CATWOMAN FELINE FATALE PART 3
THE PRESENT
EXT. ROOF OF SELINA'S PENTHOUSE
The shot continues, though now the grown Selina is leaping through the remote-controlled skylight of her penthouse.
INT. SELINA'S PENTHOUSE
Selina snaps her fingers and the lights come on. The skylight slides back above her. She sees an exquisitely-groomed ragdoll cat with a silky medium-length coat curled up in the corner and walks towards it.
CATWOMAN:
Hello, Rags.
The cat purrs demurely as she picks it up, leaving its legs hanging. The ragdoll's limbs hang limp like all ragdoll cats do when picked up, accounting for their name.
CATWOMAN:
You always hate it when I do that, don't you?
Rags purrs in agreement. Catwoman brings her other hand to support Rags under his belly, stroking his back then setting him back down. A black-coloured Egyptian Mau then runs to her feet, purring as it snuggles up to them. Selina smiles and removes her cowl.
CATWOMAN:
Always happy to see me, aren't ya, Isis?
We hear a growling from somewhere in the distance. Isis leaps onto the couch out of fear. Selina's pet panther Diablo crawls slowly near her. Selina leans down to pat the giant cat. Diablo looks at the couch and growls.
CATWOMAN:
Now Diablo, panthers don't usually get to stay in East Side penthouses, so don't get jealous of Isis.
Catwoman leaves her two cats and turns her bag inside-out for effect, though she knows it is empty. Batman has taken the statuette.
CATWOMAN:
Predictable.
Catwoman passes a shelf filled with similar figurines to the one she attempted to steal, ranging from cheap-looking flea market buys to statuettes carved entirely out of precious stone.
CATWOMAN:
(Sighs) This'll have to do for now.
She makes her way to her bathroom, slowly unzipping her costume.
INT. PENTHOUSE BATHROOM
Selina turns on the tap in the large bathtub. Steam immediately rises. Selina slinks out of her costume, leaving it pooled at her feet. The camera frames her tastefully and artistically as she slides into the bathtub.
CATWOMAN:
Mrrow…this is one kitty who likes the water.
Catwoman is getting comfortable, when all of the sudden the lights go out.
CATWOMAN:
What the…
As soon as they were turned off, the lights flash back on again. Selina turns to find Batman standing in her bathroom.
CATWOMAN:
I knew you couldn't resist.
BATMAN:
I didn't want to do this, Selina.
CATWOMAN:
Now really?
BATMAN:
I knew Leslie was helping you. She knows it's not right, as do you.
Catwoman slouches in the bath and pouts in mock remorse. She then sits up and claps her hands. Diablo runs into the bathroom, growling menacingly at Batman.
BATMAN:
Selina…
Diablo pounces at Batman. He braces himself but still takes a tumble. The panther's paws try to push Batman into the tiled bathroom floor. Using the spikes on the gauntlets of one arm, Batman slashes the panther's side. Diablo recoils as Selina watches.
SELINA KYLE:
A bath and entertainment. Now this is the life.
EXT. ROOFTOP
Perched on a rooftop opposite Selina's penthouse is a figure wearing a ninja outfit covered with knives in a variety of leather sheaths, his face fully hidden by a mask topped with small dog-like ears. He carefully selects one of the knives and aims for the small open window of Selina's penthouse bathroom. This is Hellhound. With precise aim, he throws the knife. It spins through the small opening and embeds itself in Diablo. Diablo's eyes widen as it recoils in shock.
INT. PENTHOUSE BATHROOM
Batman appears puzzled and pushes Diablo off of him. He inspects the animal as Selina looks on in shock. Batman quickly pulls out the knife. Diablo whines. Batman inspects it carefully.
BATMAN:
The tip is envenomed…someone is trying to kill you.
SELINA KYLE:
And they call you the great detective.
Batman ignores her and takes out a first aid kit. He applies antiseptic liquid to the wound, and administers anti-venom to Diablo.
SELINA KYLE:
So, you were training to become a vet in case the whole vigilante thing didn't pan out?
BATMAN:
Be thankful I know how to deal with this, and remember your panther was trying to kill me anyway.
SELINA KYLE:
Oh, Diablo would do nothing of that sort. Would you, baby?
The panther gazes ruefully at Selina and whines again.
SELINA KYLE:
I'll remember to thank you when we next bump into each…
She turns around to find Batman has disappeared.
SELINA KYLE:
Hellhound…what is it about the men in my life?
The camera pans upwards to show a baseball-sized orb with a tail, like a three-dimensional comma, carved out of glowing precious stone sitting in an alcove in Selina's bathroom wall. Dissolve to…
ONE MONTH AGO – TOKYO, JAPAN-ESTABLISHING SHOT
We slowly zoom in to…
EXT. SKYSCRAPER WALL
The camera takes in an aerial view of the bustling metropolis of Tokyo; slowly closing in on a lone black-clad figure climbing slowly but surely up the side of one of the many gleaming skyscrapers. The figure is Catwoman, ascending the structure using high-tech climbing gear. Cars cram the busy streets far below and neon signs illuminate the skyline. Catwoman glances upwards.
CATWOMAN:
Almost there…
Finally, Catwoman reaches the top of the skyscraper. She somersaults onto the roof and looks out across at an adjacent building. Catwoman gauges the distance and jumps.
EXT. BASE OF BUILDING
Two burly Japanese Yakuza thugs stand guard outside the building. Far above them, Catwoman soars a short distance through the sky.
EXT. SKYSCRAPER LEDGE
Catwoman barely grabs the ledge, flailing from the building with one hand. She grunts and pulls herself up onto the narrow ledge. Using the sharp retractable claw on her index finger, she carves out a circular hole in the window large enough to let herself in.
INT. YAKUZA TROPHY ROOM
The Yasakani jewel, the beautiful mystical object that we saw in Selina's bathroom, stands on a pedestal in the middle of the room, guarded by a lattice of lasers. Catwoman is visible behind the statue, outside the window.
EXT. SKYSCRAPER LEDGE
Catwoman assembles a pole with a clamp on the end. She carefully guides the pole through the lattice of lasers.
INT. HALLWAY
Ichiro, a young, handsome Yakuza heir dressed in an expensive suit, walks down the hallway, with his girlfriend Fumiko on his arm.
ICHIRO: (In Japanese)
It is true. Father trusts no one but me with his exquisite treasures, which is why there is but one key-the one I'm carrying.
Ichiro tosses a futuristic-looking card key in the air.
FUMIKO: (In Japanese)
Ooo. So we'll be undisturbed?
ICHIRO:
Completely. The most priceless of Father's treasures is Yasakani no Magamata, one of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, one of the three sacred items used in Imperial ascension. Many claim to hold the true Magamata, but Father has gone to great lengths to procure this, which I assure you is the one and only Yasakani jewel.
Ichiro and Fumiko approach the door. Ichiro inserts the card key into a slot.
INT. YAKUZA TROPHY ROOM
Catwoman successfully grabs onto the Yasakani jewel and lifts it gently off the pedestal. At this very moment, Ichiro and Fumiko enter the room. Fumiko spies Catwoman retrieving the Yasakani jewel.
FUMIKO (In Japanese):
Ichiro, look!
ICHIRO (In Japanese):
Impossible!
CATWOMAN:
That's what they all say.
She takes the jewel, tosses it in the air and then catches it. Ichiro's eyes convey shock and fury. He quickly draws a submachine gun from under his coat. Catwoman smiles, winks and leaps out the window as Ichiro opens fire furiously.
EXT. OUTSIDE SKYSCRAPER
Catwoman hurtles towards the ground as bullets rain down from above. The two Yakuza guards far below take notice and start firing as well. Catwoman pulls on the ripcord of her backpack as a parachute flies out, jerking her slightly upwards. Catwoman sailing down beneath the canopy of the parachute is an awe-inspiring sight, but one that does not last for long. The bullets easily rip holes in the nylon of the canopy. The parachute begins to twist, wrapping around itself. Insert cut-Catwoman looks slightly panicked. Cut back-the buildings rush past her as she continues to fall. Catwoman quickly releases the parachute as the canopy flies up gently but quickly falls. Catwoman positions herself and lands hard, but with catlike agility. The two Yakuza guards stare at her. A shadow is cast upon them as they gaze up. The parachute canopy covers them as they struggle underneath. Catwoman quickly subdues them and runs quickly into a dark alleyway some distance away.
Suddenly, a bright light shines from inside the alleyway. Catwoman is on a sleek black motorbike. She smiles as she revs the engine and speeds away. A group of Yakuza suits see Catwoman speeding away and shoot at her using .45 Caliber pistols, but to no avail. One yells in Japanese, quickly loading a gun-like device with a specialized cartridge. He aims at Catwoman. A tracking device that blips softly attaches to the back of her motorcycle.
INT. YAKUZA GARAGE
The Yakuza garage is harshly lit by fluorescent lights. Sports coupes are parked next to mob cars. A shop assistant is attending to a vehicle riddled with bullet holes. In a corner, four Yakuza play Oichi-Kabu cards with their shirts draped around their waists, displaying full-body tattoos. A Yakuza Kyodai ("big brother") answers his walkie-talkie.
YAKUZA KYODAI (in Japanese):
What is it?
VOICE ON WALKIE-TALKIE (in Japanese):
The bitch with the Yasakani jewel is getting away, on a bike!
The Yakuza Kyodai calls up a map of Tokyo on a large computer monitor. A blinking red blip signifies Catwoman, while orange blips show Yakuza outposts around the city.
YAKUZA KYOKAI (In Japanese):
Notify our brothers.
The Yakuza Kyodai signals the other Yakuza members to get into two black Japanese mob cars. They hurry to put on their shirts and jump into the vehicles that roar out of the garage. One of their number makes a big fuss because he was about to win, and is slow to put his shirt on properly. The cars leave without him and he runs after them, yelling in Japanese.
EXT. TOKYO STREETS
Catwoman's motorcycle tears through the busy Tokyo streets, winding at breakneck speeds in between the cars that cram the roadways. She performs hairpin turns and cuts through red lights, causing two cars to crash into each other. Catwoman glances back to see the two black mob cars cut the red light after her, shoving other cars aside.
INT. YAKUZA GARAGE
The Yakuza Kyodai traces his finger along the orange blips on the screen.
YAKUZA KYODAI (In Japanese):
You cannot run, bitch.
EXT. TOKYO STREETS-ESTABLISHING
An overhead shot shows several more identical Yakuza cars emerge from buildings all over the city, joining the original two.
EXT. TOKYO STREETS
A submachine gun pokes out one of the windows, emitting a violent burst of gunfire that takes out the tail lights of Catwoman's motorcycle.
CATWOMAN:
And they say the mob doesn't take too kindly to foreigners.
EXT. UNFINISHED TOKYO HIGHWAY
Catwoman crashes violently through a road barrier into an unfinished, closed-off section of Tokyo road. The road barrier features warning text in large Japanese print followed by an English mis-translation, "DANGEROUS. KEEPING OUTS PLEASE!" The two mob cars follow. One of the vehicles positions itself right next to Catwoman's motorcycle. Catwoman's claws emerge from her gloves. Catwoman reaches out and scratches the side of the car in a very deliberate manner. The Yakuza suits in the car are outraged and shocked at the same time.
Catwoman veers away, but a different car comes alongside her, a hand holding a high-powered pistol sticking out of a wind-down car window. The Yakuza Suit holding the gun fires away, some poorly-aimed shots ricocheting off of the freshly-dry asphalt. Catwoman pulls out a whip with her right hand, keeping the other on a handlebar. With one eye on the road and the other trained on her target, she cracks the whip, forcing the Yakuza suit to drop his weapon. It clangs and tumbles on the road. He swears in Japanese, withdraws his hand into the vehicle and winds the window back up as he does so. Catwoman smiles.
The door of another mob car opens and one of them leaps out onto the back of Catwoman's bike, narrowly catching on. He takes out a switchblade of sorts comprised of three folding sections, wielding it dangerously. Catwoman turns around, "dueling" with the Yakuza suit using her claws while trying to drive the motorcycle. Several Yakuza shoot from their cars. The Yakuza suit on Catwoman's bike yells at them to stop. They yell their apologies in Japanese. After a brief tussle, Catwoman sharply tilts the bike, throwing the Yakuza suit violently off.
The unfinished highway is cut off a short distance ahead, cordoned off by orange netting and leaving a long drop with plastic construction barriers lining the other side. Metal rebars stick out from the concrete, Instead of slowing down; Catwoman speeds up towards the gap. The motorcycle tears through the netting and jumps the gap. It is almost as if time stops as the motorcycle sails gracefully but precariously over the void. The motorcycle smashes through the orange-and-white construction barriers, printed in Japanese and broken English with the words "this is not a safety barrier". The motorcycle lands but barely does so on the other side of the highway. The Yakuza cars screech to a stop at the edge of the drop. The Yakuza suits jump out of the cars, momentarily dumbfounded but pulling out assorted weapons and shooting at Catwoman across the chasm. The Yakuza suit who was thrown off the bike limps to join his colleagues. Catwoman turns round to blow a kiss to her outraged pursuers. The bullets damage Catwoman's motorcycle further but do not hit her. By now the motorcycle is damaged beyond repair. Catwoman somersaults off her ride and disappears down the unfinished highway, into a decrepit alley.
INT. DECREPIT ALLEY
Catwoman dismounts her bike. She finds a scrawny black stray cat mewing at her feet.
CATWOMAN:
All over the world, you're all the same.
She sighs and fishes some cat food out of her bag. The stray eats out of her hand and mews gratefully when its done. Dissolve to-
INT. YAKUZA OFFICE
A Yakuza Kumicho (boss) sits in an expensive office chair at the head of a long table. His office is surprisingly spacious considering Tokyo's limited space and the design is modern and stark. His Yakuza aides and his mistress are with him.
YAKUZA KUMICHO (In Japanese):
Can you explain this? How does a common thief, a woman, escape with the greatest treasure of the Yakuza?! How is it that my best men cannot recover the Yasakani Jewel? This is a ridiculous disgrace to my organization.
A figure stands in the shadows.
FIGURE (In Japanese):
I can change all that.
YAKUZA KUMICHO (In Japanese):
You'd better pray you can. I'm paying very good money.
The figure steps out of the shadows. He is in a ninja outfit covered with knives, his face hidden by a mask topped with dog-like ears. This is HELLHOUND, the assassin we saw earlier.
YAKUZA KUMICHO (In Japanese):
What are doing in my office wearing that ridiculous costume of yours?
Hellhound ignores him.
HELLHOUND (In Japanese):
What do you have to go on?
The Yakuza Kumicho motions to one of his aides who passes him a manila envelope. He slides the envelope across the table. Hellhound opens it and pours out a series of low-resolution black-and-white photos. One of them shows a blurred but instantly-recognizable image of Catwoman's masked face, the corner of her lips turned into a smile.
HELLHOUND (In Japanese):
Yes…we go a long way back.