Pretty Bird Page #2

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back and forth without

any civilians around.

I hope that's ok with you.

Ok.

You been to places

like this before?

A diner?

Yeah, I have, yeah.

Uh, so, ok, pleasantries.

Uh, you ok?

Everything good?

You lovin' life?

- Curtis, what are we

doing here?

- I love it!

You're like, "get to

the point, Prentiss!"

- Perfect! I love it.

- You fellas decide?

Oh. Uh...

Yeah. Pan-American breakfast.

Uh, eggs over hard,

sausage patties,

- Hot sauce, black coffee.

- Nothing for me.

Well, my sources

tell me that you

Are a bit of

a genius rocket buff.

Do they? Well, uh...

[chuckles]

Yeah, yeah. I've, uh,

I've, uh, worked in

the aerospace industry

for 20 years, so...

[chuckles] truly?

Mmm.

[Curtis]:
Nice.

Well, I, uh...

...Am kind of a buff, too,

So science-wise that

puts us on the same page.

Did you study engineering

somewhere? Where?

Do you know that 90 percent

of the population

Doesn't understand

creative types?

Artists, inventors...

...Scientists.

Like that English fella

in the wheelchair,

You think

he's got any friends?

- Who, Stephen hawking?

- He doesn't.

I mean, sure,

people kiss his ass...

...But they're not

his friends.

And I'll say why:

If you're born

a genius...

...You die alone.

[chuckling]

But obviously

you know all this.

I need a peer, Rick.

I need a comrade.

First let's take a quiz.

I gotta make sure

you're the right guy.

Oh. [chuckles]

what do you need from me,

my sat scores or something?

[laughs] you finished

that thing?

Well, you are way ahead

of the game, sir.

Well, as a college

graduate, Rick,

I'm sure you can

tell me what...

...This is.

That is a leaf blower.

You are correct, sir.

But this...

But this...

This...

...Is not.

[scoffs]

I know about this.

Here we go.

Oh! Uh, we didn't have

any patties,

- So I gave you links instead.

- Stop. Stop.

Uh, I'm sorry,

what did you say?

You say that you, uh,

didn't have sausage patties?

- Yeah. We must've

ran out last night.

- [sighs]

Waitress, it is 9:00am,

In a diner, in America.

Handing out sausage patties

is your whole f***ing job,

sweetheart.

Ok, uh, I think

we'll have the check now,

Erica. Thank you.

Bunch of bullshit. [sighs]

You're hilarious.

[chuckles]

You'll be hearing from us.

Soon.

Think this is gonna turn out

to be a good thing?

Huh, babe?

Sh*t, I don't know,

I don't know.

How am I supposed to know?

Well, if you ask me,

You've been too long getting

pushed into the shadows...

...After you're the one

who's been doing all the work.

Well, that's 'cause I spent

You talking about

that supervisor

over at Datcher?

You know what? I don't know.

I'm talking about all of 'em.

That's just what I mean.

Maybe it's time for you

to step out front.

Hmm?

[knock on door]

- This is weird.

- [laughs]

Well, it won't be

for much longer, ok?

Well, hello.

We so welcome you.

Richard Honeycutt,

Kenny Owenby.

- Yeah.

- [bell dings]

Ooh! Biscotti.

We've got, uh...

Name cards.

Kenny, music.

Hey! Hey, come here.

Yeah. Hello, hello.

Look who was hiding

from me.

- Rolf, this is Rick.

- [Curtis]:
Kenny, please?

Do you have any pets, Rick?

I'm married.

- [snaps fingers]

- Kenny! Please?

[whispers] sorry.

Tonight I present

to you a dream.

A dream, born in the dark

of a movie theater,

When first the world heard

these immortal words.

"shaken, not stirred."

[men clamoring]

[gunshots]

[mimicking whooshing]

Most people think

that rocket belts

And greatness exist

only in Hollywood,

In a fantasy place,

or some...

...Future world.

But to you,

gathered here tonight,

Let me officially say...

Screw the future...

...'cause I have it.

[grumbles] mm-hm.

[exhales]

Hydrogen peroxide-propelled

personal rocket device.

[Curtis]:
The rocket belt.

You know about this thing?

I'm a rocket scientist,

man.

Curtis? Did you hear that?

He just said he knows

all about this.

Where'd you get

these blueprints, Curtis?

The library,

the public library.

Kenny, please.

We're starting

a company, Rick,

That is going to change

the way people think

About a lot of things.

Yeah, well, that's great

and all, Curtis,

But you know people

have been trying to do

this for years.

[chuckles]

what makes you think it's

gonna be any different now?

That's a good point, and it's

exactly that kind of attitude

That has guaranteed

they wouldn't make it.

I mean, how do you think

a company like Boeing

got started?

"gee, I don't know, Curtis,

how did Boeing get started?"

I don't know, but they

sure as hell didn't do it

By sitting around

on their duffs,

scared to take a Chance.

Don't you at least want

to give it a try, Rick?

[Curtis]:
Ok, essentials.

Let's see, little blinking

lights, glowing dials,

You know, machines.

Everything should glow,

So we can work in the dark

if we had to.

- [snorts]

- Rick, look.

- Twins.

- And over here is gonna be

an office with windows

And posters,

inspiring posters.

I'm gonna need a lot more

counter space...

- Kenny, be writing this down.

- "counter space."

[Rick]:
A lot more

counter space.

- From now on it's called r & d.

- [Kenny]:
Oh, perfect.

- Research and development.

- Mm-hmm.

Ok, so, uh, counter space.

What else?

[Rick]:
Magnifying lamps,

lab supplies:

Plastics molding machine,

parts supplier,

Bulk hydrogen peroxide.

What are we using

for accelerant here?

Fine, fine,

whatever that means. Kenny?

- It's gonna be expensive.

- Kenny, write that down.

And we are going to need

corporate credit cards

for everyone.

Got it.

Rick, could you

not do that, please?

- Hey, I'm not finished here.

- Leaving a message. Kenny?

- Uh, magnifying...

- Wait.

Uh, R&D supply list.

- Magnifying lamps.

- Magnifying lamps.

- Lab supplies.

- Lab supplies.

- Accelerant,

whatever that means.

- Some kind of accelerant...

- You sure we got money

for all this?

- Kenny?

- Uh, blinking lights.

- Blinking lights.

Uh... Glowing dials,

inspiring posters.

- Metal shelving.

- Metal shelving.

- Metal shelving.

- Slop sink.

- [Kenny]:
Slop sink.

- Slop sink.

[Rick]:
General

cleaning supplies.

- Uh, cleaning supplies.

- [Rick]:
A distillation setup.

Distillation setup.

[Rick and Kenny continue,

overlapping]

- [Kenny]:
Mechanical cleaner.

- [Curtis]:
Mechanical cleaner.

[Rick]:
You guys

got tool belts?

[man]:
Looking good.

Looking pretty good, fellas.

Got your seed money,

got your space.

You want to set up this lab

that you're talking about.

- You got your

potential investors.

- Of course.

You know, I've known Kenny

for a long time now.

He'll tell you every startup,

there's risks involved.

But therein lies the potential

To make a substantial

amount of money.

- [Kenny taps desk]

- knock on wood.

- [Rick]:
Fantastic, huh?

- [Kenny]:
What is?

It's the name of the company.

Fantastic technologies,

incorporated.

It's classy but with

a little bit sci-fi.

[Kenny]:
Curtis,

that's genius.

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