Morning Star Page #7

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Another slide:
images of opera house death. Webber betrays aflicker of emotion- and not just fear of getting caught.

BEWLEY (CONT’D)

The most troubling thing is thatthis bait was set for Dorna in the

form of a falsified top clearancereport by a fictional Romaniandiplomatic attache.

WEBBER:

(genuinely stunned)

If Morningstar was able to pass amanipulated top clearance report,

he had to have intimate knowledgeof the workings of this division...

GAST (O.S.)

Morningstar is not just UN- he’sone of us. A field agent.

A stir in the room at a late arrival- Gast. Webber is clearlynot happy to see him.

WEBBER:

Mr. Gast, you’re joining us?

31.

GAST:

At Eberlin’s request. I’m just here

to consult and advise... But, if I

may, I’d add that our nemesis took

a risk, showing his hand in order

to bait Dorna. Morningstar must

have felt an urgent need to have

Dorna out of his way.

WEBBER:

You believe Salzburg was just a

prelude to something else.

GAST:

Personally, I expect Morningstar’s

sequel to be something much gaudier.

WEBBER:

(nods)

Our best lead is the Salzburg

package. We have to locate the

courier who delivered it to

Morningstar. Find the courier,

we’ll find our man.

BEWLEY:

Or woman.

Webber smiles, gives the young man an encouraging nod.

GAST:

When you have a moment...?

Gast nods to the others. He wants to speak alone. Webberdismisses the others with a gesture. Soon, they’re alone.

GAST (CONT’D)

We were just contacted by Dorna’s

principle source.

WEBBER:

(surprised, inwardly

alarmed)

Who is he?

GAST:

A Xeno who'll only identify himself

as a “friend from the North.” He's

coming across the wall in nine hours.

He says he’s not defecting. Just

wants to meet. He claims to be

motivated by a desire for peace.

32.

WEBBER:

In other words, he’s telling uswhat we want to hear.

GAST:

Lisbon vouches for him. He

apparently named two infiltratorsin Portugal. Both leads panned out.

WEBBER:

Could’ve been sacrificial lambs.

GAST:

Maybe. But he claims to know theidentity of every enemy agentactive in the Eurozone.

That makes Webber almost break a sweat but he keeps his cool.

WEBBER:

A bold claim.

GAST:

Maybe. We’ll know in nine hours.

INT. WEBBER’S APARTMENT -- NIGHT

Webber comes in, draws the blinds, turns out all the lights.

He crosses to the drawer he opened before and lifts out afalse bottom panel. He urgently retrieves a passport andseveral different national currencies... only to abruptlystop himself. Cursing under his breath. He puts everythingback. He’s in the middle of replacing the panel when he hearsa KNOCK on his door.

He draws his gun, aims it at the door. Waits.

After a moment, FOOTSTEPS retreat. Webber creeps up on thedoor. Something’s been left on the ratty carpet in front ofhis apartment: a LAVENDER BOX. He considers a moment thencarefully retrieves the box and shuts and re-bolts the door.

He handles the box like a bomb. Puts it on a table, gingerlylifts the lid, prepared for it to blow up in his face...

Instead, he finds a bag of VALERIAN ROOT TEA. A note: “thisworks for me, sort of” It’s signed: “Mia (your stalker)”

Webber looks troubled by this.

33.

MOMENTS LATER:

Webber peers past his curtains. Mia’s in her kitchen window.

In her underwear, eating cherry ice cream straight out of thecarton. He seems to catch himself staring a second too longand quickly turns away.

INT. OSCARSSON’S APARTMENT -- NIGHT

Spartan as Webber’s. Oscarsson stumbles in, a little drunk...

he’s startled to find Webber sitting in the dark, waiting forhim. Webber taps the coffee table with his shoe- it’s coveredwith empty vodka bottles and “selfies” apparently taken byOscarsson in an inebriated state.

WEBBER:

You lecture me about going native?

OSCARSSON:

(sits down, anxious)

I would be embarrassed but I still

haven’t quite grasped the concept ofshame.

WEBBER:

Richard Dorna was lured to his

death by a field agent with topclearance. I didn’t do it but

somebody did. Someone who can passfor human, just like me.

(cutting him off)

Stop, realize there’s no point inlying, and start over.

OSCARSSON:

Yes. You have a “brother.” Theycreated two of you... There weremore originally.

WEBBER:

What happened to the others?

OSCARSSON:

Exterminated. They were deemed toohuman to ever be trusted. One, I’ve

heard, took a human lover.

(seeing Webber's

disbelief, nods)

You and one other were sparedbecause they considered youunstained by human emotion. Untilrecently, I’d have agreed.

34.

WEBBER:

Have I ever given any reason todoubt me? All I’ve sacrificed...

OSCARSSON:

But that’s just it, don’t you see?

If you were “true brethren,” thethings you’ve renounced wouldn’t besacrifices- they’d be thingssuccessfully avoided.

Oscarsson accompanies this with a smile and a good-naturedshrug but Webber registers the words darkly. He nods.

WEBBER:

All that matters is the situation

I've been put in now. Eberlin justgave me a new job: hunting downMorningstar.

OSCARSSON:

(bursts out laughing )

You're a Greek tragedy!

WEBBER:

(rising to leave)

Tell Abraxas if she doesn’t lift

me, I’ll have to resolve the

situation myself, and that'll comedown to this other guy or me.

OSCARSSON:

She won’t respond well to

blackmail.

WEBBER:

My standing orders are to advancemy position at any cost- and it isan absolute operational necessitythat I keep breathing.

OSCARSSON:

As your handler, I feel compelledto point out if you need to deliverup a Morningstar, I’m obviously theone who should be sacrificed.

WEBBER:

You don’t fit the frame. You’re not

a field agent.

35.

OSCARSSON:

You could make it work. It could be

said, in fact, that your letting melive’s a sign of human infection.

WEBBER:

(at the door)

I may get back to you.

INT. MONORAIL -- DAY

Webber rides with mid-day commuters, looking around,

paranoid. He doesn’t stand out. Everyone looks paranoid.

NEWSMAN (ON A MONITOR)

While denying that the movement of300,000 UN troops to the Red Linewas a retaliatory gesture,

Secretary-General Voss did invokeSalzburg in asserting “humanity’sright to self-defense...”

A woman crosses herself. Webber turns from the news and winds

up looking at a PSA poster about dealing with anxiety. Acartoon character who looks like Munch’s Screamer turns

orange and smiles in the embrace of other orange people.

Tagline:
DON’T GO IT ALONE.

EXT. ZOO -- DAY

Webber walks past cages that contain the usual monkey ormeerkat, mixed with the odd, unidentifiable alien species. Hefinds the Homeless Veteran with the Robotic Arm he once gavea coin to (SION) staring into a cage that holds a ferret-likeALIEN CREATURE. A placard tell how these “Maru” were used asattack animals in the war. (scene in subtitled French)

SION:

Morningstar, I’m honored.

WEBBER:

Don’t get excited. I don’t needanyone killed. I just need a name.

If I were going to move an itemthrough Salzburg, who would I use?

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