The Rock Page #18

Darrow with his gun to Larry Henderson's head. Hummel paces

in the background. MASON emerges ftom the cell block.

Mason walks up to Hummel. The two stand there a moment,

regarding each other.

CAPTAIN DARROW:

Gotta be kidding me. They send an old

man.

Mason gives Darrow a hard-eyed glance. Hummel takes a lap

around Mason, sizing him up.

HUMMEL:

I thought I'd been in the service a

long time. Name and rank, sailor.

MASON:

John Paul Mason.

(stares at Hummel)

Royal Navy. Commander.

HUMMEL:

You're a long way from England,

Commander Mason.

MASON:

I feel strangely at home.

HUMMEL:

Howls that?

MASON:

You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

HUMMEL:

Do you have some unique knowledge of

this prison facility, Commander Mason?

MASON:

Quite unique.

HUMMEL:

How's that?

MASON:

I was a guest here.

Glances all around. Someone laughs. Everyone laughs.

EXT. CHINA ALLEY ROCKET LAUNCH STATION - NIGHT

Pvt. COX mans the launcher. Suddenly a voice:

GOODSPEED (V.O.)

Freeze. (Cox freezes) Drop the weapon

and turn around. Slowly.

Pvt. Cox drops his weapon. Slowly turns. Goodspeed, one hand on his gun,=

the other on HIS TOOLS, begins to unscrew the V.X. CHEM ROUND=

FACE-PLATE.

ON THE GRATED LEVEL ABOVE GOODSPEED - PVT. MCCOY appears.

Looking down, he sees Goodspeed and Cox. He cinches his

REPELLING CLIP to the steel railing.

EXT. ALCATRAZ - PRISON YARD - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT

HUMMEL:

well you're some kind of joker, Mason. Maybe you're a lunatic. Are you of=

sound mind, Mason?

MASON:

I'm not threatening the lives of a

million innocent people. You are.

Hummells demeanor changes. Hard now. Tight.

HUMMEL:

Give me the guidance chips.

MASON:

I threw them in the bay.

HUMMEL:

That was stupid of you.

MASON:

(re:
hostage Hen' derson)

Would you have shot him7

CUT TO:

The marines look at Hummel, wondering the same thing.

220 EXT. CHINA ALLEY ROCKET LAUNCHING STATION - NIGHT

GOODSPEED, still holding Cox at bay, pulls the V.X. chem round from the=

rocket. The going is slow. he begins to lift the POISON PEARL STRANDS from=

the chem round. His hand reaches to unclip the GUIDANCE SYSTEM=

CHIP.

Suddenly PVT. MCCOY repels to the level behind Goodspeed.

Goodspeed grabs the chip and dashes off, slamming through an

OLD WOODEN DOOR into the CIVIL WAR RUINS.

EXT. PRISON YARD - CONTINUOUS=20- NIGHT

Mason and Hummel. The previous question dangles in the air:

Would you have shot him?

HUMMEL:

You seem like a bright man, Commander.

Bright men understand necessity.

MASON:

Bright men also obey the law.

"Wherever law ends, terror begins."

John Locke.

HUMMEL:

"Where there is no law, there is no transgression." The Bible. Romans,=

Chapter 4, Verse 15.

MASON:

Article 7, American Constitution? "Treason against the United States shall=

consist of... 11

HUMMEL:

The American Constitution was written by traitors, Commander. Traitors=

against a government founded on injustice and tyranny and=

stupidity.

(beat)

I see little difference in my motivation.

EXT. CHINA ALLEY ROCKET LAUNCHING STATION - NIGHT

Goodspeed, inside the Civil War ruins, levels his gun at the

door. The chip is in his free hand.

The door CREAKS open.

EXT. PRISON YARD - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT

HUMMEL:

Do you, Commander Mason?

Suddenly GUNSHOTS. Coming from China Alley. Hummel and men

whirl around, startled.

HUMMEL:

Frye, Crisp, go!

EXT. CHINA ALLY ROCKET LAUNCHING STATION - NIGHT

Goodspeed wildly discharges his gun until CLICK, the clip is

spent. Cox and McCoy step through the doorway.

Goodspeed shoves the guidance chip in his mouth.

MCCOY:

Swallow that and I swear on my Aunt Myrtle's grave I'll cut your belly open=

and pull it out.

McCoy and Cox spring at Goodspeed. McCoy whips the butt end of his gun=

against Goodspeed's head. Goodspeed crumples, unconscious. McCoy jams his=

fingers in Goodspeed's mouth.

MCCOY:

He bit the f***in' thing. It's shot.

INT. MAIN CELL HOUSE - CELL BLOCK 'ID" - MORNING

GOODSPEED squints through painful eyes, gaining

consciousness. he looks around, taking stock of the start

cell on 'ID" block. Gets to his feet. Goes to the bars:

GOODSPEED:

Mason. (no response) Mason?

MASON (V.O.)

It's about time.

GOODSPEED:

Where are you?

A CELL ON THE TIER ABOVE GOODSPEED . - MASON sits on a bed.

MASON:

Above you.

(under his breath)

Literally and figuratively.

WIDENING, we see that MASON'S MATTRESS has been ripped into long strips. =

Mason is BRAIDING THE STRIPS into a long rope. The rope is quite finely=

constructed. Mason's been at this several hours.

INTERCUT BETWEEN THE TWO CELLS (and during the following,

Mason keeps busy with his rope braiding).

GOODSPEED:

This is tiny.

MASON:

You referring to your intellect, Goodspeed? Or another portion of your=

anatomy ....

GOODSPEED:

The cell, Mason.

MASON:

Five feet by seven. Try living in one

for a year. What happened?

GOODSPEED:

I only got one chem round. There are

two left. I f***ed up.

MASON:

(sarcastic)

Surprise, surprise.

GOODSPEED:

I'm not a field agent, all right? So

cut me a break.

MASON:

An F.B.I. Man asking me for a break.

How droll.

GOODSPEED:

What is your beef with the Bureau,

anyway Clmon. Tell me.

MASON:

Let's say our countries had a little dispute. They both knowingly shafted=

me.

GOODSPEED:

How?

MASON:

Familiar with the name Hoover, Goodspeed? I don't mean a vacuum cleaner=

...

Goodspeed listens intently and

CUT TO:

INT. LONG BEACH AIR FORCE BASE HANGAR - MORNING

SUPER:
LONG BEACH, CA. - U.S. AIR FORCE BASE.

TECHNICIANS are frantically installing WILLY PETER

INCENDIARY BOMBS under the wings of an F-16.

ACROSS THE HMGAR - General Peterson and Captain Giler brief

FOUR F-16 TOP GUN PILOTS.

GENERAL PETERSON The target. Alcatraz Island. This is not a precision=

strike. The entire island is to be blanketed.

LWO F-16 PILOT Sir, we hit that Island with Willy Peter and it's going to=

look like Iwo Jima. No one can survive it.

GENERAL PETERSON

(grimly)

That's why this is a volunteer mission, Captain. If any of you have doubts=

you can carry it out, speak up.

The pilots look at each other. Silence.

GENERAL PETERSON

Captain Giler?

CPT. GILER We jerry-rigged a release lever. You'll find it on the left=

side of the cockpit. It's got two positions: safety and release. Throw it=

on release, the bomb drops in five seconds. Change your mind, throw it=

back on safety. Any questions?

INT. ALCATRAZ - GOODSPEED'S CELL - MORNING

Goodspeed stares blankly into space. INTERCUT between the

two cells again.

GOODSPEED:

Jesus.

(thinks)

Why didn't you just tell Hoover and the bureau where the microfilm was? =

Make a trade?

MASON:

Some trade. They'd get the microfilm

and I'd get a bullet in the head.

- GOODSPEED

I see your point. Something's been on

my mind. About your escape.

MASON:

What?

Mason rises. Lifts the bed. Pulls off the bed's heavy ROLLING CASTER. =

Knots the caster onto one end of the braided rope.

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