Cliffhanger Page #22

GABE:

is now, literally, in a jam. There are no handholds, no

ledges, and the walls are slick. All he can do is remain

braced against the crack's walls until his already sore arms

and legs give out.

EXT. RESCUE HELICOPTER - NEAR BLUFF'S BASE - DAY

Frank is now flying the helicopter -- a body bag is stashed in

the back, and Maggie is in the passenger seat.

MAGGIE:

(motioning down)

Bring it down here.

FRANK:

Maggie --

MAGGIE:

Just do it, Frank.

EXT. BLUFF BASE

The copter touches down -- Frank doesn't turn it off. Maggie

jumps out with a walkie talkie. Frank makes another try.

FRANK:

Maggie, this is dumb --

MAGGIE:

No it isn't. I'm going to find

Brett -- I don't want to have to talk

to his widow too. Fly Evan's body

back to base -- I'll call you when

I've found Brett. Or Hal. Or Gabe.

Or anybody.

Maggie runs off into the snow as Frank lifts off. Maggie moves

quickly through the snow, and it isn't long before she spots

multiple tracks in the snow -- they lead toward, and up, the

buttress. Now she's really confused. But with nothing left to

do, she starts climbing up the side.

EXT. WIRE CROSSING - HAL'S POV

As we've caught Hal in mid-crossing, he's looking from whence

he came -- the opposite side of the buttress, where Travers

has a gun trained on him --

HAL:

unhappily hangs high above the ground from the harness kindly

provided by Travers --

HAL'S POV - ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIRE

Kristel is waiting, also with a gun trained on him. Hal

arrives and disengages -- the harness is pulled back.

BUTTRESS SIDE OF WIRE

Kynette pulls the harness back and hands it to Qualen, who's

standing next to Travers.

KYNETTE:

(motioning up)

I'm going back.

TRAVERS:

Look -- this part is nothing,

believe me --

KYNETTE:

Walker should be coming up by now.

Kynette, automatic strapped to his chest, rushes back to the

buttress' summit.

INT. BUTTRESS CRACK/CHIMNEY

Gabe is just as we left him. Face down, arms and legs pressing

against the five-foot gap of the tunnel walls.

Carefully, Gabe takes one hand off the wall, gets out his

lighter with the other, and ignites it for a look --

GABE'S POV - UPWARD

Just as the crack has widened below him -- it's wider above

him. More important, it slants at an easy enough angle to

allow him to walk up. If only he can get up there.

GABE:

snaps the lighter shut, pockets it, and readies himself.

Gabe steadily "walks" up the vertical passage by bracing

himself with one leg and one arm -- then moving the other

leg and arm up.

Gabe repeats this until he has his hands on the curved edge

where the crack snakes into a sideways passage. But there are

no handholds that will allow Gabe to get a grip and simply

swing over and climb up.

GABE:

(winded)

So much for the easy part.

OVERHEAD ANGLE - THE CRACK

Gabe takes a deep breath, readies himself, and shoves himself

away from the wall with his arms, pushes himself into a squat

against the opposite wall, hanging for a second with no

support at all, and he springs from that all into

THE DIAGONAL PASSAGE

Gabe lands hard but flat on the passage and immediately starts

backsliding into the drop, but he digs in with his boots and

his hands. Safe at last. Gabe carefully stands in a crouch --

and starts heading up.

EXT. BUTTRESS TOP

Kynette moves to the edge, lies flat, and looks down --

KYNETTE'S POV - ON THE BUTTRESS SIDE

Maggie is climbing up, but she's still some way down -- and

the hood of her parka has been pulled over her head. All

Kynette can see is what she's wearing: an orange parka.

KYNETTE:

smiles and hits his headset radio.

KYNETTE:

He's on the way up. I could hear that

jacket before I could see it.

TRAVERS (O.S.)

(over radio)

Then get the money, kill him and get

back here. Now.

KYNETTE:

(into radio)

I'll wait till he comes to me.

Kynette flattens out to wait -- Maggie is coming up fast.

INT. MOUNTAIN CRACK/CHIMNEY

Gabe moves up through the diagonal section -- the crack is

starting to go directly upward. Gabe looks up --

GABE'S POV - TOP OF THE CRACK

It's coated with snow, but not too much -- Gabe can faintly

make out light shining through up there.

GABE:

knows the top is twenty feet away. Gabe starts up the easy

segment, his back braced against one wall.

EXT. TOP OF BUTTRESS - KYNETTE

is staring down intently at the climber below --

KYNETTE'S POV - MAGGIE

is now almost to the top -- sweating with exertion, she throws

her hood back.

KYNETTE:

keys his headset radio again.

KYNETTE:

(into radio)

Bulletin. The climber isn't Walker --

it's a woman.

INT. MOUNTAIN CRACK/CHIMNEY

Gabe, wedged near the top of the crack, is ready to dig

through the snow -- but he hears the sound, muffled and

distant, of Kynette talking. Gabe strains to hear -- a bad

time to come up? Might be.

EXT. BUTTRESS SIDE

Maggie, tired, gets near the top and collapses, resting for a

moment, her arms on the edge -- Maggie looks up and is very

surprised to see Kynette, standing over her, smiling, his gun

aimed down at her.

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