Face\Off Page #17

BEHIND THE DOOR -- Archer is in a narrow fire-escape tube.

He climbs the steel rungs of the ladder upward -- toward the

NIGHT SKY. The HOOT OWL leaves its perch and circles above

-- in search of prey.

INT. STAIRWELL -- NIGHT

Following his men down -- WALTON suddenly stops. His eyes

narrow with growing suspicion.

INT. ESCAPE TUBE -- NIGHT

ARCHER is climbing, climbing -- the serene sounds of

CRICKETS CHIRPING grow louder as the open air of the NIGHT

SKY looms closer and closer.

INT. SKY ROOM -- "NIGHT"

ARCHER pulls himself from the tube.

But instead of FREEDOM -- he finds himself in a huge dome

dominated by an enormous BLUE SCREEN CANOPY.

THE SKY ROOM:
Designed to disorient the prisoners, hide the

prison location and prevent escapes -- a computerizes arc-

lamp provides simulated "Sunlight" and "Moonlight."

ARCHER looks down through the sky-light into the prison

"population area" far below -- where Guards and Prisoners

alike scramble frantically during the alert.

Suddenly Archer is jolted back to reality as SOMETHING

swoops past his head -- the stuffed "HOOT OWL" flies by --

attached to a cable track. Then -- the owl EXPLODES.

WALTON emerges from the escape tube -- firing.

Wild SHOTS tear gaping HOLES in the "sky" -- revealing

cables and catwalks -- chasing ARCHER out of the room.

INT. CORRIDOR

ARCHER rushes up to a steel SECURITY DOOR. Through its

porthole, he can see a short ramp leading to a door marked:

EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY

SAFETY LINES REQUIRED

ARCHER presses his thumb to the Security Door's key-pad.

To his horror:

SECURITY BOX:

Print unreadable.

Approaching fast: charging footsteps and shouts. ARCHER

licks his thumb, tries again. Finally:

SECURITY BOX:

Confirmed:
Archer, Commander

Jonathan T. Please enter

classified security code.

Archer does. The door slides open -- Archer squeezes out.

INT. EXIT CORRIDOR

ARCHER races straight at the door and plows right through --

SMASH CUT:

EXT. PRISON -- DAWN

ARCHER'S blinded -- it's DAYTIME in the real world.

And worse -- a GIANT WAVE crashes over Archer, knocking him

hard on his ass. Drenched, he grabs a guard-rail.

PULL WAY, WAY BACK TO REVEAL:

THE PRISON'S in the middle of the goddamn ocean, in what

appears to be just an OIL RIG PLATFORM. Seas are

choppy and there's NO land in sight.

Pounded by peaking waves, ARCHER struggles to his feet and

starts climbing a ladder to the top of the PLATFORM.

EXT. PRISON PLATFORM -- TOP-LEVEL -- DAWN

ARCHER reaches the top and peers over. There's a row of

helicopters:
TRANSPORTS, SUPPLY SHIPS, A GUNSHIP.

ARCHER rushes to the nearest chopper -- a metal-fatigued

supply ship -- and pauses at its landing skids.

THE SKIDS ARE BOLTED TO THE DECK

Instantly ARCHER goes to the LOCK-BOX on the chopper's

tether-bolts and keys in the code "Comet."

The indicator flashes RED -- no access. He keeps trying.

ARCHER:

Come on, Vixen ...

Donner ... Blixen ...

Nothing. SHOUTING. ALARMS. Archer keeps trying as GUARDS

close in. Finally -- RUDOLPH. The tether bolts retract.

INT./EXT. SUPPLY SHIP -- DAWN

ARCHER jumps into the cockpit and throws switches.

Instantly the chopper whirs to life.

ARCHER yanks down the pilot's canopy as BULLETS bounce off

the bullet-resistant glass. He draws back on the control

stick -- too much.

THE CHOPPER'S tail jerks out wildly.

INSIDE -- Archer battles to regain control. The chopper

lifts off -- takes a sickening nose-dive over the edge of

the platform -- and disappears.

GUARDS rush to the side -- then drop to the deck in fear.

THE CHOPPER spirals upward -- roaring over the platform.

The GUARDS keep up their furious fusillade -- blowing chunks

out of the supply ships' guts.

TRAILING SMOKE, Archer's chopper ROARS off. It disappears

-- flying low over the water.

ARCHER engages the RADAR CLOAK, then turns back and sees the

receding "oil rig" vanishing in the morning mist.

APPROACHING FAST -- the green Marin headlands. Coming into

definition -- the under-repair Golden Gate Bridge.

GLANCING BACK -- Archer sees Pursuit Helicopters closing in.

Suddenly the temp gauge starts beeping. The wounded chopper

is overheating -- losing its trim, breaking up fast.

ARCHER steadies the controls -- trying to stabilize the

wildly swaying craft.

The Pursuit Chopper, carrying WALTON, closes in. The

Weapons Officer lets loose with a rocket.

ARCHER'S CHOPPER -- out of control -- veers sharply. The

missile shoots by harmlessly.

WALTON:

Damn, he's good.

In ARCHER'S CHOPPER, he struggles frantically to regain

control. But up ahead a swarm of PURSUIT CHOPPERS appear

from the Presidio -- tightening the noose.

ARCHER veers down -- beneath the Golden Gate Bridge.

Looking for a way out, he spots --

A STRING OF BUOYS dotting the Bay. An idea. He hauls back

on the stick, turning the chopper 180 degrees.

PURSUIT CHOPPER:
They've got Archer in their sights.

WALTON:

South, North, East, West.

You've got no where to go.

But his words dry up when he sees --

ARCHER'S CHOPPER -- heading straight for him.

THE CHOPPERS are about to crash head-on when ...

ARCHER'S CHOPPER suddenly nose-dives. It keeps descending

as the ocean looms closer and closer. Then -- CRASH.

SURFACE OF SAN FRANCISCO BAY: The chopper bobs up -- next

to the string of buoys. Stamped on the nearest one:

"Maintenance Bay 4 -- Prop. Bay Area Rapid Transit."

The chopper slowly sinks, but Archer sits tight.

THE PURSUIT CHOPPER circles above.

WALTON:

What's he doing?

Inside ARCHER'S CHOPPER -- the water is pouring in.

ARCHER:

What - am - I - doing?

The ocean swallows him up.

UNDERWATER:

Archer gulps air frantically as the chopper sinks --

seawater rushes in over his knees.

EXT. BAY -- DAY

Divers drop from the circling pursuit choppers.

INT. UNDERWATER

Archer's chopper settles to the murky bottom.

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