Sound of Metal Page #5

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PRIYA:

You got in – you must’ve had a planfor getting out.

The Protagonist pulls a CLIP and cord from his harness –

PROTAGONIST:

Not one I loved.

Priya watches him clip onto the balcony rail. Neil FLIESPAST, dropping from the balcony above.

The Protagonist JUMPS, SLOWING as he DROPS BEHIND THE WALL,

OUT OF REACH OF THE POLICE, into a MARKET STREET and RELEASES

his harness – disappearing into the crowd...

EXT. MEMBER’S CLUB, LONDON – DAY

The Protagonist walks down the busy Mall, and up the steps...

INT. MEMBER’S CLUB, LONDON – DAY

The Protagonist enters, is approached by a STEWARD.

STEWARD:

Can I help you, sir?

PROTAGONIST:

I’m Mr Crosby’s lunch.

STEWARD:

I presume you mean Sir MichaelCrosby’s lunch?

PROTAGONIST:

Presume away.

24.

STEWARD:

If you’ll follow me.

INT. LOUNGE, MEMBER’S CLUB – CONTINUOUS

The Protagonist is shown to a table where a distinguishedmiddle-aged man is already eating. CROSBY.

CROSBY:

Started without you, hope you don’tmind.

PROTAGONIST:

I’ll catch up.

(to the Steward)

Same for me.

STEWARD:

I’ll send the waiter.

PROTAGONIST:

No, just pass on the order.

Crosby smiles at the Protagonist’s handling of the Steward.

CROSBY:

I gather you’ve an interest in acertain Russian national.

PROTAGONIST:

Anglo-Russian. So I’ll have towatch my step.

CROSBY:

Indeed. He’s tapped into theintelligence services – I’ve warnedthem he’s feeding them rubbish, butthey don’t seem to care.

PROTAGONIST:

Tell me about him.

CROSBY:

I assume you’re familiar with theSoviet-era secret cities?

PROTAGONIST:

Closed cities, not shown on maps,

built up around sensitiveindustries. Most of them have been

opened up and renamed as regular

towns.

CROSBY:

Not the one Sator grew up in.

Stalsk-12.

(MORE)

25.

CROSBY (CONT'D)

In the seventies our peopleestimated its population at almost200,000. Unacknowledged to thisday. Thought to be abandoned.

PROTAGONIST:

Abandoned?

CROSBY:

Some kind of accident. After which

we think it became a site for

underground tests. Just two weeksago, same day as the Kiev Operasiege, our satellites detected adetonation in north-west Siberia,

about where we think Stalsk-12 was.

PROTAGONIST:

Nuclear?

CROSBY:

Big enough to be noticed. Satoremerged from this blank spot on themap with an ambition thateventually led him here, to buy hisway into the British establishment.

PROTAGONIST:

Through his wife?

CROSBY:

Katherine Barton, eldest niece of

Sir Frederick Barton. She works at

Shipley’s, met Sator at an auction.

PROTAGONIST:

He’s into art?

CROSBY:

Like a lot of wealthy criminals, hethinks if he covers his walls with

tasteful, expensive things it’lldistract from the bloodshed.

Judging by the lovely girl hemarried, there might be somethingin it.

PROTAGONIST:

Happy marriage?

CROSBY:

No. Practically estranged.

PROTAGONIST:

How do I get to Sator?

CROSBY:

Through her, of course.

26.

PROTAGONIST:

You may have an inflated idea of mypowers of seduction.

CROSBY:

Hardly. We have an ace in thehole...

Crosby slides a SHOPPING BAG over to the Protagonist’s feet.

The Protagonist looks inside: a small FRAMED DRAWING.

PROTAGONIST:

You’re carrying a Goya in a Harrods

bag?

CROSBY:

It’s a fake, by a Spaniard namedArepo. One of two we confiscated

from an embezzler in Bern. We hungon to this one for a rainy day – Ifelt the first drops when Indiacalled.

PROTAGONIST:

What happened to the other one?

CROSBY:

A Rubens. It turned up at

Shipley’s, where it wasauthenticated by Katherine Bartonbefore going under the hammer. Andwho do you suppose bought it?

PROTAGONIST:

Her husband? Does she know it’s a

forgery?

CROSBY:

Hard to say. Rumour had it that she

and Arepo were close.

Crosby looks the Protagonist over –

CROSBY (CONT'D)

Look, no offence, but this is a

world where someone claiming to bea billionaire gets asked if they’rejust a dollar billionaire.

PROTAGONIST:

And?

CROSBY:

Brooks Brothers won’t cut it.

PROTAGONIST:

I’m assuming I have a budget.

27.

CROSBY:

(tosses him a creditcard)

Save the world, then we’ll balance

the books. Can I recommend a

tailor?

PROTAGONIST:

I’ll manage. You British don’t havea monopoly on snobbery, you know.

CROSBY:

Not a monopoly. More of acontrolling interest.

The Protagonist rises, taking the credit card and the bag.

PROTAGONIST:

Thanks for this. By the way, is shea Kate or a Kathy?

CROSBY:

A Kat, I believe.

The waiter arrives, bearing food, supervised by the Steward.

PROTAGONIST:

Could you box that for me?

STEWARD:

Certainly not.

The Protagonist smiles at Crosby, who nods goodbye.

PROTAGONIST:

Goodbye, Sir Michael.

EXT. WEST LONDON PRIVATE SCHOOL – DAY

Mothers stand at the railings waiting for their kids. One ofthem, a smart YOUNG WOMAN, stands a little apart from the

group. SCHOOLKIDS pile out of the school...

INT./EXT. CAR – CONTINUOUS

The Protagonist watches from across the road as the YoungWoman SPOTS her son. She offers him her hand, but he reaches

up to take his NANNY’S. She moves her hand to pick somethingoff his jumper before he is put into the back of a BLACKRANGE ROVER with tinted windows.

The Protagonist watches the Young Woman wave at the departingcar carrying her child. Utterly alone.

28.

EXT. SHIPLEY’S, LONDON – DAY

A BENTLEY pulls up – a DOORMAN opens the rear door, theProtagonist emerges, IMMACULATELY TAILORED, holding abeautiful leather briefcase.

INT. SHIPLEY’S – CONTINUOUS

The Protagonist is approached by a REPRESENTATIVE –

REPRESENTATIVE:

How can I help, sir?

PROTAGONIST:

I have an appraisal with Ms Barton.

REPRESENTATIVE:

(to receptionist)

Tell Kat her client is in the

Fallow Room.

INT. APPRAISAL ROOM – MOMENTS LATER

The Protagonist admires the paintings on the walls. The dooropens and the Young Woman from the school gates comes in,

dressed for business. This is KAT BARTON. She looks bemused,

but gives him a genuine and friendly smile –

KAT:

I’m sorry, I wasn’t notified of anyappointments, Mr...

PROTAGONIST:

Goya?

KAT:

Mr Goya?

The Protagonist opens his briefcase...

PROTAGONIST:

No, I’m told you’re the person tosee about...

Offers the drawing to her...

PROTAGONIST (CONT'D)

...Goya.

She takes it, suddenly interested...

KAT:

Wow. It’s extraordinary.

She lays the drawing on the table and grabs a loupe –

29.

PROTAGONIST:

What’s it worth?

KAT:

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

There’s a lot of work before anykind of valuation – provenance,

microscopic examination, X-rays...

She is bent over the table, peering through the loupe.

The Protagonist studies her reaction as he –

PROTAGONIST:

But what does your heart tell you?

She steps back. Something about the drawing BOTHERS her...

KAT:

I’m sorry, where did you say youacquired this drawing?

PROTAGONIST:

Tomas Arepo.

Kat rises and turns to face the Protagonist. Cold.

KAT:

What do you want?

PROTAGONIST:

What I want is complicated.

KAT:

Do you work for my husband?

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