Blade Runner Page #16

Then he sees her. Rachael is standing in the crowd

staring at the dead Zhora.

Rachael's face reveals her horror. She looks from Zhora

to Deckard.

Deckard feels her eyes burn into him. He clicks his empty

pistol stupidly. CLICK CLICK.

Lights from a spinner smear over the crowd, sirens whine.

Deckard sees Rachael disappear into the crowd.

Deckard starts to say something but anything he said would

be drowned in siren noise.

Rachael is swallowed up into the crowd near a big sign

(or some other distinctive landmark).

CUT TO:

EXT. THE CROWD - NIGHT

Leon and Batty are just faces in the throng of ASIANS

and LATINOS. They too see the body of Zhora.

Batty and Leon look very grim.

They turn their attention to Deckard.

From their point of view they see a pantomime out of ear

shot.... Deckard hastily flashes his badge at arriving

COPS, points to Zhora, gives a couple of instructions and

hurries off, passing under the big sign, leaving the cops

to stare after him with amazement.

Batty and Leon exchange a look. Batty makes a head movement.

Leon heads off toward the big sign.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREETS - NIGHT

The tide of STREET PEOPLE moves inexorbaly as Deckard,

like a swimmer, moves through them, eyes busy, searching

for Rachael.

Thinks he sees her.

Shoves his way through the crowd.

Not her.

Looks around in dispair.

Catches sight of her half a block away.

Deckard hurries after her. Calls out.

DECKARD:

Rachael. Wait.

Rachael looks back, sees him.

DECKARD:

Hold on.

Rachael keeps going.

Deckard is hurrying past the mouth of an alley. Suddenly

he's being hurried into the alley.

DECKARD:

Hey.

A big guy is collaring him and hauling him into the alley.

Leon.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALLEY NIGHT

A family of SAMOANS look up from their dismal cooking

fire in the alley.

DECKARD:

Hey, what the hell, buddy!

The Samoan's faces are blank. They stick by the fire and

express no feelings anout the events in the alley.

Deckard is swept off his feet and twirled around in

Leon's bear-trap embrace.

Leon lets go and Deckard hits the pavement, skidding

hard enough to tear clothes and burn skin, but he

rolls out of it and comes up with gun in hand; but Leon

is so fast he's already there and kicks it out of his

hand.

Leon moves towards him, backing Deckard against the

wall.

LEON:

How come you knew where Zhora was

so quick?

His hand is like lightning. It shoots out, grabs Deckard's

hair.

DECKARD:

I showed pictures. Somebody

recognized her. I went to see.

Deckard is pale. The sweat is starting to run.

LEON:

How old am I?

DECKARD:

I don't know.

The grip tightens and twists.

LEON:

My birthday is April 10, 2017.

How long do I live?

DECKARD:

Four years.

He lets go.

LEON:

More than you.

Deckard's knees come up fast, but Leon's fist comes down

faster, like a hammer.

LEON:

Painful to live in fear, isn't it.

Deckard is doubled over, hugging his thigh.

LEON:

But that's how it is to be a slave.

The future is sealed off, he

grovels, he waits.

Even hurt, Deckard is fast. He goes for his ankle gun,

but Leon's got it out of his hand before he can even

raise it and throws it down the alley.

Deckard hurls forward, knocking him off balance, and

scrambles to get away. Leon grabs him by the foot,

drags him back and jerks him off the ground.

LEON:

Sex, reproduction, security, the

simple things. But no way to

satisfy them. To be homesick

with no place to go. Potential

with no way to use it. Lots of

little oversights in the Nexus

Six.

He slams Deckard into the wall.

LEON:

I tell you, nothing is worse than

having an itch you can never scratch.

Deckard slides down the wall to his knees and huddles

protecting his head with his arms, waiting for the

next one.

DECKARD:

I agree with you.

Leon folds his big hands together and raises them over

his head, pausing just a second to savor the satisfac-

tion of smashing Deckard's skull.

LEON:

Too late. Your mistake.

The spasm that runs through Leon's face is not from

satisfaction. It's the bullet that went through his

neck. He hits the ground hard, his big teeth biting

the air like a rabid dog. Dead.

Deckard has slumped to the ground where he sits propped

into a sitting position by the wall, staring up in

amazement at his deliverer.

He sees Rachael standing there with his blaster,

Rachael is staring at the body of Leon, stunned and

shaken at what she has done.

Deckard looks up at her, his eyes swollen into slits,

his mouth and nose bloody. He sees how shaken she is.

Rachael turns and looks at him. Their eyes meet.

She drops the blaster.

Deckard gets painfully to his feet, picks up the

blaster and starts to reload it. He doesn't make the

same mistake twice. He glances at her.

Again their eyes meet.

CUT TO:

EXT. 42ND STREET - 20 MINUTES LATER

It's the 42nd Street of the future, a garish, wicked

place.

Deckard and Rachaek are walking together, almost

zombies.

Deckard is only a little less bloody and a lot more

swollen.

Rate this script:4.5 / 4 votes