Rare Breed (Final) - 1

!
Rare Breed
by
David Kyl-Brown
David Kyl-Brown © 2007 David Kyl-Brown

Registered, WGAw 19785 Coastline Lane
Huntington Beach, CA
92648
310-408-2911
FADE IN:
EXT. MELANESIA - ISLAND - DUSK
Traveling just above the water we SEE a mountainous island

looming in the distance. We move in over the black, volcanic
shore, and then up over a ridge.
Jagged rock slopes down into impenetrable jungle. Tall,

knife-like rock formations poke up through the thick branches
below. Holes in the foliage reveal deep pools of water.
The green ends at the edge of an abyss, and we hover there,

peering down into the darkness. A faint light flickers
somewhere far below. We plunge down into it, down towards
the faint flame, and all light fades.
CUT TO:
EXT. OPEN SEA - DUSK - NOMAD
a forty foot yacht of well-worn appearance moving over a calm

sea. Gunshots ECHO.
STERN
RICK GREYDON, tough, athletically built, sporting a brush

cut, looks out over the water holding a smoking shotgun.
He lowers it to a table and picks up a handgun. He loads a

clip and cocks the weapon.
RICK
Pull.
We HEAR a loud snap. Rick spots the quick moving clay pigeon
and fires.
CLAY PIGEON
shatters.
BACK TO SCENE
Rick stands with the gun poised.
RICK
I want them fast. A dozen.
The crewman loads a stack of pigeons onto the machine and

hit's the trigger. Pigeons fly out on the second. Rick
fires repeatedly, hitting each one before it can get very far
from him. Shattered clay falls into Nomad’s wake.
(CONTINUED)
2.
CONTINUED:
HARRY KOZLACK, wearing a baseball cap back to front and

halfway through a can of beer, sit's in a chair smiling.
HARRY
(toasting Rick)
The man can’t miss.
RICK
(handing Harry the shotgun)
Check this over, would you. The sights
are off.
JOHN BANNON, tall, lean, and wearing glasses, sit's at a

table working on a notebook computer.
Rick approaches holding the pistol.
RICK (cont’d)
You getting all this? It’ll make good
reading.
JOHN
(nodding)
Twelve out of twelve. Very impressive.
RICK
Practice makes perfect.
Rick loads a clip into the gleaming pistol and offers it to

John.
RICK (cont’d)
Why don’t you try it out? The very
latest in high-tech weaponry. Hard to
miss with this baby.
John hesitates a moment, then stands and takes the pistol.

The two men walk to the railing.
RICK (cont’d)
(to the crewman)
Give him six.
John raises the pistol and points it out over the water.
RICK (cont’d)
Say when.
JOHN
Now.
(CONTINUED)
3.
CONTINUED: (2)
The clay pigeons fly in quick succession. John fires

rapidly. One shatters. The rest drop into the sea intact.
John lowers the smoking pistol.
RICK
One out of six. You sure you got the
right prescription in those glasses?
John grabs an orange and a plate from the dinner table.
JOHN
(handing the plate to Rick)
How far do you think you could throw it?
Puzzled, Rick takes the plate and hurls it high and far out
over the water.
John winds up and pitches the orange, smashing the plate to

pieces in mid-flight.
JOHN (cont’d)
(heading back to the table)
My prescription is fine.
RICK
You play a little baseball in your time
Bannon? That’s one hell of a pitching
arm.
JOHN AND RICK - A FEW MOMENTS LATER
Rick opens a bottle of beer and takes a seat beside John at

the table.
RICK
You never told me why you took this job.
You interested in hunting?
JOHN
I’m interested in the psychological
profile of the hunter, why you do what
you do, what you get out of it, and so is
the magazine back in Los Angeles.
RICK
(taking a sip of beer)
People like me aren’t too popular these
days. Your editor probably wants another
bad guy, hunter story... but you never
know, we could find ourselves a different
angle?
(CONTINUED)
4.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Maybe.
RICK
I think before the end of this trip
you’ll understand. It’s a rush like no
other.
JOHN
Killing a wild animal?
RICK
(shaking his head)
The fact you might die first in trying.
Thunder RUMBLES in the distance.
TARA LANGER enters through a door in the b.g. carrying a tray

of sandwiches. She is twenty something, tall and dark-
haired, exuding a certain toughness having accompanied her
uncle, the captain of Nomad, on previous charters.
RICK (cont’d)
(whispering to John)
Check out Langer’s babe niece. Maybe one
of us will luck out this trip.
Tara serves Harry a sandwich, then walks over to the table.
TARA
Hungry gentlemen?
RICK
You read my mind darlin’.
Reaching for a sandwich, Rick notices a row of one inch scars

along Tara’s right thigh.
TARA
Mr. Bannon?
JOHN
I’m okay, thanks.
RICK
You know Miss Langer, it’d make a nice
addition to John's story here, how you
managed to get away from a...
(beat; looking at Tara’s thigh)
I’d say, twenty foot salty?
JOHN
What are you talking about?
(CONTINUED)
5.
CONTINUED: (2)
RICK
(pointing at her thigh)
I’ve seen wounds like that before,
hunting in Australia. You’ve had one
hell of a close encounter with a
saltwater crocodile.
Tara stares blankly at Rick.
JOHN
Why don’t you drop it. I don’t think
that’s any of our--
RICK
Looks like he had a good hold of you.
What’d you do, go for his eyes?
TARA
(beat)
The scars are from a boating accident.
Tara turns and walks towards the galley door.
RICK
She didn’t get those from any boating
accident. That girl shouldn’t be here.
Survived a damn nightmare.
NOMAD
cuts through the water towards a faint mark on the horizon.
EXT. BOW - NIGHT
Tara sit's in a chair holding a flashlight on a book in her

lap. There is now a slight swell to the sea and the wind has
picked up. Distant THUNDER continues.
In the b.g., the door to the lower cabins opens and John
enters. He walks over and sit's beside her.
JOHN
I wanted to apologize. I hope he didn’t
upset you. He’s a little rough around
the edges, to say the least.
Tara closes the book and lights a cigarette.
TARA
Well he was right. I hope you
understand. It’s not something I like to
talk about.
(CONTINUED)
6.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
(beat)
Your uncle was telling me you’re
attending university in Hawaii.
TARA
I’m working on my Ph.D. in Archaeology.
Actually that’s the reason I’m here.
JOHN
I did a little reading on the island
before we left. I thought humans were a
somewhat, recent addition.
TARA
Aside of a small village, maybe a hundred
people, the rest of the island was
believed to be uninhabited. That was
until my Prof. visited there a few months
ago. He was up one of the rivers, deep
into the rain forest.
A few rain drops begin to fall.
TARA (cont’d)
An area covered by cloud ninety-nine
percent of the year, never seen by man.
He discovered some stone figures, unlike
anything ever found in this part of the
world.
We HEAR a loud blast of thunder. Tara looks up into the sky.

Rain intensifies.
TARA (cont’d)
We’d better get inside.
They hurry over to the doorway.
INT./EXT. CORRIDOR
John and Tara enter into the corridor. A lamp swinging

overhead casts moving shadows. Rain beats against the screen
door.
JOHN
These stone figures, how old would you
say they are?
TARA
That’s the interesting part. They’re not
that old--
(CONTINUED)
7.
CONTINUED:
KARL (O.S.)
(calling)
Tara...
TARA
I’d better see what he wants. See you in
the morning
JOHN
Good night.
Tara exit's.
Lightning illuminates the corridor. John watches the storm

through the doorway.
JOHN'S POV - TARA’S BOOK
lies by the deck chairs.
EXT. BOW
John dashes across the deck, grabs the book and races back
inside.
INT. JOHN'S CABIN
John enters. He tosses Tara’s book onto the bed, then strips
off his wet shirt and hangs it on the back of the door.
Two years ago, surgeons failed in their attempt to make less

visible, a severe slash wound across the lower portion of
John’s neck.
He drops onto the bed, grabs the book and opens it. A few
loose papers fall into his lap. One in particular catches
his attention.
JOHN'S POV - SKETCH
of three male figures. Their faces are partially hidden by

masks of ferocious, warlike expression. Strange marks cover
their chests.
BACK TO SCENE
John stares at the sketch.
JOHN'S CABIN - LATER
The ship CREAKS in the rolling sea. A gust of wind blows

rain in through the half open porthole. Lightning flashes
now and then.
(CONTINUED)
8.
CONTINUED:
Sprawled across the bed, John teeters on the verge of sleep.

A bedside lamp turned to the lowest setting, casts a dim glow
over his face.
His eyelids, heavy, begin to fall, further and further, until

at last they close.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. LOS ANGELES - ABANDONED BUILDING - NIGHT
John races full out down a dark, dingy hallway, out of

breath, drenched in sweat, terrified.
Reaching the end of the hallway, and with no other route of

escape in sight, he thrusts his shoulder repeatedly into a
heavy chained door.
INT./EXT. ROOM
John crashes in. He falters for a second or two in the

center of the room, looking around him.
A flashing neon sign, just outside a large window on the far

wall, illuminates the cavernous space. It is devoid of
adjoining rooms, closets, and cover.
John races over and begins to tug at the jammed window, all
the while keeping his eyes on the doorway. He moves it up
inch by inch, until at last there is room to exit. He sticks
one leg out, straddles the sill, and peers out.
JOHN'S POV - STREET
On the sidewalk several stories below, two lost men lay

sprawled across a steam vent, an empty bottle of booze at
their side. All else is quiet.
JOHN (O.S.)
Help! Please, help me!
An atomic explosion couldn’t rouse these men from their

drunken stupor.
BACK TO SCENE
There is no fire escape, and no ledge. A metal pipe running

along the side of the building, a few feet to the left of the
window, is his only chance. Fighting a fear of heights, John
strains to reach the pipe, but cannot.
A burst of automatic fire rips through the door to the room.

John eyes turn to the doorway, now awaiting the inevitable.
(CONTINUED)
9.
CONTINUED:
The beam of a flashlight penetrates the room. A second

later, six men enter. In the forefront is drug kingpin PETER
NENNEKER, six feet tall, strikingly handsome, and
immaculately dressed.
Standing behind him are armed enforcers, HANS, a brutish six

foot seven mesomorph, and LATIGO, a greasy, bearded man in
his late forties.
Two henchmen in the rear drag a slumped over man along the
floor. Nenneker walks towards the window, stopping about ten
feet from it.
NENNEKER
I have a very busy night ahead of me.
You can either jump, or step away from
the window.
Nenneker snaps his fingers, signaling his two men in the

rear.
NENNEKER (cont’d)
As you can see, your colleague here
didn’t make it.
John steps back inside the room as his friend is thrown

before him.
JOHN
(shaking)
Please... just let us go. You have my
word. I’ll walk away from the
assignment. I’ll do anything you ask...
please.
NENNEKER
You know, I can tell you this from
experience. When you get to the point
where you’re pleading for your life, it’s
usually too late.
JOHN
(staring at his friend on the
floor)
He’s only twenty years old... for God’s
sake.
NENNEKER
Mercy isn’t in my emotional makeup. I
missed out on that gene.
(pause)
I don’t like publicity. Not a good thing
in this business.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
10.
CONTINUED: (2)
NENNEKER (cont'd)
Your story ends here newsman...
(turning to Hans)
... Hold him.
Hans and Latigo grab John and slam him into the wall.
Nenneker raises a long serrated knife to John's throat and

stares into his eyes.
NENNEKER (cont’d)
You’re fucking pathetic. I’d have put up
a much better fight if my life were at
stake. You should have jumped while you
had the chance.
Nenneker slashes John's throat. John drops to the ground,

blood gushing from his neck. Nenneker is handed a pistol by
Latigo. As Nenneker passes John's colleague on the floor, he
shoots him twice, killing him instantly.
Nenneker and his men exit the room. Clutching his throat,
John slowly raises his head, letting out a gurgled cry.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. JOHN'S CABIN - MORNING
John awakens suddenly in a cold sweat, heart racing, unsure

of where he is. Still clutching his throat, he sit's up on
the edge of the bed, shaking.
INT./EXT. BRIDGE
KARL LANGER, captain of the yacht, in his early sixties,

graying and leathery skinned, stands at the wheel. The door
opens and Tara enters.
TARA
Now that’s a view to wake up to.
KARL
Beautiful isn’t it.
Tara pours herself a cup of coffee.
TARA’S POV - RICK
stands at the front of Nomad.
BACK TO SCENE
TARA
So what poor unsuspecting animal is our
hunter after?
(CONTINUED)
11.
CONTINUED:
KARL
Boar, so he says. I get the idea
anything that crosses his path is fair
game... I know you don’t agree with me
bringing him here, but I can’t afford to
turn away business right now.
EXT. BOW
Rick stands observing the lush island through his binoculars.

John enters in the b.g. carrying Tara’s book. He approaches
Rick, squinting in the bright sunlight.
RICK
Like traveling back in time, isn’t it.
Rick hands John the binoculars. John scans the shoreline.
JOHN'S POV - SHORELINE
is of unimaginable color and beauty. Enormous mountains rise

inland. The surrounding sea is turquoise and clear.
A half a mile directly ahead is an inlet flanked by black

volcanic rock, palms, and thick jungle dropping almost to the
water’s edge.
BACK TO SCENE
JOHN
(pointing)
Is that where we’re heading in?
RICK
Quickest way to the interior. It’d take
months to hack our way in by land.
Tara appears on the port in the b.g.
RICK (cont’d)
(spotting Tara)
Good morning.
Tara nods hello.
JOHN
(to Rick)
Excuse me.
JOHN AND TARA
on the port.
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
(handing her the book)
You forgot this on the deck last night.
TARA
Thank you...
(noting John's tired
countenance)
... You sleep okay?
JOHN
No. I’m still working on my sea legs.
TARA
It was pretty rough last night. We’ll
get some breakfast into you, you’ll feel
much better.
RICK
watches John and Tara exit in the b.g. Harry approaches from
the starboard.
RICK
Rising a little late this morning.
HARRY
(stretching)
Ahh, man, best night’s sleep in a long
time.
RICK
Really? I hardly slept. Too much
adrenaline in the bloodstream. Come on,
let’s eat.
STERN
John, Tara, Rick and Harry sit at a table in the middle of

the deck. Coffee has just been served. Tara’s sketches are
strewn over the table top. The crewman clears away dishes.
HARRY
(looking over the sketches)
Put these boys in a comic book, you’ll
make a million dollars.
Rick holds a sketch in hand, observing it closely.
RICK
Any idea what the marks on their chests
mean?
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED:
TARA
No. We don’t even know where to start.
RICK
Any chance we’ll run into these dudes?
Nomad’s engines slow.
TARA
If I could be so lucky. I think we’ve
arrived.
RICK
(gestures)
Well, shall we?
Rick leads the way along the port towards the bow.
GROUP’S POV - A NARROW INLET
looms before them.
It now more resembles a cavern. Thick jungle rises on both

sides and joins overhead, creating a green canopy that only a
few rays of sunlight penetrate.
The banks of the inlet are steep and rocky, the water murky
and slow moving.
BACK TO SCENE
The group stands mid-deck, transfixed.
RICK
(like a 50’s sci-fi movie
trailer)
The river of no return. Turn back now,
before it’s too late.
Rick turns to the others and laughs. Engines REV. Nomad

advances.
WIDER VIEW
Nomad enters the inlet.
INT. BRIDGE
Dark shade beneath the jungle canopy envelops Nomad.
Karl hit's a switch.

14.
EXT. INLET
Nomad’s headlights illuminate the glass-like surface of the

water.
CUT TO:
EXT. BOW - DAY
John sit's writing on his notebook. Tara enters and flops

herself down across from him.
TARA
How’s the story going?
JOHN
He has a unique way of expressing
himself...
(reading from the screen)
... Guilt? I don’t think so. You don’t
see a tiger feeling guilt over having
just ripped the throat from a baby
antelope. In nature the strong takes
from the weak. That’s the way God
intended it. If there were a species
superior to us, we’d end up the same way,
as clothing, or in pieces, wrapped in
plastic at the supermarket.
TARA
I see what you mean.
INT. BRIDGE
RADIO OPERATOR (V.O./FILTERED)

Island base to Nomad. Come in Nomad.
KARL
(grabbing the radio)
Nomad here, go ahead.
BACK TO SCENE
Nomad passes under low hanging branches.
TARA
(pause; eyeing at the scar on
John's neck)
Where’d you get that scar?
JOHN
(not looking up)
What?
(CONTINUED)
15.
CONTINUED:
TARA
The scar on your neck. I told you where
I got mine.
The lamp pole in-between their chairs snags a web covered

thicket in the low hanging branches overhead. An enormous
black spider and several offspring drop onto the deck by
John's feet.
JOHN
(whipping his feet up onto the
deck chair)
Shit.
Unafraid, Tara crouches down and takes a closer look.
JOHN (cont’d)
What are you doing?
TARA
Look at that, a whole family of them.
Don’t worry, these type aren’t dangerous.
JOHN
How do you know?
TARA
(continuing to study the
spiders)
You learn what to look out for. A
neighbor of ours was bitten on the face
by a Loxosceles spider. The venom
dissolved away tissue leaving her with
horrible, disfiguring scars. Necrotising
arachnidism the doctors called it.
Watching carefully where he places his feet, John stands and

grabs a newspaper.
JOHN
(carefully sweeping the spiders
off the deck into the water)
I don’t want one of these things finding
it's way into my bed.
KARL (V.O./FILTERED)
Can I have your attention please. Our
help has been requested in locating a
ship gone missing in the area.
John turns to face Tara.
(CONTINUED)
16.
CONTINUED: (2)
KARL (V.O./FILTERED) (cont’d)

The Taronga was supposed to have checked
in with authorities six days ago.
INT. RICK/HARRY'S CABIN
Humming an unrecognizable song, Harry, oblivious to the

announcement, continues readying his hunting rifle. Rick
sit's motionless on a stool across from him, listening
intently.
KARL (V.O./FILTERED)
Any sign of the ship, particularly any
wreckage, should be reported to me
immediately. Thank you.
BACK TO SCENE
TARA
That’s the second one.
JOHN
What are you talking about?
TARA
Another ship went missing not far from
here six months ago. A party of wealthy
Japanese businessmen.
CUT TO:
EXT. INLET - NIGHT - NOMAD
presses on. The inlet is dark and ominous. A light fog

permeates the air. Moonlight shimmers down through branches
overhead. Classical MUSIC emanates from the stern of the
ship.
INT. BRIDGE
Karl observes the radar screen. EDDY, Karl’s East Indian

first mate, minds the wheel.
EDDY
It was moving a second ago.
INSERT - RADAR SCREEN
A blip flashes.
BACK TO SCENE
Karl looks ahead.
(CONTINUED)
17.
CONTINUED:
KARL
Five hundred yards straight ahead.
EDDY
Another ship?
KARL
Must be...
(moving to the front window)
... Did you notice how fast it was
traveling?
EDDY
Twenty-five knots.
KARL’S POV - FOG
limit's visibility to one hundred feet.
BACK TO SCENE
KARL
We’ll be coming up on it quickly. See if
you can get anyone on the radio.
Karl opens a cabinet and takes out a rifle.
STERN
John, Rick and Tara play cards at the table. Harry dozes a
few feet away on a lounge chair. The music pauses. In the
moment of silence, a brief almost imperceptible HUM echoes
over the water. Another track of MUSIC begins.
JOHN
Did you hear that?
Harry stirs.
TARA
I heard it.
RICK
What?
John stands and turns the music off.
JOHN
Listen.
RICK
(beat)
I don’t hear anything.
(CONTINUED)
18.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
A moment ago. It sounded like a motor.
TARA
The Taronga.
Karl enters through the door in the b.g., rifle in hand.
JOHN
What is it Captain?
KARL
We have visitors.
BOW - LATER
Karl and the others stand at the rail as Nomad rounds a bend.
The crewman stands atop the lookout, scanning the area with a
spotlight.
NOMAD’S POV - SPOTLIGHT
hit's a seemingly abandoned ship, floating three hundred feet

in the distance.
BACK TO SCENE
Nomad comes to a stop. Karl surveys the ship with his

binoculars.
KARL’S POV - TARONGA
written across the ship’s stern.
BACK TO SCENE
KARL
It’s the Taronga all right.
TARA
Where is everyone? It looks deserted.
KARL
(into radio)
Take us in Eddy, nice and slow.
Nomad’s engines REV. Karl pulls Tara aside.
KARL (cont’d)
I want you to go to the bridge, just
until we check things out here.
(CONTINUED)
19.
CONTINUED:
TARA
But I’m perfectly--
KARL
Your parents entrusted you with me,
please.
TARA
Alright.
Tara heads for the bridge.
NOMAD
closes in on the Taronga.
BACK TO SCENE
Nomad maneuvers to within fifty feet of the derelict ship.

John observes Rick take a pistol from his jacket and quietly
load a clip into it.
RICK
(quietly to John)
Just a little insurance.
KARL
Ahoy, is anyone there?
Absolute silence, and then in the b.g., a man appears on the

Taronga lookout in full view of the men.
Karl eyes the man. His immediate gut reaction is to shoot

now and ask questions later, but he pauses a split second to
be absolutely sure of the man’s intentions.
TARONGA LOOKOUT
The man raises an assault rifle and takes aim on the Nomad.
BACK TO SCENE
RICK
He’s armed! Get down!
SERIES OF SHOTS
The Taronga gunman fires, cannonading the deck of the Nomad.
Karl is hit in the chest and tumbles backwards, throwing his

rifle and radio across the deck.
(CONTINUED)
20.
CONTINUED:
Rick empties a clip on the Taronga as he and John dive behind

a crate.
Struck in the shoulder, Harry collapses beside the door to

the lower cabins. He pulls open the door with his good arm
and escapes below deck.
The Taronga gunman slams another clip into his rifle and
fires on the bridge.
Bullets pierce the side of the Nomad’s lookout, hitting the

crewman.
Inside the bridge, Tara and Eddy hit the floor as glass and
wood explodes around them.
JOHN
peers around the crate.
JOHN'S POV - KARL
lies motionless, covered in blood.
BACK TO SCENE
John reaches out and grabs Karl’s rifle and radio, lying just
a few feet away.
JOHN
Karl... I think he’s dead.
Rick takes the rifle from John and checks it over.
JOHN (cont’d)
(into radio)
Tara, are you there... Tara?
RICK
She’s probably dead too.
JOHN
Who are they?
RICK
Pirates, probably.
JOHN
Pirates?
The Taronga's engines REV.
(CONTINUED)
21.
CONTINUED:
RICK
Yeah, thieving, stinking, motherfucking
pirates. Not the kind you find at
Disneyland...
(handing the rifle to John)
... Hold this.
Rick glances over the crate.
RICK'S POV - TARONGA
lights up. Several armed pirates converge on the deck. They

wait at the side of the ship as it maneuvers in on Nomad, and
prepare to board.
BACK TO SCENE
RICK
There’s a shitload of them. They’ll be
on us any minute.
Rick checks his pistol.
JOHN
What are you doing?
RICK
I’m going to shoot that cocksucker on the
roof.
INT. RICK/HARRY'S CABIN
Harry works quickly. He lifts a case onto the table and

opens it. He takes out a large automatic rifle, grabs a box
of shells and begins to load it.
BACK TO SCENE
Rick springs up, leans over the crate and fires.
SERIES OF SHOTS
The Taronga gunman is hit several times in the chest and

drops out of sight.
Pirates on board the Taronga spot Rick.
Rick turns his attention to them and fires rapidly.
Two fall dead as another lets go a burst of automatic fire.
Rick is grazed across the ribs and collapses.

22.
STERN
A huge TATTOOED PIRATE leaps from the Taronga to the Nomad.

He cocks his machine gun and heads up along the starboard
towards the bow.
BOW
John drags Rick in behind the crate. Pirates scream AD LIB

orders to one another.
RICK
(wincing)
God damn, son of a bitch!
JOHN
(looking inside Rick’s jacket)
The bullet passed through... I have to
get to the bridge before they board us.
RICK
(handing John his pistol)
Take this. It’s easier to handle.
There’s a fresh clip inside my vest.
John grabs the clip and loads it.
RICK (cont’d)
Watch yourself John. This is fucking
hardball we’re playing here. You’re our
only chance.
John positions himself at the edge of the crate. He takes a

deep breath, then bolts out up the starboard, bullets
ricocheting at his feet.
STARBOARD
John races for the doorway. He reaches it, turns, and is

stopped dead in his tracks.
The tattooed pirate stands in the darkened doorway, his gun

trained on John. He steps out, thrusting the barrel into
John's face.
PIRATE
Drop it.
John drops the pistol. The pirate looks towards the bow.
JOHN
What do you want?
(CONTINUED)
23.
CONTINUED:
PIRATE
Get down.
John hesitates.
PIRATE (cont’d)
I said get down, or I’ll kill you now.
The pirate presses the barrel into John's throat.
INT. BRIDGE
Tara lies covered in debris. She lifts her head slowly,

listening. We HEAR the pirates bellowing outside, and then a
faint groan inside the cabin. She turns. A few feet away
lies Eddy, his leg bleeding profusely.
She crawls over to him. Using her belt she applies a

tourniquet around his thigh.
EDDY
Get us out of here. They’ll kill us.
Tara rises, grabbing the wheel with both hands.
EXT. STERN
The two ships grind against one another. Two more pirates
climb onto the rail of the Taronga and prepare to jump to the
Nomad. A door bursts open and Harry emerges, gun in hand.
HARRY
What do we have here.
Harry cocks the rifle and takes aim.
INT. BRIDGE
Tara hit's the throttle.
BACK TO SCENE
The yacht surges forward. Harry stumbles, firing. One of

the pirates is hit and plunges into the water.
STARBOARD
The yacht accelerates. Gunfire RINGS in the air. The pirate

panics and looks towards the stern. John lunges at him,
taking hold of his gun hand and knocking him into the
doorway. A fight ensues.
(CONTINUED)
24.
CONTINUED:
John slams the pirate into the rail. The pirate fires a
couple of rounds, struggling to aim his pistol.
BOW
Rick grabs the rifle and crawls towards the starboard.
RICK'S POV - TWO FIGURES
in a clinch at the rail. In the darkness it is not clear

which one is John.
BACK TO SCENE
Rick takes aim.
STARBOARD
John grabs the pirate by the throat and pushes him back
against the rail. The rail snaps and they both topple into
the black water.
BOW
Rick looks away from the rifle sight in shock.
NOMAD
races away full throttle.
JOHN
breaks the surface of the water and looks around him.
JOHN'S POV - HARRY
fires on Taronga from the stern of the fleeing Nomad.
BACK TO SCENE
The yacht turns a bend and disappears.
JOHN
Don’t leave me here... please.
A beam of light flashes across John's back, illuminating the

surface of the water. He turns.
JOHN'S POV - PIRATE
on the Taronga holds a spotlight on him and alerts the

others. Fifty feet away the tattooed pirate swims furiously
towards him.
25.
BACK TO SCENE
Something moves in the water below John. Bubbles ripple to

the surface.
JOHN
Oh no.
He turns and swims frantically for shore, the tattooed pirate

following a short distance behind him.
SIDE OF TARONGA
Two armed pirates climb down a ladder onto a skiff.
BANK
John treads water before a steep wall of twisted mangrove

roots. He reaches up, and grabbing hold of a root, pulls
himself out of the water.
SKIFF
jets towards the bank as the Taronga moves out after the
Nomad.
BACK TO SCENE
John climbs the mangrove. We HEAR the whine of the

approaching skiff. The jungle’s edge is just a few feet
away. The tattooed pirate reaches the bank and begins to
climb. John looks down.
JOHN'S POV - TATTOOED PIRATE
holding on with one hand, almost within striking distance,

draws a knife. Suddenly the water below ripples. An
enormous shape rises from the depths and poises just below
the surface.
BACK TO SCENE
John reaches for the grassy bank. All happening in

millisecond, a thirty foot crocodile lunges, grabs the
tattooed pirate from the mangrove, and disappears back below
the surface of the water.
SKIFF
Alerted by the splashing, a pirate takes aim on the mangrove.

26.
BACK TO SCENE
John eyes the gurgling, bloodstained water below as shots

RING out, striking the mangrove. He pulls himself up onto
the bank and rolls into the jungle.
John jumps to his feet and looks around him. We HEAR the
skiff at the bank. John bolts off into the darkness.
PIRATES
climb the mangrove.
BACK TO SCENE
John sprints through the jungle. He bursts through a dense

thicket, and stops abruptly.
WIDER VIEW
John stands at the edge of an abyss. It's sides are sheer;

it's bottom, indiscernible. A few feet to his right a fallen
tree forms a bridge.
BACK TO SCENE
John searches for a weapon. He snatches up a couple of loose

stones, and looking to the other side of the abyss, edges out
onto the tree.
Branches SNAP in the jungle. Seconds later, a pirate enters

from the thicket and approaches the edge of the abyss,
scanning the area.
John springs up from behind a large branch, stone in hand.

The pirate spots him, takes aim and fires. The bullet
ricochets off the branch as John hurls the stone with all his
strength.
The stone strikes the pirate in the arm, knocking away his
rifle. He falls to his knees in agony, close to the edge of
the abyss. He struggles to reach his rifle just a few inches
away.
John hurls his last stone, this time striking the pirate in
the forehead. The pirate collapses forward, teeters for a
split second on the edge, then slides off into the abyss.
John watches, horrified.
JOHN'S POV - PIRATE’S BODY
falls, disappearing into the depths of the abyss. A light

flickers far below.
27.
BACK TO SCENE
John hangs onto the tree, horror-struck. We HEAR a rustling

noise.
Turning, he sees the second pirate emerge from the jungle.

The pirate spots him and opens fire.
John drops down. Spinning around, he looks across to the

other side of the abyss.
JOHN'S POV - A TREE
Vine covered branches cover the length of the trunk.
BACK TO SCENE
John moves out, weaving through the cover of the branches as

bullets fly.
The pirate rushes to the base of the tree.
PIRATE’S POV - JOHN
A clear shot.
BACK TO SCENE
The pirate’s gun clicks empty. He throws it down and leaps

up onto the tree.
John passes the midway point. The pirate moves closer in the
b.g. The tree begins to wobble.
ROCKY LEDGE
supporting the trunk on the other side suddenly gives way.

The tree drops violently, crashing into another ledge a few
feet lower.
BACK TO SCENE
John grabs hold of a vine as he is thrown from the tree.
The pirate watches as John plummets into the abyss. The vine
snaps taut, halting his descent twenty feet below. John
dangles helplessly.
The pirate climbs across the trunk, positioning himself over

John. He takes a knife from his belt and chops at the thick
vine. The vine frays. The tree jerks.
(CONTINUED)
28.
CONTINUED:
John looks up, then to the sides of the abyss, fear slowly
giving way to uncontrollable rage.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. LOS ANGELES - ABANDONED BUILDING/ROOM - NIGHT
NENNEKER
(holding the knife to John's
throat)
You should have jumped while you had the
chance.
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE - ABYSS/TREE - NIGHT
JOHN
(exploding with defiant anger)
No...!
(looking up)
... You’re coming with me, you son of a
bitch! You’re coming with me!
John tugs repeatedly on the vine. The tree begins to quake.

The pirate pauses, aware of John's intentions. Turning, he
flees.
John, barely able to hold on, gives one last furious tug.
The second ledge collapses. The pirate falls flat and hangs
on as the tree, grinding against rock on both sides, slowly
sinks into the abyss.
John looks up, then down into the shadows of the abyss.
Realizing the tree will crash down upon him at any moment, he
lets go of the vine. The tree breaks loose.
WIDER VIEW SPFX
John plunges towards the bottom with the tree following forty
feet over him.
BOTTOM OF ABYSS SPFX
John hit's the surface of a stream feet first. A split

second later the tree crashes down over him.
All is dark and quiet.
CUT TO:
29.
EXT. BOTTOM OF ABYSS/STREAM - NIGHT
Fallen boulders line the sides of the deep, slow moving

stream. Far in the b.g. a large floating mass rounds the
bend and nears.
Blood trickles down the fingers of a bruised hand, dripping

into murky water a few inches below. WIDEN TO REVEAL John,
severely injured and unconscious, sprawled on a floating
branch.
We HEAR a strange rapping. The bloodied water churns as

thousands of small fish gather just below the surface.
A finger touches the water. The carnivorous fish strike it.

John gasps, pulling in his arm.
His eyes slowly open.
JOHN'S POV - JUNGLE CANOPY
Rain falls through narrow breaks in the foliage.
BACK TO SCENE
The makeshift raft runs aground a foot from the bank. The
rain intensifies. A shadowy figure appears in the b.g. and
limps towards the raft. John spots the approaching figure.
JOHN'S POV - PIRATE
having also survived the fall, hobbles to the water’s edge,

his face bruised and swollen. He uses a long heavy stick as
a crutch.
Steadying himself over John, he takes the stick from under

his arm and raises it high over his head.
BACK TO SCENE
John lies delirious, unable to move his broken body. We HEAR

a swish. The pirate’s body jolts. He drops the stick and
staggers back confused.
Clutching his chest, he slowly turns to face the tree behind

him. An arrow protrudes from the trunk at chest level. He
reaches out and touches the fletchings. Fresh blood stains
his fingers.
He turns to face John, mouth agape, takes a couple of steps,

then collapses into the mud. A forearm flops into the water
and is immediately set upon by the voracious fish.
30.
JUNGLE
is motionless, a mix of obscure greens and browns. Then deep

in the shadows, a subtle undulation. Trees, leaves and
stone, as if alive, creep slowly towards the bank.
Emerging from the jungle’s cover, an indistinguishable shape

takes human form.
His lithe, nearly naked body is covered in varied textures

and colors, so exact to his jungle surroundings that he is
virtually invisible when still.
His hair is long, black and ragged. A dark wooden mask

conceals the upper portion of his face. In a flash he
snatches an arrow from a quiver on his back and moves towards
the edge of the muddy bank, bow drawn.
Others appear behind him, each exhibiting their own unique

camouflage.
ACROSS THE STREAM
two snipers throw ropes into the overhanging trees and swing
towards the bank.
BACK TO SCENE
The leader pauses at the water’s edge, relaxing the bow and
lowering it to his side. Lightning flashes.
Pigments on his chest run in the pelting rain, revealing the

faint lines of a large patterned scar. John stares up at the
looming figure.
JOHN
Help me... please help me.
LEADER’S POV - TATTOO
on John's shoulder.
BACK TO SCENE
While a dozen men look on, the leader steps onto the floating
branch and crouches down beside John.
CUT TO:
31.
EXT. JUNGLE (FIVE YEARS LATER) - DAY
Veterinarian HELEN KILEY follows an armed GUIDE along a path.

She wears khaki clothing, sunglasses and carries a rifle over
her shoulder.
The heat and humidity are unbearable. Insects BUZZ in the

air. She takes a handkerchief from her jacket and wipes the
sweat from her brow.
CLEARING
Helen sit's on a canvas ground sheet beneath the shade of a

palm tree.
She opens a satchel, takes out a tin canister and a couple of

small glass vials, and places them carefully down in front of
her. She grabs her rifle and pulls back the bolt.
The guide walks over, sit's down across from her, and hands
her a canteen of water.
HELEN
Thank you. How much further?
GUIDE
We are very close.
She takes a long drink, then reaches for a radio on her belt.
HELEN
Are you there Jack?
JACK (V.O./FILTERED)
(beat)
Go ahead.
HELEN
What’s your location?
If I understand these guys right, about
three miles northeast of the swamp.
HELEN
Any sign of the panther?
Yeah, twice. Haven’t been able to get
close enough to get a dart into him.
HELEN
Is he as big as they said?
(CONTINUED)
32.
CONTINUED:
Bigger, and he’s coming your way so keep
your eyes open.
HELEN
Will do.
Helen puts the radio away and takes another sip of water. She
grabs one of the vials and examines it's label closely.
GUIDE
That little bottle will put him to sleep?
HELEN
Should do.
Helen takes a dart from the canister, places it into the

breech on the rifle and slams the bolt forward.
GUIDE
Then what?
HELEN
We take him home with us. We have a
fertile feline waiting for him back in
America.
The guide looks confused.
HELEN (cont’d)
We’re going to make some kittens.
GUIDE
He is a wild beast, used to making his
own decisions.
SWAMP - LATER
Helen and the guide tread along a narrow patch of dry ground.
Tall grasses flank them.
WIDER VIEW
They approach the blind, a small thatched hut raised high on

wooden stilts.
INT./EXT. HUT
Helen and the guide climb up through a hole in the floor.

The guide opens a flap on the wall revealing a clear view of
the surrounding area.
33.
HUT - TWILIGHT
While the guide rests, Helen scans the swamp through the
scope on her rifle. She spots something.
HELEN’S POV - PANTHER
emerges through a dense growth of one hundred foot bamboo.
BACK TO SCENE
HELEN
I see him.
The guide jumps up. Helen grabs the radio.
HELEN (cont’d)
(into radio)
Jack, he’s here... Jack...
She throws the radio down and takes aim. She pulls the
trigger. The gun jams.
HELEN (cont’d)
Shit.
She pulls back the bolt, checks the breech, then raises the
rifle to try again.
HELEN’S POV - BAMBOO
The panther is nowhere to be seen.
HELEN (O.S.)
Where’d you go?
Something moves just inside the bamboo.
BACK TO SCENE
Helen fires.
HELEN
Got him.
BAMBOO
Helen aims a flashlight in between the huge bamboo stems. A

few feet back the guide stands guard.
HELEN
(spotting something)
Oh my god.
(CONTINUED)
34.
CONTINUED:
Helen bolts into the bamboo.
GUIDE
Miss Kiley... Miss Kiley, what is it?
Helen rushes back.
HELEN
Radio for a helicopter. It’s a man. I
shot a man.
CUT TO:
INT. NEARBY ISLAND - CLINIC/EXAMINING ROOM - NIGHT
DR. SALAZAR enters. He walks over to a white curtain in the

corner of the room and throws it open.
SALAZAR’S POV - JOHN
lies unconscious on a table. A sheet covers his lower half.

Almost unrecognizable, his lean, muscular body is covered in
jungle colored patterns.
His hair has grown long and tangled. A deep puncture wound
marks his shoulder. A NURSE swings in equipment around him.
BACK TO SCENE
Salazar approaches the table and opens John's chart.
SALAZAR
I got here as soon as I could. How’s he
doing?
NURSE
Respiratory rate, blood pressure, pulse
rate, all stable doctor.
SALAZAR
Get him on oxygen, and start an IV with
normal saline, two hundred c.c.s an hour.
The nurse starts the oxygen and IV while Salazar examines the
wound on John's shoulder.
SALAZAR (cont’d)
He’s very lucky. I would have thought
one hundred c.c.s of mesopromazine V
would surely be fatal... to a human.
Salazar flashes a penlight across John's eyes.
(CONTINUED)
35.
CONTINUED:
SALAZAR (cont’d)
It’s a very powerful central nervous
system depressant.
NURSE
He has a Glasgow coma scale of ten.
The nurse grabs a sponge and begins to clean the paint from
John's chest and arms.
NURSE (cont’d)
Doctor...
SALAZAR’S POV - JOHN'S CHEST
With some of the paint wiped away, a large patterned scar is

visible.
BACK TO SCENE
Salazar examines the scars.
SALAZAR
I’ve never seen anything like this
before.
The nurse holds up a black wooden mask.
NURSE
He was wearing this when they brought him
in.
SALAZAR
(pause)
Considering the fact he’s survived until
now, there’s a chance he may come out of
it, but not here. I want him on the next
plane out.
NURSE
Yes doctor.
The nurse gently wipes the paint and dirt from John's face.
CUT TO:
EXT. LOS ANGELES - DUSK - ESTABLISHING
INT. HOSPITAL/CORRIDOR
A young, male R.N. wheels a still unconscious John on a

gurney towards the recovery wing.
(CONTINUED)
36.
CONTINUED:
Slamming the gurney through some heavy, swinging doors, he

arrives at the reception and is greeted by a no-nonsense HEAD
NURSE.
R.N. #1
John Bannon checking in. Where do you
want him?
HEAD NURSE
(grabbing John's chart off the
side of the gurney)
We’re still waiting for an available bed
in ICU...
(beat; reading)
Put him in 119 for now.
ROOM 119
dimly lit and narrow, with four beds and a large window
offering an urban panorama.
DEZ REID, a young student sporting dregs and a goatee, lies

playing the latest ‘shoot-em-up’ computer game on his
notebook. He wears a cast on his right leg and is bound
around the ribs with gauze and tape.
DEAN CAPONE, an abrasive, blue-collar type, picks over his

lunch tray, now and then gazing up at the rented television
hanging over him. We HEAR the opening theme of a local six
o’clock news program, and then...
TV ANCHORMAN (V.O.)
Good evening, I’m Ted Roberts. Tonight’s
top story...
(beat)
With many areas of the city without power
last night, criminals took to the streets
in full force. A sixty-four year old
employee, one week away from retirement,
was wounded in an early morning robbery
at the Laredo Gun Shop in Corona Del
Mar...
DEAN
This couldn’t be good for you.
DEZ
(hitting keys vehemently)
What?
(CONTINUED)
37.
CONTINUED:
DEAN TV ANCHORMAN (V.O.)

Sitting on your ass all day, In what police describe as a
eating this steamed shit they professional job, thieves
call food... people sneezing, used a stolen van to make off
coughing, puking all over the with military style weapons
place. Probably every germ and ammunition worth an
known to man crawling around estimated five million
in here... dollars. Police say the
(pause; glancing at the employee’s injuries do not
television) appear to be life
Jesus. threatening. The
unidentified man was taken to
Orange Coast Hospital in
Fountain Valley. His
condition is not known...
(beat)
Surveillance cameras
captured these horrifying
moments outside a downtown
ATM last night, when two men
carrying sawed off shotguns--
Revolted by the image, Dean reaches up and switches off the

television.
DEAN
You got people uptight if Elmer Fudd
blows Daffy Duck’s bill off, but you can
turn on the six o’clock news and see it
all for real.
Just then the R.N. enters. He wheels John to the far end of
the room, transfers him onto a bed, and covers him with a
blanket.
DEAN (cont’d)
(to R.N. #1)
What’s the matter with him?
R.N. #1
(checking the EKG)
He was flown in from the tropics this
afternoon. Someone mistook him for a
tiger, or something. Shot him with a
tranquilizer dart.
The R.N. draws a curtain across the bed.
R.N. #1 (cont’d)
Hasn’t moved since.
(CONTINUED)
38.
CONTINUED: (2)
DEAN
A tiger? How do you mistake a man for a
tiger?
DEZ
I’ve been mistaken for many things
before.
TARA (O.S.)
Excuse me.
R.N. #1
(looking over to the doorway)
Can I help you?
TARA
her expression baring a five year old nightmare, relived most

of the last forty-eight hours, enters, apprehensive of the
imminent reunion.
TARA
I’m looking for John Bannon.
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE - PIT
John drops onto a dank, earthen floor, completely naked and

drenched in sweat. Muddy walls rise on all sides around him.
He jumps to his feet assuming a defensive position, wired,
scanning the pitch-dark corners.
Then out of the shadows, the inevitable attack, a hungry

snake, of indeterminable length, a foot in girth, strikes
with the impact of a small car, biting into his thigh,
knocking him to the ground.
The floor of the pit erupts in a writhing fusion of reptilian

and human flesh. John struggles to free himself as more and
more of the thick, muscled body swirls around his torso.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL/ROOM 119 - NIGHT - TARA
standing frozen at John’s bedside. A few seconds tick by,

the only sound, John's slow, rhythmic HEARTBEAT sounding on
the EKG. The head nurse enters at the foot of the bed.
HEAD NURSE
Miss Langer? Dr. Grauber can speak to
you now.
(CONTINUED)
39.
CONTINUED:
Tara turns and follows the head nurse out.
JOHN’S
face.
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. JUNGLE - PIT
With the snake squeezing ever tighter on each of John's

exhalations, with bones stressed to their limit and
suffocation close at hand, a strange instrument drops onto
the floor of the pit, just a few inches away.
Reaching out with his one free arm, John slips his hand into
the device. Clenching his fist, five razor-sharp blades
rotate into place over his knuckles. Raising his arm high to
strike, he slams his now armored fist, deep into the scaled
coils.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL/ROOM 119 - NIGHT
Dean snoozes, illuminated under the flickering, blue light of

his hanging television. It is quiet except for the barely
audible MURMUR emanating from his headphones.
Across the room, Dez, working under an overhead lamp, a large

sketchbook in hand, threshes out an idea.
DEZ’S POV - SKETCH PAPER
Variations on a superhero type character.
BACK TO SCENE
Dez pauses, gazing at the sketch, his vision decidedly

lacking some integral detail. He places the sketchbook onto
the table beside him. Checking to make sure that Dean is
indeed asleep, and that the corridor shows no signs of an
embarrassing intrusion, he reaches for his bedpan.
Sudden AD LIB chatter from passersby in the corridor cut

short his attempt. Fed up with this particular hospital
indignity, he whips back his covers and sit's up onto the
edge of the bed.
Slowly rising to his feet, grimacing in pain, he reaches for

a pair of crutches leaning against the side table.
40.
JOHN
lies motionless.
JOHN'S EYELIDS
flutter.
INSERT - EKG
flashes with activity.
DEZ
exit's the bathroom and staggers back to bed. In the b.g. we

SEE a section of the curtain around John's bed ripped from
it's rings.
Just as Dez reaches the side of his bed, John rises from the
floor in the center of the room, his respiration, deep and
heavy, his eyes wild. Attachments from the EKG, dangle from
his body.
DEZ
(staring in amazement)
Hey Capone... Capone, wake up.
Dean is a sound sleeper.
JOHN'S POV - ROOM
is blurred and distorted.
BACK TO SCENE
John staggers to the foot of Dez's bed. As he stands there,

taking deep breaths, a stunning metamorphosis takes place. A
wild, intangible energy begins to fill his body. Strength
returns.
DEZ
Hey man, it’s cool. I was pulling for
you all the way...
(looking around him nervously)
... Where’s the damn nurse?
The head nurse followed by a young, female R.N., rush into

the room. John looks up menacingly.
DEZ (cont’d)
(to the nurses)
My buddy here just woke up.
(CONTINUED)
41.
CONTINUED:
HEAD NURSE
Now just relax Johnny. You’ve been
seriously ill. It’s important we get you
back in bed.
John turns abruptly and heads for the window.
HEAD NURSE (cont’d)

(continuing; quietly to R.N.
#2)
Get the orderlies.
John pauses a moment before the window, looking out at the

bright lights of the city. He opens the latch and pulls the
window open.
ORDERLY #1 (O.S.)
Where do you think you’re going?
John turns to face TWO BURLY ORDERLIES.
ORDERLY #2
Come on, you don’t want to do that. Now
back away from the window.
Dean stirs, opening his eyes.
DEAN
What the hell is going on here?
Making quick use of the diversion, John lunges at the

orderlies.
NURSE’S STATION
R.N. #2 rushes to the phone and hit's an extension.
R.N. #2
We have a violent patient on the tenth
floor. Get the police over here, now.
BACK TO SCENE
Orderly #2, writhing in agony, drags himself out of harm’s

way as John tosses orderly #1 over a table.
Dean and Dez watch horrified.
With the orderlies disposed of, John grabs a chair and

smashes out the entire window, then leaps out onto a narrow
ledge and disappears.
42.
EXT. HOSPITAL/STREET
An LAPD black-and-white arrives on the scene.
INT. HOSPITAL/LOBBY
OFFICER ROY TRIBOLE, black, solidly built, in his early

forties, a twenty year veteran with the LAPD, enters the busy
lobby followed by young rookie partner, CHRIS FORD.
Orderly #2, bruised and bloodied, stands in front of the

reception. The head nurse talks on the phone behind the
desk. Spotting the officers, she hangs up and rushes over.
Orderly #2 follows.
HEAD NURSE
Thank god you’re here. He just went
berserk.
TRIBOLE
Where is he now ma’am?
HEAD NURSE
He escaped out the window.
TRIBOLE
Which window?
HEAD NURSE
On the tenth floor. Someone saw him
climbing up the side of the building,
towards the roof.
TRIBOLE
(to Ford)
See if we can get a chopper to pass by.
Ford nods and exit's.
TRIBOLE (cont’d)
And grab a radio when you’re out there...
(beat; back to the head nurse)
Is he on any drugs that might account for
his behavior?
HEAD NURSE
No.
TRIBOLE
Any psychological problems?
(CONTINUED)
43.
CONTINUED:
HEAD NURSE
He’s been in a drug induced coma for two
days. That’s all I know.
The orderly’s bruised eye catches Tribole’s attention.
TRIBOLE
(to orderly #2)
What the hell happened to you?
ORDERLY #2
He didn’t like me touching him.
TRIBOLE
(sizing him up)
You couldn’t hold a man fresh out of a
coma?
ORDERLY #2
This guy’s one wild son of a bitch. Very
strong. You best keep that in mind.
HOSPITAL/CAFETERIA
DR. GRAUBER, a distinguished medical toxicologist in his late

forties, pays a cashier for two cups of coffee, and hands one
to Tara.
Conversing as they walk.
TARA
What are the chances he’ll survive this?
GRAUBER
At this point it’s hard to say how much
damage the tranquilizer did. We’ll know
more after we run some tests.
Taking a seat on a bench.
TARA
You said on the phone, you wanted my
opinion about something.
GRAUBER
It’s evident, having looked over his
medical records, he suffered some sort
of, traumatic accident while on the
island... to the extent that we’d have
had a difficult time saving his life in
this fully equipped hospital. No one has
seen or heard from him in five years.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
44.
CONTINUED:
GRAUBER (cont'd)
My question to you is... Who on that
island has such a talent for surgery?
TARA
Surgery?
GRAUBER
He’s never been under the knife. An x-
ray taken yesterday revealed one of his
kidneys has been removed--
FEMALE (V.O.)
(on the intercom)
Code white, ward ten, Dr. Grauber. Code
white, ward ten, Dr. Grauber.
TARA
That’s John’s floor.
HOSPITAL/LOBBY
TRIBOLE
(to orderly #2)
Any other way off the roof?
ORDERLY #2
No.
Ford returns.
FORD
There was one in the area. Be here in a
couple minutes.
HEAD NURSE
(spotting the janitor)
It’s about time.
Meeting the janitor in front of the elevators.

(continuing; to the janitor)
The officers need to get up to the roof,
right away.
The janitor nods. Tribole and Ford follow him into one of
the open elevators.

I hope he’s alright.
TRIBOLE
Don’t worry. As long as he doesn’t jump,
we’ll bring him down.
(CONTINUED)
45.
CONTINUED:
The elevator door closes.
EXT. HOSPITAL/ROOF
John crouches on the edge of the roof. We HEAR the whirl of

the approaching chopper.
JOHN'S POV - A WIRE CABLE
twenty feet below, runs across to a building under

construction.
BACK TO SCENE
A spotlight hit's John.
LAPD CHOPPER
descends towards the roof.
INT. CHOPPER
CO-PILOT
That’s our man.
PILOT
What’s he doing?
CO-PILOT
Just sitting there like a pigeon.
PILOT
(into radio)
This is chopper one. We’ve located the
patient.
INT. HOSPITAL/ELEVATOR
Tribole listens.
PILOT (V.O./FILTERED)
He’s crouched on the edge of the roof,
southeast corner of the building.
TRIBOLE
(into radio)
Hang there a couple minutes if you can.
Keep him distracted.
INSERT - FLOOR INDICATOR PANEL
hit's fifteen.
46.
EXT. HOSPITAL/ROOF
John looks up into the blinding spotlight, then across to the

building under construction.
Without warning, John leaps from the roof.
CHOPPER’S POV - JOHN
plummets.
CO-PILOT (O.S.)
Holy shit!
BACK TO SCENE
John reaches out, catching the cable with both hands.
WIDER VIEW
John hangs fourteen stories above the city street.
The chopper maneuvers out over him.
CO-PILOT (O.S.)
I can’t believe it. There he is on the
wire.
JOHN
swings towards the other building.
INT. HOSPITAL/LOBBY
Grauber races for the elevator.
Tara, following a few feet behind him, slows to a stop, a

commotion in the street having caught her attention.
TARA’S POV - PEOPLE IN THE STREET
point into the air.
BACK TO SCENE
Turning to see the elevator doors close, Tara heads for the
exit.
47.
Exiting the front doors, Tara walks out onto the sidewalk and
gazes up.
TARA’S POV - CHOPPER
hovers over John, now midway between the two buildings.
BACK TO SCENE
Although impossible to identify the man, intuition speaks

loudly.
TARA
John...
PILOT (O.S.)
He’s heading for the other building.
INT. HOSPITAL/STAIRWAY
Tribole, Ford and the janitor on the stairway.
TRIBOLE
(into radio)
What was that?
He's swinging across a cable to another
building.
TRIBOLE
(to Ford)
What the hell are we dealing with here?
You’d better get an air bag in the street
real quick. It’s a hundred yards across.
He’ll never make it.
EXT. HIGH ABOVE STREET
John moves effortlessly, hand over hand, exhibiting no

fatigue or emotion. He closes in on the shadowy building,
little more than a framework of iron girders.
HOSPITAL/STREET
Tribole and Ford weave through the crowd, reaching the middle
of the street.
(CONTINUED)
48.
CONTINUED:
Another LAPD black-and-white arrives on the scene. Officers

LAMONT and HOXTER rush over.
Tribole notices an old man beside him watching the spectacle

through binoculars.
TRIBOLE
(to the man)
Can I borrow those?
The man nods and hands them over.
HOXTER
(looking up)
Some junkie on a bad trip?
TRIBOLE
(focusing the binoculars)
A junkie would’ve been splattered all
over the pavement by now.
HIGH ABOVE STREET
John reaches the other side, drops to an iron girder and

takes off into the iron maze.
BACK TO SCENE
We HEAR the crowd cheer.
TRIBOLE
(turning to the other officers)
If the boy doesn’t kill himself, he has a
future with Barnum and Bailey...
(looking across the street)
... Let’s see if anyone’s home.
TARA (O.S.)
Officer.
Tara elbows her way over to Tribole.
TRIBOLE
What is it ma’am?
TARA
My name is Tara Langer. Tell John I’m
here to see him.
HOXTER
Visiting hours are over lady.
(CONTINUED)
49.
CONTINUED:
TARA
Please.
TRIBOLE
What do you know about this man?
TARA
You’re going to think I’m crazy but, in
his mind, a split second ago, he was ten
thousand miles from here.
HOXTER
That explains everything. Thanks for
filling us in.
TRIBOLE
I’ll pass the message on ma’am.
The officers turn and exit.
EXT. BUILDING/SECURITY GATE
The officers follow a security guard towards the base of the

building.
SECURITY GUARD
(yakking to Hoxter)
It was a few years ago when I was working
as a concierge in New York. I actually
saw the guy jump. Thirty-four story nose-
dive. Flagpole cut him in half on the
way down.
HOXTER
Wow, that’s something isn’t it. You get
any pictures?
SECURITY GUARD
No. Made one hell of a mess. You
couldn’t even make him out. Looked like
peanut butter and jelly spread all over
the sidewalk.
TRIBOLE
(into radio)
Chopper one, do you read?
Go ahead.
TRIBOLE
Any sign of him?
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED:
He’s on the fourteenth floor, somewhere.
TRIBOLE SECURITY GUARD

Circle the building. See if This baby’s earthquake proof.
there’s any way off it. Take Engineers went over it with a
into account the man’s fine tooth comb today. No
resourceful. structural damage,
whatsoever.
PILOT (V.O./FILTERED) (cont’d)

Will do.
Reaching the base of the building.
SECURITY GUARD
I hope you gentlemen aren’t afraid of
heights.
INT. BUILDING/ELEVATOR
The officers enter into the elevator.
SECURITY GUARD
Give me a few minutes. I’ll see if I can
get you some light up there.
TRIBOLE
That’d be nice.
Tribole hit's a switch and the doors close.
14TH FLOOR
John pauses along a girder. We HEAR the rattle of the

ascending elevator.
EXT. BUILDING - CHOPPER
passes over the roof.
INT. CHOPPER
Raindrops hit the side window.
CO-PILOT
Shit, just what we need.
PILOT
(beat; into radio)
Watch your step boys. We got some rain
coming down. It’s going to be slippery
up there.
51.
INT. BUILDING/14TH FLOOR
The elevator door opens. The blue beam of a flashlight

shines out into the pelting rain. Tribole leads the way out
onto a wooden platform.
Just spotted him. North side of the
building.
TRIBOLE
(into radio)
We’re on our way.
A narrow walkway extends into the dark interior of the floor.
Hoxter gazes down.
HOXTER’S POV - PLATFORM
has no guardrail and is loose and uneven. Gaps are visible.
HOXTER (O.S.)
Son of a bitch.
BACK TO SCENE
HOXTER
Maybe we should just let this guy come
down on his own time.
A fierce wind HOWLS through the framework. Tribole aims his

flashlight into the darkness.
FORD
(to Tribole)
He has a point. I think we’re a little
out of our league here.
TRIBOLE
We can’t just leave him up here.
HOXTER
You’re going to risk your life trying to
save some fucking psycho? The walkway’s
only four feet wide, and slick as hell.
One slip and it’s fourteen stories
straight down.
Tribole notices Lamont standing at the edge of the platform

looking down.
(CONTINUED)
52.
CONTINUED:
TRIBOLE
Heights don’t bother you Lamont?
LAMONT
I put myself through college cleaning
windows. Did the Empire State Building
one summer.
TRIBOLE
You up for this?
Lamont nods.
TRIBOLE (cont’d)
(continuing; to Ford)
See what’s taking so long with the
lights.
Tara leans against the hood of Lamont and Hoxter's black-and-

white, keeping her eyes trained on the upper floors of the
building.
BACK TO SCENE
Tribole and Lamont walk in single file.
We HEAR the chopper circling overhead, it's spotlight

penetrating the open structure, casting a myriad of shadows.
TRIBOLE
I can’t help thinking what this guy might
be capable of, when he’s one hundred
percent.
Pausing before a fork in the walkway.
TRIBOLE (cont’d)
Take the left?
Lamont nods.
TRIBOLE (cont’d)
We’ll meet around the other side. Don’t
try to take him on your own.
INTERIOR OF 14TH FLOOR - A FEW MOMENTS LATER
Tribole advances, stepping carefully over boxes and heavy

tools left strewn in the walkway.
(CONTINUED)
53.
CONTINUED:
He tears away a strip of tape blocking his way and proceeds

on.
TRIBOLE
John, this is the police. We’re here to
help you. There’s nothing to be afraid
of.
He pauses, scanning the area with his flashlight.
TRIBOLE (cont’d)
There’s a lady friend of yours downstairs
who’d like to talk to you... a Miss Tara
Langer.
TWENTY FEET UP
John leaps from a girder.
BACK TO SCENE
John lands silently and with perfect balance a few feet from
Tribole.
Tribole spins around, catching John in the beam of his

flashlight.
TRIBOLE'S POV - JOHN
glares back at him.
BACK TO SCENE
TRIBOLE
(into radio)
Lamont?
INT./EXT. PERIMETER OF 14TH FLOOR
The chopper hovers off to Lamont's side drowning out

Tribole's call.
BACK TO SCENE
TRIBOLE
(into radio)
Lamont, are you there?
JOHN
Where am I?
(CONTINUED)
54.
CONTINUED:
TRIBOLE
I want you to calm down John.
Everything is going to be just--
JOHN
Answer me. Where am I?
TRIBOLE
You’re in Los Angeles.
JOHN
How did I get here?
TRIBOLE
All I know is you suffered some sort of
poisoning. Why don’t we just get
ourselves off this building, alright.
(pause; detecting a faint
rumble)
Oh no... not up here.
The RUMBLING intensifies, quickly turning to a hellish ROAR.

Tribole stumbles as the walkway begins to sway, CRACKING and
splintering beneath them.
TRIBOLE (cont’d)
It’s an aftershock. Get down.
Tribole drops flat on his stomach.
John is imperturbable amidst the horror. He steps calmly to

the edge of the walkway and leaps, dropping out of sight.
The walkway undulates violently. Metal GRATES against metal.

Debris falls from overhead.
TWO BY FOURS
beneath the walkway snap.
BACK TO SCENE
Like a hinge the wooden structure collapses on one side,

casting Tribole off.
Falling through the air, he catches a lone pipe running ten

feet below the walkway.
As quickly as it began the aftershock wanes. Sirens WAIL in

the distance.
55.
INT./EXT. PERIMETER OF 14TH FLOOR
Lamont rises to his feet and races off.
BACK TO SCENE
TRIBOLE
Lamont!
LAMONT (V.O./FILTERED)
Tribole, what’s your location...?
Tribole.
Unable to reach the radio on his belt, Tribole searches for

some way out of the deathtrap, his grip beginning to weaken.
He hears something CREAK above him and looks up.
TRIBOLE'S POV - TWISTED WALKWAY
wavers precariously.
BACK TO SCENE
Tribole swings one hand over another. A hand slips.

Dangling by one arm, he regains his grip and pauses,
exhausted.
Something catches his attention.
TRIBOLE'S POV - A ROPE
dangles fifty feet away. It begins to snake as a figure

descends it's length. We SEE that it is John.
BACK TO SCENE
TRIBOLE
What the hell are you doing?
John reaches the end of the rope and begins to swing back and
forth, each contraction of his body gaining him more
momentum. He quickly increases the arch of his swing to
within a few feet of Tribole.
TRIBOLE (cont’d)
(loud)
Don’t come any closer. The walkway’s
ready to come down.
WALKWAY
begins to breakaway.
56.
BACK TO SCENE
John swings in, just five feet short.
JOHN
(swinging away from Tribole)
Grab my arm next time.
TRIBOLE
You got to be kidding. I can’t do this.
I can’t.
Wooden beams CRACK overhead.
SERIES OF SHOTS
John hurtles back towards the pipe.
Tribole reaches out with one hand.
John swings in and grabs Tribole's arm.
The two men swing away.
The walkway collapses.
Without warning John releases Tribole.
Tribole drops several feet onto another platform, taking

John's tattered shirt with him.
PLATFORM
Tribole lies in shock, still clutching the shirt.
John drops to the platform on the return swing, showing no

signs of fatigue. Stepping closer, a shaft of light exposes
his scarred chest.
TRIBOLE
I believe this is yours...
(beat; tossing the shirt at
John's feet)
You saved my life, that is if I don’t die
of a heart attack in the next few
seconds.
(pause)
Even the toughest son of a bitch will
crack under the right circumstances. You
can see it their eyes, but not yours. It
isn’t in you. I mean, it really isn’t in
you.
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
Tara is alive?
TRIBOLE
Yeah.
LAMONT (O.S.)
(distant)
Tribole.
John scans the surrounding area.
TRIBOLE
We’d better go, alright...?
(rising to his feet)
... There’s no telling if another
aftershock might hit...
(looking around him)
... Maybe I should follow you.
Sirens WAIL. Power is out. Emergency lights atop the LAPD

black-and-whites provide split second images of a panicked
crowd.
Ford leans against his black-and-white in front of the

hospital, radio in hand.
INTERCUT Ford’s conversation with Tribole in the building

across the street.
TRIBOLE (V.O./FILTERED)
We’re on the way down with him.
FORD
You guys alright?
TRIBOLE
(descending a stairwell)
That offer in Minnesota is looking damn
good right now.
FORD
We got off pretty easy. We should have
power within the hour.
How about the hospital?
FORD
Generators are up and running. No
substantial damage.
(CONTINUED)
58.
CONTINUED:
Let the young lady know her friend’s
okay.
STREET - A FEW MOMENTS LATER
Going unnoticed amidst the crowd that moments ago cheered him
on, John is lead across the darkened street by Tribole and
Lamont. Ford, Hoxter and Tara await them in front of the
hospital.
TARA
stares at the approaching figures.
TARA’S POV - JOHN
The emergency light on the black-and-white flashes across

him, again and again, as he walk towards her.
BACK TO SCENE
Tara stands dumbfounded, observing for the first time the

telltale markings on John's naked chest.
Hoxter rushes forward.
HOXTER
(standing menacingly in front
of John)
Is that your idea of entertainment?
Someone could’ve been killed you--
TRIBOLE
(to Hoxter)
Lay off him.
Unfazed by Hoxter’s remarks, John brushes by him, coming face

to face with Tara.
TARA
(speechless for a moment,
then...)
We searched the river system for a month.
They found parts of, what they thought
was you, inside the belly of a crocodile.
JOHN
Journalist eaten alive. Must have made a
great story.
(CONTINUED)
59.
CONTINUED:
TARA
(eyeing his chest)
You found them.
JOHN
They found me.
We SEE Grauber exit the front doors of the hospital in the

b.g., and rush over.
GRAUBER
Mr. Bannon... would you accompany me back
to the hospital, please?
John gazes up at the looming buildings around him, his mind

somewhere else.
TARA
He’s a doctor John. He wants to make
sure you’re alright.
Turning his attention back to Tara and Grauber, John heads

for the front doors of the hospital.
CUT TO:
INT. HOSPITAL/RECOVERY - THREE DAYS LATER
Patients and their visitors stroll the hallway. The elevator

doors open and Tara and Grauber exit. Tara carries two
shopping bags as they walk.
TARA
How is he?
GRAUBER
The tranquilizer caused no permanent
damage. He’s in excellent, physical,
condition. I’m not so sure about his
mental state. He seems, preoccupied with
something.
TARA
I have so many things to ask him, I don’t
know where to start.
GRAUBER
I understand your curiosity, but I don’t
think we should press him on anything, at
least for the moment...
(stopping before the entrance
to the gymnasium.)
... You should know this.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED:
GRAUBER (cont'd)
John has been the victim of violence
before. Six years ago organized crime
acquired the technology to synthesize
heroin. John was covering the story. I
guess he asked too many questions.
GYMNASIUM
A huge, brightly lit room filled with free weights and

exercise machines. Some patients train alone, others with
the help of their physiotherapists.
Tara and Grauber enter.
TARA’S POV - JOHN
in the middle of a set of chin ups.
BACK TO SCENE
GRAUBER
(observing John)
What do you suppose they fed him?
Grauber exit's.
TARA
(approaching the chin-up bar)
Good morning.
John muscles out his last rep and drops to the floor.
TARA (cont’d)
(handing him the bags)
These are for you. I thought you might
be tired of wearing those hospital
pajamas... I found you a place.
INT. STUDIO - DAY
An overhead door raises and John and Tara enter. John is

wearing jeans, a t-shirt, running shoes, and a long, dark
jacket.
John looks around him. The sparsely furnished apartment is

large and open, it's twenty foot ceiling, brick walls and
concrete floor, factory-like. To their left is an open
kitchen. A stairway in the corner rises to an open loft.
TARA
A little industrial, but, you know, you
do a little work on it, a paint job, some
curtains here, a throw rug there...
(CONTINUED)
61.
CONTINUED:
John walks over to the window.
TARA (cont'd)
What do you think?
JOHN
Very nice.
TARA
Good. How about some dinner? My treat.
INT. WILDSIDE’S GRILL - NIGHT
John and Tara enter. The room is dark, loud and smoky. They
seat themselves at a table.
A GROUP OF DRUNKEN HOOLIGANS shoot pool in the b.g. A black

and white television, half tuned to a soccer game, flickers
over them.
TARA
Order me a beer, I’ll be right back.
Tara heads for the washrooms.
POOL TABLES - TWO HOOLIGANS
notice Tara approaching.
HOOLIGAN #1
(in an Irish accent)
I got to have me some American pussy
before I leave.
HOOLIGAN #2
(in an Irish accent)
Here comes some now.
Hooligan #1 moves to the side of the table. Pretending to

line up a shot, he draws back his cue, blocking Tara’s way.
TARA
Excuse me.
HOOLIGAN #1
Just a second love. This is an important
shot here. Fifty quid riding on this
game.
The other men eye Tara lasciviously.
(CONTINUED)
62.
CONTINUED:
HOOLIGAN #1 (cont’d)
(leering at Tara)
What do you think? Can I put it in that
hole?
HOOLIGAN #3 (O.S.)
Blow on his balls for good luck.
The men chuckle.
HOOLIGAN #1
Now, now... where’s your manners boys?
Get this sexy lady a drink.
TARA
I don’t want a drink. Would you just let
me by please--
HOOLIGAN #1
I’m in town for a football game. I’m
only going to be here for a couple of
days. How about you show me around?
TARA
(beat; attempting to push by
him)
Get out of my way.
Hooligan #1 grabs her by the shoulder, lifting her onto the

tips of her toes.
HOOLIGAN #1
I’m trying to be nice to you, and you’re
being a fucking cunt about it... You too
good for me?
TARA
...No...
John approaches in the b.g.
HOOLIGAN #2
Watch out. Here comes her boyfriend to
the rescue.
Stopping three feet from hooligan #1.
JOHN
Let her go. Now.
HOOLIGAN #1
(beat; looking John up and
down)
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
63.
CONTINUED: (2)
HOOLIGAN #1 (cont'd)
Who the fuck’s this long haired faggot?
Anyone invite him to our private
party...?
(beat; smirking)
... You’re with the wrong man sweetheart.
I think I saw your boyfriend making eyes
at me. Weren’t you faggot--
John moves in with lightening speed grabbing hooligan #1 by

the throat, nearly lifting him off the ground.
Hooligan #1 releases Tara, struggling to break John's vice-

like grip.
John whips his elbow into the hooligan’s mouth, sending him
reeling into the arms of his cohorts.
JOHN
(quickly to Tara)
Wait for me outside.
Tara backs away, petrified.
John snatches three pool balls off the table. In a flash he

flings them, shattering the overhanging lamps, sending the
corner of the room into darkness.
BAR
A waitress and bartender witness all hell breaking loose in

the b.g.
WAITRESS
I knew those jerks were trouble. Call
the police.
BACK TO SCENE
Hooligan #1 staggers to his feet, blood trickling down his

busted lip. The others surround John, shouting AD LIB
threats.
Hooligan #1 reaches into his jacket and pulls out a long,

military style knife.
HOOLIGAN #1
You know what this means?
JOHN
You’re threatening my life. I can take
any means necessary to protect myself.
That includes killing you.
(CONTINUED)
64.
CONTINUED:
HOOLIGAN #1
You’re going to fucking pay for that
sucker punch, asshole. I’m going to skin
you alive.
The hooligans close in on John's position between the table

and the wall. One of them snatches a beer bottle off the
pool table, and rushing in from behind, takes a wild swing at
John's head.
John turns, grabs hold of the man’s arm, and swings him
around in front of him. A snapping strike shatters the
bottle across the man’s forehead. John shoves him hard with
both hands, sending him flying into hooligans #1 and #2.
The second attacks from behind, this time thrusting a cue at

John's midsection. John moves to the side, grabs hold of the
cue, and with a twist of his hips, throws the man hard into
the wall.
The third rushes in from the front. John drops to the ground
and with one leg, sends the man flying over him. As
hooligans #1 and #2 rush John's vulnerable position, he rolls
under the table.
Tara watches, fear now turning to amazement.
UNDER TABLE
John lies low, wild-eyed. We hear AB LIB cursing as the

remaining hooligans scramble around the table.
BACK TO SCENE
Amidst the mayhem, we SEE John roll undetected, out from

under the table and under another.
HOOLIGAN #3
(peering under the first table)
I don’t see him.
HOOLIGAN #1
Are you fucking blind or what?
A forth man standing by the adjacent table has his legs

suddenly hit out from under him and drops out of sight.
Coinciding CHEERS from the television.
HOOLIGAN #3
(backing away from the table)
Jesus.
65.
A HAND
reaches out, grabs the struggling, forth man over the face
and drags him in under the table. We HEAR a loud whack and
the man’s body goes limp.
BACK TO SCENE
Hooligans #1 and #2 rush to the other side of the table to

find yet another friend out of commission.
Hearing something rustle behind him, hooligan #3 spins around

to meet the hard whack of a cue across his jaw.
Hooligans #1 and #2 turn to see John, standing back where the

melee began, hurl a cue towards them. The cue, snapped off
at the end and now pointed, hit's hooligan #1 square in the
shoulder, passing clean through. He drops to the floor,
writhing in pain.
HOOLIGAN #1
Help me... Somebody help me.
Hooligan #2 backs away.
Hooligan #1 attempts to remove the cue from his shoulder, but

cannot. He spots his knife just a few feet away and drags
himself towards it. A hand suddenly grabs him by the hair.
WIDEN TO REVEAL John looming over him. John reaches down and
picks up the knife, then wrenching the hooligan’s head onto
the edge of the table, places the blade against his throat.
HOOLIGAN #1 (cont’d)
Please.
JOHN
The merciless begging for mercy?
TARA
(approaching)
John... don’t.
Blood oozes from the blade’s position on the hooligan’s

throat.
JOHN
(up close in the hooligan’s
ear)
Your head on a pole, and the rest of you
fed to dogs. Next time.
(CONTINUED)
66.
CONTINUED:
John slams the knife into the edge of the table, an inch from
the hooligan’s face.
A police siren WAILS in the distance.
TARA
(grabbing John's arm)
Let’s get out of here.
John and Tara bolt out a side door.
EXT. WILDSIDE’S GRILL/STREET
John and Tara cross the street just as an LAPD black-and-

white arrives on the scene.
With rain beginning to fall.
TARA
I really hope you didn’t kill one of
those assholes.
They jump into Tara’s car and speed off.
INT. STUDIO - NIGHT
Thunder RUMBLES outside.
John sit's at the table. Tara paces in front of him.
TARA
You topped yourself tonight. Seven
against one... You’re different John.
What happened to you on the island?
JOHN
(pause; staring into her eyes)
This will be our little secret.
Tara nods.
JOHN (cont’d)
(revealing the tattoo on his
shoulder)
I had this done when I was a kid. Picked
it out of a book. I remember just liking
the shape of it. It’s also a symbol in
their culture. They believed it to be a
sign.
SMASH CUT TO:

67.
EXT. JUNGLE/VILLAGE - DAY - M.O.S.
John lays unconscious on a stone table. A thick, yellowish

vapor rises through vents in the table’s surface, swirling
around his limbs as if alive.
JOHN (V.O.)
It saved my life.
An old woman begins to cut away his ragged, blood-soaked

clothing.
Stripped naked, the full extent of his injuries are now

visible: massive trauma to the right side of the torso, a
broken collarbone, a compound fracture to his right shinbone,
a deep cut above the left eye.
JOHN (cont’d)
They have a remarkable knowledge of
chemistry, and human biology.
A younger woman approaches carrying a tray and places it

beside the table.
INSERT - BIZARRE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS
laid out across the tray.
JOHN
slowly opens his eyes. He is delirious and unable to move.

The younger woman secures his limbs and torso to the table
while the older woman administers a powdered substance under
his tongue.
The older woman moves to the tray and selects a cutting

instrument.
JOHN (V.O.)
They put me back together.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. STUDIO - NIGHT
John stands and walks slowly towards Tara.
JOHN
Months later I was bestowed their
greatest honor. They inducted me into
their warrior sect.
SMASH CUT TO:

68.
EXT. JUNGLE/CLEARING - NIGHT - M.O.S.
John stands alone on a formidable, torch lit altar, holding a

shallow clay bowl.
JOHN (V.O.)
Their existence is built around it.
Centuries ago their ancestors were
slaughtered by conquistadors. Some
escaped, and took to sea on rafts.
Chance brought them to the island, and it
became their new home.
Warriors, masked and wearing full body paint, sit before him,
cross-legged, quietly observing.
JOHN (cont’d)
Vowing to never again be the victims of
genocide, they embraced the art of war as
their religion.
John wears only a loincloth. His respiration is slow and

deep, his expression, stoic. Although motionless, an energy
seems to pulse through his body. Only scar tissue reveals
where were once critical wounds.
JOHN (cont’d)
The pharmacological wealth of the rain
forest gave them the ultimate weapon.
His chest now bares their symbol, a pattern of fresh

incisions covered over with thick multicolored pastes. Blood
seeps from areas insufficiently plugged with the mixture.
JOHN (cont’d)
A ritual is carried out after the
completion of a warrior’s training. A
symbol is cut into the chest, and a
concoction is drunk.
John slowly raises the bowl to his mouth, pauses for a brief
second, then takes a sip. The concoction works quickly,
doubling him over in an excruciating spasm of pain.
JOHN (cont’d)
Something in the drink, something either
viral or chemical, affects the warrior
psychologically, permanently removing his
innate human vulnerability to fear.
John straightens up, letting out a bloodcurdling cry.
SMASH CUT TO:

69.
INT. STUDIO - NIGHT
Standing before Tara.
JOHN
Something inside my brain was shut down.
I don’t fear anything, death, violence,
heights. It has nothing to do with
bravery or courage. I just can’t feel
it, or be made to feel it, under any
circumstances.
Lightning flashes.
Tara takes a step closer and places her hands on John's hips.
She tugs his t-shirt free of his pants and lifts it off over
his head.
TARA
(pause; fingering a small
symbol on his chest)
Tell me what this means?
JOHN
Would you like to spend the night Tara?
TARA
(beat)
Spend the night?
JOHN
I’d like to have sex with you.
Awkward silence.
JOHN (cont’d)
I can’t fear what people think, so I tend
to speak my mind.
STUDIO - LATER
Dark but for a periodic flash of lightning.
Clothing strewn across the floor, we FOLLOW a naked John

carrying a naked Tara in his arms, across the room and up the
steep stairway towards the loft.
SMASH CUT TO:

70.
EXT. JUNGLE/RIVER - NIGHT - M.O.S.
John stands on a cliff overlooking the river, minutes after

drinking the tribe’s fear killing concoction. Without
warning he dives, disappearing into the murky waters below.
JUNGLE/CLEARING - DAWN
Warriors, having waited patiently through the night for the

results of the final test, rouse.
FOOT WIDE CROCODILE TAIL
slithers over the jungle floor.
BACK TO SCENE
The warrior’s eyes follow the return of their graduate, from

the jungle’s edge to the stone altar.
WARRIOR’S POV - JOHN
stands before them wearing an enormous, gutted crocodile like

a piece of clothing. Blood and entrails drip down his body
forming a pool at his feet. The warriors break into a
strange, animal-like yelp at John's killing of the monstrous
reptile.
SMASH CUT TO:
INT. STUDIO/LOFT - NIGHT - JOHN’S EYES
open. Tara is sleeping soundly beside him. Quietly, he

exit's the bed.
FLOOR BY WINDOW
John leaps from the loft, landing silently in front of the

window.
Bringing his face to the glass, he stares out. Rain drizzles

down the pane. Lightning flashes. Thunder RUMBLES.
He raises his hand, and with his thumb, traces the scar
across his throat.
INT. STUDIO/LOFT - MORNING
Tara rolls over and opens her eyes. John is gone.

71.
TARA
in jeans and a bra, grabs her top off the floor and slips it
on. Walking over to the kitchen counter she discovers a
large plate of exotic, fresh cut fruit. Beside it is a note.
CUT TO:
EXT. LOS ANGELES - AERIAL SHOT - DAY
A panoramic view of the hazy, sweltering city.
SERIES OF SHOTS
John prowls the downtown core.
John talks to group of men outside a billiard hall.
Walking through a small urban park, John makes eye contact

with three, burned out drug addicts.
John observes an enraged JUNKIE storm out the front doors of

a welfare office, and takes off after him.
EXT./INT. DINER - DAY
John and the junkie enter the filthy, smoke filled joint and
grab a booth by the window. A young WAITRESS pouring coffee
at the next table turns to take their order.
WAITRESS
What can I get you?
JUNKIE
(giving the menu a quick
glance)
Give me the number seven.
WAITRESS
(to John)
And you?
JOHN
Nothing for me.
The waitress exit's.
JUNKIE
Let’s see the money.
John places five one hundred dollar bills on the table. The
junkie reaches for it. John quickly covers it with the palm
of his hand.
(CONTINUED)
72.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
(keeping his hand on the money)
Give me his name, and where I can find
him, and it’s yours.
The junkie stares into John's eyes, desperation from a

drugless twenty-four hours, clearly evident.
JOHN (cont’d)
Just think, you won’t have to rob anyone
today, maybe even tomorrow.
JUNKIE
Very funny. Fucking hysterical. How do
I know you’re not going to fuck me
around?
JOHN
You don’t, really.
JUNKIE
(pause; eyeing the money
hungrily)
Yeah, okay, I trust you. The man you’re
looking for is Peter Nenneker. 231
Connor.
John lifts his hand off the stack of bills.
The waitress drops a plate of fried food in front of the

junkie. John gets up and exit's.
JUNKIE (cont’d)
(yelling after John)
Hey man, you said you’d pay for the food.
EXT. STREET
John strides the hot, crowded sidewalk, dauntless.
INT. SPORTING GOODS STORE
A store catering to the hard-core outdoors man. John

approaches the counter. BUCK, a bleach blond woman,
somewhere in her sixties, friendly and tough as nails,
finishes with another customer and turns to John.
BUCK
Can I help you sir?
JOHN
Yes. Predators have been threatening my
livestock. I’d like to get rid of them.
(CONTINUED)
73.
CONTINUED:
BUCK
Well, you came to the right place. If I
may make a suggestion?
Buck takes a pistol out from under the glass cabinet.
BUCK (cont’d)
This one here, stop any varmint. One of
the most accurate handguns on the market.
Easy to use. Fully automatic--
JOHN
I'm not interested in a gun.
BUCK
You don't want a gun?
JOHN
No.
BUCK
Well you’re the first in this town honey.
What’re you looking for then?
JOHN
A bow.
BUCK
Oh, you’re a bowman. Prefer to take your
game the old fashioned way.
Buck fetches a bow from a rack at the end of the counter and
hands it to John.
BUCK (cont’d)
Now this one is our top of the line.
Very light, powerful, compact...
(laughing)
... Fella from the company told me it’d
stop a kodiak bear. They’re bigger than
grizzlies you know.
John raises the bow and pulls the back the drawstring.
BUCK (cont’d)
You got strong arms mister. That’s a
seventy-five pound bow.
JOHN
I'll take it.
(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED: (2)
BUCK
Good choice. Now you’ll be needing
arrows...
(searching through a rack)
... Here it is...
(showing it to John)
... Check out the head on this baby.
INSERT - RAZOR SHARP ARROWHEAD
rotating.
BACK TO SCENE
JOHN
Three dozen...
(pointing into the cabinet)
... I’ll take this knife also.
Counting out the arrows.
BUCK
I’d hate to be the coyote who gets nailed
with one of these... It is coyotes, isn’t
it?
JOHN
Yeah, coyotes.
John walks down the length of the display case.
BUCK (O.S.)
Damn nuisances aren’t they. Ate my cat
last year.
EXT. SPORTING GOODS STORE
John exit's the store with a long slender pouch over one
shoulder.
INT. COURIER CO./CUSTOMER PICK-UP
An older gentleman CLERK works busily on a computer at the

counter. We HEAR a door open. A breeze ruffles a stack of
forms beside him and he looks up.
John stands before him, dressed in a shirt, tie, and wearing

glasses.
CLERK
Can I help you sir?
(CONTINUED)
75.
CONTINUED:
JOHN
I’m Dr. Michael Ryan, from Neurotox Serum
Labs. You called about some specimens
that arrived?
CLERK
(entering the name into the
computer)
Dr. Ryan... There they are. Just came in
off the Sydney flight. I’ll just be a
moment.
The clerk exit's into the back room, returning seconds later
with two ominous looking plastic containers and places them
on the counter.
CLERK (cont’d)
I’ll need to see some photo
identification doctor.
JOHN
Of course.
CUT TO:
INT. STUDIO - NIGHT
John works at the table beginning with the smaller of the two
containers. Taking a knife, he carefully cuts through three
heavy seals and removes the lid.
He gazes into the box, pausing for a moment, then reaches in

and lifts out a clear glass jar.
We SEE that the jar contains a black spider, about the size
of a child’s hand. John continues unpacking the box until a
line of six jarred specimens stretch across the table.
John removes the lid from one of the jars. Next he takes a
long, needle-like, wooden dart from a cylinder in front of
him, and slowly lowers the sharpened end into the jar.
A SPIDER
rears onto it's hind legs and strikes repeatedly at the dart.
BACK TO SCENE
John removes the dart from the jar and examines it closely.
INSERT - A SMALL DROPLET
of spider venom balances on the tip of the dart.

76.
STUDIO - LATER
John stands a few feet away from the edge of the table, eyes
fixed on something moving on the tabletop... and then, rising
slowly in the f.g., we SEE the erect hood of a large cobra.
JOHN'S POV - A COBRA
hisses menacingly.
BACK TO SCENE
John taunts the cobra, grunting and making a series of

aggressive hand movements. The cobra suddenly spit's a
stream of venom towards John. It is then that we SEE that
John is standing in front of a clear glass shield.
With deadly accuracy, the venom splashes onto the glass at

eye level, again and again. We FOLLOW the venom as it slowly
drips down, collecting into a container fixed to the bottom
of the shield.
CUT TO:
INT./EXT. BUS - NIGHT
A graying, mustachioed bus driver, his belly preceding him a

few inches, sips a coffee as the bus motors through a rough
part of town. A few punks on their way back from a movie, AD
LIB chatter at the front of the bus.
The lone passenger in the rear DINGS the bell. The bus slows
to a stop. The punks quiet down as the imposing passenger
passes by them.
Exiting the bus, we SEE that the passenger is indeed John.

As the bus pulls away, he pauses beneath a dim lamp,
surveying the street before him, his gear hidden in shoulder
and waist pouches, ready for action.
EXT. LAUNDROMAT/STREET
A black corvette pulls up to the curb. A mean looking PIMP

jumps out and approaches a WOMAN standing in front of the
laundromat, a suitcase at her side. At the same time we SEE
John come around the corner in the b.g.
The pimp takes the woman by surprise, striking her hard

across the face, sending her to the ground.
PIMP
Fucking bitch.
(CONTINUED)
77.
CONTINUED:
He grabs her by the throat and lifts her to her feet.
PIMP (cont’d)
You ever do this to me again, I swear to
God, I’ll fucking kill you.
WOMAN
(choking)
I don’t want to do this anymore.
The few passersby stay out of it.
PIMP
Shut your god damn mouth. You will leave
when I say. Now you’re going to get your
pussy back home.
John closes in nonchalantly.
PIMP (cont’d)
I got business waiting for you. Get in
the fucking car.
John grabs the pimp by the hair. He slams him into the
laundromat window, shattering it, then hurls him into a pile
of garbage cans lining the sidewalk.
The pimp lies motionless, half in the street. John frisks

him and finds a pistol. He empties it and throws it down a
storm sewer. Next he takes the pimp’s wallet, removes a
large stack of bills, and tosses it aside.
JOHN
(to the woman)
You okay?
WOMAN
(teary and shaking)
I think so. Who are you?
JOHN
Somebody who happened by at the right
time it looks like.
WOMAN
(gazing over at the unconscious
pimp)
What am I going to do?
JOHN
(looking directly into her
eyes)
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
78.
CONTINUED: (2)
JOHN (cont'd)
You can’t be afraid of him, or your life
isn’t worth shit. Understand?
WOMAN
Yes.
JOHN
(handing her the pimp’s money)
Put this to good use. I’ll do the same
with his car.
John jumps into the pimp’s car, shifts it into gear, and
tears off down the street.
CORVETTE - A FEW MOMENTS LATER
turns onto a street bustling with boisterous activity, a

haven for criminals, operating in the open, plying their
trade.
INT./EXT. CORVETTE
John scans the area as he cruises along.
EXT. STREET
The corvette turns onto a dark side street, goes a short

distance, then screeches to a halt. John exit's with his
gear.
TWO THUGS, definitely up to no good, approach the car.
THUG #1
(to John)
Nice car man.
JOHN
Nice car...
(throwing thug #1 the keys)
... Why don’t you take it for a run?
The thugs, dumbfounded, jump into the car and take off. John
crosses the street.
Directly ahead of him we SEE an old industrial building, ten

stories high and blackened by the grime of years.
John comes to stand before two immense iron doors.
INSERT - A VIDEO CAMERA
aimed down on John.

79.
INT. BUILDING - 14TH FLOOR/LABORATORY
A unmanned security panel monitors locations around the

building. We SEE John at the front door for a brief moment,
and then another location. A GUARD returns to the panel and
sit's down.
WIDEN TO REVEAL a full scale drug manufacturing facility.

Synthetic heroin, ten times more powerful than it's poppy
seed predecessor, is being manufactured here.
The room is crammed with pharmaceutical equipment and crates

of various sizes. Steam rising from bubbling vats escapes
out two open skylights. A freight elevator in the corner is
the only way in.
Painted over windows run the length of the wall in the b.g.
Heavy metal BLARES on a portable CD player. Two QUASI-
CHEMISTS oversee the operation.
ELEVATOR
The door raises. Latigo, Hans, and another guard exit. Hans
carries several bags of Chinese food.
EXT. BUILDING
John walks to the corner and gazes up.
JOHN’S POV - PROTRUDING BRICKS
running up the corner of the building, offer an alternate

route.
BACK TO SCENE
John backs up a few feet, then runs towards the corner and
leaps, grabbing hold of the first brick. He pulls himself up
until his feet find the makeshift rungs, then he begins to
climb, moving swiftly and effortlessly.
JOHN
pauses, aware that he is being watched.
JOHN'S POV - A BOY
observes him from a window in a nearby building.
INT. BOY’S BEDROOM
The boy mimics John, maneuvering his G.I. Joe up the side of
the window.
80.
BACK TO SCENE
John smiles and waves. He raises a finger to his lips,

silently requesting secrecy.
INT. BEDROOM
The boy makes goofy faces back at John, continuing his make-
believe adventure.
EXT. BUILDING/10TH FLOOR - A FEW MOMENTS LATER
John pauses ten feet from the roof, sniffing something in the
night air. Windows across the front of the building have
been painted over from the inside.
Continuing, John reaches for the next brick and finds only
half of it. The remaining distance to the roof is
impassable.
Turning to the other side of the building, John spots an old

billboard at the roof’s edge. Three rusted lamps hang out
over it.
He takes a rope with a spherical weight on the end from the

pouch on his waist. He casts it up over the first lamp,
spinning the weight around the post several times.
Pulling the rope tight, he releases his grip and drops away
from the corner, swinging back and forth through the air. As
his momentum slows, he begins to climb towards the roof.
INT. UTILITY ROOM
The room is dark. The guard from the security panel enters
and flips the light switch.
EXT. BUILDING
John is suddenly bathed in the light of the now occupied

room. Seconds from being spotted, his hand moves quickly to
the sheath on his belt.
INT. LABORATORY
Chemist #2 cranks the volume on the CD player.
BACK TO SCENE
The guard approaches a cabinet by the window. Movement

outside the window catches his eye.
(CONTINUED)
81.
CONTINUED:
GUARD
What the fuck?
The guard reaches for his pistol.
EXT. BUILDING
We SEE the guard in the b.g. take aim. Dangling by one hand,
John hurls his hunting knife into the window.
INT. UTILITY ROOM
The window shatters, sending glass flying. The guard turns

away, covering his face.
INSERT - A FLASHING LIGHT
on the security panel emit's a steady BEEP.
LABORATORY - CORNER
The guards sit around a table eating. Trouble in the next

room goes unnoticed.
LATIGO
(not looking up from his plate)
Where’s Fritz?
INT./EXT. UTILITY ROOM
Recovering, the bleeding guard raises his pistol.
GUARD
Motherfucker.
Still gripping the rope with one hand, John raises his
blowgun and with a quick blast of his lungs, fires a dart
through the broken window.
The spiny dart hit's the guard in the jugular vein. The
effect is instantaneous. He drops his pistol, staggers back
a couple of feet, and collapses to the floor, eyes bulging
and gasping for air, completely paralyzed.
A second later John swings in through the open window and

drops to the floor. He grabs his knife off the floor and
sheathes it.
JOHN
(looming over the horror-struck
guard)
Amazing what the venom from one little
spider can do.
(CONTINUED)
82.
CONTINUED:
In one swift move John reaches behind him, snaps open his
shoulder pouch and removes his bow.
JOHN (cont’d)
(adjusting the bow)
Don’t worry. It won’t kill you. You
just won’t be able to move for twenty
four hours.
Completing the adjustments, John walks to the door, switches

off the light, and exit's.
LABORATORY - CORNER
LATIGO
(to Hans)
Go find him, will you. Tell him his food
is getting cold, and bring some beer.
INT. KITCHEN
Hans enters. He walks to a fridge at the far end of the

room, opens the door and grabs a couple of cases of beer.
We HEAR the door to the room close. Hans turns expecting to

see Fritz. John stands at the door, his bow armed and fully
drawn.
JOHN
Party’s over.
Hans lowers the cases to the floor.
JOHN (cont’d)
Do you remember me?
Han’s eyes shift to the counter top.
INSERT - A BUTCHER KNIFE
lying on a chopping block.
BACK TO SCENE
JOHN
Think hard now.
John fires the arrow into the floor between Hans’ legs. Hans
lunges forward but is stopped short by John's lightening
quick reload.
JOHN (cont’d)
I’m waiting for an answer.
(CONTINUED)
83.
CONTINUED:
HANS
No, I don’t remember you.
JOHN
You will, from this day on.
John relaxes the bow and sets it on a table beside the door.
Hans stands perplexed a moment, then snatches the butcher
knife from the counter.
HANS
(moving towards John)
You’re dead.
JOHN
(blocking the doorway)
Six years ago, you and another piece of
shit I haven’t caught up with yet, helped
your employer give me this...
(pointing to the scar on his
throat)
... permanent conversation piece.
Hans moves closer, waving the knife.
JOHN (cont’d)
(remaining still)
You murdered my friend... There was a
reason why I didn’t do anything about it
until now... but I can’t recall it for
the life of me...
(eyeing the knife)
... You better hope you’re damn good with
that knife.
John rushes at Hans.
LABORATORY
We SEE a small spider scurrying across a table. A hand swats

it and brushes it aside. WIDEN TO REVEAL Chemist #1 placing
a box onto the table. Chemist #2 looks over in the b.g.
CHEMIST #2
Are those the new injectors?
CHEMIST #1
(breaking the seal on the box)
Yeah.
CHEMIST #2
(approaching)
How many did we get?
(CONTINUED)
84.
CONTINUED:
CHEMIST #1
Fifty thousand.
Chemist #1 removes one of the devices from the box and

examines it closely.
INSERT - INJECTOR
A slim metallic vial about two inches long.
CHEMIST #2 (O.S.)
Wow.
BACK TO SCENE
CHEMIST #1
This little gadget will revolutionize our
business.
INSERT - KITCHEN DOOR
THUDS emanate from inside as John and Hans do battle.
BACK TO SCENE
Chemist #1 removes a cap from the gleaming vial, revealing a

short hypodermic needle.
CHEMIST #1
Very simple to use. Just hold it against
any vein on your body. Hit the release
button on the end here and...
The injector HISSES.
CHEMIST #1 (cont’d)
The equivalent of a spoon right into your
bloodstream. Seven day supply at a price
anyone can afford. Needle doesn’t even
leave tracks. I got the idea from
disposable contact lenses.
CHEMIST #2
You just keep making it easier and
easier.
Chemist #1 hands the box of injectors to his cohort.
CHEMIST #1
Let’s get these filled.
85.
KITCHEN
Hans, beaten to a bloody pulp, lies face down on the floor.

John sit's atop his back, roping his arms together.
LABORATORY/CORNER
There is a brief moment of silence as the CD player changes

disks.
Latigo detects the BEEPING panel light. At the same time

chemist #2 collapses in the b.g., spilling the box of
injectors across the floor.
MUSIC resumes.
Latigo and the guard turn to see chemist #1 staggering

towards them, the venom from a dart quickly crippling his
nervous system. They back away as he crashes into the table,
sending food and automatic weapons to the floor.
We HEAR a swish. An arrow slams into a fuse box on the wall.

Circuit's FRY.
Another arrow silences the CD player. Overhead lighting

flickers a moment, then goes out. Dim wall mounted emergency
lights switch on. Latigo retrieves his Uzi from the floor.
The guard reaches for his pistol. An arrow flies in,

striking his wrist, and embedding in the floor. He screams
in pain, trying to free himself. A second arrow strikes his
right foot. He lies in agony, strung between the two arrows,
unable to move.
Latigo fires blindly amidst the mayhem. His Uzi clicks

empty. He stands, staring across the room, paralyzed in
fear.
Two shadowy figures emerge into the dim light. We SEE Hans
first, hopping along on one foot, groaning in pain. John
pushes him along from behind.
JOHN
(knocking Hans to the floor)
Sit down.
John steps over the pinned guard on the floor without paying
him any attention.
JOHN (cont’d)
(to Latigo)
Your friend here disappointed me.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
86.
CONTINUED:
JOHN (cont’d)
Here I was the last six years thinking he
was a real tough guy. Having dished out
so much pain I thought he might be able
tolerate a little himself. Look at him,
crying like a little baby.
John places an arrow into his bow. Latigo drops the uzi and
backs up against the wall.
JOHN (cont’d)
What’s Nenneker going to say about all
this...?
(drawing back the bow)
... He isn’t going to be too happy, is
he.
John fires the arrow, pinning Latigo's right sleeve to the

wall.
JOHN (cont’d)
(loading another arrow)
If you weren’t so busy stuffing your fat
faces, you might have been able to save
your little operation here, but not now.
John fires the second arrow, pinning Latigo's left sleeve.
JOHN (cont’d)
(scanning the room)
So how is Nenneker fucking up the world
these days? Any new tricks?
Latigo remains silent.
JOHN (cont’d)
You’re going to tell me all about it...
(moving closer)
... and then you’re going to tell me
where he is.
LATIGO
I’ll tell you nothing.
JOHN
(grabbing Latigo by the collar)
You know, you look real fucking
familiar...
(ripping open Latigo's shirt)
... I’d like you to meet a little friend
of mine...
(reaching into his pouch)
... all the way from Australia. I’d
advise you to keep perfectly still. He’s
very high-strung.
(CONTINUED)
87.
CONTINUED: (2)
John produces a small plastic container. He removes the top

and reaching in, carefully lifts out one of the black spiders
by it's back.
JOHN (cont’d)
(holding the spider in front of
Latigo's face)
Meet atrax robustus.
John places the spider onto Latigo's chest. Latigo freezes,

terrified.
JOHN (cont’d)
(gesturing)
See your buddy there.
On the floor in the b.g., chemist #1 gasps, attempting to

move his paralyzed body.
JOHN (cont’d)
He’s experiencing the effects of only a
very small amount of this spider’s venom.
If he bites you, which he could do at any
moment, you’ll suffer unimaginably.
Very, very unpleasant. Now, I’m going to
give you one chance to tell me what I
want to know.
Latigo peers down as the spider crawls towards his neck.
SERIES OF SHOTS
John drags a bound Latigo into the elevator where the other
men lie immobilized. Smashed containers spill heroin onto
the elevator floor.
John swings an ax down, breaking the combination lock from a

steel cabinet. Throwing open the doors, he finds the shelves
stacked with laundered drug money.
John rips the lid off a wooden crate and removes several
sticks of dynamite.
John clears an area in the middle of the laboratory, pushing

over tables and equipment. Next he lays out the sticks of
dynamite in a perfect circle, the wicks pointing inward,
touching in the center.
John snatches a cellular phone off a table as he races back

to the elevator. Stopping in front of the elevator, he grabs
an arrow from his quiver, wraps a strip of cloth around it's
head and lights it.
(CONTINUED)
88.
CONTINUED:
He draws it back, eyes focused on the center of the room,

then abruptly raises the bow over his head and fires the
flaming projectile out the skylight above him.
The arrow soars straight up over the roof of the building.

Reaching it's highest altitude, it turns and hurtles back.
Grabbing a suitcase off the floor, John backs into the

elevator and hit's the switch. The doors close.
The arrow drops in through the second skylight, hitting the

floor in the center of the circle of dynamite, igniting all
of the wicks simultaneously.
ELEVATOR
descends the shaft.
INT. ELEVATOR
JOHN
(turning to the men on the
floor)
It’s Nenneker I want. This time you
live.
EXT. BUILDING - SPFX
A few seconds of silence, and then a huge explosion wipes out

the tenth floor.
INT./EXT. BUILDING
John bursts out the front doors of the building carrying the
suitcase. He turns, and with a big, black magic marker
writes, ‘OUT OF BUSINESS’, in very large letters, across the
doors, then bolts off with the suitcase.
INT. APARTMENT/LOBBY - HAND
runs down the tenant panel, hitting the buzzer to every

apartment in the complex.
HALLWAY
Several tenants, mostly retirees, exit their apartments and

make their way towards the lobby, concerned about the mass
buzzing.
89.
LOBBY
The tenants round a corner and are aghast by what they see.
There propped on a table is a suitcase, the one John was
carrying, overflowing with cash. A sign on the lid says,
‘FREE CASH, HELP YOURSELF’.
After checking to see that they’re not being watched, the

tenants do just that.
EXT. RETRO-RAMA
an old movie theater recently renovated into a nightclub, the

newest addition to an ever-growing list of properties owned
by Peter Nenneker. The restored marquee flashes ‘RETRO-RAMA’
in neon colors. Two bouncers stand outside the door.
Nenneker and a beautiful, slightly tipsy, young woman, exit

the front doors, followed a second later by two henchmen and
another woman. They get into a black limo parked directly in
front of the nightclub.
INT. LIMO
We HEAR the car’s engine failing to turn over as Nenneker's

cellular RINGS.
NENNEKER
(into phone)
Yeah.
JOHN (V.O./FILTERED)
Stop wasting your time. You’re not going
anywhere.
NENNEKER
(scanning the street
suspiciously)
Who the hell is this?
JOHN (V.O./FILTERED)
A vengeful ghost. Do you believe in
ghosts Nenneker?
NENNEKER
(to the driver, covering the
phone)
Get us out of here, now.
Nenneker draws a pistol from his jacket.

90.
EXT. RETRO-RAMA - JOHN
holding the cellular taken from the laboratory, stands atop

the flashing marquee, a cat about to pounce. The upper
portion of the marquee just below his feet reads, ‘NOW
APPEARING, THE SENSATIONAL’.
John steps out onto the edge of the marquee, and with one
hand, rips his shirt off.
JOHN
(into phone, looking down)
I like the concept. In keeping with the
theme of the evening, here’s a little
retro-justice.
Dropping the phone, John leaps from the marquee.
INT. LIMO
John lands atop the roof with a loud THUD, denting in the
ceiling a few inches, jarring the car and it's occupants.
EXT. STREET
Bouncers rush the car. John turns to face them, raising a

small vial in each hand.
Popping the lids off the vials simultaneously with his

thumbs, a quick snap of his arms sends a stream of cobra
venom into the eyes of each bouncer.
They drop to the sidewalk, completely disabled, writhing in

agony.
INT. LIMO
Nenneker fires indiscriminately into the roof.
EXT. STREET
As bullets rip through the roof behind him, John quickly

lights the fuse of a small device, drops it through the open
sunroof, and jumps away.
INT./EXT. LIMO
The sputtering device drops onto the floor amidst AD LIB

chaos, erupting a thick cloud of noxious smoke.
The doors of the limo fly open. Nenneker and the others
stumble out, disoriented, coughing, momentarily blinded.
(CONTINUED)
91.
CONTINUED:
Smoke follows them into the street, engulfing the area around
the limo. Nenneker collapses onto the sidewalk.
People outside the bar look on in horror.
JOHN
emerges closest to the driver, completely unaffected by the

smoky veil.
The driver flicks open a switchblade and swings at John.
Without moving his feet, and very calmly whipping only his
head back out of the way, John avoids the strike.
The driver swings again, and again, each time missing John,
who, without actually touching the driver, is able to by a
slight change in body position, avoid being slashed.
JOHN
(to the driver)
Getting tired?
The driver lunges again. Deflecting the strike, John, in a

blinding technique, dislocates the driver’s shoulder, then
swinging him around, slams him into the side of the limo,
then again onto the hard pavement.
SIDEWALK
Still gasping for air, unable to see the hell befalling his
men on the other side of the limo, Nenneker gets up and takes
off down the street.
BACK TO SCENE
The other henchman rushes in. John quickly disposes of him

in similar devastating fashion.
John walks around the limo to the sidewalk searching for

Nenneker. One of Nenneker's women reaches into her purse and
pulls out a small caliber pistol.
John grabs her hand before she can take aim, knocking away
the gun, and pushing her to the ground.
JOHN
(scanning the street)
Nenneker!
92.
JOHN'S POV - STREET
Two blocks down from Retro-rama, Nenneker, weaving through

people on the sidewalk, leaps into an idling shuttle bus
parked out front a Baptist church.
BACK TO SCENE
John takes off like a racehorse out of the gate.
SERIES OF SHOTS
The driver of the bus, off loading luggage through the rear
doors, oblivious to what is going on, jumps out of the way as
Nenneker shifts the bus into gear and peels out.
John veers into the street, at the same time drawing his bow.
People SCREAM. Cars HONK.
We SEE Nenneker reloading his pistol through the front

windshield. A designation sign over the windshield reads,
‘THY KINGDOM COME’.
Standing in the middle of the street, John takes aim on the

bus, and fires.
John's arrow whizzes in through the rear doors and slams into
the back of the driver’s seat. Nenneker screams in pain and
drops his pistol. Gazing down, he is mortified to see a
bloodied, razor tipped arrowhead, protruding several inches
from his side.
The bus approaches an intersection.
As a car swerves around him, John loads another arrow and

rolls down onto his side. Holding the bow low and
horizontal, with careful aim, he fires.
The arrow skirts along the street, passing under another

vehicle before blowing out the rear right tire of the bus as
it screeches around a corner.
Nenneker screams as the bus careens out of control.
John rolls out of the way of an oncoming car.
Swerving off the street, the bus crashes through a chain link
fence, nose-dives down a steep, wooded ravine, and smashes
head on into a clump of trees.
93.
INT./EXT. BUS - A FEW MOMENTS LATER
All is quiet. Two small lights on the ceiling illuminate the

interior. Nenneker slowly regains consciousness, still
pinned by the arrow to his seat. Blood drips down his face
from a collision with the steering wheel.
He grabs hold of the arrow, and grimacing in pain, snaps it

off. Slowly he inches forward, pulling himself free of the
arrow’s shaft.
Swinging around in his seat, he drops to the floor of the bus

facing the rear doors, and is startled to see...
NENNEKER'S POV - JOHN
looming in the doorway.
JOHN
It’s not over yet. We’re just getting
started.
BACK TO SCENE
John moves towards Nenneker.
Reaching stealthily under the seat beside him, Nenneker

locates his pistol.
NENNEKER
Who the fuck are you?
JOHN
(pausing under a ceiling light)
I am what goes around, comes around. Get
it?
NENNEKER
(pause; slowly recognizing
John)
The big time reporter, back from the
dead. It’s been a long time. When I
read that you had survived, it really
taught me to be less dramatic with my
executions.
JOHN
You have exactly one painful minute left
on this planet Nenneker.
NENNEKER
You think so?
(CONTINUED)
94.
CONTINUED:
Nenneker whips the pistol out, takes aim on John and fires.
Struck in the shoulder, John drops to the floor. Nenneker
staggers to his feet and moves in for the kill.
NENNEKER (cont’d)
(standing over John)
Big fucking mistake. After what I did to
you the first time, you think you’d have
learned something you dumb fuck... I got
fifteen rounds here to kill you with.
I’m going to start at your knees and work
my way up. This time you’re gonna die.
What do you think about that asshole?
Trees which halted the bus’ descent suddenly give way, and
the bus rockets forward. Nenneker topples over onto John and
a struggle ensues.
EXT. RAVINE - THE BUS
barrels down the steepening, heavily treed ravine, picking up

speed. Breaking through some trees, it plunges off a cliff
into a reservoir.
BACK TO SCENE
Black swirling water rushes in through the rear doors and

half open windows. Nenneker surfaces in a pocket of air at
the front of the bus, coughing and vomiting water.
In a matter of seconds, water rises above every possible

escape route, entombing the two men.
EXT. RESERVOIR - THE BUS
disappears below the surface of the water.
BACK TO SCENE
Beneath a flickering light, Nenneker, paralyzed in fear,

treads water in the rapidly shrinking air pocket. The bus
shakes as it comes to rest on the bottom of the deep
reservoir.
John surfaces a few feet away, staring into Nenneker's eyes.

Nenneker, suffering horrible claustrophobia, goes berserk as
the rising water reaches his chin. His eyes bulge, and he
screams, smashing his fists into the ceiling of the bus.
Pressing his lips up against the ceiling, Nenneker takes his

final breath as the last inch of breathing space fills with
water. The remaining ceiling light shorts out.
95.
UNDERWATER
John swims down the length of the bus in near total darkness.
Reaching the rear doors, he attempts to open them, but
cannot.
He backs up, takes Nenneker's pistol from his waist and fires
repeatedly, blowing out the window. Dropping the pistol,
John makes his escape.
EXT. RESERVOIR - AERIAL SHOT
Flashing black-and-whites converge around the reservoir. An

LAPD chopper hovers high over the water, searching for signs
of the bus... then we HEAR it, the animal-like yelp of the
tribe, echoing in the night.
CUT TO:
INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT
John and Tara sit at a candlelit table.
TARA
I was beginning to think you were going
to stand me up.
JOHN
My errands took a little longer than
expected. My apologies.
TARA
That’s okay, you’re here now... So, do
you have any plans?
JOHN
Short term plans. I’m going to stay in
Los Angeles for awhile... I feel a great
sense of purpose here.
Tara smiles.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. OFFICE BUILDING (WEEKS LATER) - NIGHT - ESTABLISHING
INT. OFFICE BUILDING/BOARDROOM
A dozen or so men of different nationality and type, sit

quietly around a large rectangular table.
The MAN seated at the head of the table opens a folder and
passes an eight by ten photograph to each of his associates.
(CONTINUED)
96.
CONTINUED:
MAN
This is the best photo we have of him.
Since terminating our good friend Mr.
Nenneker, he’s taken to wearing a mask.
He is extremely dangerous, and has proved
himself quite successful in disrupting
our business here in the city.
EXT. OFFICE BUILDING/LEDGE OUTSIDE BOARDROOM WINDOW
Looking in through the window, we SEE the men sitting at the

table. Slowly WIDEN TO REVEAL John standing on the ledge to
the right of the window, masked, shirtless, bow in hand.
MAN
(barely audible through the
slightly open window)
We have to work together on this, because
he will strike again.
John lights a cloth wrapped arrow, and places it into his

bow.
MAN (cont’d)
We have to find him and take him out,
before it’s too late.
FADE OUT.
THE END.

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!

David Kyl-Brown © 2007 David Kyl-Brown

EXT. MELANESIA - ISLAND - DUSK

Traveling just above the water we SEE a mountainous island

Jagged rock slopes down into impenetrable jungle. Tall,

The green ends at the edge of an abyss, and we hover there,

EXT. OPEN SEA - DUSK - NOMAD

a forty foot yacht of well-worn appearance moving over a calm

RICK GREYDON, tough, athletically built, sporting a brush

He lowers it to a table and picks up a handgun. He loads a

Rick stands with the gun poised.

The crewman loads a stack of pigeons onto the machine and

HARRY KOZLACK, wearing a baseball cap back to front and

JOHN BANNON, tall, lean, and wearing glasses, sit's at a

Rick approaches holding the pistol.

Rick loads a clip into the gleaming pistol and offers it to

John hesitates a moment, then stands and takes the pistol.

The clay pigeons fly in quick succession. John fires

John grabs an orange and a plate from the dinner table.

John winds up and pitches the orange, smashing the plate to

JOHN AND RICK - A FEW MOMENTS LATER

Rick opens a bottle of beer and takes a seat beside John at

Thunder RUMBLES in the distance.

TARA LANGER enters through a door in the b.g. carrying a tray

Tara serves Harry a sandwich, then walks over to the table.

Reaching for a sandwich, Rick notices a row of one inch scars

Tara stares blankly at Rick.

Tara turns and walks towards the galley door.

cuts through the water towards a faint mark on the horizon.

EXT. BOW - NIGHT

Tara sit's in a chair holding a flashlight on a book in her

Tara closes the book and lights a cigarette.

A few rain drops begin to fall.

We HEAR a loud blast of thunder. Tara looks up into the sky.

They hurry over to the doorway.

John and Tara enter into the corridor. A lamp swinging

Lightning illuminates the corridor. John watches the storm

JOHN'S POV - TARA’S BOOK

lies by the deck chairs.

INT. JOHN'S CABIN

Two years ago, surgeons failed in their attempt to make less

JOHN'S POV - SKETCH

of three male figures. Their faces are partially hidden by

John stares at the sketch.

JOHN'S CABIN - LATER

The ship CREAKS in the rolling sea. A gust of wind blows

Sprawled across the bed, John teeters on the verge of sleep.

His eyelids, heavy, begin to fall, further and further, until

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. LOS ANGELES - ABANDONED BUILDING - NIGHT

John races full out down a dark, dingy hallway, out of

Reaching the end of the hallway, and with no other route of

John crashes in. He falters for a second or two in the

A flashing neon sign, just outside a large window on the far

JOHN'S POV - STREET

On the sidewalk several stories below, two lost men lay

An atomic explosion couldn’t rouse these men from their

There is no fire escape, and no ledge. A metal pipe running

A burst of automatic fire rips through the door to the room.

The beam of a flashlight penetrates the room. A second

Standing behind him are armed enforcers, HANS, a brutish six

Nenneker snaps his fingers, signaling his two men in the