The Mummy Page #6

EVELYN:

Twenty-five percent, and not

one single farthing more.

The warden flashes a big green smile, then YELLS in Arabic

A scimitar SLASHES the air. The rope is CUT. O'Connell

CRASHES to the ground. Half dead. Rolls over. GAGGING.

All of the prisoners BURST INTO CHEERS. O'Connell looks

up at Evelyn. She smiles broadly and waves down at him.

CURATOR'S OFFICE - NIGHT

CANDLE LIGHT FLICKERS across the Curator's face.

CURATOR:

She must die

Standing in the shadows across from his desk are THREE MUMIA:

blue tinted skin, hideous facial tattoos, --the works. One of

the Mumia has a rusty metal HOOK for a hand. He shrugs.

HOOK:

She is like all the others.

She will die in the desert.

CURATOR:

No! She has seen too much. She

knows too much.

The Curator leans across his desk, fear in his eyes.

CURATOR:

Not only does she have a map,

but she has the key.

Spooks the hell out of the Mumia guys.

HOOK:

The key!? She has the lost key!?

CURATOR:

Yes. No one has ever had so much,

been so close. We must stop her,

or it will be the end of us all.

HOOK:

Then we will kill her, we will

kill her and all those with her.

CURATOR:

And burn the map and retrieve the key.

HOOK:

It will be done. But what of

the American expedition? They

leave tomorrow as well.

CURATOR:

Forget the bumbling Americans,

they will be like all the others.

without the map to guide them, how

can they possibly find Hamunaptra?

EXT. GIZA PORT - DAY

SMASH CUT TO:
our old traitorous friend BENI,

BENI:

It is three days down the Nile,

then two days by camel, sahibs.

WE CRANE BACK:
to reveal Beni standing on the bow of a

PASSENGER BARGE. Surrounded by DANIELS, HENDERSON and BURNS,

DANIELS:

For all the money we're paying

you, something better god-damned

well be under that sand.

WE KEEP CRANING BACK: as Henderson slaps Daniels on the back.

HENDERSON:

"Hamunaptra," Daniels, that's

all ya gotta keep sayin, to

yourself, "Hamunaptra."

Now we see all of GIZA PORT: Team of explorers swarm the

docks. Across the Nile, the PYRAMIDS spike the sky. Evelyn

and Jonathan walk along the boardwalk besieged by HAWKERS

selling everything from toy tombs to King Tut action figures.

EVELYN:

Do you really think he'll show up?

JONATHAN:

Undoubtedly, I know the breed,

he may be a cowboy, but his

word is his word.

EVELYN:

Personally, I think he's filthy,

rude and a complete scoundrel.

I don't like him one bit.

O'CONNELL (o.s.)

Anyone I know?

They both turn. O'Connell walks up; shaved, showered, spit

and polished, with a new haircut and clothes. He looks more

dashing and handsome than ever. Evelyn is suitably impressed.

EVELYN:

Oh .... um,...hello.

Jonathan grabs O'Connell's arm and shakes his hand.

JONATHAN:

Smashing day for the start of

an adventure, eh, O'Connell?

O'Connell quickly checks his pockets.

O'CONNELL

Yeah, sure, smashing.

He finds his wallet and relaxes. DIRECTLY ABOVE HIM: on the

bow of the barge, Burns wipes his bifocals and turns to Beni.

BURNS:

You're sure Hamunaptra is out there?

BENI:

Along with the scorched bones

of my entire garrison, sahib.

And that's when Beni spots O'Connell. Beni shakes his head,

as if seeing a mirage, then starts backing away from the men.

BENI:

A thousand pardons, my good sahibs

but there is much work to be done.

Beni quickly scurries off, vanishing down into the hold.

BACK DOWN WITH:
Evelyn, recovering, she clears her throat.

EVELYN:

Mister O'Connell, can you look

me in the eye, and guarantee me

this is not some sort of flimflam?

Because if it is, I'm warning you--

--O'Connell steps up close to Evelyn, invading her space

looks her straight in the eye. Evelyn doesn't back away.

O'CONNELL

All I can tell you, miss, is that my

Colonel found that map in an ancient

fortress, and the whole damn garrison

believed in it so much, that without

orders, we marched halfway across

Libya and into Egypt to find that city.

Like I told ya, all I saw was sand.

Everybody else was wiped-out by

Tuareg warriors. I'll take your bags.

O'Connell takes her bags and heads up the gangplank and onto

THE SAME PASSENGER BARGE THAT BENI AND THE AMERICANS ARE ON.

Evelyn's eyes follow him, a bit wistfully. Jonathan sees it.

JONATHAN:

Yes, yes, you're right, filthy,

rude, a complete scoundrel,

nothing to like there at all.

Evelyn gives him a look. Jonathan just grins. And that's when

the warden suddenly brushes past, tipping his raggedy hat.

WARDEN:

A bright good morning to all.

EVELYN:

What are you doing here?

WARDEN:

I have come to protect my

investment, thank you very much.

And up the plank he goes. Evelyn and Jonathan share a look.

WE GO WIDE AGAIN: as the barge pulls out and heads down the

Nile. WE TILT UP: to the SUN, which then DISSOLVES into--

EXT. RIVER NILE - NIGHT

--The MOON, shining down on the desert. The THREE VICIOUS

MUMIA quietly glide a narrow skiff out onto the river. The

one with the hook sits in the middle of the skiff, the other

two row, heading for the PASSENGER BARGE coming their way.

EXT. THE BAR AT THE BOW - NIGHT

Jonathan and the three Americans are playing poker. O'Connell

comes out a door carrying a GUNNY-SACK.

JONATHAN:

Sit down, O'Connell, sit down,

we could use another good player.

O'CONNELL

I only gamble with my life,

never my money.

DANIELS:

Never? What if I were to wager

five hundred dollars says we

get to Hamunaptra before you?

O'Connell returns Daniel's cocky look.

O'CONNELL

Yer on.

Burns slips on his dirty bifocals.

BURNS:

What makes you so confident, sir?

O'CONNELL

What makes you?

Henderson spits a wad of chew into a spittoon.

HENDERSON:

We got us a man who's actually been there

O'Connell's poker face drops, perplexed. Same with Jonathan

JONATHAN:

I say, what a coincidence, why--

--O'Connell 'accidentally' hits him in the ribs with the

gunny-sack, shutting him up. Jonathan quickly covers.

JONATHAN:

--whose deal is it? Is it my deal?

I thought I just dealt?

EXT. BARGE - NIGHT

Evelyn sits on a table, staring out over the passing river.

The gunny-sack DROPS onto the table, startling her.

O'CONNELL

Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya

ELVELYN:

The only thing that scares me,

Mister O'Connell, are your manners,

O'CONNELL

Still angry that I kissed ya, huh?

EVELYN:

If you call that a kiss.

O'Connell reaches into the gunny-sack and starts pulling out

revolvers, pistols, hunting knives, a massive elephant gun,

and a half dozen carefully wrapped sticks of dynamite.

EVELYN:

Did I miss something? Are we

going into battle?

O'CONNELL

The last time I was at that place

everybody I was with died.

This takes the smile off Evelyn's face. O'Connell starts

dismantling and cleaning the guns.

O'CONNELL

There's something out there, you

know, something under that sand.

EVELYN:

Yes, I'm hoping to find a certain

artifact, a book, actually, my

brother thinks there's treasure.

What do you think is out there?

O'Connell looks into Evelyn's eyes.

O'CONNELL

Evil. The Tuaregs and the Bedouin

believe that Hamunaptra is cursed,

they call it, "the doorway to hell"

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