Stormbreaker Act 4
It's 8:00 am on a Tuesday morning, we're back in the Rider house. Jack is in the kitchen preparing a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast.
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JACK
Alex! Breakfast's ready!
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ALEX (OS)
Coming!
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JACK
Hurry up you're going to be late!
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Alex walks into the kitchen, bag in hand. He's wearing his spare uniform.
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JACK
Any day now, Alex!
(she pauses)
Young man, where are your shoes?
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Alex is wearing a pair of sneakers instead of his school shoes.
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ALEX
I left them on the field.
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JACK
Well make sure you get them back, first thing!
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ALEX
Ok
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He sits down and begins shovelling eggs into his mouth. His phone sounds, it's Tom.
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TOM (TEXT)
U found anything?
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ALEX (TEXT)
Nothing.
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JACK
(from the fridge)
You want some juice?
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ALEX
Muffffttt.
(yes please)
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Jack puts a glass of cranberry juice down next to him.
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JACK
What took you so long this morning?
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ALEX
Muuffttt.
(sorry, missed my alarm)
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He downs the glass of juice like a shot of vodka.
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JACK
Ok! Go! Go! Go!
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Alex is almost out the door when the phone rings. What a strange coincidence…
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ALEX
I got it!
(he picks it up)
Hello? Alex speaking.
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CROWLEY
Hello Alex, this is John Crowley from the Royal and General Bank. We were wondering if you could come in today.
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ALEX
(he tenses)
For what?
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CROWLEY
We found the will of your uncle Ian Rider.
We would like to invite you over to discuss it as soon as possible, will today be a good time?
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ALEX
Yes.
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CROWLEY
Excellent, we'll see you after school at 4:30, the bank will send a cab-
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ALEX
No thank you. I'll be there, and I will take the tube.
(he hangs up.)
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Alex takes a deep breath and prepares himself for the day.
Cut to Alex getting off the tube and walking to the bank. The bank is a grand, old-fashioned building with Union Jacks hanging from the facade. The inside is equally grand and spacious; it's filled with people going about their business. Alex checks his watch, he's 5 minuets early, should he sit down and wait? He sees Crowley striding over to greet him. Apparently not.
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CROWLEY
Hello Alex! It's good to see you again! Did you come straight from school?
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Alex said nothing, letting his school uniform answer that question.
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CROWLEY
I hope you had a good day.
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ALEX
It was OK.
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Crowley took his hand and shook it very firmly. The cut on his shoulder gave a twinge and Alex winced.
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CROWLEY
(concerned)
Are you alright?
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ALEX
Yeah. Pulled a muscle in football.
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CROWLEY
Oh dear. Does your shoulder get injured often, in football?
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ALEX
I got tackled.
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Crowley smiled and led him to the elevators. They travel up several floors.
The elevator reaches their destination.
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CROWLEY
Here we are! My office is just around the corner.
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He leads Alex down a carpeted corridor. They walk past a door with Ian Rider written on it. Alex notices, Crowley nods sadly.
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CROWLEY
Yes, that was your uncle's office. He'll be sadly missed…
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ALEX
Can we go inside, please?
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CROWLEY
Whatever for?
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ALEX
(innocently)
I want to see where he worked.
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CROWLEY
I'm sorry Alex, but I don't have the keys! Maybe later.
My office is right next door to his.
(he opens the door)
After you.
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Crowley office is modern and utterly blank. There was a pot plant, a large window, a nondescript desk, and a nondescript sofa.
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CROWLEY
Please take a seat Alex.
(he goes to a mini-fridge)
Would you like a drink?
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ALEX
Do you have coke?
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Crowley opens a can of coke and pours it into a cup.
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ALEX
Thanks you.
So, what did you want to talk to me about?
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CROWLEY
Well you see, we've found your Uncle's will, and it says -
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He is interrupted by the telephone.
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CROWLEY
Pardon me.
(he picks up)
Hello, Crowley speaking.
(he listens)
Yes. Yes. I see. Alright, thank you, I will be down there immediately.
(he hangs up)
I am so sorry Alex, but I have urgent business downstairs. Please make yourself comfortable, I will be back in 10 minuets.
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ALEX
Sure, take your time.
(makes himself comfortable.)
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As soon as Crowley leaves he jumps up and goes to Ian's office. He tries the doorknob, locked. He goes back to Crowley's office and starts searching for a key. Nothing in his drawers, could he make a lock pick with the paperclips? Yes, but it will take too long.
The Union Jack snaps outside the window and it gives Alex an idea. He opens the window and peers out.
The wind is fiercer than Alex expected, it whips his hair and tie into his face and he could hear the distant sounds of traffic. There is a flagpole hanging right between the window of Crowley's office and Ian's office. They're barely 2 meters apart, if it had been on a playground it would have been child's play.
Alex glances down and instantly regrets it. He's not on a playground, he's 15 stories up in the air, it's a dizzying height and the cars below look like toys, he shouldn't even be thinking about it. He pulls his head back in, takes off his blazer and tie, and climbs onto the window ledge for real. Better not think about it then.
He crouched on the ledge and prepared himself, taking deep breaths, and wiping his hands on his pants. Don't look down, don't look down, One…Two…
Cut to wide shot, he jumps. Cut to close up, his hands make contact with the pole, but a shot of pain erupts from his cut shoulder and his left hand slips off…and grabs hold of the flag itself. Saved.
He's hanging in mid-air, suspended by muscle power alone, cut to below him, one or two pedestrians look up and point. Cut back to Alex, grimacing in concentration he takes hold of the pole again and swings onto the other windowsill. He made it!
Cut to the inside Ian's office, it's as dark and silent as a shrine, the window casts his desk in a halo of light. The window opens and Alex climbs though.
We hear the sounds of wind and traffic, and then Alex closes the window and all is still again. He fumbles a little, his hands are shaking.
He stumbles over to the desk and something catches his attention. A small framed picture.
Alex holds it up to the light and frowns when he realises what he's seeing. It's a picture of him, he's about 4 years old, grinning up at the camera while he tries to kick a football that's almost as big as he was. Tucked into the frame is a smaller, more recent one. It's the photo from his ski trip last year. This Alex is also smiling at the camera, big ski goggles cover most of his face, but it's easy to see how happy he is.
His uncle cared more about him than he thought. A wave of emotion hits him and he was struck by an overwhelming feeling of loss.
Alex glances at the clock and realises that he has 4 minuets left. He quickly searches though Ian's desk. The drawers are unlocked, and he finds a stack of files, as he reads them his eyes widen, they have nothing to do with banking. The files read: "Advanced interrogation and persuasion techniques" "combating terrorism domestic and abroad." "Common poisons and their antidotes" "Stormbreaker"
That's as far as he gets, the lights come on in a blinding flash and the door opens. Crowley is standing there. He doesn't look at all surprised to see Alex.
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CROWLEY
Hello Alex.
(he walks into the room)
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His speech and demeanour have changed, it's the same words, but it sounded different, more purposeful, more dangerous. With quite realising it, Alex backed away from him, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. Crowley stopped two meters away from the desk.
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ALEX
You said you didn't have the key.
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CROWLEY
Well noted.
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Alex threw a hasty glance behind him at the window, could he make it out in time?
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CROWLEY
I hope you're not going to do anything foolish Alex.
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ALEX
What the hell is going on?
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CROWLEY
This has been a test, and you passed with flying colours.
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Alex is silent but his face said it all. "what test?" He decides that the best form of defence is offense:
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ALEX
What happened to Ian? Did you kill him?
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CROWLEY
No, but we know who did.
Please follow me. We have the answers you're looking for.
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ALEX
(Alex considers this, then he speaks, defiant)
And what if I was to leave? Right now.
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CROWLEY
(mock surprise)
Then you would be free to go.
But would you really let all your efforts go to waste, right when you're so close to finding the truth?
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With that, Crowley turned and walked out the door. Alex watched him go, knowing he was right, he needed to know what happened to his uncle, he owed him that. He took one last glance at the pictures on the desk, and followed him.
End of Act 4
Notes:
I took out the scene of Alex being shot with a tranquiliser dart because
It's too cheesy, and makes no sense. Why would MI6 try to earn his trust by putting him through such a stressful and unnecessary process?
I want to show the power and intelligence of M16. The way they manipulate Alex by using his natural curiosity against him, and take advantage of his emotional state by showing him his dead uncle's desk.
Making him walk into Blunt's office on his own adds to the suspense, the boy walking into the lion's den, knowing nothing can turn out right, but still doing it.
I need to shorten the run time, all that character building really eats up the script.