Stormbreaker Act 3
Monday rolls around and it's fourth period in a hot classroom. Even the camera moves slowly as it pans to show 30 odd students slouching at their desks, yawning and fidgeting.
The math teacher drones on in the background, his voice dissolving into the buzz of some large insect. The camera slowly comes to a stop on Alex, who is staring straight ahead at nothing. The camera slowly pushes in to make it a clean close-up and we hear Alex's thoughts, the events on the previous day go around and around in his head like washing machine.
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POLICEMAN #1 (Voice Over)
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-Car crash…died at the scene-
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POLICEMAN #2 (VO)
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-So sorry for your loss…wasn't wearing a seatbelt-
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JACK (VO)
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-Why would the police lie to us?
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VICAR (VO)
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-A great man, a patriotic man-
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POLICEMAN #2 (VO)
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-wasn't wearing a seatbelt-
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BLUNT (VO)
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Goodbye Alex. We'll be seeing each other again, very soon.
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MATH TEACHER
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Alex!
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Alex snaps out of his daydream and looks up. This wasn't the first time the teacher called him, the entire class is staring expectantly at him. He quickly scans the board.
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ALEX
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Yes, sir, Y equals 25 and X equals 15.
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MATH TEACHER
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(sighs)
Yes, Alex, that's absolutely right. But I was asking you if you could open the windows.
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As Alex stands up the class starts whispering. He suspects he knows what they're talking about.
Cut to a clock ticking quietly to 3:00pm, the bell rings. Cut to students streaming out of classrooms in a thunderous herd. Cut to students making their way across the school grounds. This day could not go by fast enough, Alex is among the crowd desperate to get out. As he's bending down to unlock his bike, he hears a familiar voice.
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TOM (OS)
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Alex! Hey Alex!
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Alex pretends to not hear him and keeps walking, hoping he'll get stuck in the thong of people. No luck, Tom is very fast and he easily catches up.
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TOM
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Hey Alex! Wait up!
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Alex can no longer pretend he can't hear him.
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ALEX
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Hey Tom! How's it going?
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TOM
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Same old, same old, just wasted 7 hours of my life I'll never get back…Hey what's with you? I didn't see you at football today.
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ALEX
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(shrugs)
I was tired.
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TOM
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(not convinced.)
Yeah, ok.
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TOM
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Hey listen, if you're not busy after school, you could come over to my place and play some Xbox?
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ALEX
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No, sorry, I am busy.
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TOM
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Cool, cool.
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They walk in silence for a few minuets. Tom is trying to think of something to say.
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TOM
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Did you see the game last night? Bloody mental! I almost put my foot through the telly!
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ALEX
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Nah, missed it.
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TOM
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Oh yeah, because you were at the-
(he catches himself just in time)
-you were busy.
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ALEX
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God I wish people would stop tiptoeing around it! Yes, my uncle's dead! Yes, I'm feeling alright! No, I don't need to see the bloody councilor!
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TOM
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(taken aback)
Whoa mate, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-
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ALEX
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No. No, it's fine. I'm sorry, it's not your fault. I shouldn't have lashed out.
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Tom waits for him to keep going.
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Alternative direction 1:
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ALEX
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It's just that, I don't know, I'm kind of stressed. I… we can't find his will, I don't know what will happen to the house, and Jack's visa's only good for another year, and to top if off, weird things have been happening.
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TOM
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Like what?
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ALEX
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(Thinks Tom won't believe him)
Nothing, just, you know, feeling bad.
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TOM
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Ok mate, but you really should talk to the councilor. It does help, and they won't judge you and what-not. It helped when my parents got divorced, I know that's not the same thing, but it's good, yeah? Talking to someone.
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ALEX
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Yeah, ok. How is that going for you? How are you holding up?
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TOM
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So and so, I kind of miss my dad, I don't miss the arguing. C'est la vie.
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ALEX
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(fake excited)
Tom! You finally paid attention in French! Hallelujah!
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TOM
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Oi, piss off! Not everyone's lived in Provence, Mr. 1%!
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A thought suddenly occurred to Alex.
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ALEX
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Tom, I need to go to your house! Now!
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TOM
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Um, ok. For what?
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Cut to Tom's house, they're on the front porch, Alex pulls out his phone.
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ALEX
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Wi-Fi!
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Tom is looking over his shoulder in bemusement.
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TOM
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And what's wrong with yours?
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ALEX
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Sorry, your place was closer.
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TOM
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We look shady as hell standing here, why don't we go inside?
Hey, what are you looking for?
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ALEX
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If a car got wreaked here, they'd take it somewhere local, wouldn't they?
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Cut to an over the shoulder shot of the screen: Garages nearby.
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TOM
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Yeah, but what's it for?
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ALEX
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(he's scrolling and doesn't hear)
Great, there's only six…
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Cut back to the screen, at the bottom of the list he sees one garage named: "Proctor's Junk Yard Lmt." Cut to Alex narrowing his eyes. Cut to a close up of the name "Proctor."
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ALEX
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(softly)
Got it.
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Tom has managed to put two and two together.
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TOM
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You're looking for your uncle's car, aren't you?
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ALEX
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Yes. I don't think it was an accident.
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TOM
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What else could it be?
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ALEX
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I don't know. But I need to find out.
(He glances at his watch. It's 3:20, he has time.)
Can you help me?
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TOM
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Yeah, but-
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ALEX
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I'll tell you later, but I need to go now. Can you call Jack and tell her I'm at your place?
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TOM
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(hesitates)
Ok.
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ALEX
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Thank you. Thank you so much.
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He runs out the door, jumps on his bike and pedals off at top speed.
He crosses the city in record time, taking shortcuts, and narrowly avoids being run over twice. He holds the phone in one hand and checks it occasionally.
He stops outside the junkyard in a skid, sending gravel flying. He checks the phone, this is it. He hides his bike and bag behind some bins but he's still wearing his helmet. Security consists of one bored old man with a cigarette sitting in booth, Alex sneaks past him easily. Now he was inside. It was incredibly noisy and stunk of petrol. He watches a car get demolished, first it's picked up by an enormous claw on a crane, and then it's dropped into a machine that crushes it down to the size of a small box. It's pretty cool.
He continues walking around, and then he sees it. The camera pans to reveal a shiny black BMW; it looks completely out of place amongst all these rust buckets.
Alex cannot believe his eyes, he glances around and quickly approaches the car. He checks the license and his face betrays his surprise. Yes, it's Ian's car and it defiantly has not been in a crash, why is it here?
He walks along to the other side and he freezes, the blood drains from his face. The camera pans down to reveal what he has seen. The driver's side of the car is riddled with bullet holes, the two windows have been taken out and there is a dark stain on the driver's seat…
Alex's head snaps around. Voices. People are coming. He looks around, he's right out in the open, there's no where to hide…except the car.
He opens the back door and crawls in. Two men appear just as the door swings shut again and it's still slightly ajar.
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MAN #1
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Oi! What's this?
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Alex tenses, it's the body guard from the funeral, the one with the gun.
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MAN #1
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Why is this car still here? You should have got rid of it two days ago!
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MAN #2
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S'not my fault, is it? We're short on hands, everything behind schedule wit funding an' what-not-
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MAN #1
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I don't want your bloody excuses. Get it done, and get it done now!
(he spits on the ground)
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The sound of machines starts up and Alex can no longer hear the men, he counts to 10, and then slowly sits up. The coast is clear- WHAM! Something impossibly big hits the car, grazing his head and knocking him sideways. Alex looks up in panic, his head reeling from the blow, there are enormous metal claws sticking though the roof. It's the crane, here to pick up the car. Had it not been for his helmet, it would have cracked his skull.
The crane swings the car through the air, the g forces are so great Alex can not even scream. Then suddenly he's falling, he lands with a bone-jarring crash, the roof of the car crumples from the impact, trapping his arms and legs.
All around him is the roar of machinery, he's in the crusher. Alex tries to move but he's pinned down, any minuet now the car will be crushed with him in it. He needs to get out. He's panicking. Sobbing and screaming.
The shelves shift, and the car slides sideways and lands in a trough, the impact un-crumples the roof, Alex's legs are free. But the crushing plates are in gear now, they start crushing the car, metal screams as Alex pulls at the doors uselessly, they're warped beyond reason, he can't get out… then the back widow shatters, showering Alex with broken glass. Alex looks up to see a shrinking window of light, and fights his way out, desperation giving him strength, he cuts his shoulder on some glass, but doesn't even feel it. He manages to drag his body out just as the car finally gives in, his shoe gets stuck but he pulls his bare foot free.
He pulls himself onto the observation platform and lies there panting, filthy, alive. His uniform is in bloody tatters and one sleeve is completely gone.
He crawls onto his knees and comes face to face with a shocked operator behind his glass box. Time to go.
He all but falls to the ground and start's running. He can hear shouting behind him, keep going, he's almost out…Man #1 steps in front of him, blocking his path. He is a big, tough-looking man, but he's evidently shocked to be confronted by a school boy.
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MAN #1
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Stop right there-!
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He doesn't finish. Alex twists and plants a karate kick right in his gut. Alex stumbles badly as he lands, but it did it's job, the man doesn't even make a sound as he collapsed to the ground. Alex keeps running, limping now, he hops on his bike and peddles like hell.
Notes:
I have introduced Tom earlier that the books, so his relationship with Alex is gradually built up over time and ready for "Scorpia". I want Tom to be a link to Alex's normal life which he breaks painfully when he become a spy.
EDIT:
Just rewrote the action to make it more accurate.