Post by trey on Dec 12, 2008 19:23:35 GMT -5
Well, since I missed doing last week's, I will try to get Scene 4 tomorrow (which is supposed to be Alex talking with his wife, so UGGHHH). But, this is the exposition scene, so it involves a lot of talking. Hopefully, no wasted dialog, but you guys can help be the judge of that. I have no idea how spies are sent out into the field so to speak (in fact, I know ABSOLUTELY nothing) so I tried to make things as indirect as possible. I suppose if I were in Hollywood, I would have the resources for research, so if I were to start doing rewrites, this would be the first to get revised. So *crosses fingers* I hope this turned out alright.
INT. CIA BUILDING – TIME OF DAY NOT IMPORTANT
A man in his early 40’s is reading a Newsweek magazine with a cover story on consumerism. His name is T.A. Bradley, a CIA superior who doesn’t show any severe signs of aging despite his job description. His office very gray and expressionless, filled with folders, binders, newspaper clippings, wanted photos, save a few drawings from his kids and a small photo is his family at Disneyland. We see a man approach his door from afar.
BRADLEY
Come in.
The man opens the door. His name is Alex Bennet, a man in his early 30’s. Despite his age, he looks word-weary and bit worried (but not overly worried). His job has definitely aged him. Bradley gestures for him to have a seat.
ALEX
I was told you wanted to see me?
BRADLEY
It’s about the oil lobbyist’s daughter from four months ago.
ALEX
Yeah, no, I remember. Teddy K.
BRADLEY
Mmm. We’ve received police reports from two hours ago that her body was found in the ocean. Throat slit from ear to ear. One of her legs broken. The house full of dead bodyguards. (sighs) I’ll spare you the photos they took.
ALEX
Oh, dear God. I thought we were monitoring her kidnappers. I mean, after she was returned, we had a tap on the house….. Didn’t-
BRADLEY
I know, I know. Three of her bodyguards are missing too and we don’t know what the hell is up with them. They’re doing every background check we can right now and so far everything’s hazy. One of them seems to be the real deal, which means he’s most likely dead or gone or some shit like that.
ALEX
Which one?
BRADLEY
Raymond Nieves. (gives Alex a photo) He served the Integrated Security Service faithfully good three years, no criminal record, went through the works at a good state school. (this is said in a matter-of-fact manner and very quickly) But he’s not what’s got this whole sector running ragged. In fact, her death wouldn’t have even been as big a clusterfuck as it is now *if* they weren’t able to get as close as they did to her. Through all the security measures. And relocation. And well, everything.
Bradley leans back in his chair and rubs his forehead with one hand.
BRADLEY
We have a problem. (long beat)
ALEX
Is it them?
BRADLEY
(sighs, leans forward) Well yes, although I’m sure they’ve gone beyond that. They had men placed around Monica’s house, her dorm, they made damn sure that if Teddy K didn’t uphold his end of the bargain, they were going to waste her. Here (tosses paper at Alex). Four other reports have been released. The son of a waste treatment plant owner in Tianjin, China was found in a fishing net. The wife of a car company president in Ulsan, Korea was killed a week ago. And a bunch of other shit I don’t want to get into. Basically we have these guys trying to persuading executive types to get their acts together by holding their loved ones for ransom. Apparently these four guys also failed to meet their demands.
ALEX
So what, just more kidnapping buis-
BRADLEY
The kidnappers have been sited as people who interacted with these people for several years. For instance, our girl Monica had apparently been kidnapped by some kid who had gone to school with her since junior high. I think at lot of us are afraid at how deep this could be running.
ALEX
Why, what have you got so far?
BRADLEY
Well, that’s why you’ve been called here Mr. Bennet.
ALEX
Sorry?
BRADLEY
We have a man in holding, his name is Michael Travis. He was found smuggling a shit load of foreign firearms into Canada. When asked any further questions, he flipped out and bludgeoned a border officer to death. They found several folders written in some code on his person. Although we got it out of him that he was delivering a list of names to some guy up in Alberta named Heath Carlson. We ran it through, no Heath Carlson in record except for one who had been killed up in Vietnam in 1968. However, some of the guys down at the labs figured out that Carlson had had his identity stolen by his platoon sergeant, a man named Harold McKinny who served time in the army after breaking into a car owned by….
ALEX
Is this…. ?
BRADLEY
Sorry. To make it short, Travis was bringing a bunch of guns and names for *some* reason to a man who wants his identity hidden in Canada. And we’ve got ourselves a decent bet that he’s doing it for the group behind the kidnappings. But they probably aren’t interested in just kidnapping these family members. They want change and the past month, all of their plans have failed to bring it, you see what I’m saying? (Alex nods knowingly) We have to try to see what the hell it is they are planning. Because you can better believe there are more Michael Travis’s out there.
ALEX
What makes you so sure of that?
BRADLEY
Just some well placed hunches, Alex. Some of the news we’ve gotten in about stolen military craft and overseas arms dealers, well, it sure as shit isn’t making us sleep any easier.
(long beat)
Do you understand why I brought you in to see me, Alex?
ALEX
Yes.
BRADLEY
We need somebody to find out everything they can about this organization, or whatever it is. We need a way to find out how far this reaches so we can get in, and blow their shit out of the water. We can’t have these people getting the nation excited, although their overseas work might mean this won’t just be our asses on notice.
ALEX
How long do I have to train?
BRADLEY
Well, we don’t know how much time we have. We haven’t made any of their little shenanigans known to the public, so as far as they know, we’re none the wiser. I hope we can get you out in less than three weeks. We gotta get you a name, a backstory, create a life from the ground up. You hafta be one of these world-shakers, these rebels, these radicals, you know.
ALEX
(laughs weakly) Then why me?
BRADLEY
You have the brains and the level head, you just don’t have enough menace in you. Not to say your veins run with bath water or anything, certainly you’re a strong guy. But nobody would peg you as a threat. We need to get their trust completely. You have to know where these people are coming from, because they certainly aren’t killing innocents left and right. They have a reason and we need to find out what that is. So, are you ready?
Alex sighs and nods weakly. Bradley continues to brief him as the scene FADES OUT.
INT. CIA BUILDING – TIME OF DAY NOT IMPORTANT
A man in his early 40’s is reading a Newsweek magazine with a cover story on consumerism. His name is T.A. Bradley, a CIA superior who doesn’t show any severe signs of aging despite his job description. His office very gray and expressionless, filled with folders, binders, newspaper clippings, wanted photos, save a few drawings from his kids and a small photo is his family at Disneyland. We see a man approach his door from afar.
BRADLEY
Come in.
The man opens the door. His name is Alex Bennet, a man in his early 30’s. Despite his age, he looks word-weary and bit worried (but not overly worried). His job has definitely aged him. Bradley gestures for him to have a seat.
ALEX
I was told you wanted to see me?
BRADLEY
It’s about the oil lobbyist’s daughter from four months ago.
ALEX
Yeah, no, I remember. Teddy K.
BRADLEY
Mmm. We’ve received police reports from two hours ago that her body was found in the ocean. Throat slit from ear to ear. One of her legs broken. The house full of dead bodyguards. (sighs) I’ll spare you the photos they took.
ALEX
Oh, dear God. I thought we were monitoring her kidnappers. I mean, after she was returned, we had a tap on the house….. Didn’t-
BRADLEY
I know, I know. Three of her bodyguards are missing too and we don’t know what the hell is up with them. They’re doing every background check we can right now and so far everything’s hazy. One of them seems to be the real deal, which means he’s most likely dead or gone or some shit like that.
ALEX
Which one?
BRADLEY
Raymond Nieves. (gives Alex a photo) He served the Integrated Security Service faithfully good three years, no criminal record, went through the works at a good state school. (this is said in a matter-of-fact manner and very quickly) But he’s not what’s got this whole sector running ragged. In fact, her death wouldn’t have even been as big a clusterfuck as it is now *if* they weren’t able to get as close as they did to her. Through all the security measures. And relocation. And well, everything.
Bradley leans back in his chair and rubs his forehead with one hand.
BRADLEY
We have a problem. (long beat)
ALEX
Is it them?
BRADLEY
(sighs, leans forward) Well yes, although I’m sure they’ve gone beyond that. They had men placed around Monica’s house, her dorm, they made damn sure that if Teddy K didn’t uphold his end of the bargain, they were going to waste her. Here (tosses paper at Alex). Four other reports have been released. The son of a waste treatment plant owner in Tianjin, China was found in a fishing net. The wife of a car company president in Ulsan, Korea was killed a week ago. And a bunch of other shit I don’t want to get into. Basically we have these guys trying to persuading executive types to get their acts together by holding their loved ones for ransom. Apparently these four guys also failed to meet their demands.
ALEX
So what, just more kidnapping buis-
BRADLEY
The kidnappers have been sited as people who interacted with these people for several years. For instance, our girl Monica had apparently been kidnapped by some kid who had gone to school with her since junior high. I think at lot of us are afraid at how deep this could be running.
ALEX
Why, what have you got so far?
BRADLEY
Well, that’s why you’ve been called here Mr. Bennet.
ALEX
Sorry?
BRADLEY
We have a man in holding, his name is Michael Travis. He was found smuggling a shit load of foreign firearms into Canada. When asked any further questions, he flipped out and bludgeoned a border officer to death. They found several folders written in some code on his person. Although we got it out of him that he was delivering a list of names to some guy up in Alberta named Heath Carlson. We ran it through, no Heath Carlson in record except for one who had been killed up in Vietnam in 1968. However, some of the guys down at the labs figured out that Carlson had had his identity stolen by his platoon sergeant, a man named Harold McKinny who served time in the army after breaking into a car owned by….
ALEX
Is this…. ?
BRADLEY
Sorry. To make it short, Travis was bringing a bunch of guns and names for *some* reason to a man who wants his identity hidden in Canada. And we’ve got ourselves a decent bet that he’s doing it for the group behind the kidnappings. But they probably aren’t interested in just kidnapping these family members. They want change and the past month, all of their plans have failed to bring it, you see what I’m saying? (Alex nods knowingly) We have to try to see what the hell it is they are planning. Because you can better believe there are more Michael Travis’s out there.
ALEX
What makes you so sure of that?
BRADLEY
Just some well placed hunches, Alex. Some of the news we’ve gotten in about stolen military craft and overseas arms dealers, well, it sure as shit isn’t making us sleep any easier.
(long beat)
Do you understand why I brought you in to see me, Alex?
ALEX
Yes.
BRADLEY
We need somebody to find out everything they can about this organization, or whatever it is. We need a way to find out how far this reaches so we can get in, and blow their shit out of the water. We can’t have these people getting the nation excited, although their overseas work might mean this won’t just be our asses on notice.
ALEX
How long do I have to train?
BRADLEY
Well, we don’t know how much time we have. We haven’t made any of their little shenanigans known to the public, so as far as they know, we’re none the wiser. I hope we can get you out in less than three weeks. We gotta get you a name, a backstory, create a life from the ground up. You hafta be one of these world-shakers, these rebels, these radicals, you know.
ALEX
(laughs weakly) Then why me?
BRADLEY
You have the brains and the level head, you just don’t have enough menace in you. Not to say your veins run with bath water or anything, certainly you’re a strong guy. But nobody would peg you as a threat. We need to get their trust completely. You have to know where these people are coming from, because they certainly aren’t killing innocents left and right. They have a reason and we need to find out what that is. So, are you ready?
Alex sighs and nods weakly. Bradley continues to brief him as the scene FADES OUT.
