The Avengers Page #13

RING-RING ... A LOUDER ROLL of THUNDER. As the Choirboy nears the

PHONE, Steed shouts --

STEED:

Don't -- don't answer it -- !

190 CLOSEUP - PHONE

RING-RING -- the PHONE in the f.g. as the choirboy closes in, opens the door --

191 INSIDE PHONE BOX

The door shuts. Noise muffled. The Choirboy can't hear Steed and Emma's shouted

warnings, as he lifts his hand up, and --

192 OUTSIDE

Steed sees him reach out, warns the vicar and choirboys.

STEED:

Get down -- get down -- it's

going to explode -- !

Steed and Emma, all the choirboys hit the dirt, as

193 INSIDE PHONE BOX

The Choirboy grabs the phone, and lifts it up, and

Silence.

No explosion. A few seconds pass. Steed and everyone

are down on the ground. As they see --

194 FROM PHONE BOX

-- the Choirboy leaves the phone hanging. He gets out, scans the crowd. Then walks

calmly over to Steed, who's still prone.

CHOIRBOY:

It's your mother.

The vicar and choirboys look on sympathetically, as --

Steed dusts himself off. Emma and everyone gets up. Steed goes to the phone box,

takes the call.

STEED:

Mother? How did you find me?

His expression changes as he listens. Emma goes to the phone box as Steed rings off.

He emerges from the box.

STEED:

I told Mother I took care of you.

EMMA:

You lied.

STEED:

I equivocated. But you're not

their big worry at present. It's

Dr. Darling:
he's disappeared ...

OFF Emma's reaction to this news --

195 INT. HALLUCINOGEN HALL - DAY

Inside the upper room, in front of a mirror --

With his back turned to us. Dr. Darling holds something in his hand, and waits as --

196 DOWN LONG HALL

Bad "Emma" walks over. She stands in front of him.

Blank expression. Dr. Darling hardly even looks up. With her hair up, we recognize

on her neck a tattoo: Z424.

DR. DARLING

We are in the final phase. I shall require

you to be especially obedient. There

must be no failures.

197 CLOSEUP - IN HIS HANDS - SNOWSHAKER

which he grips tightly. As --

198 IN MIRROR

a metamorphosis. His features melt and bubble, a mask of plastic surgery and it's

slipping around like Michael Jackson's face under kleig lights. He adjusts it, then ...

Shakes the snowshaker ...

199 EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY

THUNDER as the sky darkens -- PAN DOWN to reveal:

Steed's Jag, zooming through country lanes. Rain starts.

200 INT. JAG - DAY

Steed driving, winces with the drizzle.

STEED:

Drat. Someone wants to implicate

you in this affair, Mrs. Peel.

Any idea who?

EMMA:

No idea who. No idea why ...

STEED:

(thinks)

Teddy bears, cuckoo clocks, toys

All children's things ...

EMMA:

... Or grown-ups, who still like

to be children.

STEED:

Quite. Any childhood friends?

Enemies?

EMMA:

Not to speak of. Peter and I

were both loners. There was

nobody.

Steed thinks; sighs.

STEED:

Very well. I have a friend who

might be of assistance. He's at

the Ministry. We'd better be

careful.

EMMA:

I'm a wanted woman, I know ...

201 INT. MINISTRY CORRIDORS - DAY

Through a door marked "Information & Counter Espionage" --

-- walks Steed with another man in identical clothes: dapper Savile Row suit, umbrella

and bowler. Which is

Emma Peel, in disguise. Steed furtively checks passers-by.

STEED:

His name's Jones. 'Invisible' Jones.

EMMA:

Why's he called 'Invisible'?

STEED:

You'll find out.

At a door marked "Information -- Col. I. Jones." Steed knocks, opens the door for her.

EMMA:

Aren't you coming?

STEED:

I'll catch you up. Don't worry;

he's expecting you.

Emma goes in as Steed walks down the corridor.

202 INT. MINISTRY OFFICE - DAY

A room full of archives and files. Emma walks through tall corridors, stacks of cabinets

full of old paper.

Dusty, musty and mildewing. Long forgotten. Nobody there. Suddenly Emma

hears --

FOOTSTEPS.

She follows them. Round stacks, round corners. The FOOTSTEPS get LOUDER.

She's closing in. The FOOTSTEPS get LOUDER, until up ahead of her --

A filing cabinet drawer opens up. On its own.

Emma watches as a file pops up, floats through air. The drawer slams shut. Still

nobody there. Emma follows the file to a --

Desk. Emma watches as -- the chair swivels round. The file pages open up. Then the

phone lifts up by itself, a voice:

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

Tell Miss Proudfoot, no calls.

(beat)

Colonel Jones at your service,

Mrs. Peel. Just a moment --

Emma looks ahead of her. To the chair. As --

A desk drawer opens up, a pipe is whisked through the air, a match is struck. The pipe

lights; smoke belches forth.

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

Talk to the pipe, Mrs. Peel.

That usually helps. Don't worry

about me being invisible. Other

than that I'm perfectly normal.

EMMA:

I see.

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

Or rather, you don't. Learnt the

tricks in camouflage. Till this

accident made a prang of things.

How can I help you, Mrs. Peel?

203 INT. MINISTRY - ANOTHER OFFICE

Steed on the phone.

STEED:

I say, Trubshaw, Steed here ...

Barometer's falling fast. Mrs.

Peel and I find ourselves in

need of foul weather gear.

(beat)

Yes, I'd say gentlemen's snuff

for starters. And then --

204 INT. INVISIBLE JONES' OFFICE

File pages flip through the air as Jones goes through them.

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

Ah, here we are. Steed asked me

to play a hunch:
Valentine Peel.

EMMA:

Peter's brother? But --

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

Half-brother to be precise.

Emma is surprised.

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

Now let's see ... Eton, Cambridge ...

research into robotics and plastics.

Overtaken by Peter's work on the

physics of climate change ...

EMMA:

I know all this.

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

Do you also know that during your

final experiment, your halfbrother-

in-law was under surveillance?

EMMA:

Surveillance? By whom?

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

Father. She gave him an 'all clear'

after a security test by Dr. Darling.

EMMA:

Who's now vanished.

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

Makes two of us.

EMMA:

Are you suggesting that Dr. Darling

and Valentine were somehow in this

together? But that's absurd.

Steed enters behind them on the run --

STEED:

We must hurry, Mrs. Peel ...

EMMA:

Hurry? What for? I'm just

now --

STEED:

You didn't tell her?

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

(testy)

I was getting to it.

EMMA:

Getting to what?

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

The World Council of Ministers meets

tomorrow to convene the new global

defense initiative --

EMMA:

I fail to see --

STEED:

There's a reception this evening. Colonel

Jones thinks it advisable we attend.

EMMA:

Have we been invited?

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

(poker-voiced)

Under the circumstances Mother didn't

see fit, but I think I can get you in ...

EMMA:

(surveys her male

outfit)

Well, I can't possibly go like this.

STEED:

I had a feeling. That's why we're

in a hurry ...

Steed proffers an arm to Emma.

STEED:

May I have the honor, Mrs. Peel?

She decides, takes his arm.

EMMA:

You may, Mr. Steed.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote