The Fugitive Page #8

GERARD:

Seal it up.

EXT. AERIAL VIEW OF GROSVNER VIADUCT - DAY

The two-lane road disappears into long tunnel. Three hundred

feet below the road tumbles the Tennessee River.

The Barkley Dam rises ahead. Kimble's AMBULANCE ROARS into

the tunnel.

ON KIMBLE:

Suddenly sees the helicopter setting down ahead of him at

the mouth of the tunnel.

Kimble slams on brakes and turns to retreat.

ANGLE - FAR END OF TUNNEL (BEHIND HIM)

Illinois Highway Patrol cars pull to a stop at the far

entrance. Light flares. Set out road blocks.

ANGLE HELICOPTER

Gerard steps out followed by Renfro and Poole.

KIMBLE'S AMBULANCE

Comes to a stop, blocking traffic in both directions.

Immediately HORNS begin BLARING.

EXT. TUNNEL - NIGHT

Trooper pulls up. Biggs and Newman behind Kimble blocking

the other end.

Troopers with guns drawn block the exits. The P.A. from a

State patrol car blares:

P.A. (V.O.)

Please remain in your vehicles and

lock your doors. Repeat, please

remain in -

ANGLE ON HELICOPTER

Poole and Renfro materialize already decked out in Kevlar.

They're jacked up and ready to rock. Renfro hands Gerard a

vest.

RENFRO:

Got him.

Gerard unholsters a 40 caliber, Glock model 22.

GERARD:

Okay, ladies and gentlemen hard

part's over.

He starts into the tunnel.

RENFRO:

(to radio)

We're movin' in.

INT. TUNNEL - DAY

Weapons drawn, but held discreetly at their sides, three

silhouettes enter. Drivers who hadn't heeded the Troopers'

P.A. warnings take one look at Gerard and quickly climb

back inside and lock their doors.

Biggs, Renfro and Poole fan out to the sides and give the

middle to Gerard. The tunnel is quickly quiet.

Kimble huddles at mid-tunnel. He's trapped. Drops to the

ground beneath the truck. His heart pounding, brain

clicking, fighting panic. Suddenly he realizes he's in water.

Running water.

ON MARSHALS:

They reach the mid-tunnel area. No Kimble. Biggs looks

around, beneath vehicles. Gerard listens. Poole looks

confused.

POOLE:

Where'd he go?

Gerard spots the trickle of water. He backtracks it until

he finds a loose grate in the pavement. Man-size.

GERARD:

Biggs, Renfro with me.

INT. STORM DRAIN - FORKING CONDUIT - DAY

Kimble splashes blindly through ankle-deep sluice. He slows

at forking tunnels to catch his breath and pick a direction.

A DULL ROAR comes from somewhere - from everywhere. He whips

off his jacket and slings it down a tunnel, then continues

straight ahead.

Somewhere behind, lights probe splash-patterns on the conduit

wall - telltale signs of Kimble's passing. The lights belong

to...

Gerard, Biggs and Renfro. They push on, soon reaching the

forking tunnels. Renfro finds the jacket ant splash signs.

GERARD:

Channel Three.

They conform their radios. Splitting up, Biggs and Renfro go

left. Gerard - straight ahead.

INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY

Kimble. Bracing with all four limbs. Negotiating a mossy

downslope.

INT. CONDUIT - DAY

Biggs and Renfro. Sweeping his light as he advances.

Searching for splash-patterns.

BIGGS:

(into shoulder-mike)

Nothing yet.

INT. CONDUIT - DAY

Gerard. Probing a branch-off tunnel with his light. About to

pass, he notices scrapings on the mossy walls of the

branch-off tunnel. Hand marks?

GERARD:

(into radio)

Got a possible here. Stand by.

He stows his light but hangs onto the Glock. Bracing with

three limbs

INT. DOWNSLOPE CONDUIT - DAY

Gerard begins the tricky descent. Slips once. Recovers.

Slips again...

... and tumbles out of control. GUN and RADIO CLATTER AWAY.

Scrabbling for purchase, he finally snags An overhead pipe.

Gerard stabilizes. Sweeps his light to locate his Glock,

lying down-tunnel. He eases toward it. But another hand gets

there first.

It's Kimble. Face dark and desperate. Dangerous. Hand

flexing on the pistol. They lock eyes for a beat.

KIMBLE:

I didn't kill my wife.

GERARD:

So, you didn't kill your wife.

Not my problem.

An adrenal beat. For a moment they hold a look. Then the

silence is broken by Gerard's radio.

BIGGS (V.O.)

Gerard? You there?

Gerard looks for his radio, then back at Kimble - he's gone.

Instantly Gerard reaches for his ankle - and pulls a back-up

piece.

INT. CONDUIT - DAY

As Renfro hears FOOTSTEPS POUNDING his way.

ANOTHER ANGLE:

Gerard charges down the tunnel. From a side tunnel, Renfro

appears, almost colliding. Biggs follows...

GERARD:

Straight ahead!

INT. CONDUIT - DAY

Kimble sticks Gerard's gun into his waist band to balance

in the tunnel. He spills around a corner and stops. Ahead

lies an orb of light. The tunnel ends. The NOISE is

incredible. Kimble moves to the end of the tunnel and

stops.

KIMBLE'S POV

Water pours from the tunnel into the spillway of Barkley dam

disappearing into a veil of mist below - a great cauldron of

mists. No rocks. None visible at least.

He hears the MARSHALS behind him - COMING CLOSER.

ANGLE - MARSHALS

Gerard and Renfro turn the corner. Renfro drops into a

shooting stance.

GERARD:

Turn around, hands over your head.

And get down on the ground.

For a moment Kimble eyes Gerard.

GERARD:

Your choice, Kimble...

Kimble turns his back on the Marshals, stares again at the

water. Slowly he puts his hands over his head. Gerard puts

up his gun and pulls his handcuffs. He moves through the

water toward Kimble.

GERARD:

Get down on your knees.

Kimble bends slowly, stares down into the falls, hears the

footsteps get closer, then does the unthinkable. He jumps.

EXT. BARKLEY DAM - DAY

Biggs moving to the top of the massive dam sees Kimble leap

into the sheet of water spilling over dam and disappear into

the mists below. He can't believe his eyes.

INT. DRAINAGE CONDUIT - DAY

Renfro lowers his gun.

RENFRO:

(amazed)

Son of a b*tch...

It's the most amazing thing he's ever seen...

ON GERARD:

He stands at the mouth of the tunnel staring down. He

stares down into the mists. Impressed. It has told him

something invaluable about this fugitive.

EXT. TOP OF DAM - DAY

Gerard scrambles out of the tunnels to the top of the dam

near Biggs, just as squad cars, troopers and the search

helicopter converge on the site.

EXT. RIVERBANK - DAY

Far downriver a figure fights through a snag in the bend.

The snag - a tree branch - breaks away and heads down

stream. Hanging onto the branch we see Kimble.

EXT. BARKLEY DAM - LOWER RESERVOIR - SUNSET

Below the dam and spillway. Troopers in waders search the

shallows, deputies beat bushes along the shore.

Farther out we see a dredge boat slowly working the waters.

FROM SHORE:

Gerard watches the dredge cage come up again. As if with

the next pass it will prove him the victor. The HEAD

ILLINOIS TROOPER CAPTAIN approaches.

HEAD TROOPER:

Running out of daylight, Inspector.

GERARD:

Lights and generators are coming,

Captain.

HEAD TROOPER:

Look, I don't mean to tell you your

job, but maybe one person in a

million could've survived that fall.

The guy's fish food.

Gerard turns and brings his look to bear on the Captain.

GERARD:

Then find me the fish that ate him.

He turns and heads to a waiting helicopter.

EXT. WOODS - AFTERNOON

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