Sound of Metal Page #9

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INT. CORRIDOR, FREEPORT – CONTINUOUS

The Protagonist and the Backwards Figure struggle into –

INT. VAULT 2, FREEPORT – CONTINUOUS

They SMASH into the racks and crates – the Protagonist GRABSthe gun – raises it to the Figure’s head –

NEIL (O.S.)

NO! Don’t kill him!

The Protagonist freezes – Neil steps up, DESPERATE –

NEIL (CONT'D)

We need to know if you’recompromised.

The Protagonist THROWS the Figure to the ground –

PROTAGONIST:

Why are you here?!

The Protagonist tries to rip off the gas mask, but it isstrapped tight – the REVERSE KEENING gets LOUDER and LOUDER.

The Protagonist STEPS onto the Figure’s injured arm...

PROTAGONIST (CONT'D)

Who sent you?!

48.

The Figure’s reverse screaming gets louder – the ProtagonistKICKS its arm, HARD, AGAIN AND AGAIN –

PROTAGONIST (CONT'D)

HOW DID YOU KNOW WE’D BE HERE!

A BOOM! from outside – AIR starts BLOWING ACROSS the

Backwards Figure, SUCKING underneath the broken roller door –

the Backwards Figure SLIDES impossibly across the floor andunderneath the door which SLAMS shut, unbroken behind him.

The Protagonist and Neil look at each other...

NEIL:

We have to go.

EXT. APRON, OSLO AIRPORT – CONTINUOUS

One of the plane’s JET ENGINES has come loose, STILLTHRUSTING, SWINGING AROUND, wreaking HAVOC for the EMERGENCYSERVICES – an AMBULANCE SKIDS SIDEWAYS, avoiding theTHRUST...

Mahir and Rohan stand at a distance, watching the MAYHEMalong with DOZENS of other UNIFORMED AIRPORT WORKERS...

INT./EXT. FREEPORT – CONTINUOUS

EMTS race in past the Staff Member...

INT. VAULTS, FREEPORT – CONTINUOUS

Neil moves to the other door – works the lock – SIRENS sound

–

PROTAGONIST:

What happened to the other guy?

NEIL:

I took care of him.

The door opens – they slip into the outer vault –

INT. OUTER VAULT, FREEPORT – MOMENTS LATER

They reassemble the document frames, then LIE DOWN,

‘unconscious’ – EMERGENCY SERVICES BURSTS IN...

INT. HOTEL ROOM, OSLO – DAWN

Neil hangs up his phone –

49.

NEIL:

Mahir and Rohan slipped out clean.

(turns to theProtagonist)

I’ve seen too much and I’m still

alive. Which means you’ve decided

to trust me.

PROTAGONIST:

Or I’ve lost my edge.

NEIL:

Oh, your edge is intact.

The Protagonist looks at Neil.

PROTAGONIST:

There’s a cold war.

NEIL:

Nuclear?

PROTAGONIST:

Temporal.

NEIL:

(skeptical)

Time travel?

PROTAGONIST:

No. Technology that can invert anobject’s entropy.

NEIL:

You mean reverse chronology. LikeFeynman and Wheeler’s notion that

a positron is an electron movingbackwards in time.

PROTAGONIST:

Sure, that’s exactly what I meant.

NEIL:

I’ve a master’s in physics.

PROTAGONIST:

Well, try to keep up.

NEIL:

The implications of this are –

PROTAGONIST:

Beyond secret.

NEIL:

Then why’d you take me in?

50.

PROTAGONIST:

I thought we’d find the drawing anda couple boxes of bullets.

NEIL:

You were as surprised as I was.

PROTAGONIST:

I’m going back to Mumbai foranswers. I’ll set you up as go-

between. But remember – to you, allthis is about plutonium. Or whenwe’re done, they’ll kill you.

NEIL:

Won’t you have to anyway?

PROTAGONIST:

I’d rather it was my decision.

NEIL:

So would I. I think.

INT./EXT. FERRY BOAT, MUMBAI – DAY

The Protagonist boards, approaching Priya at the rail.

PRIYA:

I don’t like to leave my house.

PROTAGONIST:

And I don’t like bungee jumping.

But we need to talk.

PRIYA:

What about?

PROTAGONIST:

Inversion.

PRIYA:

We spoke about it –

PROTAGONIST:

I don’t remember anything aboutpeople being inverted –

PRIYA:

We’re trying to do with inversionwhat we couldn’t do with the atomic

bomb – uninvent it. Divide and

contain the knowledge. Ignorance isour ammunition – the more any oneof us knows, the greater the riskthat we’re actually making thesituation worse.

51.

PROTAGONIST:

Risk more.

Priya gestures at the paper. A headline: ‘OSLO GOLD FREIGHTCRASH – TERRORISM? ROBBERY? BOTH?’

PRIYA:

Your work?

The Protagonist nods.

PRIYA (CONT'D)

What did you find in the vaults?

PROTAGONIST:

Two antagonists, one inverted. Wetook out the regular one, theinverted one got away.

PRIYA:

Both emerged at the same moment?

PROTAGONIST:

Yeah.

PRIYA:

They were the same person. You sawsomeone re-inverting. Sator’s builta turnstile in that vault.

PROTAGONIST:

Turnstile?

PRIYA:

A machine for inverting.

PROTAGONIST:

You told me the technology hasn’tbeen invented, yet.

PRIYA:

It hasn’t. He’s been given it bythe future.

PROTAGONIST:

For what?

PRIYA:

You’ve the best chance of finding

out.

EXT. MUMBAI STREET – MOMENTS LATER

They walk, BODYGUARDS at a discreet distance.

PRIYA:

Have you met him?

52.

PROTAGONIST:

I was close.

PRIYA:

Get closer.

PROTAGONIST:

I’ve been compromised. Unless thatantagonist was a coincidence.

PRIYA:

The wife set you up?

PROTAGONIST:

Maybe. There’s a good chance I getkilled as soon as I go back in.

PRIYA:

This was always a suicide mission –

that’s why they recruited a corpse.

PROTAGONIST:

Who did? Who are we working for?

PRIYA:

Everyone. Survival. You need more,

consider yourself working for me.

PROTAGONIST:

Well, Boss, I need a way tosucceed.

Priya thinks. Looks at the Protagonist. Deciding.

PRIYA:

What if you have something heneeds?

PROTAGONIST:

Such as?

PRIYA:

Plutonium 241. Sator tried to lift

the only loose 241 from under a CIAteam at the opera siege in Kiev. Hegot the team, but not the 241.

PROTAGONIST:

Who did?

PRIYA:

Ukrainian security services. It’smoving through Tallinn in a week.

53.

PROTAGONIST:

Helping an arms dealer stealweapons-grade plutonium isunacceptable. I’m just gonna take

him out.

PRIYA:

No. Sator has to stay alive untilwe know his part in things.

Leverage the situation withoutlosing control of the 241.

PROTAGONIST:

It’s too dangerous.

PRIYA:

A terrorist bomb, even one that

kills millions, is nothing comparedwith what happens if we don’t stopSator.

PROTAGONIST:

From. Doing. What?

Priya looks up the road at the cars STREAMING past...

PRIYA:

We’re being attacked. Not byterrorists or rogue states...

PROTAGONIST:

Who, then?

PRIYA:

We’re being attacked by the future.

And we’re fighting over time.

PROTAGONIST:

Time?

PRIYA:

Theirs is running out, so they’recoming for ours. And Sator ishelping. You have to find out how.

EXT. TERRACE, AMALFI COAST – DAY

The Protagonist leaves the tourists behind, heading down aleafy path to emerge at a terrace overlooking the sea. Katstands there, alone. The Protagonist falls in beside her.

KAT:

I saw the news from Oslo. Do youhave the drawing?

54.

PROTAGONIST:

You don’t have to worry about it

any more.

KAT:

You destroyed it?

PROTAGONIST:

I didn’t think you’d want it back.

KAT:

Does he know?

PROTAGONIST:

Not yet, so sit tight.

KAT:

Sit tight? Why? Every day my sonspends with that monster, he thinksa little less of me.

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