Face\Off Page #11

ARCHER:

Like ...

Archer rolls up his shirt, exposing the PYRAMID tattoo.

ARCHER (cont'd)

... I know I got this on

my tenth birthday. But

I can't remember why.

Archer lays the trap. Suspicious, Pollux falls right into it.

POLLUX:

Come on ... that was the

wort day of our lives!

ARCHER feigns a "struggle" with his memory. He lights a

butt with the old -- chain-style ... then "remembers."

ARCHER:

Oh, God -- Mom OD'd

at County General.

POLLUX:

Retching and convulsing

while those bastards didn't

even try to save her sorry

ass. You gave her mouth to

mouth -- man -- even then

you had some constitution.

ARCHER reacts -- he didn't know this side of Castor.

POLLUX (cont'd)

Remember what you swore

to me at the funeral?

ARCHER:

Uh -- to kill the doctors?

POLLUX:

After that. You promised

you'd always take care of me.

ARCHER:

And I bet I've kept

that promise ...

POLLUX:

Only one you've never broken.

Pollux looks at him with great affection. Uncomfortable,

Archer returns the look -- then returns to his true task.

ARCHER:

F*** the past. We've

got the future to look

forward to.

Archer pulls out a couple of liquid-filled baby food

containers. He passes one to Pollux and smiles.

ARCHER (cont'd)

We still have Saturday night.

Pollux downs the booze. Archer just takes a sip.

POLLUX:

No sh*t. Man, that was

going to be one big pay day.

Archer refills Pollux's container and lights another

cigarette for him. He gulps it down.

POLLUX (cont'd)

Five million bucks -- and

now the f***ing Taiwanese

get to keep it all.

Taiwanese? Archer's mind whirls as he pours Pollux another.

ARCHER:

That's not the worst part.

POLLUX:

What's worse than losing

five million bucks?

ARCHER:

Being stuck in this rat-hole

when it blows. Bro, what you

built was a work of art.

That little f***er belongs

in the Smithsonian.

Pollux beams and keeps drinking. Archer hangs on every word.

POLLUX:

Yeah -- well ... the

new Transamerica Tower

will have to do ...

ARCHER'S eyes widen almost imperceptibly. But he simply

nods -- solemnly keeping a straight face.

ARCHER:

Thanks, Pollux.

POLLUX:

For what?

ARCHER:

For being one helluva guy.

POLLUX:

"Thanks?" I guess they

really did f*** you up.

Pollux chuckles -- until his eyes light on Archer's jar --

still filled to the brim with booze.

INT. ARCHER'S CELL -- DAY

ARCHER jots down notes when his cell door rolls open.

WALTON is looking at him with cool respect.

WALTON:

Somebody wants to see you.

ARCHER smiles to himself -- pleased at Tito's timeliness.

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM -- DAY

ARCHER sits as the steel barrier rises. But his confidence

evaporates into unspeakable horror. Because he finds

himself staring into the brown eyes of --

JON ARCHER. This man has Archer's face -- his real face.

IMPOSTOR:

What's the matter? Don't

you like the new me?

ARCHER studies the image of his former self -- trying to

understand. Then he recognizes the SMIRK on the face, the

mocking TWINKLE in the eyes and he says what he cannot say ...

ARCHER:

-- Castor?

CASTOR:

Not anymore.

ARCHER:

It can't be. It's impossible.

CASTOR:

I believe the phrase Dr.

Hoag used was "titanically

remote." Who knows? Maybe

the trauma of having my face

cut off pulled me out. Or

maybe God really is on

my side after all.

(a beat)

By the way, I know you don't

get the papers in here.

He holds up the current Chronicle. The headline reads:

"INFERNO AT HOAG INSTITUTE -- Malcolm Hoag, Six Others Dead"

CASTOR (cont'd)

Terrible tragedy. Hoag was

such a genius -- but selfish

with his artistry. I actually

had to torture his wife

to convince him to perform

the same surgery on me.

ARCHER:

You killed them?

CASTOR:

Of course I killed them,

you DUMB F***. And torched

every shred of evidence that

proves who you really are.

(a beat)

Swallow this one, Commander.

You are going to be in here

for the rest of your life.

ARCHER:

What are you going to do,

Castor?

CASTOR:

Let's not confuse things

anymore. I'm Archer.

You're Castor. But if

you need proof --

CASTOR opens his shirt -- there is a jagged BULLET SCAR

identical to the scar once on Archer's chest.

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