DUNE Page #18

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Yueh falls forward, hangs on to the towel and reveals Wanda’s body, completely vitrified. Uman Kudu laughs like an animal, and, seizing the glass body, smashes it beside the dying man. On the point of losing consciousness, Yueh delicately picks up a few fragments of glass, kisses them, points at Vladimir Harkonnen, breaks out in a mocking laugh, and dies.

THE BARON:

You can’t trust a traitor! Peter, interrogate our friend ...

Peter moves close to the Duke and slaps his face twice.

PETER:

Where are Jessica and Paul?

LETO:

Jessica ... Paul... alive ... all is not lost!

THE BARON:

Show us what you can do, Peter! Do what you want with the body, but spare the head... I promised the Emperor that the Duke would have a death worthy of his title. The senate must see a clean, well combed, healthy head.

Peter is excited with a sadistic gleam in his eyes and injects the drug into his leg, groaning with pleasure. He takes a trunk from a corner of the room, empties it, and places it in front of the Duke. He tears a jagged sword away from Uman Kudu as if he were drunk and begins to chisel off one of Leto’s shoulders. The arm eventually drops off and Peter throws it into the trunk.

The baron applauds, satisfied, and starts eating again, ecstatically joyful at the sight of the torture.

PETER:

Where are they?

No reply from the Duke. Peter saws off his other arm and throws it in the trunk.

PETER:

Where?

The Duke faints. The baron throws a bottle of wine over to Peter who just manages to catch it and empties the contents over the Duke’s face. The duke regains consciousness. Peter cuts off one of his legs, which joins the other limbs in the trunk.

PETER:

Where?

As the Duke remains silent, Peter smiles. He throws the sword to Uman Kudu, who cleans it and puts it away, and then tears his dagger out of Yueh’s body. Kudu, guessing what Peter intends to do, comes closer to the Duke, with an unhealthy expression on his face. Vladimir Harkonnen get up, comes down from the throne, still eating the crab’s head. Slowly, Peter takes away the bandage over the Duke’s sex; he stares at the sex, first with surprise, then incredulity, and finally bursts out laughing, imitated in this by Uman Kudu.

PETER:

(to Vladimir)

He’s got no...

He can’t go on. The Baron quickly gets down from the throne and, eaten up with curiosity, comes closer, leaping nimbly. The Duke presses his jaws together and the deadly gas begins to escape.

Peter brings his hands to his throat and falls down. He stifles and takes on a purple color, as does Uman Kudu.

The Baron stops up his nose, and takes a big leap which sends him to the ceiling; his head breaks through the glass dome.

INTERIOR:
A ROOM IN THE GOVERNMENT PALACE.

The visible upper part of the glass dome stands out in the middle of a small room where Harkonnen soldiers put their weapons, relax, and play dice.

Breaking the glass with a loud noise, Vladimir Harkonnen’s head emerges from the dome, with a mad expression on his face.

VLADIMIR:

A mask! Ventilators!

The soldiers, petrified in surprise, make no reaction. The baron is vomiting with fear and rage.

THE BARON:

Get on with it, you asses!

The soldiers come out of their astonishment, panic and run in all directions. Vladimir’s head is still yelling. They get together some masks and some ventilators, and run out of the room.

VLADIMIR:

A mask!

A mask is applied to his face. His head disappears through the hole in the skylight.

INTERIOR:
A ROOM IN THE GOVERNMENT PALACE.

Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, armed with his gas mask, drops slowly from the dome.

He kneels down beside the purplish bodies of Peter and Uman Kudu and tries to bring them back to life, moaning hysterically. The doors open violently. The soldiers come in with their gas ventilators and purify the air. Feyd, also provided with a mask, follows them. The Baron hangs on to him, weeping like a child.

Suddenly, overcome with an uncontrollable fury, he rushes towards the Duke (only his abdomen remains) and slashes at his face. Then he cuts off the head which he throws in the trunk. As there is no further danger, the soldiers take off their masks, as does Feyd. The Baron half-keeps his on, looking ridiculous.

THE BARON:

Throw him into the desert! Let the worms get at him! So that there’s nothing left! I don’t want the Senate to make a martyr out of him! I want the army to go out and look for the woman and the child! And not spare anyone, Atreides or Fremen! Let them all die! Total extermination!

EXTERIOR:
ROAD BETWEEN ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

A six-legged vehicle is moving towards the desert.

INTERIOR:
SIX-LEGGED VEHICLE - MOVING.

The inside of the vehicle: in front are Czigo and Kinet, and behind, Jessica and Paul.

Jessica is sitting in an uncomfortable position; bound and gagged, and is trying in vain to break her bonds. Paul tries to get rid of his gag by hanging it on a nail sticking out on the door.

Czigo is holding two bottles. He pours the contents of one of them into the mouth of Kinet, who’s driving. They are drunk. In the driving mirror, Kinet can see Jessica’s legs uncovered in her uncomfortable position. He nudges Czigo. Czigo looks at Jessica and also notices a breast uncovered.

Czigo spits out wine-coloured saliva onto the breast and both he and Kinet roar with laughter.

Kinet stops the vehicle. Czigo and Kinet put the front seat of the vehicle away onto the floor.

They cut the ropes binding Jessica’s legs; Kinet feels her legs while Czigo pinches her breasts. Kinet and Czigo begin to unfasten their trousers and drop them; the wine has made them clumsy.

Paul manages to get rid of his gag. He immediately tries to use the Voice. The result is not very successful.

PAUL:

(showing Jessica)

Take off her gag.

Kinet and Czigo stop, and are surprised. They look at Paul. The sound of his voice has not impressed them, but distracted them a second.

CZIGO:

Eh?

KINET:

What?

PAUL:

(Using the Voice)

Take off her gag.

This time Paul has found the right tone. Like robots, the two drunk men take off the gag from Jessica’s mouth.

She immediately assumes an erotic and very seductive pose, offering her body like a prostitute.

JESSICA:

(in the VOICE)

Why are you fighting over me?

Kinet throws his hands around Czigo’s neck. Czigo dodges but Kinet’s dagger traces a bleeding furrow in his face. Czigo replies, stabbing his dagger in Kinet’s heart. Kinet falls to the ground, dead. Czigo, transformed into an animal, passes his hand over his face, trying in vain to stop the bleeding; he attacks Paul and tries to strangle him.

JESSICA:

(in the VOICE)

Stop.

Czigo stops, yet fights against the order. Jessica opens her legs, making erotic gestures.

JESSICA:

(in the VOICE)

You mustn’t kill him. Let him go, I’ll do what you want.

Czigo hesitates, shrugging his shoulders. He cuts Paul loose and opens the car door, pushing Paul outside.

Paul pretends to lose balance. He leans on the door and makes a turning movement while throwing his legs in the air like scissors so as to hit Czigo’s liver and neck. A stream of blood springs from Czigo’s mouth and he collapses, dead. Paul falls in the sand, turns over and takes up a defensive position. Seeing Czigo dead, he returns to the car and frees Jessica. A vibration can be heard, sign of the presence of a sand worm.

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