Assassins

INT. THE HOTEL PARAISO – ROOM 301 – DAY

Electra steps up. The .22 trained on the hole, she looks down. Bain's bag is there, but the man himself is nowhere in sight. A ghost. Electra moves.

INT. 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY – DAY

Bain on his back, aiming his own .22 at her footsteps overhead. He FIRES.

INT. 3RD FLOOR HALLWAY – DAY

There's no warning blast, just BULLETS silently drilling the floor at her feet. Electra runs, aware the floor could collapse under any given footfall.

INT. 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY – DAY

Bain moves to the railing, aims at the stairs.

Electra appears on the landing above, freezes as she realizes she's exposed.

RATH (O.S.)

Bain!

Rath in the lobby. Before Bain can target him, he's gone.

So is Electra.

BAIN
Two against one. Is that your edge, Rath? You didn't take the mark. You took the bribe.

Bain starts for the stairs.

BAIN

I'll take her, even the odds!

ELECTRA (O.S.)

(scared somewhere)

I think he's serious, Rath!

ROOM 205

Rath pulls himself up through a hole in the floor.

RATH

You've got something of mine, Electra.

3RD FLOOR HALLWAY

Electra looks at the .22, gauges Rath's position from his voice.

ELECTRA

When do you want it back?!

RATH (O.S.)

Now!

ATRIUM – HALLWAY BALCONIES

Electra appears at the third floor balcony. Rath at the second, a little further down. Bain turns the corner on the staircase.

As Electra tosses Rath the .22, Bain FIRES. Time slows.

Rath's hand closes around the gun even as he's hit in the shoulder. Stumbling back, he RETURNS FIRE.

Electra has disappeared from the railing as Bain continues after her. And getting to his feet...

Rath gets to his feet and motors.

3RD FLOOR

Light plays through the lathing. Every creak could mean your life.

INTERCUT BETWEEN Rath, Electra and Bain

As they play the equivalent of the hedge-maze game.

Bain FIRES at a shadow moving against a wall three rooms away.

Electra nearly steps into a gaping hole as she looks back at a sound behind her.

Rath wheels as the Electra WHISPERED NAME "Rath" ECHOES oddly. No way to tell where it came from.

3RD FLOOR HALLWAY

The full length stretched before us. Electra steps out from a room. Rath appears at the other end. As she starts toward him, Bain steps out from the opposite end. She's about to get caught in one hellacious crossfire.

RATH
(dashing forward)

Down!

As Electra hits the deck, Bain leaps forward with a rebel yell. The two men unload their silent .22's. Sprinting at each other. Bain shouting.

Rath jerks to a sinew-stretching stop as his right leg goes through the flooring. He FIRES...

And as Bain's hit in the thigh, he goes down. Disappears h)f through the floor right at Electra's feet.

INT. FLOORS – DAY

MOVE WITH Bain as he tumbles. Breaking, then continuing his fall at each floor he encounters.

3RD FLOOR HALLWAY

Rath and Electra look THROUGH the hole. No ghost this time. Bain's down there. Motionless, nearly buried in debris. Rath looks up at Electra.

RATH

Don't move.

Rath starts down the hall. A beat and Electra is following right behind him.

INT. HOTEL PARAISO – LOBBY – DAY

The light from the lowering sun slips through gaps, cracks and broken window panes, casting surreal patterns.

Rath steps over to where Bain lies broken. .22 aimed at Bain, he turns to face Electra as she comes up behind.

They embrace a moment before he pulls away. The only way to describe him is pissed with joy.

RATH
You weren't supposed to be here. What happened? What the hell happened?!

Before Electra can explain...

VOICE (O.S.)

That's no way to talk to a lady.

INT. LOBBY – DAY

A chill down Rath's spine. He wheels, but the voice has no source. Till The CONTRACTOR steps out of the shadows, holds a .22 about a foot from Electra's head.

CONTRACTOR

It's been a long time, my friend.

Rath turns, is stunned at the sight.

RATH

Nicolai.

NICOLAI/CONTRACTOR

The years have been good to you, Robert.

(re: gun)

Put it down.

Nicolai motions to Rath's gun. Rath has no choice. He drops it. Nicolai gestures toward Bain.

NICOLAI

Miguelito?

(as Rath nods)

I never pictured him so young. Shame. Second best after all.

Electra can't believe what's happening. She looks from Nicolai to Rath.

ELECTRA

You killed him.

NICOLAI

(smiles)

He did.

Nicolai opens his jacket to reveal a bulletproof vest.

NICOLAI

(to Rath)

Walking out of that bank was the worst moment of my life.

(to Electra)

He always went for the heart. Predictable.

Nicolai holds up a flattened slug, tosses it to Rath who lets it land on the floor.