Alien Nation Page #10

He quickly disengages from her.

SYKES:

My voice, body, and everything else

is saying I'll be back in two hours

for Strader, and he better damn well

be here.

He shoves a business card at her, then retreats through

the door.

INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Sykes closes the door and lets out his breath.

INT. CASSANDRA'S DRESSING ROOM - NIGHT

Cassandra's expression instantly turns to worry and she

quickly crosses to a phone and punches the intercom

button.

INT. OFFICE - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT

Jetson, looking through a desk drawer, hears the intercom

BUZZ in the next room. Through the wall--

WATSON (O.S.)

(tentatively)

Yes...?

CASSANDRA (O.S.)

(over the intercom,

breathless)

Todd, it's me. The police were just

here... looking for Strader. And

asking about you.

Jetson moves toward the door to the adjoining office,

drawing his gun. The floor squeaks beneath his feet. He

looks down, then continues toward the door.

INT. OFFICE - SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT

Jetson eases open the door. It's the manager's private

office. Jetson sees the phone receiver resting on the

desk, the desk lamp on, a lit cigarette in an ashtray --

but no one behind the desk. Jetson eases through the door

and--

-- a chair crashes down on him from behind the door!

Jetson goes down, his gun skittering out of his hand.

INT. PRIVATE OFFICE - NIGHT

Jetson and his assailant battle in the well-appointed

office.

INT. OFFICE - SECOND FLOOR CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Sykes hears the fight through the private office door.

He throws the door open.

INT. PRIVATE OFFICE - NIGHT

Sykes stands in the doorway, the Casull straight-armed at

Jetson's assailant.

SYKES:

Freeze! Now!

The assailant does. He looks at Sykes, scared, breathing

hard. He's a Newcomer in a snappy Armani suit. This is

TODD WATSON. Jetson, on the floor, starts to rise.

Suddenly somebody flies at Sykes from the side, knocking

him sideways down the corridor. It's Cassandra. Watson

seizes the moment and shoves the off-balance Jetson into

some furniture and dives for the door.

INT. SECOND FLOOR CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Watson runs down the corridor, ducking onto a fire escape.

Meanwhile Sykes wrestles with Cassandra. She's as strong

as he is, but he has the edge in experience.

Jetson, disheveled, appears in the private office doorway,

ready to chase Watson, but not knowing which way he went.

SYKES:

(struggling with

Cassandra)

Fire escape! End of the hall!

Jetson nods, takes off down the corridor. Sykes manges to

get one handcuff on Cassandra's wrist, the other cuff

around a pipe sticking out of the wall. She SCREECHES at

him in the alien language as he collects the Casull and

charges down the corridor.

EXT. FIRE ESCAPE - OUTSIDE ENCOUNTERS - NIGHT

Jetson pounds down the fire escape. Below him, he sees

Watson reach the ground and take off running for the

parking area.

Jetson reaches the ground and gives chase.

EXT. ENCOUNTERS PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Watson zig-zags through the parked cars, Jetson cutting

down other rows trying to make up the distance between

them.

EXT. FIRE ESCAPE - OUTSIDE ENCOUNTERS - NIGHT

Sykes bangs down the fire escape, leaping the last fifteen

feet to the ground.

EXT. ENCOUNTERS PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Watson reaches his Alfa Romeo, yanks open the door, fires

it up. Jetson slides up, ten feet behind the car, pulls

his gun, aims.

The white reverse-lights flash on. Jetson stands there,

gun aimed -- but he hesitates to shoot. In that split

second hesitation, Watson floors it... Jetson jumping to

avoid being hit.

INT. ALFA ROMEO - NIGHT

Watson throws the car into Drive, looks up, and sees Sykes

standing right in front of the car. He hits the gas.

Sykes has no choice then to leap onto the hood of the car.

Watson, with Sykes' face on the other side of the glass,

panics and--

EXT. ENCOUNTERS PARKING LOT - NIGHT

-- plows the Alfa into some parked cars.

Sykes is up in a flash -- yanks Watson out of the car.

Watson rears back to swing at Sykes, when Sykes swings his

arms around in two wide arcs, his fists landing two direct

hits in the nerve centers under Watson's arms. Watson

folds over with a "ooowwph" sound and drops to his knees.

SYKES:

(breathing hard)

I'll be damned. It worked.

(sees Jetson run up)

How'd you like that, huh? Whammo!

Both barrels. Dropped him like a

bag of cement.

Jetson picks up Watson's fallen wallet. He looks at the

I.D.

SYKES:

Who is he?

JETSON:

Todd Watson. The assistant manager.

Watson is still doubled over, just trying to draw one

agonized breath.

WATSON:

I don't believe this. Look at my

suit. Look at what you made me do

to my car.

SYKES:

(laughing)

Your girlfriend put up a better

fight than you did, pal.

JETSON:

We are looking for your employer,

Joshua Strader.

WATSON:

He's out of town.

JETSON:

Why did you run?

WATSON:

Because you two were chasing me.

SYKES:

We were chasing you because you ran,

you dumb son-of-a-b*tch.

JETSON:

When will Strader return?

WATSON:

Who knows. He's the boss -- he

doesn't have to check in with me.

SYKES:

(wearily)

Watson... this is my partner here's

first coupla days, and he wants to

make a good impression. Me, though,

the way I feel -- this could be my

last day, know what I mean? And I'm

ready to rain on you like a cow

pissin' on a flat rock.

WATSON:

Look -- Mr. Strader hasn't been

around for a coupla days. He didn't

tell me where he was going or when

he'd be back. I swear it.

SYKES:

(to Jetson)

What do you think?

JETSON:

I believe he is probably lying.

SYKES:

Through his ass.

(to Watson)

Next time you see him, tell him to

call me... unless you want us to

keep coming back on you like a bad

case of herpes.

Sykes shoves a business card in Watson's breast pocket.

They walk away and Watson slumps against his car.

ANGLE - MOVING WITH SYKES AND JETSON

as they walk wearily to the slug-mobile.

SYKES:

George, you can handle the women

from now on, you mind?

CUT TO:

EXT. ENCOUNTERS PARKING LOT - NIGHT

Watson is alone, surveying the damage to his Alfa, when he

hears footsteps. He turns with a "What now?" expression

and -- a shotgun butt is slammed into his forehead. He

goes down. Kipling stands over him, flanked by FOUR HUMAN

THUGS. One of these is QUINT, senior human in Harcourt's

employ.

QUINT:

(to other Thugs)

Okay, scrape him up.

CUT TO:

EXT. ZUMA BEACH APPROACH _ NIGHT

Harcourt's private limo glides down the narrow access

road, passing a lookout car attended by two alien Thugs.

The limo moves down to the beach, parking near an n.d.

van.

Harcourt exits the limo, walks onto the sand to the back

of the van. Here he finds Kipling and Quint and the three

human Thugs.

They have Watson chained to the van's rear bumper, facing

the sea, and have been working him over with a tire iron.

He's bruised and bloody, but still conscious.

HARCOURT:

Any progress?

QUINT:

My arm's gettin' tired and so far,

zip.

KIPLING:

He is ss'verdlatya ss'alo to

Strader.

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