ARCTIC BLUE

Angry, Wilder slams the receiver down.

34 INT. WILDER'S CABIN

In one room, there is a wood-burning cookstove and an Ashley

heat stove, a table, a bunk and a small window. Behind a

cloth partition is an eight by six holding cell. The frame

of an iron-bar door is securely cemented to the log walls.

Wilder comes in with Corbett and locks him in the cell.

(CONTINUED)

34 CONTINUED:

CORBETT

Mind if I get some stuff from my

kit?

Wilder does mind. He locks the duffel bag and Corbett's .44

in his desk drawer.

CORBETT

(continuing)

Sam, listen -- I shot to defend

my man. Other guy drew first.

WILDER

If that was all, fine. But

carving him up, stranding the

others, that's too fucking much.

Is everything that walks, crawls,

flies or swims fair game to you?

CORBETT

(softly)

I'll get loose before that plane

comes.

WILDER

Don't try me. I'll kill you if

it comes to it.

35 EXT. DEVIL'S CAULDRON - AFTERNOON

As Eric walks into Kenai's general store, Neff hurries over.

NEFF

Mr. Desmond!

(grins; sticks his hand

out)

Arthur Neff. Area rep for the

Federal Assistance Plan. Tell

the boys in DC to keep those

goodies coming.

ERIC

Sure.

NEFF

Snowplow, generator, TV dish...

hell, we get the goddamn Playboy

Channel! Here, this is for you.

He hands Eric a piece of styrofoam shaped like a commode

seat.

(CONTINUED)

35 CONTINUED:

NEFF

(continuing)

Warm to forty below. Remember,

anything you want, you ask Arthur

Neff.

36 EXT. HAUL ROAD - THE TURTLE - NIGHT

The storm has passed. A faint CHUGGING emanates from the

small orange generator trailer behind the Turtle. Eric

pulls up and parks the Scout.

37 INT. THE TURTLE

Nylon storage netting along the ceiling holds Eric's

research equipment and Anne Marie's photographic supplies.

In one corner of the Turtle are several of her black and

white prints. All are of man-made objects whose presence is

juxtaposed with the natural surroundings.

Relieved he's home in one piece, Anne Marie meets Eric at

the door and kisses him. Carrying a brown-paper-wrapped

package, Eric follows her into the kitchen, where she's

preparing dinner.

ANNE MARIE

Did you catch Corbett?

ERIC

Sure did. He was one of the

trappers we rousted from the Haul

Road.

ANNE MARIE

Was there any trouble?

ERIC

He was sitting in a hot tub with

a hooker.

ANNE MARIE

Going after killers isn't the

same as chasing poachers, Eric.

ERIC

(grins)

Can't help myself. Corbett's

type always pisses me off.

(hands her the package)

Oh, I found this at the post

office. Had your name on it.

(CONTINUED)

37 CONTINUED:

Perplexed, she looks at the return address --

Bloomingdale's. Delighted, she tears it open. Inside is a

pretty, elegant dress. Anne Marie kisses him.

ANNE MARIE

Oh, sweetheart. It's beautiful!

ERIC

You were looking at it in the

catalog. Don't know where you

can wear it...

ANNE MARIE

I'll wear it for you. And I can

wear it when we go home. We

won't be here forever.

ERIC

(frowning)

You make it sound like a prison

sentence.

ANNE MARIE

That's not what I meant.

ERIC

It's exactly what you meant.

ANNE MARIE

Look, why get into this again.

As long as it's working, let's

leave it alone. It's been nice

so far. We're together --

ERIC

-- Permanently?

ANNE MARIE

(sighs)

Do I want to be with you

permanently? Yes, I think I do.

But be with what you do and the

way you live? That I don't know.

C'mon, Eric, until I met you,

coming back to Alaska was totally

out of the question for me. But

I'm here. I'm getting great

pictures, and I'm having fun.

(slips her arms around him)

I love you.

(kisses him)

So shut up and let's eat.

38 EXT. DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NIGHT

An old primer-grey station wagon rattles into town and

parks. With an unlit cheroot stuck in his mouth, "VIKING"

BOB CORBETT gets out and stretches. He's 38, six-foot-six,

with sandy hair, beard, ruddy skin, and his brother's dark

eyes.

He looks around for some sign of life. He spots Neff

tending one of the windmills and walks over to him.

VIKING BOB

I'm looking for some trappers.

Ben Corbett, Mitchell, LeMalle.

Seen 'em?

NEFF

Yesterday. Said they were going

to Cache. They were thirsty, but

we were voted dry.

VIKING BOB

Shit.

As Viking Bob walks back to his station wagon, he notices

Kenai poking around in front of Wilder's cabin.

VIKING BOB'S POV

Illuminated by a bare bulb is Wilder's typical bush-country

front yard. Piled are five cords of wood, boxes, tarps,

stove parts, saw horses, 55-gallon drums, dismantled snow

machines, wash tubs, tires, etc.

Bunching his collar around his neck, Kenai shivers and sorts

through Corbett's traps.

NEW ANGLE

Viking Bob ambles over to Kenai.

VIKING BOB

These yours?

KENAI

Gonna make an offer. Man who

owns them won't need them where

he's going.

39 INT. WILDER'S CABIN

Wilder peers out the window and sees Viking Bob, then turns

to Corbett.

(CONTINUED)

39 CONTINUED:

WILDER

Back against the bars. Now.

Wilder handcuffs Corbett's hands to the cell door bars, then

quickly wraps a piece of duct tape across Corbett's face,

covering his mouth.

Stuffing a .357 magnum in his belt, Wilder, coatless, slips

outside.

As soon as he's out the door, Corbett cranes his neck and

painfully tries to pry the tape off his face with the corner

of the door hinge.

40 EXT. WILDER'S CABIN

The look on Wilder's face tells Kenai to shut up. Viking

Bob realizes something's up.

WILDER

Your brother and the boys left me

some traps to sell for them.

They're gone --

VIKING BOB

-- To Cache. So I heard. Ben

never said nothing to me about

selling his gear.

41 INT. WILDER'S CABIN

Corbett gets the tape partially off his mouth. He pries one

of his boots off and kicks it through a window.

CORBETT

Bob! They got me on a murder

charge!

42 EXT. WILDER'S CABIN

Wilder pulls his .357 out.

WILDER

Sorry, Bob. I'll have to keep

you here 'til I ship him south.

Viking Bob responds by flinging a heavy trap at Wilder, then

punching him in the gut. Wilder sprawls among the junk,

dropping his revolver. Kenai freezes, not about to take

sides.

Before Viking Bob can come at him again, Wilder grabs for

his .357. Viking Bob jumps back and bolts for his car.

(CONTINUED)

42 CONTINUED:

He dives into his station wagon and starts it up. As he

drives past, Wilder POPS off a few rounds, but Viking Bob

keeps going.

NEW ANGLE

Kenai helps Wilder up. Pissed, Wilder shoves him against

the cabin.

WILDER

(continuing)

You stupid, greedy, loudmouth

sonofabitch! He'll have the

others here in a few hours. You

fucked me up, now you're gonna

help me move him.

KENAI

(shakes head)

Forget it, Sam. I never work for

free.

43 INT. THE TURTLE - NIGHT

Anne Marie sits on the floor, editing one of her VIDEOTAPES.

On the monitor, it SHOWS footage of the traps under the

pipeline piling. Eric comes out of the back module holding

two ELT pendants. He glances over at the monitor and nods

approvingly.

ANNE MARIE

I still can't believe I'm being

financed by an oil company.

Especially when they get a look

at these pictures. Technology in

the wilderness; not too pretty.

(re ELTs)

What's that?

ERIC

I thought I should check our

emergency transmitters.

Eric activates the ELT's. They emit an SOS pattern of radio

waves -- three short, three long and three short. This is

visible as rhythmic INTERFERENCE on Anne Marie's video

MONITOR.

ERIC

(continuing)

Avalanche season is coming.

(CONTINUED)

43 CONTINUED:

ANNE MARIE

Winter. Two straight months of

night -- we may never get out of

bed.

(kisses him)

Which would suit me fine.

ERIC

Prolonged darkness makes people

crazy.

ANNE MARIE

Not me. I'm equipped.

She turns on a small S-VHS video camera and snaps off the

room lights.

ANNE MARIE

(continuing)

Allow me to give you a practical

demonstration of low-light

infrared photography...

She does so by seductively undressing for the camera. She's

SEEN on the MONITOR, illuminated by the "light" from the hot

stove. Eric appreciates the show. He crawls toward her.

ANNE MARIE

(continuing)

High-tech in the wilderness.

Gets me excited, too.

ERIC

Come here...

Laughing, he wrestles her to the rug.

44 EXT. HILLS ABOVE DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NIGHT

There is a full moon and a clear night sky. Viking Bob's

station wagon is parked out of sight. He sits inside,

waiting.

He hears an ENGINE starting in the distance. Sitting up, he

grabs some binoculars.

HIS POV

Wilder's extended cab truck pulls out, heading west.

45 EXT. FOOTHILLS - NIGHT

In the bright moonlight, two people are seen in Wilder's

truck as it speeds along a dirt road.

Viking Bob follows at a discreet distance, headlights off.

(CONTINUED)

45 CONTINUED:

NEW ANGLE

Viking Bob turns and takes the literal high road -- a narrow

trail above the roadway that Wilder's truck is on.

He zooms ahead and gets in front of his quarry, then drops

back down onto the road and waits in ambush.

As Wilder's truck approaches, Viking Bob turns on his bright

lights and crouches behind his car door with a shotgun.

Wilder's truck screeches to a stop.

CLOSER

Kenai gets out with his hands up.

Viking Bob slowly approaches Wilder's truck.

VIKING BOB

Ben?

No answer. Viking Bob looks in the cab. Kenai's passenger

is Dixie, the Inupiat hooker. Viking Bob grabs Kenai and

pushes the barrel of the shotgun hard against his cheek.

VIKING BOB

(continuing)

Where's Ben Corbett?

KENAI

I have no argument with you, Bob.

Wilder said I could keep his

truck if I drove it ten miles

away from town.

VIKING BOB

Where did they go?

KENAI

He didn't say, but I would guess

the opposite way from here.

Viking Bob shoves Kenai against the truck, then punches him

for good measure. Cussing, he runs back to his station

wagon and drives off.

CUT TO:

46 INT. THE TURTLE - REAR MODULE - NIGHT

Eric and Anne Marie are asleep. Eric starts awake at the OS

sound of a high-pitched vehicle HORN and an approaching

ENGINE.

47 EXT. HAUL ROAD - THE TURTLE

Eric pulls the door open. Wilder is untying Corbett from

the snowmobile.

WILDER

I got an emergency on my hands.

Corbett smiles at Eric as he walks inside.

48 INT. THE TURTLE

Eric, Wilder and Corbett sit in the front module. Anne

Marie, nervous, wearing a down robe, serves coffee. She

stares at Corbett, trying to reconcile his quiet demeanor

with what she saw that afternoon. Corbett smiles at Eric.

WILDER

(to Eric)

...You give us a ride in the

Cessna you got hangared at the

pumping station, we'll be in

Fairbanks in a few hours.

ERIC

That's what we should've done in

the first place.

WILDER

I could've sat tight for the

transport, 'til Bob came poking

around.

CORBETT

(to Wilder; re Anne Marie)

A lot to ask, dragging him away

from such a good-looking girl --

ERIC

(irritated)

-- To take you to jail? It'll be

my pleasure.

WILDER

(to Eric)

You better get some sleep.

CORBETT

Good idea. Flying over mountains

can give you some nasty

surprises. Go too low, one of

the clouds might have a big rock

inside it.

(CONTINUED)

48 CONTINUED: