Avatar Page #19

JAKE grabs a rock and LEAPS onto the dozer. He climbs

quickly to the CAMERA MAST.

SMASH! The rock crashes into the lens of the camera. Jake

beats the rock furiously against it, pounding it to junk.

INT. OPS CENTER

CLOSE ON MONITOR -- as Jake's demonic face is replaced by

noise.

OPERATOR:

I'm blind.

He pulls back on the throttles.

94.

EXT. WILLOW GLADE

THE JUGGERNAUT grinds to a stop. But the ROAR of engines

continues because --

MORE DOZERS and TRACTORS advance nearby, crushing the forest

before them. Trees are slashed down by the PLASMA CUTTERS.

Terrified animals flee before the onslaught.

POWERSUITS and TROOPERS stride through the ravaged forest,

blasting anything that moves. A trooper sees Jake on the

dozer. He rips off a BURST and --

Rounds CLANG into metal as Jake dives off the machine. He

grabs Neytiri and they run into concealing foliage. From

behind a screen of leaves, they watch as --

THE DOZERS advance, obliterating the sacred site, leaving

only mud and wood splinters in their path.

CU NEYTIRI, stunned by the nightmarish, unfathomable

wrongness of it. She sobs as the willows die.

INT. OPS CENTER

MINUTES LATER, the operator is playing back the CAMERA'S FEED

for Quaritch and the others.

QUARITCH:

Freeze it, right -- there.

ON MONITOR -- the image expands, until Jake's face is clear,

frozen in an animal snarl.

SELFRIDGE:

Son of a b*tch!

PUSH IN ON QUARITCH as his jaw clenches in cold fury.

He turns and strides toward the door, shouting to his WATCH

COMMANDER as he passes.

QUARITCH:

Get me a pilot!

CUT TO:

INT. COMMONS/HOMETREE - DAY

A RAIDING PARTY of hunters, their bodies painted, raise

weapons overhead. AVATAR GRACE watches with growing alarm.

95.

EYTUKAN:

(SUBTITLED)

Tsu'tey will lead the war party!

Tsu'tey steps forward, face full of hate, raising a war cry

among the hunters.

GRACE:

(SUBTITLED)

Please -- this will only make it worse --

TSU'TEY

You do not speak here!

JAKE and NEYTIRI cross the commons toward them. Jake feels

all eyes turn toward him. He takes her arm, stopping her.

JAKE:

(to Neytiri, low)

Okay, listen. There's something I have to

tell you. It's gonna be hard. I just

need you to --

He sees TSU'TEY striding toward them, his face a mask of

fury.

TSU'TEY

You!

Tsu'tey walks right up and SLAMS Jake in the chest with both

hands. It is so unexpected, that Jake topples on his ass.

TSU'TEY

You mated with this woman?!

GRACE:

Oh sh*t.

Jake stands. He reaches out for Neytiri. She goes to him,

clutching his hand.

MO'AT

Is this true?

NEYTIRI:

(SUBTITLED)

We are mated before Eywa. It is done.

Tsu'tey turns to Mo'at and Eytukan, his face anguished.

96.

TSU'TEY

(SUBTITLED)

Neytiri was promised to me! Everything is

changing. Everything is being destroyed!

Tsu'tey points at Jake, his pain shifting to rage.

TSU'TEY

(SUBTITLED)

These aliens kill everything they touch,

like poison.

MO'AT

Neytiri! If you choose this path, you can

never be Tsahik. Your life will be

wasted.

Neytiri looks at her mother -- sees the grief in her eyes.

NEYTIRI:

I have chosen.

Tsu'tey draws his knife and --

TSU'TEY

Yeeeeeaaa!

LUNGES AT JAKE, who's ready this time -- he sidesteps,

blocking the knife, and elbows Tsu'tey HARD in the face.

Tsu'tey reels back, nose bleeding. He starts forward on a

second attack but --

Eytukan grabs his arm and spins him around.

EYTUKAN:

(SUBTITLED)

Stop! This is not a proper challenge.

Tsu'tey glares at Jake while sheathing his knife.

TSU'TEY

I challenge you.

GRACE:

Jake, don't --

JAKE:

I accept.

CUT TO:

97.

INT./EXT. SAMSON - DAY

QUARITCH rides left seat as Trudy pilots through the

mountains. She glances at him, then toggles the aircom.

TRUDY:

Loveshack this is Samson One Six inbound

hot to your pos. I have Colonel Quaritch

with me and --

But Quaritch SLAMS the switch, cutting her off.

QUARITCH:

Did I tell you to announce us?

TRUDY:

Sorry sir, it's procedure.

INT. SHACK

Norm punches buttons on the comms console.

NORM:

Samson One Six? Trudy?

(no answer)

Crap.

He looks helplessly at Jake and Grace's link units -- no way

to warn them.

INT. HOMETREE - DAY

TSU'TEY AND JAKE square off. Each holds a long, solid staff.

The entire clan crowds around them in a circle.

GRACE:

What the hell are you doing?

JAKE:

It's the only way to get him to goddamn

listen.

TSU'TEY LEAPS at Jake with a sharp cry and Jake parries with

his staff. The staves CLACK off each other as the two

combatants LEAP, DUCK and STRIKE furiously.

Tsu'tey sweeps Jake off his feet with a roundhouse hit to the

ankles, but --

Jake ROLLS out of it and catches Tsu'tey in the belly with

the blunt end.

98.

EXT. SITE 26 - DAY

TRUDY'S SAMSON lands. QUARITCH and a posse of troopers jump

down and rush the Shack.

INT. COMMONS

TSU'TEY wades in with a series of short, sharp blows. Jake

swings with equal fury. Both fighting from the heart.

The staves whistle through the air, and CLACK together like

gunshots. Jake presses hard, and Tsu'tey staggers back,

stumbling as --

Jake lands a SOLID HIT, dropping him to his knees, just as --

INT. SHACK

THE INNER DOOR bangs open and QUARITCH stomps toward Grace's

Link controls.

NORM:

Hey, hang on, you can't interrupt a link

in progress, it's dangerous -- wait!

Quaritch shoves him aside and SMACKS his fist down on the

POWER switch. Grace's unit goes dead and --

INT. COMMONS

AVATAR GRACE'S eyes roll back and she keels over. NEYTIRI

barely catches her before she hits the ground.

JAKE parries as Tsu'tey swings but then --

Jake's eyes go blank just as -- K-RACK! Tsu'tey puts one

alongside his head. Jake sprawls, completely inert. Tsu'tey

pokes him with his staff, then raises it and lets out a

piercing VICTORY CRY.

INT. SHACK - DAY

JAKE SLAMS OPEN the Link, amped from the fight, furious --

JAKE:

Are you out of your goddamn mind?!

QUARITCH:

You crossed a line.

Quaritch PUNCHES HIM HARD. Jake flops back, dazed. The

troopers yank him out and ZIP-TIE his wrists.

99.

INT. COMMONS

TSU'TEY draws his KNIFE, and bends down, grabbing Jake by the

hair.

TSU'TEY

(SUBTITLED)

This is a demon in a false body. It

should not live.

He puts his knife to Jake's throat but --

NEYTIRI BLIND-SIDES him at full tilt. Tsu'tey sprawls, rolls,

comes up to see --

Neytiri crouched like a lioness over Jake, her KNIFE and

teeth bared, her ears flattened. She SNARLS with primal

fury.

Tsu'tey stands panting. He pushes through the crowd and walks

away, calling for his hunters.

CUT TO:

INT. OPS CENTER - DUSK

TIGHT ON MONITOR -- showing JAKE'S AVATAR FACE on the dozer

camera, as he pounds a rock into the lens. The shot FREEZES

on Jake's ANIMAL SNARL.

WIDER -- HUMAN JAKE sits, bruised and bleeding, watching

himself on the monitor. GRACE and NORM stand nearby, rubbing

their wrists where the zip-ties bit in. SELFRIDGE and

QUARITCH watch with disdain.

QUARITCH:

You let me down, son. You got a little

local p*ssy and completely forgot what

team you play for.

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