Militia Page #11

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He pins it to a MAP on the wall...

POLICE SQUAD CAR #2 (V.O.)

Copy. How many Tac units got

dispatched to Top Hill? Over.

Other RED X'S on it, showing each militia contacted...

KOWALSKI'S VOICE (V.O.)

Kowalski, here. That's twenty three

units, two-three. Over.

Beckmann's face darts to the CB...

KOWALSKI'S VOICE (V.O.) (CONT'D)

Running up to Groves and Witheby,

got a call on a vacant auto. Over.

60.

Beckmann looks down at the piece of paper. On it:

'HOTEL CHARLIE ECHO.'

Beckmann presses the call button. He speaks into the mic...

BECKMANN:

Yes...ah, Lieutenant Kowalski? Over.

POLICE HQ DISPATCH (V.O.)

This is a closed channel, goddamit!

BECKMANN:

C-copy that. Lieutenant Kowalski, I

have a message to deliver to you.

(beat)

'Hotel Charlie Echo. Hotel Charlie

Echo.'

Silence. Then:

KOWALSKI'S VOICE (V.O.)

Who is this?

BECKMANN:

I can't...I can't tell you-

KOWALSKI'S VOICE (V.O.)

Hang on, HQ. Got a group of men inside

the vehicle on Groves and Witheby.

Over...

POLICE HQ DISPATCH (V.O.)

Copy that, Kowalski, proceed with

caution. Whoever this is, this a

closed goddamn channel-

KOWALSKI'S VOICE (V.O.)

--HQ HQ, men descending on my position

from tree-line! Immediate assistance

requested, I repeat immediate!--

Beckmann listens in horror as GUNFIRE breaks out on the radio.

POLICE HQ DISPATCH (V.O.)

KOWALSKI!?

Silence. The radio crackles. Beckmann is paralyzed.

KEATING (V.O.)

Try not to seem so shocked.

61.

INT. LUMBER WAREHOUSE MAIN ROOM - MOMENTS LATER

Gannon stands over Keating. Hubbel and Olsen between the

main aisle. Watching. The noose hanging there between them.

KEATING:

Any person with my level of

intelligence would keep silent in

the current enviroment.

Hubbel scoffs.

HUBBEL:

F***in' outcast mute all of a sudden

talks like he's a book?

OLSEN:

I've got a feeling this has been

rehearsed.

Gannon turns to Olsen and Hubbel.

GANNON:

If you want me to find out whether

Salinger here did it, walk the f***

away.

Olsen and Hubbel stay a moment. Unwilling to be commanded by

Gannon in front of Keating, Olsen takes an extra second to

look at Gannon. Like he would love nothing more than to put

his teeth on a curb, and Hubbel nothing more than to watch

it. They then leave.

Now just Gannon and Keating, alone.

GANNON (CONT'D)

You picked a pretty special night to

talk for the first time.

KEATING:

Most topics under discussion here I

fundamentally disagree with, or am

not qualified to give an opinion on.

GANNON:

So why even be here?

KEATING:

I was instructed to 'socialize' more.

GANNON:

By who?

62.

KEATING:

You seem smart. Guess.

GANNON:

And you chose a militia to socialize?

KEATING:

This is the only place that qualifies

where no one cared whether or not I

spoke. As long as I showed up and

believed in the cause.

Beat.

GANNON:

I want to revisit a couple questions

now that I'm basically dealing with

a new person.

KEATING:

Be my guest. Re-establish your

baseline.

GANNON:

What's your name?

KEATING:

Keating Vassileff.

GANNON:

Where do you live?

KEATING:

Sixty four-twenty, Cloughton road.

GANNON:

How old are you?

KEATING:

Twenty-three.

GANNON:

What's the highest grade of education

you completed?

KEATING:

I was four credits short of graduating

summa cum laude on a Mitchell

Scholarship at University of Michigan.

At ninetee--

GANNON:

--Did you commit the shooting?

63.

KEATING:

Which one?

GANNON:

What do you mean which one?

KEATING:

One put an officer in the ground,

another took down those attending

his funeral. Which one?

GANNON:

Did you conspire to commit either?

KEATING:

'Conspire?' As in making plans in

secret with another human being in

attempt to carry out an unlawful or

harmful act?

GANNON:

Yeah. That.

KEATING:

'Another human being.'

Keating smiles like the concept is so foreign he almost could

laugh. The noose hanging between them still.

KEATING (CONT'D)

You need to understand something

about me.

GANNON:

What's that?

KEATING:

I'm isolated. And because of my

isolation I've had to compensate.

And my personal form of such was

learning. Absorbing knowledge.

Collecting information.

GANNON:

Okay?

KEATING:

So I know every single way you'll

fail to do what you're currently

trying to. MITT technique. Scan

method. Integrated irrelevant

questions. None will work. So please,

sit down. Give me everything you

have. Show me my mistakes. Show me

how you know it was me.

64.

GANNON:

And I got a feeling you're not gonna

make that easy, are you?

KEATING:

Easy for me? Yes. You? I can't say.

Gannon grabs a FOLDING CHAIR from a lumber aisle. Walks back

to Keating. Puts the chair down in front of him. Sits across

from him.

The noose hangs between them like the hand of a metronome.

Gannon kicks the 'Catcher in the Rye' on the floor.

GANNON:

You've got 'Wilcox' written on a map

of the cemetery and detailed plans

of the exact style of attack-

KEATING:

--Plans? Yes. Of what? Who could

say.

GANNON:

I could. There's a three hundred

page manifesto of reasons the world

never noticed you wrapped in the

psychopath's gold standard novel at

my feet.

KEATING:

I'm still learning my writing style.

Can't stifle a stream of consciousness

just yet.-

GANNON:

--Enough ammunition in your locker

to take out a branch of government.-

KEATING:

--That's a militia armory. There's

enough ammunition in it to incriminate

every one of us.

Keating smiles. Almost saying 'not yet' with his eyes. Gannon

takes a breath and stands up, paces around Keating.

GANNON:

Ever lied to get out of trouble?

KEATING:

I've never been in trouble.--

65.

GANNON:

--Ever wanted to get even with

someone?-

KEATING:

--'Getting even' requires lowering

yourself. So, no.

(beat)

Force of assertion plus leverage to

get a confession. It's not working.

Change tactics.

Gannon squints at Keating as if deciphering an instruction

manual. Growing frustrated at the lack of progress.

The noose still hanging between them...

GANNON:

What's gonna happen if they find

your DNA at the cemetery?

KEATING:

They will.

Gannon stops pacing.

KEATING (CONT'D)

I walk there. All the time.

GANNON:

You're a smart kid, Keating-

KEATING:

--'Compliment to gain rapport.' This

is insulting to the mental capacity

of the accused. Is that something

they recommend when teaching this

method?

(beat)

You know what's interesting?

Gannon leans forward. Puts his hands on the chair's back.

Wishing it were Keating's neck. The noose almost feeling

like it's hanging over his shoulders.

GANNON:

What-

KEATING:

--Why haven't you brought up the

fact that Morris and Noah have splash

patterns of mud on their pant legs,

and I don't?

66.

GANNON:

Didn't rain today.

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