The Avengers Page #18

EMMA:

(stunned)

Dr. Darling, Peter ... all you ...

VALENTINE:

An unholy trinity ...

EMMA:

(stands)

You killed my husband.

VALENTINE:

For starters. Of course I had to kill

the Teddy Bears, as well ...

EMMA:

Too many cooks --

VALENTINE:

Spoil the majority shareholders. In

Wonderland Weather. I planned

everything, even the Ministry

recruiting you ...

EMMA:

But I found you. All the clues

led me here ...

VALENTINE:

Of course. I planned that, too.

EMMA:

But -- why?

VALENTINE:

You disappoint me, Emma. Can't

you guess?

(moves toward her)

For you. It was all for you ...

EMMA:

(cold)

'Our revels now are ended.'

VALENTINE:

Oh, no, Emma. They've only

just begun ...

300 INT. INVISIBLE JONES' OFFICE - NIGHT

The phone hangs in the air -- with the smoking pipe.

INVISIBLE JONES (V.O.)

The shoes were delivered to an island

in the Serpentine - former Ministry

installation ... she said to tell you

goodbye. What?

301 CLOSEUP - STEED IN RED PHONEBOX (SOMEWHERE) - NIGHT

STEED:

I said it's not goodbye yet.

Listen, I'm going to need some

help. In a hurry ...

302 INT. HYDE PARK UNDERGROUND - DINING ROOM

VALENTINE:

(indicates supper)

Think of this as your second

wedding feast ...

EMMA:

I'm already married ...

VALENTINE:

Come, come, you're a widow -- a

most attractive widow. Now I think

of it, we'll need a bridesmaid. Here.

He pushes a button. Bad Emma enters. Tattooed Z424. Unmistakably hostile.

VALENTINE:

My latest model. A compound of

plastics and sensor chips. A big

improvement on the old X404s.

The poor thing is quite fond of me.

Emma, say hello to Emma.

BAD EMMA HISSES, a strange mix of STATIC and FEEDBACK.

VALENTINE:

You know, I believe she's actually

jealous.

EMMA:

Valentine, listen to me ...

VALENTINE:

Right, bridesmaid. Now what

have I left out? Oh, yes, I know:

the ring.

EMMA:

(covers her hand)

Ring?

He stands very near her -- she's terrified -- then:

VALENTINE:

How silly of me -- let me make

you comfortable first ...

As he advances, ZOOM IN EXTREME CLOSEUP Emma's eye

DISSOLVE TO:

303 INT. ISLAND (HYDE PARK) - NIGHT

Another ball, WIDEN to reveal, from the lake, an odd eight foot high plastic ball

emerges -- The ball lands on the shore. From the inside, a zip peels away the plastic

layer to reveal --

Steed, like an urban dandy in suit and bowler. A rose in his lapel. He steps out, and,

poking with his umbrella --

Deflates the inflatable plastic submarine. Steed heads off -- CAMERA EYES the

peacock swivel towards him, as he heads into the jungle where he sees the --

304 RED PHONEBOX

Steed picks up the phone. Presses all the buttons until he hits "Button B." As the floor

lowers, his eyes widen in surprise ...

305 SARCOPHAGUS

carved in Emma's likeness. Lowered from the ceiling hydraulically into --

306 INT. VALENTINE'S HIGH-TECH TORTURE CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS

ACTION:

as Valentine descends spiral steps to join it.

Valentine opens the coffin to reveal Emma strapped within.

VALENTINE:

That's better. I say, isn't this

where you came in? It's

impenetrable, by the way ...

EMMA:

You're mad.

VALENTINE:

Entirely. On the other hand

(he advances towards

her, smiling)

Mad people get things done. Let

me show you --

307 INT. UNDERGROUND H.Q. - CONTINUOUS ACTION

Steed stealing down a corridor and --

hides, as a posse of guards rushes past, alerted by the peacock cameras. He waits till

they pass, then reaches out his umbrella, and --

Nabs Father around the neck who was feeling her way after them. Brings her down.

FATHER:

Steed

STEED:

How did you guess?

FATHER:

You reek of Mrs. Peel's Black

Leather ...

STEED:

It was you who gave Valentine

Peel his security clearance ...

you're the mole who betrayed

the Ministry.

FATHER:

Mother betrayed me. She was

going to replace me with a younger

Father. Errand boy that's all I was.

'Find Steed...'

STEED:

Well, you found me. Have a sniff of

this, why don't you? Careful, the

scent can be overpowering ...

Holding Father securely, Steed forces her nose into his rose boutonniere, squeezes the

rubber tube, sprays a Mist. Father passes out. Steed rises, locks around.

Sees --

A grille and removes it, climbs in and replaces it before the guards return. He turns

and --

308 INT. DUCTS - CONTINUOUS ACTION

crawls forward through a mass of wires and plumbing --

until he hears a VOICE -- VALENTINE'S.

Steed reaches another grille, through which he can see --

309 INT. TORTURE CHAMBER

Emma's coffin, standing on end, like the Iron Maiden faces a wall of TV monitors as

Valentine explains.

VALENTINE:

People expect weather to be free.

They're used to it. I call that a

denial of freedom. No freedom of

choice. An abuse of human rights.

They buy water, electricity, gas.

Why shouldn't they be able to buy

their own weather if they want to?

If they have a little incentive ...

Emma reacts -- also Steed (unseen) behind her.

EMMA:

Such as?

VALENTINE:

Destruction of their local weather

systems. I can zap a thousand

Chernobyls into the air.

EMMA:

The result would be ...

VALENTINE:

Chaos. Transport paralysis. Crop

failure. Economic disaster.

Frostbite or sunburn ... on a

massive scale.

You've seen a few samples...

EMMA:

Then what's stopping you?

VALENTINE:

One very small thing. A diamond

'cyclone' chip. A thousand times

more information on a fraction of

the size. If I possess that, my

powers would be unlimited. My

dear half-brother was developing

it. But he suspected sabotage.

He gave the chip to ... you,

'Mrs.' Peel. I want you. But

also your ring.

Valentine takes her by the hand. Kisses --

310 CLOSEUP - HER RING

A diamond. In the light, a patterned imprint. ZOOM IN -- a complex fractal equation of circuits.

311 BACK TO SCENE

VALENTINE:

The missing piece of the jigsaw.

I tried to get you to give it to me

as Peter; I tried to steal it from

you as Dr. Darling. As myself I'll

be a bit less subtle.

(he slips it off her

finger; holds it up)

With this ring my plan will be

complete.

EMMA:

How Wagnerian ... Do you mean

to say you've waited all these

years because you couldn't create

a chip on your own? That would

have amused Peter.

VALENTINE:

Speaking of Peter, there's more good

news:
You won't even have to change

your last name. You'll always be Mrs. Peel.

EMMA:

What are my choices?

VALENTINE:

Choices?

EMMA:

I'll never marry you.

Valentine is philosophical. He spins the sarcophagus on an axis, lying it flat -- Emma

lying in her coffin as he looks down at her --

VALENTINE:

One out of two isn't bad. I'll keep you

alive, darling Emma. In a year or five,

you may change your mind. If you're

still in it.

Valentine presses a button. From the ceiling -- a surgical laser. Moves down to within

inches of her face.

VALENTINE:

This little toy gave me back my face.

It can replace yours. What do you think?

Medusa? Madame Defarge? Maggie

Thatcher?

He marks an imaginary line round Emma's face.

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