The Saint Page #5

This is GREGOR TRETIAK. To characterize him as the John Gotti of Russia is to demean him. He is vastly more powerful.

TRETIAK:

Interesting.

(sizes up Templar)

You are not a big man. But men like you never are. It is my pleasure, Simon Templar. My name is...

TEMPLAR:

I know who you are. Tell me what you want, or I keep walking.

TRETIAK:

Suppose I don't want anything. Suppose I want to kill you.

TEMPLAR:

Suppose there's a high-powered rifle trained at your head.

As Tretiak's eyes dart about, Templar raises his hand, waving, signaling to someone below the bridge --

BELOW THE BRIDGE - ON THE VICTORIA EMBANKMENT

-- that someone is CONCIERGE HARRY WINSTON, in a cloth cap and rain mack now, and yes, he has a 30.6 scoped rifle trained at Tretiak's head.

BACK TO THE BRIDGE Tretiak's jaw muscles twitch. He smiles thinly.

TRETIAK:

Rumour has not lied about you, Mr. Templar. Last night something was stolen in St. Petersburg. My city.

TEMPLAR:

You talk about the place as if you own it.

TRETIAK:

(sinisterly)

I do, Mr. Templar. May I ask who hired you?

TEMPLAR:

You can ask. I won't answer.

TRETIAK:

What you stole I wanted very badly.

(beat)

Ilya.

Ilya emerges from the shadows. Locks eyes with Templar. The thief from the Nikko!

TRETIAK:

What is the saying - if you can't beat them, why not join them? An American phrase, no? Or are you British? Australian?

TEMPLAR:

I'm nothing. Except bored. Get to the point.

TRETIAK:

(smiles)

Of course. An American scientist has worked ten years to develop a certain technology. I am informed that the technology will be made public at the annual nuclear science symposium in Washington D.C. I would like the plans and specifications for this technology. Before the symposium.

TEMPLAR:

What are we talking about?

TRETIAK:

A nuclear fusion generator. We have a man on the inside.

TEMPLAR:

Why can't he steal it?

TRETIAK:

He's tried. The scientist trusts no one and keeps no hard records of the technology in the lab.

TEMPLAR:

Nuclear fusion. They say it's mankind's only hope after all the oil's gone. This guy's actually done it?

TRETIAK:

She.

TEMPLAR:

Come again?

TRETIAK:

She, Mr. Templar. The scientist is a woman.

(hands over a dossier)

Her dossier. All the information you will need.

TEMPLAR:

My fee is fifteen million U.S. dollars, half up front, half when I deliver. You'll hear from me.

Templar turns and walks off.

TRETIAK:

Templar, one question.

Templar stops. Turns.

TRETIAK:

I ask you to steal a person's entire life's work. You have no reaction. Are you that cold?

Templar stares back, expressionless. He turns and disappears into the fog.

TRETIAK:

No, rumor hasn't lied about you, Templar.

CUT TO:

EXT. WESTCHESTER COUNTY - ESTABLISHING SHOTS

Various establishing shots of this suburban community just north of Manhattan. Pretty, charming, affluent.

INT. WESTCHESTER COUNTY - SUPERMARKET

A large suburban supermarket. The aisles are full of Westchester women: affluent, country clubby, housewifey types. A HAND reaches for a BOTTLE OF LEMONADE (100% Natural) , bringing it down to the eye level of --

JILLIAN ST. THOMAS. She is lean, a swimmer's body perhaps, with terrific acuteness and authority in her thought, speech, and action. Debate this woman? Fine, but you'd better know what the hell you're talking about. Her stare can stop a train. She's casually dressed. Only her JACKET stands out. It's waist-cut, with a colorful diagram of protons and electrons circling a nucleus embroidered on the back.

JILLIAN:

(reads ingredients)

Filtered water, high fructose corn syrup. Lemon juice concentrate. Citric acid. Gum acacia...?

(grumbles)

Totally natural, yeah right.

She returns the bottle and turns, coming face-to-face with SIMON TEMPLAR, wearing a moustache and glasses now. He has a bottle of LEMON JUICE in his hand.

TEMPLAR:

Try this.

(smiles)

Sorry, I overheard.

(hands her the bottle)

The real thing. No chemicals, no preservatives.

She reads the label. Satisfied, she looks at Templar.

JILLIAN:

Thanks.

She puts it in her cart and wheels off and CUT TO:

INT. SUPERMARKET - PRODUCE SECTION - MINUTES LATER

Jillian is examining apples. There is a THUMPING NOISE. It persists. Finally she looks over at --

TEMPLAR. He's standing in front of the watermelons. He's thumping one with his thumb. He notices Jillian.

TEMPLAR:

Hello again. These aren't ripe. How are the apples?

JILLIAN:

Excellent. They're in season.

Templar walks over to the apples. Picks one up. Studies it for a moment.

TEMPLAR:

I wonder why He didn't want us to eat these.

A pause. She looks at him, puzzled.

JILLIAN:

Who?

TEMPLAR:

God. In the Garden of Eden.

JILLIAN:

Oh right. Sorry, little slow today. Bad headache.

(looks at the apple)

Uhm, actually, I don't know.

TEMPLAR:

Why wasn't it: "No bananas." Or: "Avoid, at all cost, kumquats." Wonder what God had against apples. She gives him a funny look and turns away.

JILLIAN:

Sorry. Can't help you.

TEMPLAR:

How about William Tell? You really think he shot one of these off his brother's head with an arrow?

Jillian turns around again. A pause.

JILLIAN:

Do I know you?

TEMPLAR:

Unlikely. I just moved to New York.

She stares at him. This is a very strange man. Intriguing yes, but also possibly a lunatic. She decides to take the dismissive route:

JILLIAN:

Well uhhm, sir, to answer your apple questions, one, I don't know what God's problem was. Two, William Tell, like Paul Bunyon, never existed. And in case you're wondering, Isaac Newton discovered gravity through planetary observation not because one of those fell on his head, and I seriously doubt that eating one a day will keep the doctor away.

(beat)

Okay?

She wheels her cart off. Says over her shoulder:

JILLIAN:

By the way - welcome to the Big Apple.

Templar watches her wheel off. His eyes glint. This is going to be interesting...

CUT TO:

EXT. WESTCHESTER SUPERMARKET - PARKING LOT - DAY

Jillian slams down the hatch of her station wagon, now filled with groceries. She gets in. The car pulls out of the parking lot.

INT. JILLIAN'S STATION WAGON - DRIVING

Jillian, driving, drinking her lemonade, listens to a cassette tape. An authoritative, scholarly, Indian voice:

VIJAY SINGH (v.o., cassette)

Nuclear fusion occurs when pairs of nuclei meet and their protons and neutrons fuse together into a single nucleus. The fused nuclei move off at high speed, producing energy. Nuclear fusion could provide us with almost unlimited power.

JILLIAN:

No, really? Moron.

VIJAY SINGH (v.o., cassette)

All you need are two hydrogen gases, deuterium and lithium, and a machine to make them fuse under controlled conditions.

JILLIAN:

C'mon, Dr. Singh. Tell me something I don't know.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes