Human Target Page #3

STEPHANIE:

Yeah. Listen, Mister...

She waits. Winston looks to Peale plaintively-

LT. PEALE

No names, Stephanie. Easier that way.

STEPHANIE:

Look, I don’t know why somebody would

want me dead. I’ve never gotten threats.

Don’t have enemies. I don’t know what

this is. That’s why I need your help.

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:

WINSTON:

I’m sorry, but why exactly is this

something the police couldn’t handle?

LT. PEALE

Tell him what you do.

STEPHANIE:

I work for McNamara Engineering, I run

the design team for the Monterey Line.

WINSTON:

(beat; duly impressed--)

Is that a fact...

LT. PEALE

You’re looking at the lady responsible

for the most expensive public works

project in US history. Bullet train from

LA to San Francisco.

STEPHANIE:

With the train’s maiden voyage coming up,

you can understand why we’d like to keep

this information private.

JAMES:

The last thing McNamara needs is more

controversy surrounding the project. But

I’m not here speaking for the company.

And I’m not here because I’m her

supervisor and I can’t do my job without

her, though I am and I can’t. I’m here

because she’s my wife. And if you can

help to end this thing faster and safer

than the police can, then you’re the men

we want.

WINSTON:

(considers all this, before--)

Alright, what I’m going to do is refer

you to a private security firm that I

think quite highly of. They’ll work with

you to develop a security plan-

STEPHANIE:

I’m sorry, I thought your associate

provided the security.

WINSTON:

We aren’t taking new clients at the moment-

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:
(2)

STEPHANIE:

No, I was told you provide a unique

service. That you’re the people I need-

WINSTON:

I’m sorry. This is the best I can do.

STEPHANIE:

That’s not good enough-

CHANCE (O.S.)

Why me?

Everyone stops, sees Chance standing in a shadowed doorframe.

STEPHANIE:

Excuse me?

CHANCE:

Why not conventional private security?

STEPHANIE:

You can flush this person out, yes? Get

him to reveal himself, and take him out.

CHANCE:

That’s the idea.

STEPHANIE:

I don’t want to live my life in fear.

Whoever’s behind this, they shouldn’t

have that kind of power over me. I want

to end this. On my terms. Soon.

Chance considers her a long beat. Mulling it over. Then-

CHANCE:

And how fast does this thing go?

STEPHANIE:

(a bit thrown)

Safe cruising speed is about 200 mph.

CHANCE:

Would I get to ride on it?

On Stephanie, puzzled... What the hell is this guy’s story?

STEPHANIE:

I assume so...

Chance considers that very seriously. Winston smiles a

resigned little smile. He knows where this is going...

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:
(3)

CHANCE:

Ok. I’m in. Let’s get started.

CUT TO:

INT. JAMES & STEPHANIE’S HOME - DAY

Around the dining room table, papers and files spread out.

CHANCE (V.O.)

I work with a cover, so I’ll need a way

to blend in. A role to play where no one

would think twice seeing me with you...

In scene-

STEPHANIE:

...I’m telling you, I’ve spent 10 years

designing this train, engineers are the

only people I see all day.

CHANCE:

I don’t wanna do ‘engineer’.

STEPHANIE:

Can I ask why not?

CHANCE:

Don’t like math.

STEPHANIE:

Ok, is this really that big an issue?

CHANCE:

The threat needs to see you as vulnerable.

That’s how we draw him out, keep him off

guard. If I stand out, he can plan around

me. That’s how clients get dead.

STEPHANIE:

Well, I don’t know what else there is...

With the rollout coming up, we’ll have

people in from Sacramento and our

consultants in from Tokyo, but unless you

can be the California Secretary of

Transportation or a Japanese person, I

don’t think that’s gonna be much help.

Stephanie catches a strange little smile on Chance’s face.

CHANCE:

Ok... Problem solved then.

(off Stephanie’s confused look)

Next issue.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:

CHANCE (CONT'D)

This trip, it’s extremely dangerous. Close

quarters. No escape route. Perfect place

to take a shot at you-

STEPHANIE:

Hang on, I’ve been working on this

project for--I drew the first pencil

sketches. If you’re explaining why I

can’t be on that train, then-

CHANCE:

I was explaining why I need you on it.

JAMES:

Excuse me?

CHANCE:

3 ounces of plastic is lethal, your guy

used 8. He doesn’t like variables. The

train trip minimizes them. Gives him a

second shot if he misses the first, no

cops to muck things up. If I’m him,

that’s where I make my next move.

JAMES:

Then why would you want her to be on-

CHANCE:

Because there’s no escape for him either.

Once he takes his shot, he’s exposed. And

then he’s gotta deal with the one

variable he wasn’t accounting for.

STEPHANIE:

What’s that?

CHANCE:

(big smile)

This guy.

Off Chance-

END TEASER:

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ACT ONE:

OVER BLACK:

Faint crowd noises... Muffled cocktail party chatter...

CHANCE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Who am I?

As the muffled chatter comes into relief, we-

SMASH TO:

EXT. TRAIN PLATFORM - DAY

A private platform, filled with invited guests. A banner

above:
MONTEREY LINE - MAIDEN VOYAGE. And just off the

platform, a sleek, double-decker bullet train. MONTEREY ONE.

Chance walks with Stephanie through the crowd. Eyes open,

never watching her. Always watching the crowd.

STEPHANIE (V.O.)

You’re Tony Graham, my new translator.

Stephanie’s voice-over matches (but just barely) the movement

of her lips as she introduces Chance to her colleagues.

CHANCE (V.O.)

What happened to your old translator?

STEPHANIE (V.O.)

The company provided one to deal with our

Tokyo consultants, but she made too many

mistakes, so I hired my own.

(beat)

While we’re on the subject... You are

fluent in Japanese, right?

This as FOUR JAPANESE BUSINESSMEN approach and greet

Stephanie. Introductions are made MOS.

CHANCE (V.O.)

I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?

We join them as sound returns, and one of the men says

something to Stephanie in Japanese. Chance translates.

CHANCE (CONT'D)

Mr. Saito wishes you congratulations on

the well-earned celebration. They’re

honored to be invited.

STEPHANIE:

Thank you, I’m so glad you could be here.

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:

As Chance translates, Stephanie catches the Japanese looking

at Chance a little sideways... She tries to stay calm...

Saito smiles, and turns to go, but then turns back and talks

to Chance. Except Chance doesn’t translate. They’re talking

to each other. On Stephanie--What the hell? Chance appears

to be telling Saito a story. Hand gestures, big inflection.

Unless you speak Japanese, you’ll get none of it. But it

sure sounds interesting. As he finishes, the Japanese all

smile big, each shaking Chance’s hand. After they exit-

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