Smokin' Aces Page #33

INT. ELEVATOR CAR -- FOURTEENTH FLOOR

Sykes, pocketing the Carruthers ID. Behind her, Acosta manages

to move enough to cover the "Bill" ID on his jacket.

Sykes turns back to him, moving over to his now still form --

blood drenched, barely conscious, eyes flittering like black

flies... she kicks the bone saw from his hand. It spins to a

gradual stop. She leans over him... the stiletto blade he

used to dispatch "Bill" and hack Carruthers digits off has

retracted back into his sleeve.

Sykes begins patting him down, moving dangerously close to

that sleeve, her neck hovering right above that spot --

SYKES:

You jus' lay still, we goin figure

out what the f*** ya'll were up t--

She pulls Acosta's bogus ID... Gerald Diego: Federal Bureau

of Investigation.

SYKES:

You ain't gonna believe this sh*t.

(beat)

Both these motherfuckers are FEDS.

INT. HORIZON HOTEL -- TOP FLOOR -- SAME

Watters shaking her head, monitoring scanner transmissions.

WATTERS:

No, no, no no -- one of 'em ain't --

one of 'ems bullshit -- it's all

over the air here, they got an

impostor, some fool with a fake badge --

CUT TO:

INT. ELEVATOR CAR -- SAME

Messner, having commandeered an elevator -- his IFB earpiece

picking up interference -- distorted crosstalk, some sync of

some kind, voices, clipped, delineating, spiked with static:

WATTERS (OVER MESSNER'S IFB)

-- some fool wi-- a fake badge. So w-

tch yours--f.

Messner, finger in his ear now, listening hard, hand up,

quieting the rest of the car.

SYKES (OVER MESSNER'S IFB)

What I got i- a Gerald D--go and a

Donald Carruthers here... Now w--ch

one of --'ll --s for real?

As the car rises past the fourteenth floor, the signal

sharpens, crystallizes less than a second --

SYKES:

'Cuz I'mma kill the one that ain't...

Messner reacts --

MESSNER:

-- STOP THE ELEVATOR!

CUT TO:

INT. PENTHOUSE HALLWAY -- SAME

The Elevator arrives with a "ding!" Mustache and his men

wait for the doors to open... heavy black smoke begins to

slowly seep through the cracks, rolling up and along the

walls, unfurling finger-like across the ceiling. From within

the elevator car itself, a pull engine sputters to a stall...

A HEART BEGINS TO BEAT OVER THE SOUNDTRACK. A steady thrum,

building slowly...

CUT TO:

INT. PENTHOUSE APARTMENT -- SAME

Israel on the phone, consumed by chest spasms. Soot, his

Vitoli visage now mangled beyond recognition; nose sheared

off, rubber chin and jaw prosthesis. He throws back the

tablecloth covering his service tray, takes an igloo cooler

off ice inside, pulls surgical tools from it -- scalpel,

forceps rib-spreader, etc., He arranges them pre-op style.

He removes a phone from his jacket, hits "Send" waits, says:

SOOT:

(cryptically)

Three minutes.

He reaches Israel, leveling the 9mm to his skull. Israel is

completely unaware as he clutches his chest, breath coming

in great laborious gulps. He's on the phone to Mecklen.

INTERCUT:

MECKLEN:

Buddy, they revoked the deal, they

pulled it...

ISRAEL:

They what? What? No. No. Why?

MECKLEN:

The Deputy Director, this prick Locke,

he smashed the whole thing, we're

done, they won't tell me why...

The doors to the suite open and in stride Hugo and Doc Gill.

Soot, gun raised, watches as both men look up and meet his

gaze.

...Nobody moves.

THE HEARTBEAT CONTINUES. Quickening...

Hugo, a guarded step forward, squinting.

HUGO:

Vitoli? What are you doing?

GILL:

(to Hugo)

It's okay, it's okay Hugo...

(beat, to Soot)

Mr. Soot, I'm Doctor Gill.

Israel turns back, sees this demented version of Vitoli aiming

at gun right in his face. Israel's breathing suddenly cinches

up tight, his pulse triple-timing. He turns back to Gill.

ISRAEL:

Doc -- y-- wha-- what is this?

Hugo takes a step away from Gill, alarmed, his hand inch-

worming toward the gun on his waist... WE TRACK THE HAND as

it becomes --

CUT TO:

-- Agent Messner, reaching for his gun as the elevator arrives

at the fourteenth floor.

INT. HALLWAY -- FOURTEENTH FLOOR -- SAME

Messner and a heavily armed contingent of cops and fellow

feds exit the elevator, fanning out, quietly situating

themselves at the far side of the hallway with a clear line

of sight to the open elevator at the opposite end.

HEARTBEAT ACCELERATES MORE

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