EPISODE SEVENTEEN – THE
OTHER SIDE
INT. RED STAR OFFICE
The office looks neatly
tidy again. Remington works while Seth is on floor sweeping duty.
INT. RED STAR TRAINING ROOM
Valentine is with his
sword.
Seth (V.O.): She is not everything that
she seems.
Valentine slashes wildly.
TITLE CARD: THE OTHER SIDE
INT. RED STAR OFFICE
Valentine exits the
training room. Seth is now mopping the floor.
Valentine: I will miss this place.
Remington: Then what the hell are you
leaving for, you fool?
Valentine: I can’t keep leading my
family into fires now, can I?
Remington: Family? Hah! Good one.
Valentine: Now then, Nicholas, no
need to be so cynical.
Remington: Where are they now then?
At each others throats as usual?
Valentine (bridles): Mei
is with her tutor this morning.
Remington: Tutor?
Valentine: Yeah, a
maths tutor. Armside actually arranged it for
Remington: Yeah, I’ll bet.
Valentine: She’ll be finishing around
now. I told her to come by here, and bring some lunch with her.
Remington: How about Elli?
Valentine: Come to think of it, I’m
not sure. I think she was checking out properties at the Palace. She’s not been
in a good mood since I vetoed the idea of her working here again.
Remington: You should let her do what
she wants to do.
Valentine: It’s the preservation
principle. I’m very much anti her getting killed or maimed in any way. Besides,
you have the pipsqueak here to help you.
Seth: Right. When do I get to
work, anyway?
Remington: You’re doing some now.
Seth: I meant real work, not
this desk monkey stuff.
Remington: Hey! That stuff is
important. And I’m not comfortable with letting you roam considering how you’re
still our – well, my hostage and all.
Seth: I think I’m more a guestage…
Valentine: Take it easy, Seth. You
should live a little. Complete your education, go to college or something. It
bothers me to see healthy kids like yourself failing to enjoy yourself
properly.
Seth: To fight and struggle is
the only thing I know how to do.
There is a knock at the
door and Mei enters, bags in
hands. She sets them down. Valentine examines, hands a pie to Remington.
Valentine: I tell you what, I have to
go down to Amihama now. For all its claims of being a
business
Seth thinks about it.
Valentine: And I’ll pay you too.
Seth: Oh! Well… hmm, I’m not
sure.
Valentine: C’mon, Mei’ll
come too, won’t you?
Mei (eating): Say what? Um, whatever.
Seth: Oh, all right, I’ll come.
EXT. RED STAR OFFICE
Outside parked on the kerb
is a first generation Multipla.
Seth: What in the name of Begorrah is that?
Valentine: it’s a car. (Beat) What, they don’t have cars where
you come from?
Seth: I just had an image of you
as a very flash man.
Valentine: A car is a car.
Seth: Well, if you’re picking up
cargo, shouldn’t you take a lorry?
Valentine: It’ll be fine. There’s
enough space.
Valentine, Seth and Mei pile into the front.
INT. MULTIPLA
Seth: I’ve been meaning to ask
you something.
Valentine: Me?
Seth: Yeah. How come your
mother’s name is Kenichi? What is that, her maiden name?
Valentine: Yeah. She and my father
were separated when he died, and she took her own name back.
Seth: Yeah, I thought so. Say,
the name Kenichi seems really familiar from somewhere else. Doesn’t it, Mei?
Mei stares at her feet.
Valentine: Yeah? Who else do you know
with that surname?
Seth: Hmm. I think he maybe
lived near – Gnh!
Mei has stamped on his foot. Valentine looks across but everyone
is smiling innocently.
Valentine: We’re here.
EXT. AMIHAMA
A couple of boats have
docked, unlike the winter when the area was deserted. There are no people about
though.
Valentine: It’s not here yet.
Seth: What are we waiting for?
Valentine: A blue and white boat that
says Private Mailing System on the side.
Seth: No, I meant the cargo.
Valentine: Oh, crap.
Seth: ???
A huge, scary looking black
Audi A8 Quattro rolls past nearby.
Valentine: Why the hell are they
here?
Seth: Who??? Who?
Valentine: It’s a MAD car. I
recognise the plates; it’s from Beaufort’s motor pool.
Another one, looking almost
identical rolls past.
Valentine: What’s going on?
Seth: There are White Tiger
bases here, perhaps they’re raiding them.
Valentine: In that case, we’d better
get out of here. I don’t want to be anywhere near here for this.
Seth: I guess so…
They head for the car… but Mei is gone.
Valentine: Mei!
(Runs about like a headless chicken) Mei! Where are you? Where is she?
Seth: No cl-uh
oh.
Valentine: What?
Seth: I think I know where she
went. It’s to do with those agents.
Valentine (prickles): What are you saying?
Seth: She’s gone to defend
against them.
Valentine blinks. Then he draws
his gun.
Valentine: Lead the way.
Seth: Are you –
Valentine: We’re not leaving without
her.
EXT WAREHOUSE NO.8
Valentine: So when you said she was
not all that she seemed…
Seth and Valentine inch
along the wall, guns drawn.
Seth: She’s a Tiger. Born and
bred that way. Or so I hear. I never really had a whole lot of contact with her;
he kept her hidden away real good.
Valentine: Who kept hiding her away?
Seth: I saw her sister – well –
foster sister? I saw her a lot more. You knew her too.
Valentine: What? Who kept hiding her
away?
Seth: It was – Hey! That’s my
Seth jogs over to where his
car is parked among a slew of others including Prince’s Nissan Skyline, an MR-2,
a purple Mustang, a Mercedes S-class and few BMWs. Also there is a familiar looking very battered and crunched up
Jaguar XJ.
Valentine: Hey! That’s my car! Why is
it here?
The Audis are also parked.
Out jump Beaufort, Courtenay and a number of other suited agents.
Seth: Oh bad.
BREAK
EXT. WAREHOUSE NO.8
Beaufort: We have the incorrigible
proof we require. We take no prisoners. Shoot to kill. Understand?
All the agents nod.
Valentine steps out much to Seth’s dismay.
Beaufort: What are you doing here?
Valentine glares.
Beaufort: Was it not enough for you
to fatally wound my reputation? You had best stay out of my way; this has
nothing to do with you.
Valentine: Believe me; I don’t want
to interfere with whatever you’re doing. But my daughter is in there. She’s
been abducted. I just want to collect her, and then leave.
Beaufort: That’s the truth?
Valentine: Nothing but.
Beaufort: Fine. You can cover our
approach.
Valentine inspects the door
and then motions Seth over. Seth does some secret knock type thing. Something
unlocks. But something is wrong. Seth rolls away.
Seth: Down!
Valentine ducks but the
shot comes and hits one of the agents square through
his shades. Valentine leaps forward, kicks the door, knocking out the guy on
the other side, who is then riddled with bullets by the other agents. Everyone
storms in. Valentine and Seth trail behind and come in to find everyone
pointing guns at each other like a Mexican standoff.
Valentine (mutters): Oh for God’s sake.
On the other side of the
room are Red, Blue, Green, Natasha White, Bridget Violet, Mei,
a few other flunkies and some out of focus dude with red hair.
Valentine: Back in the car… you said
you knew another Kenichi?
Seth: Yeah… (Nods at the Redhead) Yukio.
Valentine: My big brother.
Seth: And Mei’s
foster father.
Valentine’s eyes narrow.
Valentine: Is that so…
Meanwhile, the time vacuum
everyone else was in disappears and the world starts moving again.
Beaufort: Give yourselves up now in
peace, or die and suffer in eternal torment!
Green: Never!! You may take our
lives, but ye will never take our freedom!!
Blue: Aw fuck.
Everyone starts shooting at
one another. Lots of agents are shot dead which kinda
negates their ability to shoot back, and all the Tigers run up the stairs
because Beaufort and Courtenay have grenades.
Seth: Wow. Killing people just
isn’t as funny as it used to be.
Valentine: Mei!
Valentine pushes forward
past the remaining agents, followed by Seth and they run up the steps.
Seth: They’re heading for the
helipad.
Valentine: I didn’t see a chopper up
there.
Seth: On the next level up,
there is a sliding roof. We have three Tomahawks there that Prince liberated
from a military camp.
Valentine: You’re bloody joking!
Seth shakes his head “no”.
Beaufort: Stand down, Valentine!
Valentine: I just need one shot.
Valentine yanks Seth up to
the next level to see Blue, Green and Red lifting off in one chopper. Yukio, Mei and Violet are climbing
onto another. Further away, Prince is already in a third, waiting for White and
flunkies. Prince sees Seth and climbs out, slowly walking towards them, Holtz
in Lullaby style. Valentine runs to the second chopper which has its blades
running and grabs Mei’s leg as it starts to lift.
Mei:
No!
Yukio grabs Mei’s body.
Valentine: Yukio…
Yukio: Marco…
Valentine tugs harder.
Yukio: I’m sure there’s a way we
can work this out!
Valentine: Why don’t you stay out of
my life!!
Yukio (flushes): You stay out of mine!!
Mei is getting pulled apart but Yukio, with a better grip and with
the helicopter slowly rising, is winning. Valentine grabs his gun and fires,
barely missing Yukio’s face, shocking him enough to loosen his grip. The bullet
ricochets into Bridget Violet’s thigh, making him yelp in pain. Mei falls and Valentine catches her as the helicopter rises
away. Mei starts to scream. Valentine covers her
mouth with his hand to muffle it. One shot flashback to him doing the same to
Su. He lets go and she stands limply at his side. Prince has arrived and he
seems to tower over everyone (despite being a few inches shorter than
Valentine). Valentine gives him the evil eye.
Prince: Seth… you’ve come back at
last. I was starting to worry.
Seth is silent. Beaufort
approaches.
Beaufort: You got what you came for
Valentine, now get out!
Valentine turns, leading Mei away.
Prince: What’s wrong?
Seth: Sorry Chris… I can’t stay.
Valentine, Seth and Mei leave. Prince fumes. Beaufort advances. White is hunted
down by agents. She tries to fight back but is outnumbered. Beaufort walks to
Prince, but a ladder drops from Yukio’s chopper which he grasps and flies away
on. White snaps some random agent’s neck. Mei looks
back and digs her nails into Valentine’s palm. Courtenay clobbers White on the
back of the head, angered and he prepares to shoot.
Mei:
You’re not just going to leave her to die, are you?
Seth is uneasy.
Seth: Yeah… we should – it would
be bad if.
Valentine never turns
around, and pushes them both towards the door.
*BLAM*
Beaufort is looking up in
the air. Probably wondering if he can launch a grenade that far.
EXT. WAREHOUSE NO.8
Valentine drags Mei (who is crying) along while Seth follows, then peels
off towards his own car.
Valentine: Oh yeah.
Seth: I’ll follow you in my car.
Valentine: I’m gonna
tow my Jag out with the Multipla. Can you find a
chain?
Seth: it looks totalled, is it
really worth it?
Valentine: Just go find something to
connect it with.
Seth finds a chain and
helps Valentine connect the cars.
Mei (screeching): What are you acting so goddamn normal for?!!?
Seth looks up, hands
shaking a little, but Valentine ignores her.
Valentine: We need to pick up our
cargo.
Mei stamps her feet on the ground petulantly (or frustratedly, depending on your viewpoint)
Seth: What’s that?
Valentine: People.
Seth: Huh?
Valentine: Wives and playthings for
the top dogs at the Palace. Fresh from
Seth: I’m not that naïve.
INT. MULTIPLA
Seth follows in the
Mei:
Why?
Valentine: All these people, who work
for Claverty, they know the score. They know what
could happen to them, what they are getting into, and they do so anyway, and it
is not my business to save people like that, people who walk about screaming
“Kill Me! Kill Me!” Now, I will love you unconditionally, but in return, I
expect honesty. What are you really doing here?
Mei:
What do you mean?
Valentine: You conveniently fail to
mention that you are a part of an organisation like the White Tigers. You
conveniently fail to mention that you were raised by my loathsome elder
brother. That your fellow adoptee was
Mei:
I’m here for the same reason she was. I want that love.
Valentine: And what’s to stop you
from disappearing like she did? You were ready to run just now, eh?
Mei falls silent.
Valentine: I’ve already had my heart
ripped out once… I never want that again…
END – LOVIN’ YOU HAS GOT TO
BE LIKE THE DEVIL IN THE
Episode 18 Preview:
Everyone,
without exception craves power. It’s what they want power over which is what
makes one person different from another, whether it’s power over a woman, a
sports team, a country. But when it comes down to it,
do you have what it takes to make your dreams come true? Next
episode, Dream On.