of this pistol: built intothe barrel.is a thincomputer screen. Itactually showsthe heat signaturesof the three remainingmarksmen,one of which isdirectly in front ofhim, hiding behinda small rooftopsupply shed.

A secondmarksmen is juston the other sideof the stairwell. The third ison the far side ofthe rooftop.

- Mr. X takesanother look atthe heat signatureof the •marksmanhiding behind the shedand he FIREShis gun •••

s •

••• thendoesan amazing thing: in the splitsecond that the bullet travelsforward,be jerks bis gunto the side••• actuallysteering thebullet aroundthe wall and into the marksman'sthroat.

Before the guy'sblood bitsthe ground,tbe assassin is moving again: he dashes awayfrom the stairwellthen makes two incredibleshots: one knocks apiece of aluminum offthe top of thestairwell•••

••• whichcausesit to flipup in the air abovetbe head of the hidingmarksman •••

••• thesecondshot strikesthe aluminum again.sending the bulletricocheting downinto the topof the marksman• shead! As he falls•.•

THE CAMERAMOVESOVER TOWHERE••• the FINALMARKSMAN is breathinghard, like an enginewith a chronicmisfire, as he looks outat the deadbodies of his fallencomrades••• all choppeddown in a matterof seconds.

He squeezesbis eyes shut,trying to psychehimself up •••

He looks outat the stairwelldoor •••andall is quiet. Maybe Mr.X didn't know hewas there, maybehe left, maybe thelast marksmancan sneak away afterall.

He finallydecides•••

••• andtakesone step forward•••

THWAPI!! A bullet disintegrateshis knee.

He falls,clutching theknee in agony, asMr. X walks toward himslowly untilhe stands right overhim like a hunter overhis prey.

Mr. X's shoecomes downon the final marksman'swrist, pinning itaway from bisdropped weapon.

For a moment,we're notsure the lastmarksman's going.to answer. Then •••

The marksmanpoints ata small VIDEO CAMERAsitting on the roof,relaying theirevery move •••

Mr. X's facefalls as.thosewords register,and just then•••

after blockin the blinkof any eye •••

••• untilitreaches arooftop, over amile away.

ON THENEW ROOFTOP:

A man namedCROSS isin a crouch, holdinga massive RIFLE pointedupward, at anangle•••

A smallSCREENon Cross'gun shows thescene from the roof, alongwith variouselemental measurements: wind speed,pressure, temperature,distance,altitude.••

••• theinformationonthe screen reflectsoff of cross' eyeballas he processesthe shot••• aquick adjustmentto the gunand a slightpull of the trigger•••

BOOM•••

We followthe arcingbullet back overthe rooftops in an instant. Somehow itkeeps it's elevationand it's path•••

••• totheresigned lookon Mr. X's face: an outsmarted man, adead man.

The bullethits him squarein the chest.and he falls to his knees,then slumpsover, dead.

Flies startto gatheras he lies there.

First one,then two,then several as nightTIME-DISSOLVES to day •••

••• andtwopairs of legsapproach the deadbody of Mr. X.

The first set belongto an olderman, SLOAN, wholooks. like he has seenhis share ofdeath. The otherset belong to thehottest blackwoman on the planet,FOX.

As they look down atthe deadbody •••

Sloan just nods.

He then stoopsdown, shoos someof the fliesaway with the back ofhis hand and picksup the filethat Puja gave Mr. x.

The CAMERAPUSHES IN on theback of Sloan'shand as he reads the file. It. too.has the tattoo ofthe three headed dog.in the same spotas Mr. x.

Sloan nods.

Sloan nodsagain.

Sloan squintsback up atFox.

And withthat, we •••

)

••• WesleyGibson,theguy from theopening scene, fast asleepin his littlecubicle. Some droolfalls offhis lip andjerks him awake.

Justthen, the shotFREEZE-FRAMES,and we see IN THE BACKGROUNDOF THE SHOT, hisfat bossJANICE caughtin mid- stridecoming towardhim, lookinglike she's readyto bringthe wrath cfGod.

The BILLING REPORTis highlightedon the screen forjust a moment •

••• thenthemovieRESUMES normalspeed and Janicereaches Wesley's cube inno time •••

BOSS JANICE

- Oh my fuckinggod I hopethat's not my J billingreport sittingon your fucking

desk. Holyshit on analtar, it isl

A couple of theother OFFICE WORKERSlook up atthe·· fireworks and smile.••likethey're actually enjoying Janice's histrionics.

Wesley lookslike he'd ratherbe anywhere else.

She snatchesup thereport off hisdesk.

Wesley grabs thereport back.

- BOSS JANICE )

No, you'reworthless. I'm the one who's sorry Ihired you.

She storms away,fuming.

Wesley looksover and seessome of the otherworkers still staringat him, amused.

He sits backdown to thesemi-privacy of hislittle cubicle.

A CONSULTANTin a suit isdroning on and onin front of a nifty power-pointpresentation.

The CAMERAPULLS BACKto reveal Wesley,bored to tears, sitting ata long tablewith Janice and othercorporate minions.

The CAMERAFINDS Wesley'snote-pad where itlooks like he's takingnotes on thepresentation. Instead,covering every inchof the page,is the phrase "lifesucks then you die."

Wesley'sGIRLFRIEND iscurrentlyriding some guynamed BARRYon her livingroom .couch. She'snot very attractive,sort ofplain and ordinary.

She'sgiving ither best. As herMOANS reach a crescendo,we •••

Wesley is stillsitting therewith his note pad,while the consultantcontinues to rattleon and on abouti;od knows what.

Through the blindsbehind the speaker,Wesley canspot his company'shot intern, NICOLE,talking on thephone. He zeroes in onher, until•••

Wesley suddenlylooks around theroom and everyoneis staring at him.

Everyone is stilljust staring•••

CONSULTANT

) Son ••• everyoneknows thatnet

investmentincome is inverselyrelated to both premiumand loss reserves,making firm cyclesinherently dependenton industrycycles!

Everyone snickers.

Wesley jots down onhis pad: "ACTIONITEMS,"and underneath it: "Differentialresponses••• thenyou die.n He underlinesit three times.

-) Wesley sits ata small roundtable by himself,eating a ham and cheeseon white.

A groupof other WORKERSsit at a tablenearby, gossiping and guffawingaboutwhatever shit theyhave to discuss.

Justthen, Nicole,the pretty intern,approachesand startsfishing throughthe refrigerator.

Wesley site upright,glad now thatno one is sittingat hie table. Nicoleturns and smilesat Wesley, startsto head hie way,when •••

He pulls a chairover from nextto Wesley tomake room for her at hietable.

Wesley just takesanother biteof hie sandwich.

Wesley is staringat his monitor•••

Then we seethat he is actuallyplaying solitaireon the computer. Be keeps checkingover his shoulderfor Janice, but sheis talking onthe phone in heroffice with the doorshut.

Be looks upand watches thecomputer clock turnfrom 4:59 to 5:00. Be saveshie solitairegame and thenturns off the computer,snatches up hiejacket, waits forJanice to turn her backto him as sheis engrossed in hercall, and then sneaksaway.

Wesley pressesthe down buttonand waits.

Afteran eternity,the doors open.

Wesleysteps in andturns around•.Before the doors close,he sees hisboss Janice down thehall, lookingat him. She checksher watch and looksback at him, pissed•••

••• andthenthedoors close.

Wesley pedals aten-speed down abusy street. It's raining, andhe squints to keepthe water out ofhis eyes.

He stands nervouslyat an ATMmachine. He checksto see if anyone islooking, and thenbits the "checkbalance" button.

A message comesup: "You have$47.92 in your account. Would you likeanother transaction?"

He clicks "yes"and then "quickcash" and waits forthe $40 to dispense.

Wesley enters,toting his bike,only to find Cathyand Barry laughingon the couch,watching some crapon television.

He's two stepsin the doorwhen •••

WESLEY

,.-..J What?

J CATHY

I specificallytold you toget noodles on your way home. God, Wesley,I already put the sauceon.

·CATHY You didn'tlisten is whatyou didn't. I might aswell talk to thewall.

He turns around.

He starts tohead away whenBarry pokes hishead out of the apartmentdoor.

What a dick. Wesley doesn'tturn around, defeated•••

He's back onthe ten-speed,pedaling again inthe rain, a pissed expressionon his face.

He grits histeeth as we •••

A young Wesley,10, sits ata table with a coupleof RELIGIOUS FOSTER PARENTWACKOS.

The ten-year-oldWesley movesfurtively to a sideof the clap trap house,and pries loosea board.

Stuck in a holeis a copy ofTHE COUNTOF MONTECRISTO.

He moves back aroundthe cornerand standing thereis his FOSTER MOTHER,pissed as hell•••

••• sheholdsacopy of the bookin her hand, getting ready to strike•••

,,.--. \. Young Wesleytakes a beating,WHAP, WHAP, WHAPI

• •• hisfacescrewsup,takingthe blows •••

••• thatsameexpressionis plasteredon Wesley'sface as he pedals• He banksthe bikeup a curb and intoa grocery storeparking lot.

Across the street,a man watchesfrom behind thewheel of a '71Chevy Cheyelle.

In fact, it'sCross, the man welast saw assassinating Mr. X on therooftop.

He watches Wesleypark the bikeand move into the store.

Wesley stands,looking over allthe different kindsof noodles. Noneof them just say "spaghetti."

Suddenly, awoman's voicepops up behind-him•••

She said itso fast he'snot sure he heardit right.

He turns andsees thehottest woman eyerto grace Kroger'saisles: Fox. She's wearing barelyenough clothingto cover hertight body.

She lookshim in theeye.

With that,she walkstoward the end ofthe aisle, eyes scanningthe whole time.

Stunned,all Wesley cando is watch herwalk.

on thesmall of herback is a tattoo. It'sthe same tattoowe saw in thebeginning: a three-headeddog.

She getsto the end andcatches him lookingat her.

Then shemakes a verysubtle gesturewith her head •••as if to sayucame here."

Wesleystill isn't surewhat the hell isgoing on. Sheepishly,he makeshis way to where shestands,

She leansin close, herlips just inchesfrom his ear.

WhateverWesley was expecting.it wasn'tthat. He pulls back fromher.

Fora moment, justa moment, Wesleyis stunned, butFox justkeeps sizinghim up.

Wesley holds uphis hands in a defensivegesture•••

Wesley startsto talk but Fox interruptshim•••

Wesley startsto open his mouthagain, but thencloses it. He waits.

L WESLEY

TheFraternity?

suddenly.she raisesher hands and isfisting two black PISTOLS.

Wesleytakes a stepback.

Justthen, crossrounds the corneron to their aisle. alsofisting a pairof guna.

Wesley'seyes go wideas Fox suddenlystarts firing,BAM! BAM!BAM! BAM! BAM! forcingCrossto take cover onthe farside of the aisle.

Shescreams this,grabbing Wesley'swrist and jerkinghim forward,just asCross comes backup, firing, a killing machine.

Theybarely get outof the way, asthe pasta aisle explodesin an avalancheof bullets! Glass bottles of spaghettisauce shatter,turningthe aisle into a rainstormof reddroplets -- we'renot sure what is sauce andwhat is blood.

Then •••Crossspringson to a displaystand of tortillas andup to the topof the freezer section,so he can have abetter angle ofattack at the fleeingFox and Wesl-ey.

He startssprintingdown the top ofthe freezer section, smashingover styrofoamcoolers, ashis bullets barely missFox and Wesley,but slam intothe freezers behind them,sending iceand glass explodingeverywhere.

0 But Wesley andFox are too quick. She stillhas a hold of Wesley's wristand she propelshim throughthe swinging doorsof the stock room.

-EXT. OUTSIDETHE GROCERYSTORE- DAY

There is a cherryred FERRARIconvertible parkedright next to the store.

Wesley is stilltrying to figureout what thehell is going on asFox tosses himthe keys!

But Fox justleaps intothe passenger seat,guns up and ready, asWesley's legs somehowtake overand he hops behind thewheel.

Just then,Cross's Chevellerips aroundthe corner, practicallygoing up ontwo tires.

Wham! Wesley turns theignition, popsthe clutch, and smashesthe gas pedalas the car nearlysnaps his neck when itlaunches forward.

He racesthrough the gearsand rips arounda corner and out intotraffic.

The Chevellestayson his tail behindthem; Cross drives and fireshis Glockat the same time. Baml Bam! Baml

Fox doesher bestto send bullets backhis way, while Wesleymans the wheel,breathing hard,still stunned at whatis happening.

He spotsa side-street•••

••• whipsthecar intoa rubber-squealingturn•••

L EXT. ONE WAYSTREET - DAY

••• andendsup going thewrong way down anarrow one-way street!

He now hasto weave in andout of cars headedright for them, as Crossstays tighton their ass.

Horns areBLARINGin his face,but Wesleysomehow keeps the Ferrarion all four tiresas he bobs inand out of the pathsof oncoming cars.

A 4 X 4 ChevyPickup isheaded like a missileright at them•••

Wesley'seyes go wide.

WESLEY

- No! Shoot the tires!

Fox looksat Wesley,momentarily stunnedby his idea, then spinsand fires awayat the oncomingtruck.

The fronttires on thetruck explode andthe truck veers hard right,where itbounces off a Fed Ex truckthat sends itinto a violentroll.

Wesleyguns the Ferrariat the tumblingtruck as it flips forward••• right overtheir car!!!

Wesleywatches it flyover them, amazedhis idea worked •••whenfinallyit SMASHES downinto the street betweenthem and Cross'sChevellel

Crossis forced to slamon his brakesand slide out ••• but it'stoo late•••his Chevelle smashesinto the 4 X 4 beforeskidding to a stop,a tangledmess in the street.

Wesleysnaps back toreality and ripsthe Ferrari off the one-waystreet and downa side street.

He pullsthe car to astop, then looksover at Fox, amazed.

Wesley forcesa laugh, butright now it'shard to paint anything asludicrous.

She leansright into hisface so that theirnoses are only inchesapart.

Wesleystops, not sureof anything rightnow.

He settlesback in hisseat and popsthe clutch again, thistime, easing a littlemore respectablyinto traffic.

TheFerrari cruisesto a stop outsidea warehouse.

Wesleyis stilldazed.

(

She hops out. They walk insidea •••

••• towhereMr. Sloan standsnext to a hugeman, THE BUTCHER,who is slicingbeef off of hangingcow carcasses. There are fliesbuzzing aroundand blood draining intothe centerof the floor.

If Wesleywasn't nervousbefore, he is now.

The Butcherlooks up fromhis work and laysdown the knife, rightnext to whereMr. Sloan hasa pair of silver pistolsand a magnifyingglass resting ona rolling table.

The Butcherlooks himover.

The Butchersnickers. Sloan speaks up •••

Wesleylooks from Sloanto Fox to the Butcherand back to Sloan.

(_

He hesitates.

They lookat him, imploringly,waiting foran answer.

Sloan simplypicks upone of the pistolsand sticks the gun inWesley's hand.

WESLEY

\. What?!

For.thefirst time,Wesley notices fliesbuzzing all around.

Inthe blink of aneye, Sloan has pluckedthe secondgun offthe rolling tableand is pointingit at Wesley's temple. He beginsto count•••

Beforehe can sayone, Wesley reacts•••blindly firing thepistol in hishand, indiscriminately,BAMI BAMI BAM! BAM! CLICK••• CLICK••• CLICK•••untilhisfingeris justjamming on thetrigger over andover.

Aftera moment, helooks up, unsurewhy be isn't dead.

L Sloan smiles,drops his pistolon the rollingtable and picks up themagnifying glass. He stoopsdown.and signals Wesleyto do the same.

THROUGH THE MAGNIFYINGGLASS:

Four flies lieon the floor.crawling around•••their wings actuallyseparatedfrom their bodies!

IN THE SLAUGH'l'EMOUSE:

Wesley jerksupright, tryingto processthis.

His eyes lockon to Wesley's,holding themin a vice-like grip•••

Wesley isas stunned aswe·'veever seenhim •••he blinks a coupleof times.

Be drapeshis arm aroundWesley and leadshim out the door.

Sloan andWesley movedown a busy commercialstreet.

Theyweave against theflow of pedestriansout and about on thecity streets. Instinctively, peoplestep out of theirway.

--

C SLOAN

We don'tadvertiseWesley. We blendinto theenvironment likemoths againsta tree.

The CAMERAmoves overa diner's counter•••

••• tothekitchen,where a massive manwith a three- headeddog tattoo onhis hand, flipsburgers•. THE CHEF.

The CAMERAmoves acrossan expansivelawn •••

••• untilitfindsa man with a three-headeddog tattooon hishand, trimminga hedge. THE GARDENER.

INT,GUNCOUNTER -DAY

TheCAMERA movesdown a gun displaycase •••

•.• untilitfindsa GUN SALESMAN holdingout a weaponto anItalian customer. He also hasthe tattoo. He• sTHE GUNSMITH.

Sloanis stillwalking with Wesley. Wesley watchesevery facethat passesthem by •••any ofthem could be Fraternitymembers.

-

The Chef loadsplates of food upon the warmer,where a WAITRESSpicks them up and deliversthem to agroup of prominent lookingBUSINESSMEN.

The lead businessmandigs intohis steak, andimmediately his left arm startsto curl up,like he's havinga heart attack. His cohortslook on ashe spills over;knocking all the platesoff the table, gaspingfor breath,his throat closed.

When the CAMERAPANS OVER AGAIN,the Chef isgone.

The Gardenerworks his gardeningshears ona hedge in the front of thismansion••. CLIP,CLIP, CLIP. We realize he's cuttinga hole all theway through thehedge.

Then, he reachesdown intohis burlap sackand withdraws a long rangerifle with a scope. He pokesthe rifle through thefreshly-cut hole,looks throughthe lens, starts to squeezehis trigger•••

The CAMERA SHOOTSWAYUP to give us an aerialview of the neighborhood. We see thatwe are in the hillsover the city, and acrossthe canyon,a Japanese man isjust pulling intohis driveway,driving a blackAudi, a mile away.

He brakes hiscar, opens hisdoor, but THWAP! A bullet disintegrateshis head and hetopples over,never knowing what hit him.

Back at thehole in the hedge,we see the Gardener's eyeball lookingthrough fromthe other side••• until it disappearsand he is gone.

The customertakes the gun fromthe Gunsmith andpays him in cash.

He thentucks the gunin his belt andwalks out the door, ( like he'sa bad-ass, insteadof the goombahthat he is.

He onlygets a blockbefore the gunat his waist EXPLODES, causinghimto flop on thesidewalk, like he just steppedon a landmine.

The bellto the Gun Shopjingles asthe Gunsmith leaves and headsin the oppositedirection,whistling to himself,not paying attentionto thepedestrians running to helpthe dying Italian.

Sloanand Wesley entera normal lookingpharmacy. They passthrough the smallfront room andhead directlyto theback.

Theyare buzzed throughby THE PHARMACIST,and enter•••

••• asophisticatedbackroom, wherea trio of flat screen monitorsare mountedon the wall.

Thescreens in theroom come to lifewith the face of Cross.

r WESLEY

Theone who triedto kill me.

The screenson theright and lefthold on Cross whilethe screenin the middleshows a man layingface down inthe middleof the sidewalk,Big Ben andParliament in the background.

Thescreen on theright switchesto show MR. X lyingdead onthe rooftop.

• Sloanlooks atWesley •••

Wesley's breathcatches in histhroat, staring atthe screen,untilthe pixels blur likea Seurat painting.

A baby screamsits head off ina nursery, as twodark men sneak into theroom.

(

They reachthe baby's bed anda pair of strongarms lift up the child. But the CAMERAFINDS the faceof the second man•••

• • •andnow weseethat theother man isa YOUNG MR, SLOAN.

Wesleyis still absorbingthe story,his life so differentthan when hegot up in themorning.

-

Sloanputs a hand onWesley's shoulder,gently. Paternally.

Sloanturns off themonitors and pullsover a wooden chairfrom where itrests by a wall.

Wesleydoesn't know whatto say. Sloanmoves to a back door.

Withthat, Sloan leavesthrough thatback door. But •••

ON THE OTHERSIDE OFTHE DOOR:

He stops. He pullsout a gun andwaits for Wesleyto makehie decision, pointinghie gunat the door.

BACKIN THE ROOM:

Wesleyis still standingthere, unawareof what ison the otherside of the door.thinking,thinking, thinking. He takesa step towardthe door •••

FLASH: Hie boss Janice,yellingat him, mocking him.

Wesley hesitates,looks at the chair,then the door again•••

FLASH: Hie girlfriendon the couch,riding highon Barry, loving everyminute of it.

Wesley stands frozen,staring hardat the chair asTHE J CAMERA STARTS toswirl aroundhim.

FLASHES: The consultantharanguing,the other employees laughing,eating.alonein thebreak room, ridinghie bike, all the aspectsof hie shittylife•••

••• astheCAMERACONTINUESto swirlaround him,hie face going hard •••

He takes a seatin the chair,which creaks whenhe site in it.

ON THE OTHERSIDE OF THE BACKDOOR:

Sloan hearsthe creak of thechair and lowers hiegun. He smiles andwalks off downan alley.

IN THEROOM:

Wesleywaits in thechair for what seemsan eternity. He startsto bite histhumbnail, nervously.

In comesthe Pharmacist. The man isbuilt like a mountain,with musclesrippling outof hi.awhite smock. He'sgot a Britishaccent and is extremelypolite.

He walks behindWesley.

Wesley does,and the Pharmacistbinds his handswith some rope.

The Pharmacistcracks hisknuckles and then, WHAMMMMMMMII! He hitsWesley so hard rightin the cheek that it almostknockshim out of the chair.

WHAMMMMMM!!!IThe Pharmacistsmashes him again.

Wesley strugglesagainstthe ropes but isn'tgoing anywhere. The Pharmacistrears back andWHAMMM! WHAMMMI WHAMMMIkeeps hittinghim over·and over againuntil --_; Wesley'seyes roll tothe back of his head.

C FADE TO BLACK.

Wesley jerksawake in hisbed •••

He looksup at his ceilingfan, barelyturning, a few bladesmissing•••

_ WESLEY (V.O.) (CONT'D) Butthen you seethat same old busted ceilingfan overyour bed and youare so damn gladitwas just a dream?

- He sitsup on his bedand checks himselfin the mirror. His facehas been pummeled;it lookslike a piece of squashedfruit.

Wesleyshoves hisATM card in themachine and hits the "checkbalance• button. Which reveals: $100,000.92.

Amazed,Wesley takesout a grand, themachine just spittinghim money.

smiling,Wesley jumpsback on histen speed and zips into traffic.

Thespinning wheelof the bicycleturns into•••

••• thatlittlespinningwheel on amonitor that indicates yourcomputer is stuck. Wesley sitsin his cubicle, staringat it.

Then •••

L NICOLE

What happenedto your face?

Wesleyturns in his chair,surprised. Nicole stands there,looking as prettyas ever, wayout of his league.

Nicolesmiles, flirtatiously.

Shecocks her headand studies him. -

Sheputs her handon top of his;he can only stareat it•••this kindof thing just doesn'thappen tohim.

Wesley's aboutto say something,when he spots Janice headingtheirway. - ..,I Wesley nods ather and Nicole frowns.

(

With that, shesteps away, justas Janicewalks up.

Wesley standsto face hisboss, as Janicelaunches into him•••

Wesley justfocuses onthat mouth. Fatlips over fat gums overyellow teeth. But now allthat's coming out of it is JIBBERISH.

\ Jibberishthat goes straightfrom herlarynx to Wesley's earswhere it ilnbedsinthe soft fleshof his brain and BURNS••• It's so goddamnloud! If only •••

• • •ifonlyitwould just•.••

It's sounbelievablystunning comingout of Wesley's mouththat it hits Janicelike a slapin the face.

Headsall over the officestart to pokeout of the tops of theircubicles likegophers comingout of holes. Nicolewatches, pleasantlystunned, froma few f~et away.

Janicelooks around,shocked. Wesleylikes the way that felt,so •••

L must havebeen particularlydifficult

beingcalled Tubby allthe time, but that doesn'tgive you the goddamnright to treatyour workers likehorseshit. Sure we laughat you behindyour back andsure we know youkeep a stashof jelly doughnutsin the topdrawer of your desk •••

Janice looksdown at her fingers,which stillhave a little grapejelly on them •••

Janice'seyes fall toher feet.

WESLEY (CONT'D)

- ••• youknow,if youweren't sucha bitch,

we might actuallyfeel sorry foryou. As itis, I feel I canspeak for therest of the office when Isay ••• FUCK YOUIII

With that,he throws allthe papers offhis desk, sending them flying!

Empowered,Wesley marchestoward the elevatorsas everyonewatches him go,admiration plasteredon their faces.

The loudmouthfrom thebreak-room stepsout •••

He holdsup his hand fora high-five,but Wesley just WALLOPShim with a rightcross, not breakingstride on his way tothe elevators.

Wesleyflies out the frontdoor, just asFox's Diablo swingsaround the corner.

Fox grinsas Wesley jumpsin the car andshe mashes on the pedal. The Diablo'stires smoke as shelaunches it out of there.

They returnto the butchershop. Sidesof beef hang from hooks nextto a cuttingtable. The Butcheris sharpening a knife.

The Butcherturns andslices a chunkof tenderloin offof one ofthe hanging carcasses,then slapsit on the table.

TheButcher measuresWesley, then startsto talk in a steady,almost boredvoice•••

Wesleynods, half disgusted,half enthralled,

He jabsthe blade intothe beef••• andjust as he does •••

FLASH - PARKINGGARAGE:

••• wesmashcutto a BUSINESSMANwalking to hiscar just as the Butchercomes up behindhim and performsthe exact same move hewas just demonstrating. Just asquickly, we •••

FLASH - BACKTO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE:

••• andtheButcher performsthe next move •••

Just asthe knife hitsthe side of beef,we BIIIABhcut to•••

FLASH -LUXURY HOTEL SUITE:

••• aDRUGKINGPIN comingout of hie hotelbathroom -- wearinga bathrobe. Suddenlythe Butcheris on him, v performingwhat he justdescribed onthis poor bastard, who canno longer screambecause he'smissing his trachea,and just as quickly•••

FLASH -BACKTO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE:

••• weareright backto the hanging sideof beef as the Butcherperforms thenext move •••

Justlike before,we smash cut to •••

FLASH- DIRTY ALLEY:

••• aMANmoseyingdown an alley, carryinga briefcase, whensuddenly, theButcher comes outof nowhere, pulls theenemy's head tothe left and thenWHAM!, jabs the knifeinto the neck,matching themove he was just demonstrating.

--

FLASH - BACKTO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE:

The butcher continuesto hackaway at the hangingmeat, describing moreand moreways to kil.lwith ablade•••

• • •astheCAMERAFINDS Wesley,who is completelyabsorbed in the lesson. The Butcherhands him theknife, and Wesley startsto make hisfirst chops at it,wanting to please theButcher, wantingto get it right•••

Fox is seatedat a smalloutdoor cafe, sippingon a latte, readingthe paper. There's a storyabout the death threatsto HenryHelms on the frontpage.

Just thenWesley approaches,his facesplattered with flecks·ofblood. Shewipes his facewith a napkin.

A hugeChevy 4X4 pullsup and Fox hopsout from behind the wheel,followedby Wesley. They getto the door and Fox pullsout a metaldevice to pickthe lock.

She picksthe lock andthey step inside•••

••• theemptymorgueexamining room. Empty except for a dozendead bodies laidout on slabs.covered by white sheets.

Wesleylooks around,disgusted.

u FOX (CONT'D)

All right,find us someskinny bitches.

Wesley uncoversthe first body •••it'sa blackmale.

Wesley coversthe blackmale and moves overto a second body. He unveilsit to reveal•••what lookslike a dead suburban housewife.

Fox and Sloanstand nextto a paper target-- the kind of thing yousee in a policetarget range. Itshows the outline ofa head andtorso with concentricrings for where you'resupposedto aim.

The Gunsmithhoists thecorpse of the deadsoccer mom on - to a hookthat hangs tenfeet in front ofthe paper target. Sloan flips aswitch and a motortakes the mom ' and targetto the endof the range.

The CAMERAPULLS BACKto show Wesley iswith them standingin one of thosefirearm boothsat the opposite end ofthe range.

An arrayof firearmsare on a shelf nextto Wesley.

Wesleyeyes all theweaponry. Finally,he settles on a short-barreledblackhandgun. Sloan takesit from him and inspectsit.

(

microchipsthat communicatewithsimilar onesin the gun.

Foxcocks her headat Wesley, knowshe's lying.

He nodsat Wesley,like he's onto something.

L SLOAN

Because youuse your braindifferently than otherpeople. All Fraternity members do.

Sloan hands himback the weapon.

- SLOAN (CONT'D)

Try it.

Wesley aims thepistol at thetarget in frontof him. He FIRES •••

••• andthebulletplugs soccermom in the shoulder.

_..

wouldyou do? Allow yourinstincts to guideyou. Just like theflies. (MORE)

Wesley liftsthe gun, hismind racing•••

BAM BAMBAM!

The bulletsblast outof the gun, likethey are on a track setup by Wesley'sbrain. He flickshis wrists and... .

••• theyarcquickly. justmissing thebody and piercethe centerof the target!

Sloan smiles.

Wesleynods proudly,and squeezes offsome more shots, all chasingthroughthe same hole inthe target.

Cathyjumps up fromthe couch whenWesley comes in.

ButWesley just pushespast her andstarts to throw clothesout of drawersinto a blackduffel bag.

ButWesley just keepspacking.

-

Wesley just zipsup his bagand turns backtoward the door •••

• • •whereFoxisnow standing.wearing anoutfit that would makethe devil blush.

BUt Foxdoesn't even acknowledgeher presence,and just watchesWesley do his business.

Wesleywalks out the doorand Fox follows. Cathy chases them outon to the landing•••

Uh-oh •••

Fox stopsand turns around-- fistingher pistols.

Sheunloads••• BAM!BAM! BAM! BAM!BAM!

TheCAMERA SWINGSOVERTO CATHY, who is about to piss herself,standing inthe door frame,with bullet holes placedexpertly aroundher head.

Wesleyand Fox keepmoving, down thesteps. Barry is comingup the steps,but he takes onelook at them,does a U-turnand hurriesout of their path.

Wesleytosses his baginto the cornerof this immaculatelyfurnishedpenthouse apartment,overlooking theskyline.

She movestoward aseparate bedroom.

Shestops.

(

For a moment,she thinksabout it. Then •••

EXT, CITY STREET -NIGHT

Theywalk down a downtownlane, buildingscrowding inon them fromall·sides. Not too many peopleare out this late;they have the sidewalkto themselves.

Wesleylooks at herhopefully. Shesmiles, thinking aboutthe past.

A younger,greenerFox stands alonein the alley, eyes scanningthe rooftops.

FOX {V,O.) I remember onenight he hadme on my own -.forthefirsttime, and I wastagging this targetnamed Buster Burgess. But I was green andclumsy and stupid. Buster marked me anddisappeared intothis old tenement building.

(_

A shadowy figurecreepsto the edge of thebuilding and looks down. We can't quitemake out his face. Fox is looking theother way andhe's got a cleanshot.

He raises arifle to hiseye •••

BAM!

He nails Foxin the thigh,and she fallshelpless to the pavement.

The figurere-aims, readyto take out thehelpless Fox.

The figureunleashes fourmore shots.

They turna corner andhead up into the lobbyof a tall building,their conversationcontinuing•••

INSIDE THELOBBY:

Wesley weighsall this,puts it together.

Fox nods, smiling. They step•••

INSIDE AN ELEVATOR:

••• andstartridingit up.

She smilesat another thought.

A PORSCHESHOWROOM sitson the corner. SMASH! A black 911 convertiblebreaksthrough the glassand skids to a stop nextto Fox in thestreet.

Two handspull her upand drop her in thepassenger seat, and thecar roars off.

Wesleysmiles. The elevatorDINGS.

Fox andWesley step outon to the rooftopwhere Mr. X was gunneddown.

Wesley'seyes narrow andhe looks around,taking it all in.

u WESLEY

How?

Wesleycrouches downby where his father'sbody would have been,running hisfingers overthe gravel rooftop.

- FOX

Well that'swhy you're here. To make up for losttime.

Wesley looks backat her.

They stand ina dark corner ofa decrepit morgue,where a couple of urnsrest on a counter. The place doesn'tlook like much morethan a crack-house.

_)

She leavesand Wesley approachesthe urnholding his father's remains.

He runs hisfinger overit, and just when we thinkhe's going tohave an emotionalmoment •••·

••• hesmashesthe urn onto the stand, theashes spilling out everywhere.

Wesley runshis fingersthrough the decay: what a mess •••thereare piecesof bone intermingledin the - cremains. J But thenhis fingers findsomething inthe dust••• a BULLETwith a hole runningdown its center. He holds it up to thelight for acloser look.

As he studiesit, we startto hear... WHAM! WHAM!•••

INT, SMALLROOM - DAY

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

Wesley sitswith hishands tied behindhis back, taking anotherbeating fromThe Pharmacist,who spouts assassinationtechniqueswhile he pummelsWesley.

WHAM! WHAM!

-

The sound of thePharmacist'svoice fades tothe background asWesley's voice-overcomes up •••

Wesley's eyesare startingto lose consciousness.

Wesleytakes a brutal shotto the face.

I. He involuntarilyspitsblood as his eyesroll back inhis head.

Sloansits across fromWesley at a skinnytable in an otherwisebare room.

Sloanlooks rightat him. Wesley narrowshis eyes, tryingto fend offhis stare.

so.

Wesley looksdown, then focuseson Sloan.

Sloan waits. Wesley realizesit's uselessto try to keep somethingfrom this man. He reaches intohie pocket and pulls outthe bullet withthe hole in itscenter••• places iton the table.

Sloanlooks at him, likehe might havebeen underestimatinghimuntil now.

-

Sloan picksup the bulletand leans back.

Wesley tapshis head.

Sloanreaches down andpicks up a binderwhich he drops on thedesk.

SLOAN

- Cross. The detailsof his life. - Continue yourhunt.

This stopsSloan fora second.

Wesleylies on Fox'scouch, tryinghis damndest not to peekat her throughher bedroom door. It's cracked just enoughthat he can seeher draping atowel around her bodyas she heads totake a shower.

Wesleysits up and looksat the bindersitting on the table. Slowly he opensit and sees apicture of Cross staringback at him. The man who tookWesley's father fromhim.

Wesleystudies the face,wanting to know everydetail.

- ~--. l_ IN THE BATHROOM:

Fox peers out thedoor and looksat Wesley,watching him absorb more ofCross with everypage.

Sloan leads Wesleyinto a giganticroom linedfrom floor to ceiling withleather-boundbooks.

Wesley nods, impressed. Sloanjust keeps leadinghim through a setof double doors,into•••

is a giganticmodel of the entirecity, builtto scale, showing all thebuildings, skyscrapers,churches,the waterfront,the city streets. Everything thecity has to offer laid outin miniature.

Sloan and Wesleystand likegiants in the middleof the model city•••

Most of thebuildings are white,but interspersedamongst them are a few paintedred. someof the model street lamps are alsored.

The color red appearssporadicallythroughoutthe entire model city: on thesides of buildings,on mailboxes,on some of the manholecovers.

Sloan just smiles•••

• • •andTHECAMERAMOVESTO HIS FEET,then PUSHES.IN on one particularstreet on themap, further inon one RED STREETLIGHTand we •••

activity, pedestrianshurryingto work, carsand taxis and.truckswhizzing throughthe street.

Sloan and Wesleywalk down thesidewalk, passing streetlightafter streetlightuntil they reachone in particular.

Wesley peersat it••• thereis a plaque affixedto the pole••• thestandard thingyou find on thesethings••• "Municipalc. w. 63070."

But then thereis somethingdifferent on thisone •••a tiny symbolon the bottomof the plaque•••the Cerberus instead ofthe seal of thecity.

Sloan pressesthe symbol andthe plaque slidesaside, revealinga hollow space behindit. He reacheshis hand inside andpulls out a smallhandgun •••flipsout the clip expertly,then racksthe weapon.

Wesley can'tbelieve it.

-- ..J WESLEY

Jesus.

r Just then,two POLICE OFFICERSwalk by,eye the gun Sloan has pulledout.

Sloan flasheshis tattooat them.

Theynod and do justthat.

THECAMERA PUSHES IN on Wesley'sfaceas he realizesthe fullscope of thisorganization andwe•••

SERIES OF SHOTS:

GUNRANGE. Wesleyfiring his Imanishi18 on the shooting \- range,steeringthe bullets whereverhe wants themto go.

Impressed,theGunsmith moves thecorpse closerto the target,makingthe angle all thatmuch tougher.

Wesley gets readyto squeeze histrigger, but apistol startsFIRING nextto him.

He looks over •••Sloanis standingnext to him. firingat the target. Everyshot bends aroundthe body andhits right in the foreheadof the target.

Wesley smiles,impressed.

LIBRARY. Wesleythumbs throughan old Fraternitybook, which has detailedsketches ofan assassination in17th century Paris.

MEAT LOCKER. Wesley working outon a heavy bag,honing his punches, theChef holdingthe bag for him,muscles rippling.

MAP ROOM. Wesleywalks by himselfamongst the miniature city, tryingto memorize wherethe red marks are.

-

( INTERROGATIONROOM. Wesley sitting here,being grilled by Sloan, ashe tries to tellthe undetectablelie.

FOX'S APARTMENT. Wesleylooking at Foxthrough the bedroomdoor.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE. Wesleyworking with theButcher on the art ofknife play.

MAP ROOM. The Gardenerand Fox show Wesleythe rooftop of a certainbuildingon the model city;one corner of the roofpainted red.

ROOFTOP. Fox and theGardener now withWesley on that actualrooftop, pointingout firing angles,modes of ascension,and escaperoutes. The Gardenermoves overto a cornerstonein theroof of the buildingand then easily liftsit off, revealinga stash of assaultrifles.

\ SHOOTINGRANGE. Wesleylooking at some ammunitionwhile the Gunsmithtalksand demonstrates. He fires at oneof thetargets, whichEXPLODESin a splatteredmess andwe cutto •••

Fox makingcoffee asWesley sits, studyingthe binder, hismind racing.

Wesleyflips to thepicture of Cross.

Fox walksover andslams the binder shut.

-

-- -

one won'tbe the first.

Sloanfires atthe target, thebullets followinghis every command. Wesley does thesame, equally skilled. Fox sits, watchingthe two of them. Is it becoming competitive? One shootsand thenthe other follows, neither one evermissing.

Finally, Gunsmithruns the targetback in to changeout the body.

Fox leans back,impressed.

Sloansmirks andturns to instructWesley.

Wesley nods asGunsmith returns.

Gunsmith startssliding the targetcloser to thebody, -'- until it's actuallytouchingthe back of thedead business man!

The Gunsmith shrugsand runsthe target down therange. Wesley looks atSloan.

Wesley pulls hisgun and letsloose five rounds, lightning fast.

TheGunsmith bringsthe targetback to them •••

••• andthebusinessman is riddledwith holes. r ,

The Gunsmithdoes andwe see that eachof the five bullets haspassed cleanthrough the cadaverand found it's markon the target.

Gunsmithsticks hisfinger through thehole in themiddle of thetarget.

With that,he turnsand walks away, alook on his face that ishis fiercest,a far cry fromthe kid in the cubicle. That sameexpression is onhis face as we •••

Wesleystrains againstthe ropes thatbind his hands as The Pharmacistwaylayshim. But thistillle.Wesleycounts out thepunches as hetakes the shots.

There isa look in Wesley'seye we haven'tseen before, a burning,searing fire.

As he continuesto takepunches and countthem out •••

••• hepulls hisarms tight, andhis musclesstart to twitch and bulge-- muscleswe didn't know hehad until now -- and ashe continues totake punches,WHAM!, WHAM!, WHAM!! ,therope strains againstthe woodenchair, and we can HEAR thewooden legs startto pop, until•••

CRACKI ! !Wesleyjerks his armsfree, and comesup swinging withthe broken offleg of the chair.

SMASH! SMASH!! The Pharmacistgoes down hardand Wesley stands overhim, out of control,furious, SMASH! SMASH!, beating himwith that brokenchair leg.

The CAMERAPUSHES THOUGHone of the walls•••

OBSERVATIONROOM:

••• towhereFox and Sloanare watching Wesleypummel the pmmneler througha one-waymirror.

••• thelookon Fox's facebecomes more andmore raw and sexual until.••

••• sheleapson top ofWesley. straddlinghirnon top of her bed.

They unleashon each other,and from the looksof it, Fox makes Cathyseem like anun.

Wesley didn'tknow it couldbe like this.

After theyfinish, Fox getsup and heads tothe shower and hewatches her go thewhole way.

In the doorway,she turnsaround•.-•

--

r- INT. TATTOOROOM - DAY

Wesleysite in a chairas Fox crouchesnext to himwith an advancedtattoomachine, inkinghie hand.

Wesleylaughs.

- - He settlesdown. \

Foxlooks at him,a wry smile onher face.

r

FOX

I Nab. Motherfuckerdeservedit. Be raped

eight women inthose four days. One of them wasmy great-great-great-grandmama.

She pushes herchair back, donewith her work.

The CAMERA PUSHESIN as Fox removesthe device sowe can take a look: the three-headeddog has been tattooedinto his hand.

Wesley and Fox walkdown a crowdedurban city street.The CAMERA findsWesley's tattooand then moves aroundbehind Fox and holdson hers.

Wesley can'thelp but smile,then Fox stops. They're standing rightin front ofa CAR SHOWROOM, displayedin the windowis a MIDNIGHTBLACKPORSCHE911 convertible sitting ina showroom window ••••justlike theone Wesley's fathersmashed inFox's story.

(_

Suddenly,the car comes flyingout of thewindow, glass shatteringeverywhere asit tears up thestreet.

ON THE CITY STREETS:

Trafficlights mean nothing,as Wesleymashes the acceleratorto the mat,and the Porscheresponds, ripping up the roadlike a tigeron the prowl.

Fox risesup in the passengerseat, lookingover the windshield,the windwhipping her face•••

He weavesin and outof traffic, thenrips around a corner,narrowly cuttingin front of aneighteen-wheeler, whichhas to slam on itsbrakes.

Wesleywhips the car arounda corner•••

He pullsthe car tothe side of the street•••

..•in frontof a busyoutdoor mall. It'scovered with shops,eateries, movietheaters and people,people, people.

Fox eyesthe crowd.

FOX

_,

We're here for areason and it ain't clothes-shopping. Somewhere in that crowd is your firsttarget.

Foxhands him hisImanishi pistol,which Wesley rolls overin his hand.

He nodsand makeshie way toward•••

THE OUTDOOR MALL:

••• wherehequicklymingles withthe crowd. He haehie hands tucked intothe front pocketof hie hooded- sweatehirt, thepistol inside. People paee himon hie left and right,same make eye contact,eame don't••• anybody couldbe the target.

Weeley'e eyesecan to the rooftops,surveying••• the SECURITYGUARD by the theater,the SWEATER-FOLDERat The Gap, the SCARY-LOOKINGGUY shoppingat the eunglaeees stand.

And then Wesley'seyee settleon someone hewae not expecting toeee •••Barry. hisbeet friend thatwas shagging hiegirlfriend••• isthmnbing throughbooks outside theBARNES AND NO~T,E•••seeminglynotpaying attention towhat's around him.

Wesley can'tbelieve it. Itcan't be him. Canit?

Just then, Barryetope lookingat the books andstarts walking towardWesley, keepinghie eyee down. Fuck, thie can't reallybe happening•••

••• Wesleygetsready,both hands insidethat front pocket•••

••• andnow Barrymeetshis eyes •••stillcoming •.•still coming •••

Wesleycan't believe it!

Wesleypulls out hisgun and Barrythrows up his hands•••

But now wesee Wesleyis looking pastBarry. over his shoulder-..

V ••• andhe'slookingat a man we recognizefrom his office•••The Consultant.

Be'sapproaching rapidlybehind Barry,fisting a pairof pistols!

Justas Barry hitsthe deck, Wesleypulls the trigger•••

••• butitjust CLICKS, thechamberempty •••

THEPORSCHE:

Fox holdsthe clipto Wesley's Imanishi,tapping it in herhand. Roly shit,she gave him anempty gun •••

THE OUTDOORMALL:

Wesleycan't believehis gun is empty. In the split- secondthat it takeshim to realizethis, the Consultant hashis guns leveled,taking aim,but •••

65•

•••Wesleymoves faster thanwe thought hecould move ••• he darts behinda kiosk hockingmonogrammedapparel, and dashes fullspeed throughthe crowds liningthe street.

The consultantchases afterhim, knocking shoppersout of the way, sendingfanny packsand Nordstrombags flying.

Wesley hooksa right arounda SHARPER IMAGEand heads straight down anarrower section,like he'son a mission, knowing exactlywhere he'sgoing. And now wesee why•••

Because thecity around usgoes stark whitelike the Map RQQID. We'reseeing whatWesley sees, whathe's memorized in all thosehours staringat the model. Finally we see one SMALLBENCHnext to afountain, whichis bright red.

Immediatelythe natural colorof the citycomes back and Wesley ierunning all outfor that bench. He goes into a slide, hittingthe graeeunderneath thebench, eliding under it,popping up onthe other aide.

He ripe a metalpanel offthe back of it ashe does, revealingan AUTOMATIC PISTOL•••

••• andjustae quickly,he's up on one knee,aiming, using thebench as a shieldae the Consultantrushes up, surprisedand BAM! BAM!BAM!

The Consultantdrops wherehe is, three bulletshitting him in histwo shoulders andhis chest.

People startSCREAMING andRUNNING the hellaway ~rom the gunplay. Wesley is aboutto run away himself,but when he turns,Fox is right therebeside him •••smiling. A couple ofSECURITYGUARDS are with her, smilingas well.

Wesley looksover at TheConsultant, who sitsup, smiling too, eventhough he's bleedingfrom three spotson his body •••

Wesley looksdown at the gun.

Fox nods,as the Security Guardsgo to helpthe Consultantto his feet.

C FOX

(nods) Protectingour assets.

She hands the clipfrom the Imanishiover toWesley •••

Wesley and Fox walkdown a longhallway towarda single doorway. Theyopen it, revealing•••

••• alarge officewith a singledesk and aroaring fire. Sloan turns fromthe fireto greet them.

He holds upthe "mole" bullet,and smiles.

Wesley nods,a grave expressionon his face,like he knows whathe is goingto do next.

SLOAN {CONT'D) Pek War chargesexorbitantprices, as much asten-thousand dollarsfor a single round,but his craftsmanshipis unparalleled.

He heads overto Wesley, handshim a slip ofpaper.

SLOAN {CONT'D) You canfind him at thisaddress.

A three-foot-seven-inchAsianman sits at a worktable with his littlelegs danglingover the endof his chair.

PEK .WARis concentratinghardon the metal inhis hands.

The diminutiveman looks upfrom his worktablewhen he hears a loudTHUMP.

He gets no answer. He remainsperfectly still, listening.

PEKWAR {CONT'D) Andey?I

Two louder THUMPSand a GUNSHOTjerk his headaround. Then he's upout of the chair,faster thanwe thought a little man couldmove.

Breathing ragged,shimmyingacross his work space,Pek War hurriesover to a chestof drawers.

He gets to itand throws openthe bottom drawerto reveal a stash of handguns. He reachesfor one •••

••• butthemuzzleof a pistolcomes up to theback of his head and thehammer clicks asit is pulled back.

Pek War throwshis hands up.

PEK WAR {CONT'D) Alam manlamangI Alamman lamang!

Wesley signalsfor him to turnaround.· .Afterhedoes •••

Wesley measureshim with eyesthat have gonehard. Fox stands overWesley's shoulder,loving everymoment of this. Then•••

Pek War seesthat Wesleymeans business.

(perfectEnglish) And what'sthe other?

Fox snickers.

The bulletmaker looks as thoughhe knew a daylike this might eventuallycome. Hisface falls andhe looks at his feet.

Wesley SMASHEShim in the facewith the butt ofhis gun, then grabs along, metal STILETTO-typetool fromthe work table.

(

With that, Wesleysticks the stilettointo PekWar's aide!

The littleman starts jabberingto God in someforeign language.

Pek War waits,trying notto writhe fromthe pain•••

Pek War'seyes go wide,pleading••.

Wesley twitchesthe handlejust a bit.

( Wesley lets up alittle bit.

Fox snatches upa nearby phone.

The Porsche onceagain tearsacross the asphalt,as Wesley drives.

Wesley drivesfor a while. Then •••

WESLEY

- You know whatmy fostermother toldme \.._ when Iwas six yearsold?

Fox shakesher head.

They aresurrounded byindustrial lookingwarehouses, one of whichhas the words Times-Heraldonit. Newspaper deliveryTRUCKSmake their way in andout of the loading dock areaof this building.

overhead,an EL TRAIN scrapesalong theworn tracks.

Fox pullsaround a cornerand back intoan alley, so they can havea view of thecorner in frontof them.

Wesleyscans the areaquickly.

Fox smilesknowingly,and looks up,revealing what Wesley is talkingabout. On variousrooftopswe ·seeFIGURES peeringdown. lookingover the site.

u

is your show.

Fox subtlymoves herhead and figuresdisappear, crouchingdown.

Just then,out thewindshield, they seea MAN wearing a long blackovercoatapproaching the cornernear the newspaperbuilding.

Fox'seyes start todance.

Wesleynods and thetwo of them step outof the car.

IN THESTREET:

From adistance, Wesleyapproaches Crossfrom the back. His stepsbecome quicker,getting closerevery passing second. Wesley startsto reach in hiscoat for his gun •••

••• andthat'swhen Crossfires! Quickas lightning, Crosshas guns out andlets loose towardthe roof of a nearbywarehouse.

His bullethas the instincts.ofa birddog, and it curves over theedge of the buildingand findsits mark, causing a crouchingASSASSIN toplunge from theroof to the street nearWesley!

The otherson the rooftopshail down bulletsas Crose disappearsinto the nearestbuilding, theTimes-Herald.

Wesley andFox run towardthe buildingas three other Fraternitymembers beatthem there, theBELLMAN, the · WAITER, andthe ELECTRICIAN.

Wesley seesthem congregateon the loadingdock and then start insidethe building•••

The minuteBellman exposeshilllselfintheopen loading dock doorhe is cut down frominside, hisbloody body falling backwardsinto anewspaper truckparked at the dock.

Wesley andFox join the othertwo on thedock as screamingWORKERS run fromthe place.

Wesley seesan unmanned forklifton the dock.

They all jumpon the pallet heldby the forksof the lift. Wesleythrows the machinein reverse andit backs intothe warehouse,the four assassinssafely crouching on thepalleton the front.

INSIDE THENEWSPAPERBUILDING:

onceinside•••

73,

L WESLEY

Separate.

The lowestlevel isthe loading dock,where palletsof newspapersand massiveunused paperrolls await.

WITH THE ELECTRICIAN:

TheElectrician hustlesbetween thepallets and boxes, eyesdarting, gunsdrawn. He backsup to a pallet of stackednewspapers,using it as cover. What he doesn't realizeis that betweeneach stackof papers is a space, justbig enough fora --

THWAP! A bullet findsits way throughthe space andhits theElectrician inthe back of theshoulder, spinninghim around.

CLOSE ON: Cross' gun. Another shotand we followthe bullet,across thedock and dippinglow into the next spacein the paperstack -- rightwhere Electricianis now leaning•••

••• thebulletburiesin his eye. sendinghim to the floor.

Wesleysees Crossrace for a set ofstairs. Just as Wesleyis about tocut him down,Cross fires at awooden beam holdingbacksome massive rollsof NEWSPAPER. The rollstumble overand Wesley hasto dive out of theway, allowingCross toescape up the stairs.

Wesley,Fox and theWaiter all racefor the stairs.

ON LEVELTWO:

Giantprinting machinesare runningfull speed, printing upthe morning edition.

A groupof NEWSPAPEREMPLOYEES seethe guns the Fraternitymembersare toting and scramblefor safety.

Wesleyhas to yellto be heard overthe whirring machines•••

Wesleypoints at ascaffolding thatruns above the machines.

With that, Wesleyand Fox disappearamongstthe machinery.

The Waiter takesa step backfrom the press,where over a hundred poundsof paper spinsthrough everysecond.

He sticks hishead out to tryand keep aneye on that scaffolding. Everything looksclear, until•••

••• shotsringout and a shelfon the wallover the Waiter's headgives way! He turns to see abunch of cans of spray lubricantfallingto the floor. No big deal, until Crossshoots one ofthem out of theair, causing it to explode!

The burningoil covers theWaiter, who SCREAMSand stumbles nearerthe printingpress•••

BAM BAM BAM!

More shots fromCross andone of the RESTRAININGARMS on the roll ofpaper feedingthe machine breaksin half. The paper rollspins wildlyfrom the machineand like a saw, cutsthe Waiter inhalf!

With a leap,Cross is onthe scaffolding overthe presses. Forjust a second,Cross stops ashe locks eyes with Wesley •••

••• butFoxis already firingat him so Crosshas to keep moving •••

He heads upa second staircase,but not beforehe sends a stream ofbullets back atFox, who athletically cartwheelsaway •••

••• butoneofCross's bulletsdisintegratesa gear on the press nearher, sending flyingmetal everywhere. A piece of shrapnelburies into Fox'sleg •••making herbreak out of her cartwheeland flopdown, wounded.

-

L FOX

Fuuuucckkk!

Cross races alongthe scaffoldingand disappearsinto a door.

Wesley races forthe stairs. He is the onlyone left to chase Cross to levelthree.

ON LEVEL THREE:

Wesley burststhrough the door,guns ready. Theplace is already in pandemonium,with PEOPLE yellingandscreaming and running forcover. Quickly,Wesley realizeshe's in the business officesof the paper,and it looks surprisinglysimilarto his oldoffice. Lame-ass cubicles and florescentlightingeverywhere.

Wesley jumps upon a desk.

Unafraid,Crossclimbs up on adesk on the otherside of the office. Withouthesitation,Wesley opens fireat Cross•••who immediatelyreturnsfire•••

inmid-air!!! Thebullets ricochetand take outa COMPUTERSCREENwhere someone wasplaying SOLITAIRE,

Thetwo assassinsblast away, allwhile diving andmoving overand in the cubicles. Crosshas a gun similarto the Imanishis,and theyeach steer theirbullets at each otherfrom sharp angles•••

Strangely,.thefirstbullet collisionwas not blind luck, butthe pattern forthe battle. Theyare fightingthe samefight, theirbullets meeting inthe middle, eachman usingthe same techniquesat the exactsame time.

Wesleyneeds an angle,and spots a DRYERASE BOARDthe words"Action Items"written on it. He fires at it, and hisbullets bounce offit at an anglewhere one of them strikesCross in theshoulder••• THWAP!I!

Crosscan't believehe's hit but he doesn'thave time to flinch••• right asWesley fires again,he turns, barely avoidingthe rain ofbullets and leapsthrough a nearby window.smashing theglass out!

Wesley doesn'thesitate behindhim••• he sprintsfor the same window anddives through it,guns at theready and •••

OUTSIDE THE WINDOW:

••• westaywithWesley as he fallsfrom the thirdfloor, firing his gunsthe whole time•••

••• untilhelandson top of an uLntrain movingat full speed.

THE WAREHOUSE DISTRICT:

Fox limps out ofthe newspaperbuilding and hurriesto the Porsche. Sheignores herwounds and ripsthe car out of the alley, chasingafter thefleeing L train.

ON THE L TRAIN:

Ahead of Wesley,Cross is alsoon the top ofthe train. He manages to getup, spin around,and fire atWesley •••

••• buttheybothhave to duckas the L trainwhips under an overpass,which misses smashingboth of themby mere inches.

Cross takes theopportunity toswing down betweencars and enter one ofthe L cars.

BEHIND HIM:

Wesley hurriesacross the topof the train, spyingthe trail of bloodthat Cross is leavingbehind fromhis wound.

Wesley smiles,a shark on a woundedbaby seal,as he also swings down betweenthe cars andenters•••

THE FIRST L CAR:

••• whereheseesthe trail ofblood leading allthe way down the centerof the empty carand out the backdoor. Wesley hovers inthe entry way,his guns up andready.

He takesa stepforward to followthe blood trail,and immediately,heis decked fromthe side by an ambushing Cross.

Theytumble overthe first row ofseats, both losing theirguns.

Wesleykicks Cross offof hilll,butCross·spinswithtwo new gunsin his hand! Wesley is onhim quick though,and SLAMS Crossinto oneof the train'swindows hard enough· to crackit. With aquick twist ofcross' wrist,Wesley takes agun from himjust as Crosskicks him off•••

••• Wesleyfiresashe falls backwards. Cross falls backwardstoo fromthe momentum•••

••• andtheyboth smashout oppositewindows of thetrain beforelanding on eitherside of itl

But theamazing thingis_. • •theystandup and keep firingas the carsare whipping byat 80mph, andllilL realizethey are timingtheir shotsto actually blast betweeneach car inthe split-secondthe opening passes.

ON THE TRAIN:

COMMUTERSride alongin blissful ignorance,readingtheir papers,holding on tothe handrails•••completelyunaware ofthe gunfight ragingoutside thetrain.

A bulletwhizzes throughan openwindow, pierces a u BUSINESSMAN'Spaper,and exits a windowon the opposite sideof the car. The man stickshis finger throughthe hole,unaware of thebattle outside. What the hell?

INTHE ALLEY:

on oppositesidesof the train,Wesley and cross areboth sprintingand firing,trying to getto the end of the lasttrain, whiledodging each other'sbullets•••

...asthe last carpasses, they eachjump on the tracks, endingup with gunstucked under eachother's chin!

Thistakes Wesley aback •••

Wesley'sfinger isstarting to squeezehis trigger•••as is Cross's.

L Finally,Wesley doesand his face goesslack as he sees himselfreflected inCross's pupils.

Just then,Fox pullsup in the Porscheabout fifty yards away, andher headlightsilluminate them.

Cross shiftshis eyesto her, then doesa curious thing: he lowershis gun,then drops it to theground. Wesley can'tbelieve Crosswould leave himselfdefenseless.

Movingswiftly, Crossthen tucks somethinginto the pocketof Wesley'shooded sweatshirt,

Withthat••• crossfalls down. Hisblack jacket spills opento show a gunshot wound not justto his shoulder, butto his abdomen.too. one ofWesley's bullets through thetrain must havefound its mark.

Crossis bleedingprofusely. He gaspsa couple of tillles•••then,withhis last bitof energy••• L

Withthat, the lifegoes out of Cross'seyes.

Wesleystares atthat face, tryingto decipher some meaningthere. But Cross just staresblankly backat him,just as Foxcomes limping up.

Wesleylooks down andsees some ofCross's blood onhis handsfrom theirclench. There isalso some on thegun heis holding. A pearl-handled gun.

Wesleyreaches down andtakes theother pearl-handledgun fromwhere it droppedand looks overthem both.

Wesleylooks up,sees some sort ofanticipation in Fox's eyes. He looksback down at Cross'sbody.

L WESLEY

He said•••he said 'pieson the Fraternity•••'

Fox measureshim, likeshe's not sure ifhe's telling the whole story. Finally,she node •••

L WESLEY

Naah, that'sall right. You needto get stitched up. I'll meet youat that Korean place.

But he's alreadywalking off. She watcheshim go, thinking•••

Wesley walks downthe street. PEOPLE instinctivelyget out of hie wayas he cute a pathdown the sidewalk.

Then he pullsout what Crose slippedinside hiepocket: a beaten-up copyof COUNT OF MONTECRISTO. In fact, there's no mistake,it's the samecopy be had asa kid.

Wesley triesto make sense of thisas he opens upthe cover••• printedon the inside ina steady handare the words: "I leftyou something." - Wesley lowersthe book and seesa cheesy guy parka Harley at a curb. He bee-linesfor the guy.

Wesleynow blazes down thehighway,pushing the Harleyto its limits. His angryexpressionhasn't dissipated.

The Harleypulls upto a lower-middle-classhouse, the· kindyou might findin any run-downsuburb, Kids run aroundthe neighborhood,playing.

ON THEBIKE:

Wesleysits and looksat one particularhouse. He climbs off·andheads to theside of the house,still carrying his book.

SIDE OF THE HOUSE:

He ducksthrough abroken chain-linkfence and moves down the sideof the house •••

••• untilhefinds a familiarwoodenBOARD. Familiar becausewe've seen thisplace before: it's where he livedwhen he was afoster kid.

He removesthe board,then reaches intothe hole. His hand seizeson something. From the hole,he withdraws a KEY attachedto a notewith an addresson it: 1850 North HighburySt.

Wesley'seyes move fromthe copy of MONTECRISTO, to the key, andback to thebook.

Finally,he lowers hishands••• revealinga little eight- year-oldkid, watchinghim curiously fromthe back yard.

The kid.nods.

- The kid nodsagain.

He tossesthe kidthe book andheads off.

Hepulls the Harleyover to a curband then reachesinto his jacket pocketand withdrawsthe note and thekey.

Across the·street,the addressmatches: 1850N. Highbury. Theplace looks likea concrete fortress•••no windows, just alarge iron doorin front.

Wesley approaches,not sure whatthe address couldmean. He gets to thedoor, looking fora key-hole, buthe doesn'tfind one.

He fidgetsthereawkwardly for asecond, but then•••

••• thedooropens,revealing a woman,ANNA. Shetakes a lookat Wesley andthen puts atrembling hand overher lips.

He staresat her,trying to figurethis out. He steps•••

INSIDE THE HOUSE:

••• andfindsthatthe place is nicelydecorated; an attemptto coverup what is reallya reinforced bunker.

Annais now tryingto hold back tears,but can't.

There'sno pointlying to this woman•••

shenods knowingly,sadly.

Annalooks at him,confused. Butthen, realizationsets in •••

Sheleads Wesley intoanother room,where a five-year-old boy,ANDREW. playson the floor.

Wesley's not surewhat to make ofthis.

Andrew is busyplaying with a coupleof BLACKTOY BUILDINGS on thefloor. Wesley studiesthe littleguy, stillconfused.

Wesley looks upand sees what she'sreferring to. The walls are filledwith pictures ofAndrew, Anna, and ••• remarkably•••

••• photographsofWesleyat variousages when hewas crowingup!

Shehands him apicture of Wesleyat about age 12, sittingwith hisback to a tree,reading COUNTOF MONTE CRISTO. The picturehas been takenthrough a windshield, acrossthe street.

Wesley reels, hislegs give out,he slUI11psagainstoneof thewalls•••

FLASH: Cross firingat Fox andWesley at the grocery store. But now we seethat Fox positionedWesley between herselfand the shooter. He wasn'ttrying to hit Wesley, hewas trying toseparate him fromher.

Wesley, thinking,remembering•••

FLASH: Wesley studyingCross'sface in the file,seeing that there isn't jealousyin thoseeyes.

Wesley still slumpedagainst thewall, surroundedby picturesof himself•••

FLASH: Wesley reflectedin Cross'spupils.

Holyshit!!! Crosswas his father!!! Wesley looksup at Anna's kind face•••

Wesleystares at thepicture••• hecan't believe hewas beingwatched backwhen he felt soalone.

She leaveshim in theroom, alone,with his brother. Wesleywatches thekid, trying toprocess it all.

Forthe first time,emotions overcomehim, and he breaks down •••

••• buthe'stoo toughnow to sob, sohe forces the sob down inhis throat andblinks backthe tears. Goddamn, he hasa brother.

IN THE KITCHENOF THESAFEHOUSE - NIGHT- LATER

He walksup behind Anna,who is sippingsome coffee at a kitchentable, red eyed.

Wesley setsthe key down on thetable.

A LONE KEYHOLE ina solid closetdoor.

·Wesleysticks thekey in and swingsthe door open revealing a LONGBLACKCOAT, just like his father's.

Wesley takes thecoat and foldsit over his arm.

·,,,.-.. ANNA

once theyhad you •••he couldn'trisk it unless youwere alone. He knewhis one shot at telling.youmightbe his last.

Hereyes hardena little bit.

Wesleynods.

Wesleynods, thesewords meaning somuch to him.

Fox eatsin a smallrestaurant in theheart of Koreatown, thekind of place thathas the hot hibachigrills on the tabletops.

L The place ismostly empty, quiet,with mainlyKorean faces both diningand serving. It's the kindof place where you caneat and not be bothered.

The doors swingopen and Fox looksup. The silhouetteof the FIGURE IN THE DOORWAYisdisturbing. a f.amiliar person in a longblack coat•••

She squints,the setting sunlightnearly blindingher as all she can seeis a silhouette•••

Wesley stepsinto the lightand moves overto the table as Fox lightsup a cigarette.

She blowsout a lungful of smokeand watchesas it rises toward theceiling.

One of thewaiters waves toher to put outher smoke and she just stareshim down. The man backs off,nodding and smiling.

He focuseson her eyes,zeroing inon the pupils.

Closer,closer•••tight on thosepupils•••

EXTREME CLOSE-UP:

We see her pupilswell, just a tinybit.

KOREAN BAR-B-QUE:

He sawit••• exactlywhat Sloan toldhim to look forwhen someoneis lying.

And from the lookon Fox's face, sheknows he saw it.

Shestabs out hercigarette, crushingit on the hotgrill sothat it SIZZLES.

Withthat. she kicksback from thetable. holding ahuge blackSmith andWesson revolver.

--

Wesleyonly has a millisecondto respond,·andhe doesby kickingover the table,which sendsfood and utensils flying,but also shieldshim from Fox'sbullets.

Just asquickly, Foxleaps up on topof one of theother tables,trying tokeep her heels onthe sides so thather feetdon't touch thehot grill. Ifshe's wounded,we wouldn'tknow it.

Wesleydoes the sameon a nearbytable. They take shots ateach other as theyleap from tableto table, avoiding the sizzlingcenters,but they'reboth so quick thatno bulletsfind theirmark.

ThenFox takes a runningleap athim, moving ferociously fast. She's likethe animal she'snamed after, andshe launchesoff one ofthe tables•••

••• andcatchesWesleyflush, knockinghim backwards.a formtackle on toa table•••

•.• wherehelandssquare on the oventop •••PssssHHH••• andhis guns go flyingacross theroom as •••

••• thetabletopstarts to burnthrough his clothes!

Buthe rolls over.taking Fox withhim. and now theoven isburning intoher back.

With all her strength,she buckshim off and then flips herselfbackwardsoff the table. With another kick,she sendsthe hot tableflying at him, It rips free fromits wiring, and thenozzle sprays gasout into the restaurant•••sssssssss••••

Wesley knocks theflying table outof the way, but not beforeit burnshie arm as he blocksit.

Spottinghie guns,he sprints forthem as Fox unleashesa hailstormof bullets. ·

Buthe's too damn fast,and he divesacross the floor PeteRose style,sliding to a stopat the precisemoment wherehis handscome up holding hisweapons.

In.onefluid motion,he flips backover and BAM! BAM! BAM!BAM! BAM!

shootsbullets up inthe air and thenflicks his wrists so theyarc over at theopen gas nozzleI

The bulletsstrike it,sparking, andthen BOOM!!!! A.. fireballblasts fromthe nozzle, whilea great plume of swelteringfire keepspouring out!

Fox divesto get outof the way, whichgives Wesley the openinghe was lookingfor • He FIRES again,and one of his bulletsknocks hergun away and anothernicks her in the sideof the face.

She stops,seeing theblood drip downher cheek and off her chin. This only seemsto enrage her.

Pissed,she producestwo !':ffil,J,J:ERGUNSoutofthesmallof her back-- where shehad them hiddenwe have no idea -- and chargesWesley likean unleashed PitBull•••

She's firingboth muzzlesand her bulletsfind the marks this time,knockingWesley's guns out ofhis hands from where helies flat onthe floor.

She's disarmedhim, andnow he's defenseless•••

••• andFoxstands overhim, breathing hard,her face bleeding,both gun barrelspointed rightat Wesley's face...

She startsto squeezeboth the triggers•••

But, Wesleydrives a fistinto her woundedleg and she reels•••

In the same motion,he grabsher wrists andpulls her toward him •••takingher gunsright out ofher hands like a quick-changeartist.

Flippingthem over, Fox's facefull of surpriseis the last expressionshe'll everhave because•••

BAM! BAHi! !

Most ofFox's face isblown clean fromher head. and a bloodymess sprays acrossthe wall.

Wesleyleans hie headback and closeshie eyes, thespume of fireflickering brightlyagainsthie lids, the events of thelast severalhours washing overhim.

FADE OUT:

For severalmoments,there is nothingbut darkness anda silenceas permanentas death. Finally•••

FADEIN:

Sloan,the Butcherand the Pharmacistwalk across the parkinglot towardthe door of thesmoking Bar-b-que joint.

Thefire is out,but it has blackenedthe inside ofthe joint,so that itlooks like an absolutewar zone.

Foxis in the sameposition as when Wesleyshot her,but there'sa sheet ofpaper folded onher chest.

TheButcher and thePharmacist flankSloan as he approachesthe body,frowning.

Sloan reachesdown andpicks up thepaper, and sees beneathit that pearl-handledrevolver. The one withthe bloodon the handle.

He unfoldsit, to readprinted inblack ink on the paper:

THEGATES.OF HELLARE OPEN

Sloanfolds the paperback up and looksat the bloodon the gun.

Wesleystands in theslaughterhouse,holding two pistols,

no signof the Butcher.

Same thingat thePharmacy, an emptystore now •••

••• andinthe Fraternity'slibrary,nothing, All the booksare gone •••

Wesleyprocesses this,frowning. He keeps walking to the •••

MAPROOM:

••• wheretheentiremodel city has beendestroyed, likea Gianthas trampledit beneath its feet.

Wesleystoops overaridpulls one smashedbuilding out of themess, looking atit, thinking, thinking•••

••• andthenhe's upand moving quickly.

L INT. CROSS'S HOUSE- NIGHT

Anna opensthe door forWesley, who lookslike he is on to something•••

Wesley movesinto Andrew'sroom •••wherethe boy is still playingwith the blackmodel buildings.

Wesley movesover and crouchesdown nextto Andrew.

The boy handshim the buildingin his hand. It is painted jetblack, exceptfor one cornerof the first floor,which is paintedred. Wesley looksup at Anna.

Anna leadsWesley down some woodensteps intoCross's basement.

sure enough,the entirefloor of the basementhas been made intoa model map. similarto the onethat the Fraternityused in themap room, but allthe buildings are black,with an occasionalred mark.

The scaleis larger, themodel shows onlyone section -0f the city,and a BLUE LINE indicatesa routethrough the streets.

And on thewall are PICTURES and CLIPPINGS ofHenry Helms.

Wesley squatsover it, tryingto figure outwhat his father's planwas. He seesa missing placefor a building andputs Andrew'stoy back in place,then studies themap some more.

( There are largequestionmarks paintedon various buildingsalong the Helllls'route.

Wesley looksat it some more.

- Wesleylooks up at her,resolve on hisface.

It's dark. Really dark.

KNOCKKNOCK KNOCK.

A lumpin a bed stirs.

KNOCKKNOCK KNOCK.

The lumpstirs a littlemore •••

NICOLE, thehot girl fromWesley's office,moves to her peepholeand looks out,but there's no onethere.

She opensthe door andgives a quick lookdown the hall, then shutsit and hurriesto her kitchen• ..

,-

She startsto opena cabinet but stops,GASPS and jerks back,scared shitless.

Wesleyis in her kitchen.just a few feetaway. She looksat him.

He looksbruised andbattered, butthere is a hardnessto his eyes.

Wesleywipes his eyebrowwith his thumb,like he's consideringwhat hewants to say next.

She doesn'tunderstand••• butsuddenlywe •••

••• thatmeetingroom fromhis old job. In fact, it's a replay ofthat same scene. Wesley is stillsitting there with hisnote pad, thewords "LIFE SUCKSAND THEN YOU DIE" printedover andover, while theconsultant continuesto rattle onand on.

Throughthe blinds behindthe speaker,Wesley spots the hot internNicole, stilltalking on thephone. And just like before,he's zeroingin on her, butthis time, we keep zeroingin and zeroingin, untilwe see something we didn't seebefore•••

Nicole reachesup overthe counter to graba stack of papers, andher shirt pullsslightly up fromher back•••

••• andthattattoo of Cerberus.the three-headeddog is

keep zeroingin on it and zeroingin on ituntil we •••

Where Fox istattooing hishand again andwe get another taste of thatconversationthey had •••

••• andnow withthe gift ofhindsight, we seethat Wesley meant whathe said, andwe •••

Wesley stillstands there,just a few feetaway from her,

WESLEY

\ Sloandidn't justhave one person inmy '··

officewatching me,he had two.

He pointsat her tattoo.

Nicole's facechanges, goeshard, like someoneflipped a switch.

Like lightning.she grabsfor a butcher'sknife but Wesley isfaster. He pinsher wrist back,twisting until she dropsthe knife.

She lungesagain, but apistol comes up rightbelow her chin.

- Where'sSloan?

L NICOLE

Sloan'snot your biggestproblem, fuckface.

She reachesover, slowly,so he knows she'snot going to go for aknife••• and sheturns on a smallTELEVISION sitting onthe kitchen counter.

The screencomes to life,showing an infomercialfor the Flobie.

Nicole shakesher head andflips up the channels••• and now we seewhat she wantedto show him •.•

ON THE NEWS:

Wesley'sEMPLOYEE PHOTOfills the screenabove a reporter'shead while theREPORTERbabbles in a serious voice•••

IN NICOLE'S KITCHEN:

She startscycling throughthe news channels•••

••• andeachone shows differentREPORTERSstanding outside thesmoking bar-b-que,or talking aboutWesley, or speakingwith police. One iseven interviewing Wesley's oldboss, Janice,who is very happyfor the forum •••

ON THE NEWS:

IN NICOLE'S KITCHEN:

Wesleyreaches over andcranks up a gasburner. the menacingflame on high.

She staresat that blueflame, fear inher eyes for the first time.

He startspushing herhead toward it, closerand closer•••

The firstSCREAM fromNicole is lost in •••

THE FRONTDOOR:

BAMBAMBAM!

The doorto Nicole's apartmentsmashes openand four cops burst throughthe door, gunsready.

They spreadout quickly,checkingout the place. One of thedisappears intothe kitchen•••

SIRENSwail and aHELICOPTERhovers nearby as Wesley standson a roof, lookingdown on thescene. He sees EMT'sroll a gurneyout toward an ambulanceas COPS cover everyinch of the ground.

From wherehe is, itlooks like everycop in the cityis here.

ON THE GROUND:

One COP looksup andsees a figureon the roof, long jacketblowing inthe breeze. Surprisinglyconspicuous.

\

The firstcop pointsup toward Wesleyon the roof.

ON THEROOFTOP:

Quickly,a spotlightlights up the spotwhere Wesley was standing,but nowwe see it's just anair-conditioning ventwith same loosestreamers flappingoff of it. Damn, it lookedjust likeWesley a moment ago •••was it?

Wesleysteps out of adark doorway, hishard eyes followinga police caras it roars bywithout noticing him.

He pulls hiejacket collarup, puts on.askull cap, and L takes off inthe oppositedirection, awayfrom the scene.

He paeeeea newspaper dispenser,but theCAMERA STAYS on the frontpage, which ie stilltalking aboutHenry Helms. The CAMERAHOLDSON A photographof Helms,which•••

Morning•••

••• whereHENRYHELMShimself ie tying a tiein a hotel mirror. He'sa handsome enoughguy, distinguishedeven, but he lookstired, like theweight of livingunder a death threathae dragged himdown.

A door opens,and we eee hiewife, SARAHHELMS, step past two huge BODYGUARDSto comein.

A gaggle oflarge bodyguardssurround theHelmeee ae they L hurry outof a side door andmake it intoa LIMOUSINE. They noticethe half dozenMOTORCYCLE COPS positioned around theirlimo.

A LEAD BODYGUARDholds the limodoor for them.

He ehute thedoor for thembefore climbing behindthe steering wheel.

The limo etarteto make iteway down the drive,flanked in front andin back by dark SUBURBANSand themotorcycle cope.

Commercial ehipecruise up anddown a river, underan expansive BRIDGE.

L sitting nextto the inclineto the bridge,is an abandonedfour story building,whatused to be.a HOSPITAL.

A guy looksdown at thestreet with hisbinoculars. It's the Gunsmith!

on anothertall building,Sloan talks intoa radio.

He clicksoff the radio andlooks intohis palm, where he's holdingthat pearlhandled gun. fingeringthe dried blood.

ON A CITY STREET:

The suburbansand cops flankthe limo as itrolls through the concretejungle.

IN THE LIMO:

The bodyguardspeer up atthe buildings readyfor anything.

Henry Helmsreaches over andgrabs his wife'shand, a reassuring gesture. But hiswhite knucklesbetray his trepidation.

The driver watchesas they reacha frontage roadon the east side ofthe river.

ON THE ROAD:

They make a turnalong the riverand haul ass towardthe bridge. Trafficis sparse andthey look like theyhave an easy clearpassing.

ON THE HOSPITAL ROOFTOP:

The Gunsmithsits,waiting patiently•••

- ....,I

ON ANOTHERROOFTOP:

Sloan watchesthe Limo startingto approachthe bridge.

Sloan leansout over theedge of his building,gun ready.

QUICK SHOTS:

On the hospitalroof, theGunsmith putsdown his binoculars andpicks upa rifle.

The Pharmacistleans overthe edge of abuilding and looks down,high-poweredrifle in his hand.

On anotherbuilding, theChef does the same.

And on stillanother building,the Gardeneralso gets ready.

Each killeris in a differentspot and hasa gun, pointed and ready, justwaiting forthe signal•••

ON THE ROAD:

The limo isabout halfwayup the incline now,a sitting duck, hellfireabout to raindown upon it.

ON THE HOSPITALROOFTOP:

The Gunsmithwaits, waits,waits•••

••• andthen,outof nowhere,surprising thehell out of him, a knifeis held to hisneck from behind.

The Gunsmithdoesn't even somuch as swallow, asthe blade is sotight against histhroat that it drawsa drop of blood.

The CAMERA MOVESTO THE SIDE toshow Wesley crouched right behindhim, a look of icydetermination onhis face as he holds theknife in place.

- ...)

In the distance,the Helmslimo moves on,safely.

The Gunsmithfeels the edgein Wesley'svoice.

He smiles.

THE CAMERAWHIPS around behindWesley.• •toshow that three lasereights are lightingup hie backin a perfect pattern. u And now we seeit, thiswas all a set-up toget Wesley in the open. The three surroundingrooftops,slightly more elevated,hold each of thethree aeeaeeinecrouched ·in sniper positions,zeroed inon Wesley's back.

But insteadof surprise, Wesleyjust leans incloser to the Gunsmith'sear.

And with that,he rolls thepoor guy over on topof him, just as the aeeaeeineon thehigher rooftopsall unleash a hail of bullets.

BAM! BAM! BAM!BAM! BAM! TheGunsmith takes adozen shots, all inthe chest, butnone of the bulletsmake it through theGunsmith's body.

Wesley FIRES BACKindiscriminatelyat the neighboring rooftops, lyingon hie back, usingthe dead assassin's body as a shield.

Quickly,he bucks theGunsmith's bodyoff of him and scampersfor a nearby stairwell.

ON THE ROOFTOPS:

The assassinsall disappearfrom theirpositions and head to the street.

Wesleybursts from thestairwell doorwayand moves tothe front doorof the building. Be clicksthe empty cartridgesout of hisguns and is aboutto reload whenhe hears a sickeningsoundbehind him•••

The soundof two knifeblades being rubbedtogether•••

••. andWesleyturns tofind the Butcherthere waiting for llJ.m!

The Butcherquickly hurlsa knife, whichburies in the fleshy partof Wesley'sshoulder!

Wesley ignoresit and fires•••

BAMBAM! DING DING!

The Butcherdeflects themwith the Jmivesin his hands!

Wesley goesto fire againbut his firingchambers recoil, showingthat he is outof ammo.

The Butcher'seyes go wide •••

Wesley tossesthe guns inhis pockets andthen pulls out the knifeburied in his shoulder.

They chargeeach other,the blades whizzingand clanging off each otheras each triesto gain an edge.

The fight spillsout the frontdoor.and into•••

THE STREET:

••• thetwomen slashing,ducking, and movingin the middle ofthe street.

Wesley strikesthree quickswipes acrossthe Butcher's face and forehead.fillinghis eyes withblood.

The Butchergrabs his faceand sees theblood streaming on to hishands. He triesto wipe the bloodfrom his eyes, butit's just gettingworse.

Wesley lungesand the Butcheris defenselessto stop it.

- cuttingside to side.

He does justas he describesand the big guytopples over as his gorespills out intothe street.

But beforehe can gloat,Wesley realizes hisnew predicament•••

He's standingin the middleof the street, andat one end is the Chef,and at the otheris the Gardener. To make things worse,directly acrossthe street fromWesley is the Pharmacist,and each hasa gun on him.

For a moment,Wesley standsthere, sizing up the situation. His eyes swivel fromthe Gardenerto the Chef to the Pharmacist.

Just then, thebuildings aroundall of them goblack; just like incross's model! Wesley's eyes fallon the on the red cornerof the nearestbuilding, a cementblock making up a decorativesupportcolumn in front ofit.

L Wesley smiles.

With that,the world goesback to its naturalcolors, and he races forthe building,jumping up ontoand over a Lexus parkedat the curb. The three assassinsfire relentlesslyat him, but theirbullets slaminto the car, smashing itto bits••• as .•.

••• ontheother side of it,Wesley goes intoa slide just as he reachesthat cementblock••• affixedto it is a small SILVER CROSS! Wesleyslaps his handon the Cross and the cementblock mechanicallyopens, revealing:a new pair of sophisticatedIMANISHIS!

As his adversariesconvergeon him, Wesleytakes the guns, spins,splits both handsapart andwe •.•

SPLITSCREEN:

••• tofollowboth of hisbullets in flight.

ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SCREEN:

••• THE BULLETfromthe leftgun heads for theChef • He tries to dropdown, but thebullet curves downward,it pierces hisbody.• •and •••

INSIDE HIS BODY:

we see thebullet ricochetoff of one of hisribs. exit his side andhead for the Pharmacist,while•••

ON THE RIGHT SIDE OFTHE SCREEN:

••• thebulletfrom the rightgun heads for theGardener, who moves fastto fire his own gun,but the bullet catches himin the wrist, knockinghis gun outof his hand, and •••

INSIDE THEWRIST:

••• ithitstheGardener's scaphoidbone, ricochetingout, also, rightat the Pharmacist•••

THE SCREEN RETURNSTO NORMAL:

••• justasthetwo bullets cometogether•••

105 •

••• hittingthePharmaciston both sidesof his head, before hecan even react.

Wesleywatches a pink sprayshoot outfrom both sides of the Phannacist'shead ashe falls to theasphalt, dead.

But Wesley'snot through,he moves overto the Gardener and rollshim over.

BAM! Wesley ends it forthe Gardener.

We've seenthis placebefore. It's thesame roof where crosstook out the secondhead of the Fraternity.

The dooris kickedopen and Wesleywalks out, eyes blazing.

Sloanis waiting forhim. standing twentyfeet away, holdinghis father'spearl-handled gun,trained righton Wesley'shead.

Wesleyis clutchinghis wounded shoulderwith his wounded handas blood startsto seep out of itin big red drops.

106,

-

) WESLEY

Fuckyou.

Sloan's eyesnarrow.

Wesley continuesto bleed,taking this in. Sloan laughs derisively.

Wesley standsas straight ashe can muster. The two men face each otherlike two gunmen onMain Streetin Dodge ) City••• an oldnewspaper evenblows through likea tumbleweed.

And we are closeon Wesley'sface. In fact. itis the same shot fromthe opening ofthe movie.

We see now thathis healthy handis inching awayfrom his bleeding arm,reaching into hissleeve•••

With that, hepulls out thematching pearl-handledgun, the twin-brotherof the one Sloanis holding, andthey both open fire•••

••• WesleyshootsSloan'sbulletsout of the air andSloan does the same. Just like he didwith his father•

mark, hittingWesley squarely inthe same arm that took theknife. - _)

He can't raisehis arm, it'suseless, buthe's come too damn far tostop now••• heflips his gun fromhis good hand to hisbad hand andmanages to keepFIRING!

Then Wesleydoes somethingunexpected•••he starts sprinting straightat Sloan,still knockinghis bullets out of the air•••

He closes thegap •••ten feet•••five feet•••

••• asurprisedand worriedexpression now spreadson Sloan's face,like what isthis kid doing?

But Wesley isnot stopping,he shoots the gunout of Sloan's handand then closeson him, tacklinghim off his feet!

They go flyingright over theedge of the building.

Wesley's ableto grab on toa railing cableand stop himself•••

••• butSloanisgoing to goover. u At the lastmoment, Sloan reachesfor something. anything. andgrabs one-handedon to the barrelof Wesley's gun ••.

For a moment,they dangle therein this precarious position, lookingeach otherin the face. Sloancan't believe he'sbeen bested bythis kid.

Wesley's fingerstarts to squeezethe trigger, butthen he smiles•••

And withthat,Wesley drops the gunout of his hand.

FROMTWO HUNDREDFEET BELOW:

We watchSloan'sbody fall throughthe sky •••

108 •

• • •down,down,down•••

••• untilit SMASHESinto thesidewalk, splatteringlike a grapefruit.

ON THE ROOFTOP:

Wesley rollsover on to hisback, lookingup at the darkening sky.

He sits up,moving OUT OF FRAME.

The place isnow blanketedwith cops, lookingat the dead bodies, tryingto make senseof what happened.

) I've learnedabout theman who made me.

Cops stand onthe street, handingout picturesof Wesley, asking pedestriansif they'veseen this man.

Patrons standin line at a postoffice, but theCAMERA PUSHES PASTTHEM, finding ablack and white "WANTED" poster of Wesley,describingall the killingshe's responsible for. It holds tighton the picture.

The door to thesafehouse opens,and Anna, Wesleyand -; Andrew step outinto the brightsunlight. Wesleyis carrying his littlebrother.

They turnand head upthe street, towardthe eastern sun.

The CAMERARISES UP, UP,UP, where ithovers for a minute•••and just when we thinkit isgoing to leavethe planet•••

••• itcomesback DOWN,DOWN, DOWN, untilit finds•••

••• Wesleysittingat acomputer in themiddle of another cubiclemaze, pecking awayat his keyboard. A sign attachedto one wall reads: "SAN ANGELOINSURANCE ASSOCIATES: Setting theBar Highln

Officeworkers mill aboutin their drabsuits and ties, wishingthey were anywhereelse.

A prettyRECEPTIONIST comesover toWesley's desk.

Just then,a harried man,BROKAW, comes stormingup.

The receptionisthurries away,making a faceas she does.

,-.

(_ He leansover Wesley'sdesk, rightin his space.

Wesleystares at thatmouth again.zeroing in furtherand further,until thewords become gibberish,just likethey didwith Janice.

Wesleycatches himselfand snaps outof it, just intime tohear•••

Withthat, he hurriesaway, his pantsriding so highup his assthat they looklike they mayburst at any second.

Wesleystares up atthe clock on hismonitor: it reads 11:15. He stands up,stretches, andmakes his way tothe receptionist'sdesk. She looks up, bitesher lower lip••.

She standsand theymove toward the elevators,waiting for thedoors to open.

,,-..

Just then,the elevator doorsDING.

They climbin.

THE CAMERAPUSHES IN TIGHTER ANDTIGHTER on Wesley's face...

••• untilitfills the screen,looking justlike the shot of Wesleywe sta~tedwith. And then asly smile spreads acrosshis mug•••

••• andasthe doors close,we officially••• --