EPISODE FOUR – LAST CHILD
A tanned Mafioso type
stands guarding a bridge smoking a cigarette in the moonlight. Suddenly, he
hears something in the bushes, jerks upwards, dropping his cigarette while
drawing his gun. A thin man with wild blonde hair comes up shooting and the
guard fires back, before running across the bridge. More footsteps can be heard
as the camera focuses in the cigarette burning out to the sweet sound of
gunshots.
TITLE CARD: LAST CHILD
INT. RED STAR OFFICE
It’s another hard day’s
work at the office. Elli is on the phone, pretty much everyone else is buried
under a mountain of paperwork.
Valentine: Armside, I need you to go
down to the Bureau and sort out these bills.
He holds up a stack of
envelopes
Armside: Why can’t you do it
yourself? Can’t you see I’m crazy busy right now?
Valentine: I have to train right now.
Armside: You don’t have to-
Valentine: I said do it, so do it,
man!
Armside gets up, snatches
the stack of envelopes and stomps out. Valentine heads for the backroom to
train his sword skills. Elli has been on the phone the whole time, scribbling
on a pad. She finishes (“Thank you for your custom”), puts down her pen and
gives
Elli:
Elli: You’re originally from
Franklin, right?
Elli: Oh, it’s nothing…
Elli types really quickly
on her computer.
INT. TRAINING ROOM
Elli enters. Valentine is
doing kicking exercises.
Valentine: Lock the door behind you.
Elli: Now!?
Valentine (stops kicking): Well, I’m all warmed up.
Elli (smiles): Sorry, but there’s work to
be done.
INT. RED STAR OFFICE
Remington and Armside are
in the waiting area at the front with their cases ready. Valentine comes in
through the front door and walks in.
Valentine:
Valentine: Easy… You want to do some
fieldwork, right?
Valentine: Come.
Valentine turns and walks
back to the front.
Valentine: We have enough weapons.
INT. VALENTINE’S CAR
Valentine drives, Remington
rides shotgun with Armside and Hagen in the back.
Valentine: What we have here is
something gamblers typically like to call a “middle”. That means that no matter
what we do, as long as we don’t screw it up, we cannot lose on this. There are
two warring factions in this small little town of
Valentine: You will be guiding me
around and showing me the sights. As well travelled as I am, I’ve never been to
Valentine: You will be helping your
mother make a casserole for our victorious return.
Valentine: I don’t think you will
want to get involved in this.
Valentine: Elli tells me you haven’t
visited home for years. You should spend some time with your family. It’s very
important to have close ties to your family. There will be a lot of work to do
when we return to the city.
Hagen slumps in his seat, feeling defeated.
INT. HAGEN FAMILY HOME
Armside: Daniel! Where’s Valentine?
Armside: We need to get working
soon. Plus, he’s been paging me with instructions non-stop for the past few
hours, so I want to snatch his pad and throw it down that well you have out
back.
Armside: Well, I-
Armside: I will be doing recon at
There is an uncomfortable
silence.
Armside: You know he takes it
sugar, no cream.
Armside:
Armside: Yeah. Sometimes I am. But
I still do it.
Armside: Are these your friends?
Armside: What did Valentine tell
you about our job here,
Armside: Once in a while, the old
fool is right. (Stands up) I should go. You have coffee to make.
The same tanned man,
Michaels, stands guard, but this time with three more men. Remington flicks the
sight cap on his sniper rifle and takes aim on one of bodyguards and pulls the
trigger. The others start yelling and drawing their weapons. Armside and
Valentine emerge from the sides and open fire. One of the bodyguards hits the
deck. Remington kills the third and Valentine punches Michaels hard in the face
before dropping him with a kick to the groin. Armside applies handcuffs. Hagen
watches from the shadows, wide eyed, and runs forward.
Valentine: What?
Michaels:
Armside nods.
INT. VALENTINE’S CAR
Armside and Hagen are
seated in the back.
Armside: He is being used as bait
to draw out our other target. Your other friend, Harris. Valentine has promised
him freedom in exchange for his help.
Armside remains silent.
Valentine is driving.
Valentine: It’s business,
Valentine: I’m not the only one who
works at this firm, remember? If I let people run around free, where will wages
for
Valentine: If you really want to know
the truth, you’ll have to ask them yourself.
BREAK
INT. VALENTINE’S CAR
As Armside speaks, still
paintings depicting various flashback scenes play.
Armside: About a year ago, an
international corporation came to this town with a construction plan, a free
graviton reactor in exchange for ownership of the materia mines to the north of
the town. The town council were divided. The town needed the reactor, but who
would trust the VieoCorp? The materia mines have been a part of this town’s
heritage for hundreds of years, and I’m sure you know that tradition cannot be
discarded easily. But you also know how people are. Once they get an idea in
their heads, they are so stubborn; they must stick with it at all costs. So up
sprang two factions, one in favour of keeping the mines and the other in favour
of the reactor… both supposedly doing their best for the town. Your friend
Michaels is on the side of the mines and came up with the bright idea of
keeping a 24 hour vigil guarding the bridge leading north. But the corporation
bought out the large house adjacent and have been moving more and more people
in. Soldiers. Skirmishes are getting more frequent and more violent. Your
friends have often led these attacks. (Fade
back to the car) As I understand it, your friends had a disagreement over a
woman. That must be where the bad blood between them started.
Valentine: Never underestimate the
wedge those demons can drive between true comrades.
Valentine looks outside.
The blonde man from the start exits a bar and walks away down the street.
Armside gets out and follows him. Valentine drives around the block in the
opposite direction. On the other side of the block, Armside and Remington
await. Remington holds Michaels while Armside holds a restrained and winded
looking Harris.
Valentine: This is your stop,
Valentine: You’ll get that chance
later.
Valentine: Dear God, would you just
do as I goddamn well say? You have to leave right now, or I’ll punish you. Now
go, now go, we have work to do, we can’t stand here in the street like this
with two marked men forever!
Hagen jumps out, looking a
little cowed. Michaels and Harris are bundled in the back and Remington gets in
the front. Valentine drives away.
Armside: You probably won’t see
them again.
Armside: Sorry kid. They’re a
couple of hot potatoes that need to be offloaded quickly and their holy
judgement waits.
Armside: Valentine won’t appreciate
you interfering.
Silence
Armside: They’ll be dropping off
Michaels first. I’ll take you.
EXT. HOUSE NEAR BRIDGE
Valentine’s car is parked
outside.
Valentine: I’ll stay with Harris, you
take Michaels up.
Remington takes Michaels
into the house. Valentine hums a tune and checks his side mirror.
Harris: You’re pushing your luck
leaving me outside my clan’s base like this, old man. (Valentine ignores him) Hey! Are you listening to me?
Valentine checks again. A
couple of men dressed in the same Patrol uniform as Michaels approach in the
distance. Valentine gets out and drags Harris behind the house and lodges him
in a doorway. He comes back out as the patrolmen pass, smoking. The Patrolmen
stop and inspect a window of the house.
Valentine: What’re you folk up to?
Alvarez: Eh? Marco Valentine?
Cordeiro: You… The Red Star
representative?
Valentine: I am indeed.
Alvarez goes inside the
house carrying a briefcase.
Cordeiro: One of our leaders has
been kidnapped, so we have changed our plans. I’m afraid the reward on Harris
is no longer available.
Valentine: What? Hey, what’s-
Hagen (O.S.): Valentine!
Hagen and Armside approach.
Armside: Stop yelling, you idiot,
you’ll compromise our anonymity completely!
Alvarez exits the house
empty handed.
Cordeiro: Get out of here while you
can, Mr Valentine.
Alvarez and Cordeiro start
to run away, but someone comes out of the house and guns Alvarez down.
Cordeiro: Shit!
Cordeiro detonates the bomb
Alvarez had planted inside. He is shot down. Armside shoots the gunman, but
runs to the side after a man on fire falls out of the window above, screaming.
The whole building is on fire now. Valentine runs to the back where he left
Harris, but he is no longer there and the door is open though enclosed by a
ring of fire. Hagen and Armside approach.
Valentine: Remington is still in that
building. As is my money.
Valentine enters the
building and turns back round. The flames encircle him.
Valentine: Coming?
He turns round and walks
into the inferno.
INT. BUILDING ON FIRE
Valentine: I have a flame retardant
jacket on not to mention the chump I’m wearing on my head.
Valentine: You’re really goddamn
stupid, you know that?
Valentine: Don’t assume things about
me on the evidence of one day in my company. Don’t assume thing about anyone.
Valentine: As far as the work here
goes… You know what we do. You came to me, looking for a job, not the other way
round. If being cold and ruthless in pursuit of a prize which will guarantee
food on the tables of all your family members does not fit in with your ideals,
you’re free to quit at anytime. But the rest of us are professionals and we get
our job done, no matter what.
Remington comes down
carrying a briefcase in one hand and Michaels under his other arm. He is
covered in soot and his hair is singed.
Remington: Let’s go, let’s go!
Valentine: Just this once though kid,
I’ll humour you.
They all exit.
INT.
Michaels: The council had a change
of heart after the corporations offer was raised and we no longer have any
backing. So the reactor will be built. Maybe it isn’t such a bad thing.
Harris: On the other hand, the
interference of VieoCorp in the town’s affairs could do more harm than good.
The bureaucracy is bad enough as it is already.
Harris: Yeah.
Michaels: My sister.
Harris: You should come back here.
We should be a team again.
Michaels: It all fell apart here
after you left for the city.
Valentine watches from the
kitchen as he counts the money in Remington’s briefcase.
END – JUST A PUNK IN THE
STREET
Episode Five preview
Valentine: Sometimes, in order to survive,
man must play the part of the devil. But who makes the rules that decide who is
good and who is evil? Really are we are all just dogs of war following a
twisted script? Next episode, Fallen Angels.