Tomorrow Never Dies Page #6

Bond reaches out to touch her. She falls into his arms, burying her

face in his shoulder.

PARIS:

I'm so sorry, James. I promise, I'll

never leave you again.

BOND:

(patting her head)

Shhhhh...

PARIS:

Just hold me.

Bond thinks for a moment, then gently pushes her away, a foot

backwards, to look in her eyes:

BOND:

How do you know Harmsway?

Paris' eyes flicker at something over Bond's shoulder. She swoons:

PARIS:

Kiss me.

She pulls Bond to her, kissing him - then HAULS OFF, BELTING him

across the mouth.

PARIS:

Bastard! Leave me alone!

She shoves him off, darts away. Bond is bleeding from his mouth -

and not altogether surprised at her behavior. He turns to see -

ANOTHER ANGLE - SAN GIACOMO SQUARE - (BOND'S POV) -

Paris running to FOUR MEN dressed alike in three-corner hats,

enveloped from head-to-foot in BLACK CAPES. Their faces are

completely concealed behind flat, bone-white masks covering all but

their chins. They look like messengers of death.

CLOSER ON PARIS AND THE MEN -

The leader is STAMPER; the others are locals, THUG #1, #2, #3. (THUG

#1 is built like a bank vault.) Stamper looks steadily at Bond

STAMPER:

Who is he?

PARIS:

Nobody. Just some drunk. Leave him

alone -

STAMPER:

(to Thug #3)

Take her to the boat.

RETURN ON BOND -

He sees STAMPER and the TWO HENCHMEN approaching. He turns and walks

quickly toward -

EXT. RIALTO BRIDGE - FIRST (UP) STAIRCASE - NIGHT

Pushing past carnival-goers, Bond rushes up the central staircase of

the bridge. At the top, looking onto the main span, he sees -

THE EFFIGY OF CARNIVAL PROCESSION, approaching like a tidal wave.

BOND throws a look over his shoulder, and SEES THE THREE MEN, rushing

up the stairs, knocking people out of the way like bowling pins -

completely unaware of the oncoming parade at the top.

BOND turns to face the men... And suddenly THROWS HIS CAPE UP,

dramatically, like Batman - blocking their view of the procession.

STAMPER AND THE TWO THUGS hesitate for a moment -

And BOND PULLS THE CAPE TO HIS BODY, just as the PROCESSION SURGES

PAST HIM, and spills down the stairs, overwhelming Stamper & Co.

BOND:

(to himself, flexing the cape)

So that's how he does it.

Bond disappears into the oncoming crowd.

Stamper and Thug #2 are pushed to the bottom of the staircase - but

Thug #1 bulls his way up, shouldering through the crowd.

RIALTO BRIDGE - SECOND (DOWN) STAIRCASE - NIGHT

As Bond nears the bottom of the staircase, he looks back up:

THUG #1 is coming down the stairs like an infernal machine, tossing

carnival-goers aside like rag-dolls. Spotting Bond, he charges -

But gets caught between TWO MEN CARRYING A SATIN BANNER. He goes

right through it - ripping the material apart with his bare hands,

pulling the men down, after him.

BASE OF THE RIALTO BRIDGE - CANAL SIDESTREET - NIGHT

Bond turns past the wall at the bottom of the colonnade. He sees:

A GROUP OF TOURISTS, posing for a photo by the bridge -

and just beyond this -

A STREET SELLER hawking souvenirs from a PUSH CART.

BOND approaches the TOURIST with the camera, offering to take the

picture for him.

BOND:

Prego, prego. Permissio.

TOURIST:

Grazie.

Bond takes the camera. The tourists pose. And with perfect timing,

Bond turns, and - POP! - sets off the FLASHBULB in THUG #l's face

just as he comes around the corner.

Bond flips the camera back to the tourist -

BOND:

Grazie -

And heads for the PUSHCART. Wheeling it around, he SHOVES IT at the

thug, who is still stumbling, blinded by the flashbulb.

The CART SLAMS INTO THE MAN, knocking him on his back. The cart

stops on top of him, pinning him down.

BOND takes off, threading through the crowd toward a SIDESTREET.

Meanwhile, THE STREET SELLER rushes to his wrecked cart. It ERUPTS

in the air as Thug #1 jumps to his feet. He's getting really pissed

off. He looks around for Bond - just catching a glimpse of him, as -

007 disappears down the sidestreet.

Thug #1 makes a bee-line for Bond - but finds his path blocked by TWO

MOTORCYCLISTS, chatting away. Barely stopping, Thug #1 lifts one of

the motorcycles - with the driver still in the seat - and THROWS IT

INTO THE CANAL.

RETURN ON THE BASE OF THE BRIDGE -

Stamper and Thug #2 arrive at the wrecked cart - in time to see Thug

#1 disappear onto the side Street.

Stamper motions for Thug #2 to come with him on a parallel course

along the canals toward -

THE PLAZA SAN SALVATORE - NIGHT

Bond enters the deserted plaza from the side-street. Sticking close

to the buildings, he ducks into an alleyway.

ALLEYWAY - OFF THE PLAZA SAN SALVATORE -

Shrinking back into the shadows, Bond peers out into the Plaza.

BOND'S POV - THE PLAZA

Stamper and Thug 2 charge in. Bond watches as they split up and

start looking for him.

RETURN ON BOND - IN THE SHADOWS -

Suddenly, a huge hand grabs 007's shoulder, spinning him around:

THUG #1 has Bond in his grasp, with murder his eyes. In one fast

move, Bond side-steps, ducks, and twists out of the cloak, throwing

it over the Thug's head. And as the Thug struggles to get out from

under it, Bond slams him head-first into a wall, knocking him out.

(He's left sitting upright, slumped against the wall.)

NEW ANGLE -

Bond heads off down the alleyway, away from the Plaza, toward the

courtyard of Il Bovolo.

RETURN ON ALLEYWAY ENTRANCE -

Thug #2 enters, spots the figure in Bond's cloak. Very quietly, he

pulls out his gun, kneels... And as he brings the gun up to the

cloaked figure's head, chambering a round -

The cloak erupts, with Thug #1 viciously biting Thug #2's gun-hand,

hurling him against the opposite wall.

With a frustrated fury, Thug #1 rips off the cloak, and stands.

THUG #2

Marco - I didn't know -

THUG #1

After him!

They charge off.

IL BOVOLO - COURTYARD - NIGHT

Bond enters from the alley, scans the courtyard: Three walls. No

way out... Save for a SPIRAL STAIRCASE that leads up to the FOURTH

FLOOR INTERIOR BALCONY, overlooking the courtyard.

THE SPIRAL STAIRS -

Bond takes the marble steps, two at a time.

RETURN ON THE COURTYARD -

The two Thugs enter the square. Motioning for quiet, they HEAR

BOND'S FOOTFALLS on the steps, and race up after him.

THE BALCONY -

Coming off the staircase, Bond tries the doors to the interior of the

building:
Locked. Too heavy to burst in. He glances down at the

courtyard, and HEARS THE THUGS' FOOTSTEPS running up the stairs.

Bond glances up to the roof, just above his head: The only escape.

Pocketing his mask, Bond hops on the BANISTER, REACHES for the

GUTTER. He pulls himself up, throws a leg over - onto the roof, and

disappears from sight...

Just as the Thugs enter the balcony from the staircase.

FIRST ROOFTOP -

Bond scurries along the steeply pitched terra-cotta roof. There are

SHEER DROPS on three sides - but the fourth side is a one-story drop

to an adjoining building. Bond jumps.

SECOND (LOWER) ROOFTOP -

007 lands on another steeply pitched roof; unable to get a foothold

on the tiles, he slides down, rolling to the edge. He looks down:

The adjoining building is one story lower, with a skylight roof.

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