RONIN Page #29

BABOOM! The case EXPLODES, a flash of phosphorescent white

light that incinerates Gregor and the case and whatever was

inside it with an explosion that knocks Sam to the ground and

when the light clears - Gregor and the case are gone, while -

THE EXPLOSION ECHOES out over the lake, booming again and

again until finally there is - SILENCE. Sam looks out over

the lake for any sign of Deirdre - But there is none. And

then, after we've held for a BEAT longer than it should be

possible for her to have survived - her head splits the

surface and she emerges, coughing. Sam reaches down to help

her out.

SAM:

Are you alright?

DEIRDRE:

Alright? It's bloody f***ing freezing in

here!

Sam pulls Deirdre out of the water and then the two of them

immediately turn and move towards Vincent, and as they do we

start to PULL BACK on them, and now the SOUNDS of SIRENS can

be heard, one, then two more, and then a symphony of noise.

And we're STILL PULLING BACK ON -

THE CHATEAU - Or what's left of it, because it's started to

burn, and quickly the flames start to rise into the night,

like something out of medieval times as we -

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. A HOSPITAL WAITING AREA - NIGHT

Sam waits outside a hospital room, inside of which we get a

glimpse of - A DOCTOR tending to a heavily bandaged and

sedated Vincent. As Sam waits - TWO GENDARMES and a

PLAINCLOTHES DETECTIVE approach. The Detective looks at Sam

for a BEAT, and then goes to push past him. Sam blocks his

way.

DETECTIVE:

I need to speak with that man.

SAM:

I'm sorry, I can't allow that.

Sam reaches into his coat, and for a moment everybody thinks

he's going for his gun, but instead he comes out with - A

PIECE OF PAPER. He hands it to the Detective.

SAM:

Call that number and ask them what you

should do.

The Detective eyeballs the number suspiciously.

FIVE MINUTES LATER -

The Detective hangs up a nearby wall phone and then looks

over at Sam in disgust. Without another word, the Detective

signals to the two Gendarmes, and all three men exit. Now -

The DOCTOR, a beautiful French Woman, comes up and speaks to

him in FRENCH -- and the amazing thing is that Sam speaks

back. Everything in SUBTITLED.

DOCTOR:

You can see your friend, now.

SAM:

Thank you very much.

DOCTOR:

The field dressing you put on saved his

life.

(giving him a look)

Where di you learn to do that?

SAM:

Here and there, I guess.

The Doctor isn't entirely satisfied with this answer, but

it's the only one she's going to get, because Sam moves past

into -

INT. VINCENT'S ROOM

He's barely alive -- but alive nonetheless. And he's heard

Sam speak in French to the Doctor.

VINCENT:

You son-of-a-b*tch...

SAM:

What?

VINCENT:

You speak French.

SAM:

What of it?

VINCENT:

(in mock exasperation)

Nothing...

He lies back on his pillow, pissed and yet amused.

VINCENT:

(repeating the Doctor's words

in English)

"Your field dressing saved his life."

That's three I owe you.

SAM:

You don't owe me a goddamned thing,

Vincent, and you know it. You stepped in

front of a bullet for me.

(very seriously, he now

believes this)

I owe you a heavy debt.

VINCENT:

(relishing this)

I know.

SAM:

(rising to leave)

You better get some sleep, alright?

VINCENT:

Tell me something first.

(a quick beat)

The package:
what was it?

SAM:

I don't know. Nobody knows, except a

bunch of people who are too dead to tell

us. There's probably a couple of guys

back at the Company who know, but I don't

think they plan to tell me anytime soon.

VINCENT:

What happened to it?

SAM:

Gone. Destroyed.

VINCENT:

(sighs, then a beat)

I guess that's for the best.

Sam turns for the door but Vincent has one last thing to say.

VINCENT:

Sam, when Gregor had Deirdre by the lake,

you could have killed the two of them

with one shot. You could have had the

package, finished the job. But you

didn't, you sacrificed the job to save

her life. Why?

Same has to think about this for a second, and his answer

reveals just how full circle he's come.

SAM:

It's what you would have done.

And on that note Sam exits the room, leaving a bemused

Vincent behind.

EXT. THE BANK OF THE RIVER SEINE - EARLY MORNING

A WISPY FOG atmospherically rises off the river -- not too

thick, not too thin.

A TITLE:
One month later...

We're MOVING along the cobble-stone walk next to the river as

a VOICE cuts through the fog.

VINCENT (V.O.)

Would you just smoke already...

A RIVERSIDE CAFE - Where Sam, Vincent and Deirdre are having

morning coffee. A mostly-healed Vincent is smoking a

cigarette, trying to get Sam to light up.

SAM:

I told you, I quit.

VINCENT:

Just to keep me company, Sam -- I hate

smoking alone.

(turning to Deirdre)

How about you? I thought all you IRA

types smoked.

DEIRDRE:

Only the stupid ones. Cigarettes kill

more patriots than bullets.

(a quick beat)

Besides, I'm not IRA no more.

VINCENT:

So where do you go from here?

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