Human Target Page #6

CHANCE:

(passing by James--)

Stay. Keep your mouth shut.

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:
(3)

JAMES:

Wait a minute, you can’t just-

--but Chance is already past him. James helplessly watches

as Chance and Stephanie continue towards the rear exit...

STEPHANIE:

What’s going on?

CHANCE:

The ice in your glass was cubed.

STEPHANIE:

So?

CHANCE:

No one else’s is.

ON BILL. Takes a swig from his own glass, but it’s empty.

Just ice. He grabs Stephanie’s fresh one, and takes a

healthy pull.

Back on Chance and Stephanie, as they near the exit...

CHANCE (CONT'D)

They’re plastic. I’ve seen them before.

STEPHANIE:

Plastic... What for?

CHANCE:

Delivery system.

BACK ON BILL... Not feeling so hot. Then, his eyes roll

back in his head, and he hits the deck. Convulsions. A

WOMAN SCREAMS. A crowd forms around him. As Chance and

Stephanie reach the exit, Chance stops, turns back...

He scans the crowd surrounding Bill. Face after face, all

focused intently on Bill. Except ONE STEWARD, who Chance

catches staring back at him... He was watching Stephanie

exit... Chance grins.

CHANCE (CONT’D)

(to himself)

Hello, fella...

He then takes Stephanie out the exit into the next car, as

the door whooshes shut behind them.

END ACT ONE:

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ACT TWO:

INT. MONTEREY ONE - COACH PASSENGER CAR - DAY

Chance and Stephanie enter an empty passenger car. Stephanie

paces, clearly panicked by the bullet she just dodged.

Chance sees an EMERGENCY STOP handle on the bulkhead. He

cracks the glass, pulls the switch. Nothing.

STEPHANIE:

Not operational. Most of the systems

back here aren’t online yet...

Stephanie is shaking. Seriously freaked out.

STEPHANIE (CONT’D)

Why’d you let him drink from that glass?

CHANCE:

He’s not my problem.

He notices Stephanie’s state. Goes to her, takes her pulse.

STEPHANIE:

I’m fine. I’m fine...

It’s taking every ounce of will she has to hold back tears.

CHANCE:

You’re all over the place.

Completely catching Stephanie off guard, Chance hugs her.

She pushes back-

CHANCE (CONT'D)

Relax, this isn’t a date... It’s a

physiological response, it’ll slow your

heart rate down.

(he holds her; she lets him)

Not sure why, but it works. Something

about human contact and stress receptors.

A beat. Chance doesn’t intend this to be sexual or romantic

in any way. But off his face, we FLASH OUT TO-

--Chance and a DIFFERENT WOMAN, vague resembling Stephanie.

Ten frames. Barely enough to get oriented. But we can just

make it out... They’re dancing...

BACK TO SCENE. Chance tightens his grip just enough for us

to notice. She pushes away again; he lets her go. But as

they separate, she sees BLOOD ON HER SHIRT. Looks at Chance

and sees a red spots growing on his shirt...

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:

STEPHANIE:

You’re bleeding...

CHANCE:

It’s a scratch.

STEPHANIE:

That’s no scratch. What happened to you?

CHANCE:

Long story. Can we lock this door?

STEPHANIE:

Not from here. Seriously, are you ok?

Chance finds a loose CHAIN, and rigs it to the door. If the

door opens, the falling chain makes a racket. But as he rigs

it, he senses her eyes on his back. He changes the subject-

CHANCE:

We’ve got at least one of them out in the

open now. A steward. Not for nothing,

but you should really talk to your

caterers about their hiring process.

STEPHANIE:

At least one of them...?

CHANCE:

Sometimes they work in teams. Frankly,

I’m not convinced the person or people

who paid for it aren’t up there too.

Either way, right now he’s trying not to

panic. He missed the shot, probably

knows I made him, probably made me for

security if he’s any good.

STEPHANIE:

So what do we do now?

CHANCE:

He’s irritated. He’s gotta come to us

now, and he knows it. So we let him make

that mistake.

Off Chance, as he finishes up his door alarm...

CUT TO:

EXT. PARK - DAY

Guerrero sits on a park bench. He’s approached by LOWELL

(50s), balding and overweight. Lowell, who looks like he’s

had a b*tch of a morning, sits down nearby Guerrero.

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:

GUERRERO:

Thanks for coming.

LOWELL:

Sorry I’m late. It’s been... It’s been

a rough morning.

GUERRERO:

I need some information about a guy who

works in your office. Name’s Mark

Hoffer, he’s on the Sacramento desk.

LOWELL:

(beat; an indignant glare)

Is that supposed to be a joke?

GUERRERO:

Was it funny?

LOWELL:

Mister Guerrero... I owe for what you

did for me and my family. But there must

come a point at which I’ve repaid that

debt. Now I know what kind of a man you

are, so when you pull me out of the

office to ask these kinds of questions-

GUERRERO:

What are you talking about?

LOWELL:

Are you saying you don’t know?

Off Guerrero, at a loss-

CUT TO:

INT. MONTEREY ONE - COACH CAR - 2ND FLOOR - DAY

Chance and Stephanie sit in a booth. She’s lost in thought.

CHANCE:

That guy back there, he said you were worth

every penny... What was all that about?

STEPHANIE:

I’m due a sizable bonus if the train comes

online by a certain date. Bill’s a lawyer

with CALDOT, he’s been whining to the press

about our overruns. When he heard about

the bonus, he tried to paint me as the

poster child for waste in the project.

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:

CHANCE:

How big a bonus are we talking?

STEPHANIE:

Hey, if they could’ve found someone to do

what I did for less, they would’ve...

CHANCE:

Sure, of course... How much?

STEPHANIE:

...two point four.

CHANCE:

Funny, don’t remember you mentioning that.

STEPHANIE:

Come on, Bill Arnold is a schlub trying

to get noticed, he’s not a threat...

(then)

I’m not withholding information from you.

CHANCE:

(beat; smirks...)

All my clients say that.

STEPHANIE:

Then why are you making that face?

CHANCE:

Because all my clients are lying when

they say that.

(off her look)

If you really wanted to help me, you’d

tell me everything. Secrets. People you’ve

hurt. Stuff that keeps you up at night.

Because 9 times out of 10, one of those

things is why somebody wants you dead.

STEPHANIE:

So you’re saying I’m lying to you?

CHANCE:

I’m saying everybody lies to me. Even

when it might save their life to come

clean, they lie. You wanna know why?

Pride. If that doesn’t just about sum us

up as a species, I don’t know what does.

STEPHANIE:

(beat)

I heard you once wore a client’s clothes

into a crowded room where you knew a

gunman would try take a shot at him.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

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CONTINUED:
(2)

STEPHANIE (CONT'D)

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