"INTREPID" - Part Two
Here's the next part of my screenplay about the times we live in.
FADE IN:
INT. JOHANNES'S APARTMENT - EAST VILLAGE - DAY
Johannes is cleaning up in his apartment. Washing dishes, throwing away bottles and empties the refrigerator.
He’s looking better. Showered, clean clothes.
On the coffee table, a pill bottle. We sense that he’s taking medicine for some sort of psychiatric condition.
THE BUZZER rings.
Johannes walks to the window and looks down to see who it is.
A surprised look on his face.
EXT. JOHANNES’S APARTMENT BUILDING - MOMENTS LATER
Johannes opens the door. Outside is his brother ADAM (30).
He’s taller than Johannes, more fit. Perhaps more handsome.
They stare at each other and smile. Then hug.
INT. DINER - LATER
Johannes and Adam are having coffee at a local diner.
JOHANNES:
“So... you came from Paris only to see me?”
ADAM:
“You’re my brother.”
JOHANNES:
“Half-brother.”
ADAM:
“Come on.”
Pause.
ADAM (CONT’D):
“I heard what happened with the newspaper...”
JOHANNES:
(shrugs)
“Yeah.”
Adam shakes his head and smiles.
ADAM:
“Always the rebel.”
JOHANNES:
“I’m lost. I don’t think I’m coming back from this one. And Bella...”
ADAM:
“Bella? Cherchez-la-femme, again?”
Pause.
ADAM (CONT’D):
(grabs Johannes’s hand)
“Listen, man. You need to focus on yourself. Stop trying to save the world... and women. You should go home to England and stay with Mum and Dad for a while. Get some fresh country air. That’ll set you straight.”
JOHANNES:
“I doubt they want me there.”
Adam shifts his gaze to the table.
JOHANNES (CONT’D):
“Congrats by the way. Two stars. That’s crazy.”
ADAM:
(shrugs)
“Thanks... What about coming to work for me? It’ll be fun!”
JOHANNES:
“I don’t think having me around sharp objects is a great idea.”
Adam leans back, resigned.
ADAM:
“So what are you gonna do?”
JOHANNES:
(looks straight at Adam)
“I’m going to LA.”
Adam exhales. We can sense that he doesn’t think it’s a great idea.
ZOOM OUT on Adam and Johannes.
EXT. SOUTH CAROLINA - FREEWAY - DAY
GARTH (40) and LEEANN (25) are in a truck, driving down the freeway.
Garth looks like a Special Forces operator or military contractor with long hair, beard and mercenary-style clothing.
Leeann is a cute, petite blonde.
Garth glances at Leeann. She’s wearing a large diamond engagement ring.
GARTH:
“Thanks for doing this.”
LEEANN:
(takes Garths hand)
“That’s what friends are for.”
We pass by gas stations, liquor stores, barbecue joints.
American flags. Signs that say “TRUMP WON!”
Garth turns off the highway. Drives through streets until he parks outside A HOSPICE CLINIC.
INT. HOSPICE CLINIC - WAITING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
Garth and Leeann in the waiting room. Leeann plays on her phone.
Garth is uncomfortable, sweating, fidgeting with the face mask.
A NURSE shows up.
NURSE:
“Mr. Jameson? Your father is ready to see you now. Please follow me.”
Garth nods.
They get up and walk down a somber hallway.
INT. HOSPICE - FRED’S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER
A sterile room. Medical devices beeping, pumps swooshing.
Garth’s father, FRED, in the bed.
A nasal cannula delivers oxygen to his nostrils. He’s frail like a bird. We sense that he doesn’t have much time left.
A TV on the wall, showing an old sitcom. The volume turned down low.
Garth and Leeann approach the bed.
Leeann stays in the background.
GARTH:
“Hi, Dad.”
Garth removes his mask.
Fred looks up at his son. Surprise in his eyes. Lifts a claw-like hand, waving a hello.
FRED:
(coughs)
“You came.”
Garth nods.
We notice a change in Garth’s demeanor.
In front of his father, the big, bad commando transforms into a nervous little boy.
Garth removes his LaRue Tactical baseball cap.
GARTH:
“Dad... this is Leeann.”
Leann glides up to Garth’s side.
Pulls down her facemask a bit and smiles at Fred.
She extends her hand with the blingy engagement ring and gently touches Fred’s arm.
GARTH (CONT’D):
“We’re getting married…”
Fred’s eyes show disbelief.
FRED:
“Oh...my. Well, son. Congratulations.”
We zoom in on Garth as the swooshing sound of the ventilator builds up in strength, drowning out all other sounds.
Subtly, it’s whispering something... but we can’t make it out.
BLACK SCREEN
CUT TO:
EXT. FLASHBACK - SOMEWHERE IN IRAQ - NIGHT
THROUGH NIGHT VISION GOGGLES POV:
We’re running, crouching in a rocky terrain. A group of soldiers are taking a barrage of fire. The tracer rounds flying all around them. Indistinct, frantic radio chatter.
ZING! ZING! ZING!
We turn to the right just as the head of a soldier explodes and the blood and the brains splatter on Garth’s night vision goggles.
CUT TO:
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
Garth wakes up with a jolt, sweaty and rattled by the nightmare. Alone in the bed.
On the nightstand, his phone is buzzing.
He grabs it and picks up.
GARTH:
“Yeah...”
NURSE (O.S.)
“Mr. Jameson?”
GARTH
“Speaking.”
NURSE (O.S.)
“Mr Jameson... I’m sorry to tell you that your father just passed.”
On Garth:
A profound sense of relief.
FADE TO:
BLACK SCREEN
We hear FOOTSTEPS ECHOING.
FADE IN:
INT. GAIA TECHNOLOGIES - CORRIDOR
Floraheims against a polished marble floor.
Someone walking down a long, bright corridor.
PAN UP FROM BELOW:
First the suit pants, the jacket, the tie.
The American flag lapel pin.
IT’S BOB.
CUT TO:
INT. PENTHOUSE OFFICE - GAIA TECHNOLOGIES - NIGHT
Bob enters through the large double doors.
The room is spacious and sterile.
SECURITY CONTRACTORS with assault rifles are placed in each corner of the room.
Through the panorama windows, we see lights from the White House and the Capitol.
A man and a woman are seated in a sitting area furnished with modern, white leather sofas.
Behind them, flames are flickering in a glass-enclosed fireplace.
At first, we only see the face of the woman.
She has a regal, commanding presence. We sense that she’s very powerful.
This is LYDIA KATO (45) - the CEO of GAIA TECHNOLOGIES.
Bob walks up.
Lydia studies him.
LYDIA KATO:
“Bob.”
BOB:
“Ma’am. Sir.”
Slowly, the man turns his face so we can see it.
This is tech billionaire DAVE FIELDS (75).
He glances at Bob.
DAVE FIELDS:
“No loose ends, I hope?”
Bob places a USB stick on the glass table.
It looks similar to the one Bella found in Bob’s coat.
Lydia Kato and Dave Fields stare at the USB stick, then at Bob.
BOB:
“No loose ends.”
CUT TO:
INT. GAIA TECHNOLOGIES - CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER
Bob is leaving GAIA Technologies, walking through the same corridor as he came in.
ON BOB:
His eyes. A subtle tic.
He’s concerned.
INT. BERLIN - ART GALLERY - DAY
A sleek, almost blindingly white space.
Bella is watching as two men hang a huge oil painting on the wall.
Next to her is the gallery owner, DIETER (45), a stocky, effeminate man dressed in all black with a colorful Kenzo scarf wrapped around his neck.
DIETER:
(in German)
“A little bit to the left...”
The two men adjust the painting.
DIETER (CONT’D):
(in German)
“No! Not that much. Back, back, back! Yes, that’s it. Thank you, my boys.”
Now, we get a good look at the painting.
It’s a tree, or a web, with a satellite-filled sky in the background; planets encircling an exploding sun.
We move in closer and see that the branches are naked human bodies, snaking their way into acrown made of gold coins.
We move down, follow the roots into the vibrantly red-hued underworld, populated by contorted, nightmarish creatures that would put Hieronymus Bosch to shame.
ON BELLA AND DIETER as they study the painting.
Dieter removes his reading glasses.
DIETER (CONT’D):
“Contemporary Eschatology.”
(looks at Bella)
“Mein Gott. Brilliant. Just brilliant…”
Bella smiles cautiously.
EXT. BERLIN - KREUZBERG - PATIO CAFE - AFTERNOON
It’s a sunny day in Berlin.
Spring is in the air.
Bella is sitting at a patio cafe with a glass of sparkling wine. We get the impression that she’s waiting for someone.
Her phone buzzes. She picks it up. It’s a TEXT MESSAGE FROM JOHANNES.
ON BELLA as she hesitates before she clicks it open.
It reads:
“I’m better now. I’m sorry. I can’t wait to see you. I love you.”
DISSOLVE TO:
FLASHBACK:
INT. BELLA'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - EVENING
We hear the shower running in the bathroom.
Johannes is in bed, a content smile on his lips. We sense that they just made love. On the nightstand, a phone buzzes. Buzzes again.
And again.
Johannes grabs the phone, thinking that it’s his. But IT’S BELLA’S PHONE.
ON JOHANNES as he reads the messages. Surprise. Anger.
Despair.
INT. FLASHBACK - BELLA’S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - LATER
Bella is sitting on the couch, shaking. She’s scared but trying to hide it.
Bella is holding her hands to her ears.
Enraged, Johannes is pacing back and forth in the room as he’s screaming. The sound is muffled (Bella’s point-of-hearing).
Johannes walks towards Bella, snatches her wine glass and smashes it into the wall. He walks up to a bookcase and starts pulling it so it falls over. He smashes the TV. He rips paintings (that we sense are Bella’s) apart...
END FLASHBACK
EXT. BERLIN - KREUZBERG - PATIO CAFE
We’re back with Bella at the cafe. Noticeably marked by the unpleasant memory, she takes a sip of wine.
Takes out a cigarette.
Digs around in her purse for a lighter.
But instead, she comes up with BOB’S USB STICK.
Bella looks up and notices a post office across the street.
We sense that she’s got an idea.
She takes a slow drag on the cigarette.
FADE TO BLACK
FADE IN:
EXT. LOS ANGELES - AERIAL - NIGHT
First: A dark mass of water.
Then: The cascading lights of the city.
The congested freeways, millions of red and white lights creeping through the night.
We pass above famous landmarks.
The Sunset Strip, the Hollywood sign, until we ZOOM IN --
EXT. LOS ANGELES - GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY - NIGHT
ON JOHANNES.
He’s standing outside Griffith Observatory.
Smoking a cigarette.
Looking out over the vast city.
JOHANNES (V.O.):
“Dreams.”
INT. JOHANNES’S CAR - IN MOTION - NIGHT
Johannes is driving a beat-up old Toyota through Los Angeles.
From his POV:
EXT. LOS ANGELES - STREETS
We see PARTY REVELERS in West Hollywood.
We see BENTLEYS and FERRARIS and MCLARENS outside luxury restaurants on Sunset Boulevard.
We see LUXURY MANSIONS in Hollywood Hills.
JOHANNES (V.O.):
“When it becomes reality... is it then still a dream?”
We see HOMELESS ENCAMPMENTS and HOMELESS PEOPLE in Downtown.
JOHANNES (V.O.):
“What happens to the dream when it dies?”
We see a JUNKIE shooting up in an alley.
JOHANNES (V.O.):
“When we stop dreaming...”
We see a COUPLE IN A VIOLENT ARGUMENT outside a cheap motel.
JOHANNES (V.O.):
“Are we then still human?”
Johannes turns off the boulevard onto a smaller street in Hollywood.
He parks the car outside a modest apartment building.
INT. HOLLYWOOD - JOHANNES’S STUDIO - BATHROOM
Johannes brushes his teeth. Studies himself in the mirror.
Opens the cabinet. Inside is a pill bottle. He takes it and opens it. There’s only one blue pill left.
He swallows it.
INT. LOS ANGELES - DINER - DAY
A cup of black coffee.
A half-eaten plate of bacon and eggs.
Johannes is in a booth by himself. Picks at the food. He now looks worried and tired. As if he hasn’t slept for days.
We get the sense that he’s lonely. He looks through the window.
It’s a sunny day. Cars are passing outside.
Johannes is lost in thought when we hear:
WAITRESS (O.C.):
(...)
“Excuse me. Hello?”
The Waitress places a credit card and a slip on the table.
WAITRESS (CONT’D):
“This didn’t go through. Do you have another card?”
Johannes snaps out of his day dreaming. Fumbles with his wallet. Finds another credit card and hands it to the waitress.
INT. HOLLYWOOD - JOHANNES'S STUDIO - LATER
Johannes is pacing the room. He’s on his cell phone.
JOHANNES:
“Yes, I’m trying to reach... Aha. Yeah... Okay. Will you tell him that I’m... Yes. Johannes Martell…”
The call ends. Johannes throws the phone on the bed.
Stares at a bottle of cheap vodka that’s sitting on the kitchen counter.
We sense that it’s calling out to him.
I/E. COLLAGE - LOS ANGELES
The following scenes start out slowly but the tempo is increased until they reach a chaotic crescendo.
Johannes at a crowded bar. Pounding shots of whiskey. Tries to talk to some girls who shun away from him. Music playing:
“Big Dick Energy” by Latto.
Johannes in bathroom stall. Snorting cocaine.
From Johannes’s POV:
The world is spinning.
Muffled rap music leaking into the restroom.
ON JOHANNES:
He looks up, as if searching for someone or something. A sad, despairing look on his face.
BLACK SCREEN.
FADE IN:
INT. HOLLYWOOD - JOHANNES'S STUDIO - THE NEXT DAY
A thin ray of sunlight finds its way into the quiet, dark apartment.
Johannes asleep on the bed with his clothes on.
A blood-stained pillow.
Johannes moves slightly. We sense that he’s still alive.
INT. JOHANNES'S STUDIO - DAY
Johannes opens the front door.
Notices an EVICTION NOTICE taped to the door. He pulls it down, crumples it. Puts it in the pocket of his leather jacket.
EXT. JOHANNES'S APARTMENT BUILDING - WALKWAY - MOMENTS LATER
Johannes walks by the mailboxes when something catches his attention. A padded, yellow envelope with his name on it issitting on top. He stops. Grabs the envelope.
Studies it.
It’s addressed to his apartment in New York, but has a forwarding sticker on it.
Johannes opens the envelope. He’s puzzled and disappointed in its contents: A USB STICK wrapped in some bar napkins.
INT. HOLLYWOOD - JOHANNES'S STUDIO - MOMENTS LATER
Johannes sits down at his computer with the envelope and the USB stick.
He looks at the envelope again.
It’s postmarked in Berlin.
Johannes picks up the memory stick. Studies it. It has a logo and a company name on it: “GAIA TECHNOLOGIES.”
Johannes hesitates. Then he puts the memory stick into his computer.
He clicks on the icon and a window pops up:
“ENTER PASSWORD.”
Johannes is even more puzzled now.
He opens the web browser and searches for “GAIATECHNOLOGIES.”
He clicks on the top result and is taken to a website.
The website is sleek and typical for a big tech company. It says:
“BUILDING A NEW WORLD...”
“EQUITY AND SUSTAINABILITY...”
“REDUCING OUR FOOTPRINT...”
Johannes scrolls through the pages.
He realizes that someone’s trying to tip him off about something.
A whistleblower?
But what is this all about?
The next part will be published next Saturday.
This screenplay is copyrighted and registered with WGA West, No. 2168787. All rights reserved.