Watchmen Page #9

EXT. CEMETERY - LATE AFTERNOON

Adrian, moving down to Dan as we FADE TO:

EXT. CITY STREETS - NIGHT - (FLASHBACK 10 YEARS AGO)

A NEWSPAPER BOX. The headlines: "Cops Say: 'Let Them Do It',"

"Senator Keene Proposes Emergency Bill Banning Vigilantism."

PAN UP TO REVEAL: The streets JAMMED with ANGRY PROTESTORS,

waving signs decrying vigilantes.

ANGLE ON:
AN OVAL AIRSHIP--the OWL SHIP--its forward windows

sculpted like the eyes of a great owl.

(CONTINUED)

32.

CONTINUED:

Dan, in costume, pilots the ship. The Comedian stands outside

the ship, in one of the "owl eyes," wielding a MACHINE GUN.

DAN:

(over loudspeakers)

EVERYONE, PLEASE CLEAR THE STREETS. WE

ARE TRYING TO RETAIN ORDER UNTIL THE

POLICE STRIKE IS OVER.

BLAKE:

Crawl back in yer holes before you get

hurt! I got rubber bullets!

MAN IN CROWD:

We want regular cops! No more vigilantes!

WOMAN IN CROWD:

My son is a cop, a**hole!

The Comedian gets HIT IN THE HEAD by a flying SODA CAN.

BLAKE:

Okay, that's how you wanna do it?!

Smiling grimly, he FIRES TEAR GAS CANNISTERS INTO THE CROWD.

DAN:

Oh God.

(over speakers)

LOOK, I'M SORRY. YOU'VE LEFT US NO

CHOICE. PLEASE CLEAR THE STREETS!

The Comedian DIVES into the crowd, knocking random people

aside with his rifle butt, then starts firing rubber bullets

into the crowd. The protestors scatter and retreat. Dan lands

the Owl Ship, exits wearing a GAS MASK, hands one to Blake.

DAN (CONT'D)

Comedian, this is a nightmare! The whole

city is erupting!

BLAKE:

Hah! You seen this?

The smoke clears enough for Dan to see a message SPRAY-

PAINTED on a brick wall: "WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?"

DAN:

How long can we keep this up?

BLAKE:

My government contacts tell me they're

pushing some new bill through Congress.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

33.

CONTINUED:
(2)

BLAKE (CONT'D)

Until then, we're society's only

protection.

DAN:

Protection from what?

Blake laughs, exultant in the blowing smoke, the chaos.

BLAKE:

Are you kidding? From themselves.

CLOSE ON:
the happy face pin on Blake's costume. MATCH CUT TO-

EXT. CEMETERY - EVENING

--Dan fingering Blake's happy face pin.

PRIEST:

Lord have mercy upon us. Amen.

Dan DROPS the pin into Blake's grave. The mourners linger a

moment as dirt is shoveled onto Blake's casket, then start

filing out. We follow one particular mourner all the way in

the back--a LONE MAN, as he walks away.

EXT. CEMETERY GATES - CONTINUOUS

The Lone Man leaves quickly.

INT. MOLOCH'S BROWNSTONE - NIGHT

The Lone Man removes his hat and coat. He is old, withered.

He is EDGAR JACOBI. In his younger days, he was a

supervillain known as MOLOCH--we recognize him from the news

clipping in Blake's closet.

INT. MOLOCH'S KITCHEN - NIGHT

Moloch goes to the REFRIGERATOR, opens it. Then stops,

staring. There is a scrawled NOTE inside. Moloch picks it up--

in spiky handwriting it reads: "LOOK BEHIND YOU."

Over Moloch's shoulder Rorschach's hat-brim TILTS UP. As

Moloch turns, Rorschach lunges, PINS Moloch's ARM behind his

back and SLAMS him to the floor.

RORSCHACH:

Edgar William Jacobi. Also known as Edgar

William Vaughn. Also known as William

Edgar Bright. Also known as Moloch.

MOLOCH:

What are you talking about? I'm a retired

business maaAAAHHH!

(CONTINUED)

34.

CONTINUED:

Rorschach TWISTS the man's arm back viciously.

RORSCHACH:

Lie again, I'll break your arm.

MOLOCH:

Oh God, please. I did my time. I'm not

Moloch anymore. What do you want from me?

Rorschach lets him go. Moloch's hollow eyes follow him.

RORSCHACH:

You attended a funeral today. Why?

MOLOCH:

The funeral? I don't know why I went. I

just felt I should. I'd been thinking

about the Comedian--

Rorschach SLAMS Moloch against the wall.

RORSCHACH:

How did you know Blake was the Comedian?

MOLOCH:

He broke in here! A week ago! He, he had

his mask off. He was drunk--

RORSCHACH:

You were enemies for forty years. Why

would he visit you?

MOLOCH:

I don't know! I woke up in my bedroom and

there he was! He was upset! Crying!

RORSCHACH:

The Comedian? Crying?

MOLOCH:

He, he was babbling, not making sense. I

was pissing in my pants--I thought he was

going to kill me!

RORSCHACH:

What did he say?!

MOLOCH:

He said he was wrong. About it all being

a joke, that it wasn't funny anymore. He

said he was scared--

(CONTINUED)

35.

CONTINUED:
(2)

RORSCHACH:

Scared of what?!

MOLOCH:

Something he saw, I think. He said

something about wishing he never broke

into that building. But that he had to

keep his mouth shut. Then, then he left!

Rorschach studies Moloch a moment, then releases him.

RORSCHACH:

Hm. Funny story. Sounds unbelievable.

Probably true.

Rorschach glances around the kitchen. He opens some drawers,

looking inside. He picks up a stack of MAIL, flips through

it. One of the envelopes contains a PENSION CHECK from

"Pyramid Industries."

Rate this script:4.0 / 2 votes