Blade Runner Page #26

Deckard looks behind him, over his shoulder.

He can see Batty twenty feet away on the edge of the

first roof, watching him.

Deckard is almost sobbing, holding on with everything

he's got as we:

CUT TO:

EXT. THE FIRST ROOF - NIGHT

Batty stands there watching Deckard hang.

Batty grins.

Then one of his hands cramps badly. He has to work the

fingers open with effort.

He looks at Deckard again.

Batty walks back five yards, sprints quickly, and

leaps as we:

CUT TO:

EXT. ROOF - LOW ANGLE - NIGHT

From below we see the tiny figure of Batty as he leaps

easily across the gap between the two looming skyscrapers

and we:

CUT TO:

EXT. SECOND ROOF - NIGHT

Deckard is hanging there as Batty lands not far from

Deckard's desperate hands.

Batty looks down at Deckard.

Batty grins and takes a seat only a couple of feet

from Deckard.

Deckard's bad hand lets go. He's hanging by one hand.

The street looms way below.

Deckard looks desperately into Batty's cold eyes.

Batty grins and shakes his head at the absurdity of it.

Deckard looks into that awful smile and sees no hope

there.

Batty glances down at his own hand. Spasms again.

Deckard's hand is going. He knows it's over now, he

bites the bullet of his anger. He glares at Batty as

his grip gives way.

DECKARD:

A**hole!

Batty meets Deckard's angry eyes.

Deckard's hand continues to slip.

Batty is still looking at Deckard's rage. It moves the

warrior in him, you can see Batty change his opinion.

Too late! Deckard's hand goes.

Batty's hand is like lightning. He catches Deckard's

hand and holds Deckard.

Deckard is suspended above the awesome drop, not sure

why he's not falling. He opens his tightly closed eyes

and looks up.

He looks up into the stern warrior face of Batty, the

cold eyes!

Deckard hangs there and for a moment he has to consider

whether this is the continuation of a cruel game.

The Batty is hauling him up one-handed and with that

scary strength he has.

Deckard is pulled onto the roof where he lies on his

stomach gasping for breath, not moving, just feeling

something solid under him.

Batty looks at the man gasping next to him with the

cold eyes of a man looking at a fish. It is as though

Deckard is some species far below Batty on the evolu-

tionary scale.

Batty's hand cramps again.

Batty looks at it, almost with curiosity.

JUMP CUT TO:

EXT. THE SECOND ROOF (LATER)

Deckard is looking at Batty.

Batty is partly crumpled, frozen in an unnatural posi-

tion as though he had been writhing and stopped mid-

writhe. He looks back at Deckard with eyes full of

life and intensity.

They stare at each other for a long time in silence,

communicating something with their eyes... without

expression. Finally Batty breaks the silence.

BATTY:

I've seen things...

(long pause)

seen things you little people

wouldn't believe... Attack ships

on fire off the shoulder of Orion

bright as magnesium... I rode on

the back decks of a blinker and

watched c-beams glitter in the dark

near the Tanhauser Gate.

(pause)

all those moments... they'll be gone.

Batty holds Deckard's eyes like a hypnotist.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE SECOND ROOF (A LITTLE LATER)

Batty is crumpled in a different position. It's light-

er now and Batty's eyes are staring into infinity...

almost lifelessly. A pigeon flutters down and perches

on his shoulder. Batty doesn't stir.

Deckard is watching motionless.

The pigeon flies off.

Batty doesn't move. Alive or dead?

CUT TO:

EXT. THE SECOND ROOF - DAWN

A more distant perspective. Deckard is a small figure

looking down at the dead body of Batty.

DECKARD (V.O.)

I watched him die all night. It

was a long, slow thing and he

fought it all the way. He never

whimpered and he never quit. He

took all the time he had... as

though he loved life very much...

every second of it... even the

pain. Then he was dead.

EXT. ROOF - DAWN

The city is down there. Endless and gray in the first

light.

Deckard's at the edge of the roof.

Maybe someday he'll be better. But right now he hasn't

even got the energy to be sick.

The Mexican's voice doesn't surprise him, it comes through

the silence like the rasping of raven's wings.

GAFF:

How do you rate yourself, now Deckard ?

He is standing 20 feet away, on the edge of the roof, like

a captain looking at the sea. Smarts as a rooster,he places

a foot on the buttress....

GAFF:

You put on quite a show - no doubt

about it...

With a flourish he brings a dirty rag out of his pocket and

starts polishing the pointed tip of his long black shoe.

GAFF:

You think I'm a wimp - don't you.

He waits for the answer. But Deckard doesn't bother.

Gaff moistens the rag with his tongue and applies it to

the toe.

GAFF:

I could kill you right now -

so you better say something.

Deckard is unarmed. Gaff's got all the aces- seems to be

bristling with concealed weapons. Deckard's eyes level on

him. His voice comes out low and raw.

DECKARD:

Yeah. I think you're a wimp.

Gaff nods like he knew it all along - it seems to please

him.

Rate this script:4.5 / 4 votes