Toxic Rage Page #9

MELISSA:

(fingers trembling as she starts typing)

I'm on it. Hold onto your asses, we're crossing the Rubicon.

MARK'S PHONE BUZZES. The room goes dead silent. Mark reads the message, his face going from white to ghostly.

MARK:

(nearly choking on the words, skin tingling with a dread so acute it feels like ice)

You're not going to believe this. Mia just got picked up by the feds. National security threat. Jesus Christ, she's carrying our f***ing bombshell!

GRAYSON:

(feeling his heart plummet into his stomach, his mouth dry and acrid)

Christ Almighty. If she talks, we're toast. Burnt to a f***ing crisp.

AMANDA:

(gripping the arms of her chair, nails digging into the faux leather)

You mean if she knows it's us. Right now, she thinks she's a martyr for a cause. If she finds out we used her—

GRAYSON:

(eyes turning cold, calculating)

Then we make sure she never does. Pull the plug on "Project Helix." Leak something that points away from us but keeps the feds busy.

MELISSA:

(pausing, her fingers hovering over the keyboard)

You're saying we sacrifice her.

GRAYSON:

(tasting the bitterness in his own words, hearing the silence scream back at him)

I'm saying we survive.

MARK:

(feeling his soul crumple like a piece of wasted paper)

And her? What about Mia?

GRAYSON:

(grimacing, a taste like ashes filling his mouth)

She's collateral damage.

The room is filled with the deafening roar of moral boundaries crumbling, a silence so intense it feels like a black hole, swallowing all light, all hope.

FADE OUT:

INT. DINGY MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

The room is dimly lit, filled with the scent of desperation. Big JOEY sits on a cheap chair, his knuckles white. JILL sits on the edge of the bed, tense. Their six-year-old son, BOBBY, is engrossed in a tablet on the floor.

JILL:

(nervous)

I need to call my parents, Joey. They'll be worried sick.

JOEY:

(irritated)

Babe, we've been over this. No calls. They could trace us.

JILL:

(angry)

Who's gonna look out for my parents if they come lookin' for you?

JOEY:

(pauses, struggling)

I'm sorry, babe. They're lookin' for me, not them. They'll be okay.

SUDDEN LOUD KNOCK ON THE DOOR

All three turn toward the door, tension sky-high. BOBBY looks up, his cartoon forgotten.

JILL:

(panicked whisper)

Who the hell is that?

JOEY:

(whispering)

Don't know. Stay quiet.

JOEY rises stealthily, grabbing the handgun tucked into the back of his pants. He walks towards the door, each step feeling like an eternity. He opens the door a crack.

EXT. MOTEL ROOM DOOR - NIGHT

A STRANGER stands there, nondescript and forgettable.

STRANGER:

Is one of you Joey?

JOEY:

(nervous)

Who's asking?

STRANGER:

(smiling)

Just say yes, and all your troubles will go away.

INT. DINGY MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

JOEY looks back at JILL, their eyes locking in a moment filled with terror. With a lump in his throat, JOEY turns back to the STRANGER.

JOEY:

Yes.

STRANGER steps into the room and shuts the door behind him.

STRANGER:

(smiling wider)

Good choice. You just saved your family.

STRANGER pulls out an ENVELOPE from his coat and hands it to JOEY. JOEY takes it, his hands trembling.

INT. DINGY MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

JOEY rips open the ENVELOPE. Inside, there's a USB DRIVE and a NOTE that reads: "Play Me". He looks at JILL. Her eyes are full of hope and fear.

JOEY:

(determined)

Whatever happens next, we face it together.

JOEY inserts the USB DRIVE into BOBBY's tablet. A VIDEO MESSAGE begins to play, revealing shocking information that will change their lives forever.

CUT TO BLACK.

INT. DINGY MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

JOEY stands beside a cheap chair, clutching an ENVELOPE. JILL sits on the bed, her eyes full of apprehension and hope. Their son, BOBBY, sits on the floor, playing with his tablet but sensing the tension in the room.

JOEY:

(to Stranger, off-screen)

Alright, let's see what we've got here.

JOEY opens the ENVELOPE; the sound of tearing paper fills the room like a forewarning. He pulls out several PHOTOS and a LETTER. He scans the PHOTOS—surveillance shots of him, JILL, and BOBBY.

JILL:

(keenly observing JOEY)

What is it?

STRANGER:

(voice icy)

Do you recognize these?

JOEY:

(choked up)

Yeah. It's us.

STRANGER:

Read the letter.

JOEY unfolds the LETTER, reading rapidly. His eyes widen. The room tenses further as he digests the implications.

STRANGER:

(interrupting JOEY's thoughts)

You understand what you have to do?

JOEY:

(looks at JILL, voice full of resolve)

Yeah. I understand.

STRANGER:

Good. You have 48 hours.

STRANGER exits, leaving JOEY, JILL, and BOBBY in a room thick with tension and fear.

JILL:

(shaky but defiant)

What did it say, Joey? What do we have to do?

JOEY walks to JILL, enveloping her in his arms. They hold each other tightly, each drawing strength from the other.

JOEY:

(whispering with newfound resolve)

We're going to fight, babe. We're going to fight like hell.

JILL:

(nods, holding back tears)

Then we'll fight as a family.

INT. JOEY AND JILL'S "WAR ROOM" - NIGHT

The room is filled with MAPS, BLUEPRINTS, and various ELECTRONICS. JOEY is on a computer, JILL beside him, BOBBY nearby, still engrossed in his tablet but safe.

JOEY:

(looking at JILL)

You ready for this?

JILL:

Ready as I'll ever be.

INT. CRIMINAL HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT

JOEY and JILL, dressed in black and wearing disguises, move stealthily through the complex, evading GUARDS, hacking DOORS, and acquiring INTEL.

INT. CRIMINAL HEADQUARTERS - MAINFRAME ROOM - NIGHT

JOEY plugs a USB DRIVE into the mainframe. JILL guards the door, her gun ready. The computer screen reads "Uploading Virus... 95%... 96%... 97%..."

INT. CRIMINAL HEADQUARTERS - MAINFRAME ROOM - NIGHT

The screen reads "Upload Complete." JOEY and JILL exchange a look of victory and relief.

JOEY:

(grinning)

We did it.

INT. DINGY MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

JOEY, JILL, and BOBBY are back, safe but forever changed. JOEY looks at JILL and BOBBY—his universe—knowing they've crossed a point of no return.

JILL:

(looking at JOEY)

So what now?

JOEY:

(pausing, then smiling)

Now, we live. And we keep fighting, whatever comes our way.

FADE OUT:

INT. RUNDOWN BAR - NIGHT

GREG, MARK, and MIA huddle in a secluded corner, each scrolling through encrypted messages on their phones. The single dim BULB overhead casts ominous shadows on their faces.

GREG:

(squinting at his phone)

You really trust this guy? Could be a setup.

MIA:

(clenching her glass, ice cubes clinking)

We don't have a choice. Joey's made too many enemies; they're closing in on him.

MARK:

(wiping sweaty palms on his jeans)

Joey's a smart guy. But this—

(gestures at the messages)

—feels like something out of a spy movie.

The door CREAKS open. All eyes shift toward it. JOEY enters, wearing a coat and sunglasses, even in the dim light.

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