Assassins Page #24

INT. ROOM 302 - DAY

The rifle dropped, Bain grabs his bag and charges for the

wall. Electra FIRES TWICE more, misses twice as Bain

crashes through the lathing into...

ROOM 301

Stumbling blind, he falls. The floor opens beneath him

to let him pass.

EXT. PLAZA COLON - CAFE - DAY

Rath races for the hotel. Past a man picking up coffee

cups.

INT. THE HOTEL PARAISO - ROOM 301 - DAY

Electra steps up. The .22 trained on the hole, she

looks down. Bain's bag is there, but the man himself

is nowhere in sight. A ghost. Electra moves.

INT. 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY - DAY

Bain on his back, aiming his own .22 at her footsteps

overhead. He FIRES.

INT. 3RD FLOOR HALLWAY - DAY

There's no warning blast, just BULLETS silently drill-

ing the floor at her feet. Electra runs, aware the

floor could collapse under any given footfall.

INT. 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY - DAY

Bain moves to the railing, aims at the stairs.

Electra appears on the landing above, freezes as she

realizes she's exposed.

RATH (O.S.)

Bain!

Rath in the lobby. Before Bain can target him, he's

gone.

So is Electra.

BAIN:

Two against one. Is that your

edge, Rath? You didn't take the

mark. You took the bribe.

Bain starts for the stairs.

BAIN:

I'll take her, even the odds!

ELECTRA (O.S.)

(scared somewhere)

I think he's serious, Rath!

ROOM 205

Rath pulls himself up through a hole in the floor.

RATH:

You've got something of mine,

Electra.

3RD FLOOR HALLWAY

Electra looks at the .22, gauges Rath's position from his

voice.

ELECTRA:

When do you want it back?!

RATH (O.S.)

Now!

ATRIUM - HALLWAY BALCONIES

Electra appears at the third floor balcony. Rath at the

second, a little further down. Bain turns the corner on

the staircase.

As Electra tosses Rath the .22, Bain FIRES. Time slows.

Rath's hand closes around the gun even as he's hit in

the shoulder. Stumbling back, he RETURNS FIRE.

Electra has disappeared from the railing as Bain con-

tinues after her. And getting to his feet...

Rath gets to his feet and motors.

3RD FLOOR

Light plays through the lathing. Every creak could

mean your life. INTERCUT BETWEEN Rath, Electra and

Bain as they play the equivalent of the hedge-maze

game.

Bain FIRES at a shadow moving against a wall three

rooms away.

Electra nearly steps into a gaping hole as she looks

back at a sound behind her.

Rath wheels as the Electra WHISPERED NAME "Rath" ECHOES

oddly. No way to tell where it came from.

3RD FLOOR HALLWAY

The full length stretched before us. Electra steps

out from a room. Rath appears at the other end. As

she starts toward him, Bain steps out from the opposite

end. She's about to get caught in one hellacious

crossfire.

RATH:

(dashing forward)

Down!

As Electra hits the deck, Bain leaps forward with a

rebel yell. The two men unload their silent .22's.

Sprinting at each other. Bain shouting.

Rath jerks to a sinew-stretching stop as his right leg

goes through the flooring. He FIRES...

And as Bain's hit in the thigh, he goes down. Disappears

through the floor right at Electra's feet.

INT. FLOORS - DAY

MOVE WITH Bain as he tumbles. Breaking, then continuing

his fall at each floor he encounters.

3RD FLOOR HALLWAY

Rath and Electra look THROUGH the hole. No ghost this

time. Bain's down there. Motionless, nearly buried

in debris. Rath looks up at Electra.

RATH:

Don't move.

Rath starts down the hall. A beat and Electra is

following right behind him.

INT. HOTEL PARAISO - LOBBY - DAY

The light from the lowering sun slips through gaps,

cracks and broken window panes, casting surreal patterns.

Rath steps over to where Bain lies broken. .22 aimed at

Bain, he turns to face Electra as she comes up behind.

They embrace a moment before he pulls away. The only way

to describe him is pissed with joy.

RATH:

You weren't supposed to be here.

What happened? What the hell

happened?!

Before Electra can explain...

VOICE (O.S.)

That's no way to talk to a lady.

INT. LOBBY - DAY

A chill down Rath's spine. He wheels, but the voice has

no source. Till The CONTRACTOR steps out of the shadows,

holds a .22 about a foot from Electra's head.

CONTRACTOR:

It's been a long time, my friend.

Rath turns, is stunned at the sight.

RATH:

Nicolai.

NICOLAI/CONTRACTOR

The years have been good to you,

Robert.

(re:
gun)

Put it down.

Nicolai motions to Rath's gun. Rath has no choice. He

drops it. Nicolai gestures toward Bain.

NICOLAI:

Miguelito?

(as Rath nods)

I never pictured him so young. A

shame. Second best after all.

Electra can't believe what's happening. She looks from

Nicolai to Rath.

ELECTRA:

You killed him.

NICOLAI:

(smiles)

He did.

Nicolai opens his jacket to reveal a bulletproof vest.

NICOLAI:

(to Rath)

Walking out of that bank was the

worst moment of my life.

(to Electra)

He always went for the heart.

Predictable.

Nicolai holds up a flattened slug, tosses it to Rath who

lets it land on the floor.

RATH:

Fifteen years, fifteen goddamn

years you let me think I killed

you. You sonuvabitch.

NICOLAI:

You're forgetting you shot me.

You sonuvabitch.

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