EPISODE THIRTEEN - RATS IN
THE CELLAR
Driving far too fast are,
in one screen, a platoon of MAD black luxury cars, and in another, Seth’s
Plymouth Fury and Prince’s Nissan GT-R Skyline.
EXT. RED STAR OFFICE
Armside’s Buick is parked in the adjacent lot, along with
Remington’s Ferrari and Valentine’s Jaguar.
INT. RED STAR OFFICE
Valentine is on both the
office phone and mobile phone at the same time. On the table is a half empty
bottle of whisky, pills and chocolate.
Valentine: What? No, that’ll be fine,
those odds sound good. (In other phone)
Pardon? No, well, it doesn’t matter. (Pause) Elli, I don’t care, cook
whatever you want!
Remington enters with Brown
and Blonde in tow. Valentine’s eyebrow twitches.
TITLE CARD - RATS IN THE
CELLAR
INT. RED STAR OFFICE
Armside enters with his arm around Lydia, but is swiftly yanked away
by Valentine, pinching his ear.
Armside:
Ow! Goddamnit!
Valentine: Gorrammit,
you asshole, why’d you bring these crack addicts here?
Armside:
We always bring our captives here for collection!
Valentine: Not White Tigers. (Lets Armside go)
Get rid of them.
Armside:
Say what!?
Valentine: Take them to your house. Your catch, your risk.
Armside:
But they’ll be here any minute to collect them!
Valentine: Who are ‘they’?
Armside:
Well, they.
Valentine raps Armside on the head with his knuckles.
Armside:
Your bullying won’t work today man. It’s the happiest day of my life!
Valentine: Whatever.
He stalks away, defeated
and heads for the training room.
Valentine: Don’t get me out until
they’re gone, or I’ll go nuts and start killing stuff.
EXT. RED STAR OFFICE
Seth’s
INT. RED STAR TRAINING ROOM
Valentine is doing sword
exercises.
Valentine: So how much are you guys
making on this again?
Valentine: Oh yeah? So you’ll be rich
beyond your wildest dreams, huh?
Valentine: I’m okay. I still make
over $3 million a year in royalties alone, and I have my investments. It’s
enough for me.
Valentine: School? Whaddya need school for? You got so much cash; you can
straight buy a penthouse in
Valentine chuckles
She hands him the photo.
Valentine studies it.
Valentine: This is Armside, his wife Jennifer and their daughter. (He frowns) They died, twelve or so
years ago. Put to death by mobsters who were seeking concessions from him. Drowned in the River
Valentine: What?
Valentine: You’re joking! (
Valentine: Wow… happiest day of his
life, huh? (He squats) You know what
that makes me? I’m your Godfather.
Valentine: It’s true! You can ask’
your father.
A long pause
Valentine: Hey, come here, I’ll teach
you how to fence.
There’s a smashing sound
outside.
INT. RED STAR OFFICE
It’s Armside
who has dropped his Aerosmith mug in shock. Prince
stands centre stage, flanked by Seth Black, Green, Red and Blue.
Armside (croaking): My God! It’s you.
Remington: Aren’t you supposed to be
dead?
Valentine has come out of
the training room, followed by
Valentine: I thought I sensed
something when I saw you at the Harbour with your smoke and mirrors. But it
didn’t hit me until a little later that our ‘fearless’ leader had miraculously
risen from his grave.
Prince: It was your mistake,
Valentine.
Valentine: We could have dealt with
it if you hadn’t run like the coward you are!
Prince: There’s no use rehashing
it now. I’ve just come to collect your prisoners.
Valentine: I understand there’s a
significant cash reward involved?
Prince: I’ll pay you when I have
all of it.
Armside:
Hold on, you double crossing bastard! I was told cash up front!
Prince: Who told you that?
Armside:
Some woman on the phone.
Prince: Still as impulsive as
ever, eh? Well, it’s a little difficult for a dead man like me to come up with
$500 million in cash. I wasn’t expecting it to be needed so soon.
Stony glares all round
Prince (bitter): If money is all you care
about, don’t worry, you’ll get it.
Valentine steps up and
grabs Brown and Blonde and shunts them in Prince’s direction.
Valentine: Take your scum and get
out, Claverty.
Prince: I go by the name Prince
nowadays.
They turn to leave. Blue opens
the door and quickly slams it shut as a hail of bullets rains down on it.
Everyone kisses the floor.
Blue: Holy Shit!
Valentine: I fucking told you! I
fucking told you there’d be trouble but you didn’t fucking listen, did you! Goddamnit!!!
He slides back and unlocks
the armoury cabinet as storm troopers break down the door. Black and Red gun
down those advancing, then retreat. Green and Blue keep their guns steady
though and eliminate the second wave. The gunfire stops. Short pauses as people
catch their breath and reload. There’s a strong feedback sound which catches
everyone’s attention.
Beaufort (On Megaphone): Marco Valentine, come out
with your hands behind your head! Comply or your building will be bombed!
Valentine: That’s Beaufort! What the
hell does he want with me? What’s he doing here? Hey! Hand me that m-phone over
there!
Valentine (into Megaphone): What do you want with me,
you blackheart? If you want me, you’re gonna have to
come in and get me!
Silence outside, then
footsteps as someone approaches the door.
Beaufort: Permission to enter. I’m
unarmed.
Green nods. Beaufort
advances and Blue frisks him. He’s clean. Valentine flares at Beaufort.
Beaufort notices Black, Red and Green.
Beaufort: I didn’t seriously believe
it before, but it seems it’s true, eh? You really are prince of the White
Tigers.
Valentine looks around in
disbelief.
Valentine: You talkin’
to me?
Beaufort nods. The real
Prince is hiding under a table. Valentine runs forward and kicks him.
Prince: Ow!
He jerks up and hits his
head on the underside of the table. Valentine pulls him up by the ear. Beaufort
recognises him with shock.
Valentine: This is the guy you’re
after! Not me! I’ve nothing to do with this chickenshit
ass!
Beaufort: I’m going to step outside
now.
Armside:
You’re going nowhere! Why should we let you go?
A helicopter can be heard
outside.
Beaufort: It seems we have an
unexpected guest.
BREAK
INT. RED STAR OFFICE
It’s a Mexican stand off. A
trumpet starts playing outside
Beaufort: It’s the President
himself. If I don’t go out and greet him right now, they will assume I am dead
or turned traitor and bomb the building, and I’m sure none of us want that, eh?
He slowly backs away
towards the door
Beaufort: You’ll have at least a
quarter of an hour to make any decisions.
Beaufort exits
INT. VALENTINE’S HOUSE
Elli is like, baking a cake
or something very domestic like that. The phone starts
ringing. She pulls herself away from the sugary excesses to answer it.
Elli: Hello? (Pause) Oh, hello Vahe.
(Pause) No he is not here (Pause) What? Huh? Ah?
She hangs up, runs to the
living room and turns on the TV to the relevant news channel which has live
coverage of the siege. Her jaw hangs open.
INT. RED STAR OFFICE
Valentine is at a computer.
Everyone else is arming themselves.
Remington: The hell are you doing,
fool?
Valentine: I’m saving all my
financial records on to the Palace networks because this place is about to get
toasted.
The phone rings, Valentine
answers.
Valentine: Hello? (Pause) Oh hi, honey. (Pause) No, it’s nothing to worry about.
(Pause) Don’t worry (Pause) Forget about it (Said with genuine mobster style) (Pause)
I’ll be home by then. (Pause) Yeah,
love you too, sweetie, bye.
He hangs up, leaps up, ties
his sword to his belt, starts stuffing papers and photos, grabs some guns and
slicks back his hair.
Valentine: Ok, let’s go!
Armside:
Go where?
Valentine shifts a rack of
guns from the armoury wall to reveal a concealed door which he opens and runs
through, everyone following.
EXT. RED STAR OFFICE
Shadowhite, Beaufort and
gang are in position.
Shadowhite: Their time is up.
Beaufort nods. About five
soldiers run forward and one by one, throw grenades into the building. Several
loud explosions later, the whole thing is in flames. Courtenay leads a group of
men into the wreck and quickly finds the secret door which Remington forgot to
close. He speaks into a walkie-talkie. Beaufort is on the other side.
Courtenay (from radio): They’ve escaped! (Sound of footsteps) Directly
behind. I see - Ah! Shit!
EXT. BEHIND RED STAR OFFICE
Remington opens fire on the
advancing soldiers, killing about fourteen. Courtenay dives for cover and more soldiers
power through to cover him. Remington runs for it and Valentine provides cover
fire.
EXT. NEARBY
Armside and Lydia are with Black, Green and Prince. Prince is inspecting Brown and Blonde.
Prince: They’re really out of it,
what’d you use?
Armside:
Monocolter. I think it’s an elephant sedative.
Green: Incoming!
Prince and Black try to use
the distraction to shovel up Brown and Blonde and steal them away, but Armside reacts well and kicks them both in the groin. Black
squeaks as he goes down. Armside takes them himself
and runs with Lydia, who aims her gun at Green.
Armside:
Bye now.
They run. Valentine and
Remington come round the corner, followed by various agents. Prince’s GT-R
comes screaming round the corner with machine guns on the headlamps blasting a
path through. Prince and Green escape to the car, but Black is surrounded. He
fights through, but gets knocked out by Valentine. Remington kills the
remaining agents. Valentine picks up Black’s spear and hurls it at the GT-R
which dodges and peels away.
Valentine: Self serving motherfuckers!
Remington nudges Black with
his foot.
EXT. NEARBY
Armside holds Brown while
Armside:
I think we’re in the-
BLAM! Armside
goes down, holding his chest. Brown has fallen next to him, a gunshot wound in
his back. BLAM! Blonde takes a head shot.
Armside:
How can you… shoot the devil in the back? What if you… what if you miss?
Valentine inspects the
injury. The exit wound is wide and bloody.
Valentine: Hang on in there, buddy!
Armside coughs up blood.
Valentine: Shit man, now pull
yourself together!
Armside:
It’s ok… Marco… I’ll be reunited with my wife (cough) in God’s Kingdom. It really is the best day of my life.
Valentine is sheet white
and speechless for once in his life.
Armside:
Thank you… for everything. Listen… take care of my daughter for me… (Cough) Promise?
Valentine: Yeah…
Armside coughs one more time, closes his eyes
and becomes motionless. Valentine rests him against the wall,
gets up and goes over to
Valentine: Your real name’s Elyssa, did you know that?
She runs away round the
corner. Valentine is startled, then chases, but she has disappeared.
Valentine: Come on, don’t play!
He shoves his hands in his
pockets and finds his wallet which she stole from him an eternity ago. She
slipped it in during their embrace- she’s really gone. She’s left the photo of Armside, Jennifer and her inside. Valentine turns back
round, finds Remington staring at Armside’s lifeless
body, with Seth Black hoisted over his shoulders. Valentine’s face hardens and
the fury returns.
Valentine: Remington, take this
worthless cabron and our friend Armside
back to my place.
Remington: Ok… where are you going?
Valentine stomps away.
EXT. STREETS
Beaufort is driving
Shadowhite away in one of the black cars. He glances nonchalantly at the side
mirror, then does a double take and looks back in alarm as Valentine’s Jag
chases him down with a vengeance. He steps on the pedal hard, in panic but the
engine stalls and the Jag crunches into his back. Valentine jumps out, runs,
punches out the passenger window and throttles Shadowhite. Beaufort shoots
Valentine in the shoulder, and he hits the ground. Shadowhite aims his gun at
Valentine. Valentine glares, gripping the hilt of his sword.
Shadowhite: I always admired you, your
spirit, you know. Even after you failed and left us all to burn.
Shadowhite shifts his aim
to the Jag’s fuel tank. Valentine darts into a nearby building. Shadowhite
fires as his car speeds away. Fuel pours out and is ignited by the sparks from
the still running engine, creating one huge motherfucker of an explosion. It
may not be realistic, but it sure is destructive. It takes out a good chunk of
building too.
Valentine is inside,
unconscious, a little charred and all cut up. A young girl of about 14 or 15
runs out of one of the rooms, notices him, and drags him to safety with her as
the fire rages.
EXT. CITY NIGHT
Valentine comes to, the
girl forcing him to drink some water. He splutters then looks up, and does a
double take when he sees her face. A one shot flashback of his ex-wife Su who
she greatly resembles.
Valentine: Su?
The girl shakes her head.
Mei: My name is Mei… but my mother’s
name was Su… (Uncomfortable silence) You’re
Marco Valentine, aren’t you?
Valentine nods. Neither
person quite knows what to say. THEY JUST KNOW. Valentine holds out his arms,
they hug.
END - GOING UNDER
To be continued.
Episode Fourteen Preview
Valentine: Everything's gone, yet
everything's found. Everything's lost, but it'll be alright. I have to lose my
self pity and support those that I love. I have to look out for myself and make
sure I get through. It's not anyone's fault, yet it's everyone's fault but my
own. Next episode, Nobody's Fault. There's a lot of
fault here...