Lake Placid Page #17

CUT TO:

EXT. CAMPSITE - DAY

Jack and Keough are there to meet Kelly.

JACK:

Just heard from Wildlife and

Florida Fish And Game. They should

be here by four.

KELLY:

Okay.

JACK:

We might as well pack.

KELLY:

Good idea.

HECTOR (O.S.)

They'll kill him.

They turn to see, Hector is standing there.

HECTOR:

They're not going to be able to

snag him in pitmans. Tranq him in

water, he drowns.

KELLY:

They could try to tranq him on

land.

HECTOR:

(knowing)

They won't. He's taken human life,

the mission will be to put him

down.

KEOUGH:

Gee, that would really disappoint

me.

HECTOR:

Forget about him being God, he's

thirty feet long, he is a miracle

of nature, who somehow made his way

to Maine. This is a grand beast.

A grand dragon. An attempt should

at least be made to capture him

alive.

JACK:

Well, you can try talking them into

that, if--

HECTOR:

I have enough flaxedil with me to

put him out. And I think I know a

way to--

JACK:

Forget it.

HECTOR:

Look. I know I'm crazy, but when

they come, they will kill it. They

have to, politically, he's too

dangerous, if something were to go

wrong... the odds are he will be

destroyed,--

KEOUGH HECTOR (CONT'D)

Which is exactly Please, Hank, let me finish

what... I'm having a sane moment, this

is a window.

HECTOR (CONT'D)

If he were neutralized when they

got here... they might consider

saving him.

KELLY:

And how would we neutralize him?

HECTOR:

We lure him on land and pump him

with the drugs.

JACK:

No way.

HECTOR:

Jack. We've all seen it. He's

probably a hundred and fifty years

old, he's bigger than an elephant.

Hector's impassioned here, he's not fooling around.

JACK:

So maybe Wildlife will try to save

him, they're more equipped to--

HECTOR:

We both know what they'll do.

Silence. Admission by silence. Then--

JACK:

Even if we could tranq him-- how

would we get him on land.

KEOUGH:

Other than to eat us?

HECTOR:

He follows anything that moves.

You guys can be in the trucks with

tranq guns. If he charges, drive

off, plus Hank you've got your hand-

held cannon. We could do this with

no safety risk. If it works, we

save a beast that should be saved.

A beat. They are sympathetic to the idea.

JACK:

And again. How would you get him

on land?

HECTOR:

That's actually the easy part.

CUT TO:

EXT. BICKERMAN'S HOUSE - AN HOUR LATER

We HEAR the CHOPPER.

BICKERMAN:

(to Keough)

I'll sue you.

KEOUGH:

Go ahead.

And up goes Hector's chopper. And... REVEAL connected to a long

cable... a cow. An airborne cow, dangling from the chopper.

BICKERMAN:

(to Jack)

You can't take a cow by eminent

domain.

JACK:

We won't let him get hurt, Ma'am.

BICKERMAN:

You're all f***ers. Vicious little

f***ers.

Jack turns to Kelly.

JACK:

Are we crazy?

KELLY:

Well...

JACK:

We've got a cow hanging from a

helicopter.

She shrugs.

KEOUGH:

Let's get back to camp.

CUT TO:

INT. CHOPPER - CONTINUOUS

Hector pilots.

HECTOR:

Not much drag. As long as I can

keep him from swinging, we're okay.

EXT. LAKE - CONTINUOUS

Hector's chopper is flying the befuddled animal toward the cove.

FIND Keough, Kelly, and Jack on the water cruising back to camp.

Keough has his gun.

EXT. CAMPSITE - TWENTY MINUTES LATER

Two pickup trucks have been backed in for a shooting vantage.

Kelly, Jack, Keough. Riflemen are ready with tranq guns.

ANGLE JACK:

JACK:

(into headset)

Keep enough tension to hold him up,

Hector, we don't know if he can

swim.

HECTOR (O.S.)

(through headset)

Right.

JACK:

The more he thrashes, the better.

HECTOR (O.S.)

(through headset)

You ready on shore?

JACK:

We're ready.

RESUME:

The chopper lowers the cow. He starts to kick his legs in

anticipation.

JACK (O.S.)

(through headset)

If he tires, lift him out.

And the cow goes into the water. He swims frantically a few

meters. The chopper lifts him out briefly.

JACK:

It can't work.

KELLY:

He has been going after everything.

It could work.

(then)

But this is not a happy cow.

JACK:

He looks like a giant tea bag.

DISSOLVE TO:

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