The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension Page #14

THEIR POV277

AT THE WINDOW...JOHN BIGBOOTÉ...AND A RED ARACHTOID!

278

Professor Hikita, petrified, stepping back, grabbing the OSCILLATION

OVERTHRUSTER and knocking over a chair, as THE ALIEN CREATURE smashes

the window!

INT. INSTITUTE CORRIDOR - NIGHT279

Rawhide, hearing screams from the Professor's laboratory, races down

the corridor, gun drawn...

INT. BUCKAROO'S BEDROOM - NIGHT280

Buckaroo coming into his bedroom, opening a dresser drawer when

suddenly...A NOISE BEHIND HIM! Buckaroo whirling instinctively with

twin EBONY HANDLED COLTS a fraction of a second from firing...at PENNY!

...the latter poking her head out of Buckaroo's closet just long enough

to see him aim his silver pistols, jumping back into the closet,

slamming the door...an exasperated Buckaroo stepping over to the

closet, finding it locked...knocking...

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Open up or I'll shoot it off.

PENNY PRIDDY:

I'll shoot yours off if I had a gun, you double-dealing Casanova! I

thought you liked me for myself. But why should you, huh? A jerk like

me.

Buckaroo understanding at last the reason for Penny's odd behavior,

seeing THE PHOTOGRAPH on his bedstand of a younger, possibly not-yet-

so-world-famous Buckaroo Banzai in tuxedo...his pretty companion A DEAD

RINGER FOR PENNY.

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Penny, look-

PENNY'S VOICE

You look. Who is she?

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

That's kinda complicated to get into right now because the world's

maybe coming to an end and I can't stand here and talk to a closet

door.

PENNY'S VOICE

Yeah, whose world is coming to an end? You only wanted me because I

remind you of her.

Buckaroo fidgeting, precious seconds ticking away...

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Penny, I was going to get into that, but I haven't had time...with

arachtoids and all...but briefly she was your long lost twin sister, we

got married, and that's about all I can say. Right now.

(no response)

Penny?

A silence from the other side, the closet door unlocking...slowly

opening, revealing Penny standing in the middle of a pile of female

clothing...

PENNY PRIDDY:

Married--? So that's it! Buckaroo Banzai, a married man. Where is

she? With the kids some place?

Buckaroo turning...Penny eyeing him, penetrating his soul...

PENNY PRIDDY:

She must've been a bigger fool than me if she ran out on a guy like

you...

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

She was killed, Penny.

PENNY PRIDDY:

Oh, my.

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Don't go to pieces. I haven't got time tonight.

A pregnant pause, the pain evident on Buckaroo's face as he turns back

to the job at hand, picking up his holster and rummaging through the

dresser drawer, fighting back the painful memories...

PENNY PRIDDY:

Looks like you're the one might go to pieces.

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Where's my damn ammo? Nothing is ever where it's supposed to be around

here!

PENNY PRIDDY:

How did she die? I wanna know.

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

You don't wanna know.

PENNY PRIDDY:

Yes, I do. Gimme a chance. I'm stronger than you think.

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

She was murdered by Hanoi Shan on our wedding night.

PENNY PRIDDY:

Hanoi Shan--? The guy in your comic books. Boss of the World Crime

League? Supreme Commander of the Legion of Death? The Pivot of

Mystery himself? You're putting me on. He's a cartoon character.

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

I wish he was. He's real enough.

Penny having to sit down and think about this as Buckaroo straps on his

guns...changes his torn and shredded jacket...Penny looking at a

BUCKAROO BANZAI COMIC BOOK on the night stand...then at the framed

photograph of Peggy...

PENNY PRIDDY:

God, she's so young and beautiful. I don't remember her at all. Which

I guess is good, under the circumstances. I bet you'll never forget

her though.

One look at Buckaroo says it all...

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Never.

PENNY PRIDDY:

I gotta be honest with myself and not repress these feelings-I've got

mixed emotions-I don't know if I can handle this. Oh, boy...

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

I gotta go. We're on borrowed time.

PENNY PRIDDY:

Go where? Where're you going?

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

(squatting close to her)

Please, Penny. You just gotta trust me now. Okay? And don't panic.

Because it's gonna be all right.

PENNY PRIDDY:

What? If we just believe in Buckaroo Banzai?

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Yeah...and maybe more important, if you believe in yourself.

PENNY PRIDDY:

Believe in Penny Priddy?

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Absolutely.

Penny looks into his eyes...

PENNY PRIDDY:

You've got your six guns strapped on. You're ridding off on another

adventure? Oh, my God, it's all real...it really is real. I should go

with you. Please...

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

It's too dangerous.

PENNY PRIDDY:

That's just what you would say. This is so unreal. I'm dreaming...

Starry-eyed, she leans forward to kiss him, Buckaroo about to oblige

when their fingers touch, Penny getting a MILD ELECTRICAL SHOCK...

...the door suddenly opens and Perfect Tommy sticks his head in...

281

PERFECT TOMMY:

(breathless)

Buckaroo--! Sorry--

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

What is it, Tommy?

PERFECT TOMMY:

Sam's dead! Someone broke into the Jet Car! And things are going

haywire over at the lab...

Buckaroo running for the door, calling over his shoulder to Penny:

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Stay here, I'll be back.

PENNY PRIDDY:

Sure. I won't hold my breath.

EXT. BUCKAROO'S HOUSE - NIGHT282

Buckaroo, the Cavaliers, and the Lindleys race out of the house toward

the research building...

INT. BUCKAROO'S BEDROOM - NIGHT283

Penny hurriedly changes clothes...puts on Peggy's clothes...when

suddenly THE SIGHT OF JOHN O'CONNOR standing in the hallway door,

leering at her...

PENNY PRIDDY:

Whadda you want?

John O'Connor, remembering her from the press conference...

JOHN O'CONNOR

Nothing right now, Penny Priddy.

John O'Connor vanishing...Penny again at a loss...

INT. BANZAI INSTITUTE - NIGHT284

Buckaroo and the Cavaliers running inside, racing up a bright yellow

staircase to the second floor...

INT. INSTITUTE LABORATORY - NIGHT285

Buckaroo and the Cavaliers entering, finding the motionless lab

assistant in Professor Hikita's wrecked laboratory...

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Dead. Damnit!

PERFECT TOMMY:

Where's the professor?

RENO:

Where's Rawhide?

CASPER:

Who'd do a thing like this?

NEW JERSEY:

Arachtoids.

BUCKAROO BANZAI:

Spread out. They can't be far.

INT. INSTITUTE CORRIDORS - NIGHT286

SHOTS of Cavaliers in empty hallways, guns drawn, discovering evidence

of intruders...OFFICES RANSACKED, FURNITURE UPSET...EXPERIMENTS FOULED

UP...

287

...Buckaroo turning a corner, finding a SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE in the

hallway...turning the corner...

INT. DRAFTING ROOM - NIGHT288

...stepping into a LARGE ROOM clouded with SMOKE from a burning file

cabinet, Rawhide and a HULDING FORM struggling in the gloom...

...Buckaroo unable to get a clear shot at the beast when suddenly

Rawhide succeeds in knocking his adversary to the floor, the "man"

HISSING!

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