Assassins

The Mustang zooms out of the parking garage, bottoms out at the top. Electra's behind the wheel. Rath rides shotgun, watching the hotel for trouble. Pearl in her porta pet in the back.

EXT. STREET – MUSTANG (MOVING) – DAY

Electra is terrified. We now learn she talks when she's nervous.

ELECTRA

I always thought I was going to die in a bus crash. Isn't that dumb? The odds are like five-hundred million to one. You know what the odds of meeting a stranger who's a murderer? One-thousand to one.

Holding the .22, Rath just stares at her.

ELECTRA

I think I've been worrying about the wrong statistic.

RATH

If I was going to kill you, you'd be dead already.

As Electra speeds up...

INT. ROOM 718 – DAY

Bain tears the room apart. Pulls open drawers, overturns the mattress. He wants that disc. But the room has been cleaned out. Then he spots it. Electra's computer carrying case – in haste forgotten – on a chair.

Electra's jacket – in haste forgotten – draped over a chair.

Rifling through it, he finds the photos Electra had of Pearl. Bain flips through them. Nothing, but Pearl. Inside, outside. But Bain flips back one.

Pearl outside. Bain's finger jabs down on something in the background. Three TV transmit towers. Bain strides to the window, looks out...

BAIN'S POV – CITY

Scanning, spots it. In the distance, three radio towers.

BACK TO BAIN

Smiling. He shoves the picture in a pocket, hurries out.

INT. MUSTANG – ROLLING – DAY

ELECTRA

Who the hell are you?!

RATH

I work for the government.

ELECTRA

Bullshit.

(turning)

Where are we going?

RATH

Just drive.

Electra hits the gas. The MUSTANG ZOOMS. 40, 50... Rath takes her laptop from the backseat. He plugs it into his cellular, punches a number in. Rath types in the access code sequence. The system comes on line.

Contractor: This is not a scheduled call, Robert.

60 mph... Electra begins to slalom between cars. Rath looks up as he types.

RATH

Watch your speed.

Rath: "He was there again."

Contractor: "Shut down. We'll talk at the scheduled time."

The system shuts down. 70 mph...

RATH
Slow down!

ELECTRA

I can't.

Rath reaches over with his foot, starts to brake them.

ELECTRA

What about the other guy? Does he work for the government, too?

Rath just gives her a look, takes his foot off the brake. They've slowed considerably.

ELECTRA

It's between you and him, right? Just leave me out of it.

RATH

We can't. You're the mark.

A chilling thought. Across a wide median, she sees a bus pulling up to a bus stop. Ahead, the light turns red.

EXT. STREET – DAY

Electra moves to slow down, but at the last second she accelerates, rear ends the car ahead. Electra is braced, but Rath slams the dash.

Electra takes the keys, leaps out of the car. Grabbing the porta-pet, she dashes across the median. Rath is quickly after her.

Electra nears the bus which is taking on the last of its passengers. As she looks back over her shoulder, she slams into a man, drops the porta pet.

Rath is closing. There's no time. Acting on survival instincts, Electra leaps onto the bus. It's away just as Rath arrives.

INT. BUS – ROLLING – DAY

Electra hurries to the back, stares out the window. In the receding distance we see Rath and the porta pet in the street. She's escaped, but at what cost?

ELECTRA
Oh, Pearl... Sorry.

EXT. BUS STOP – DAY

As an IRATE MOTORIST shouts "car insurance," Rath ignores him, carries Pearl back to the Mustang. He gets inside, checks the glove box – nothing. But reaching under the seat, he pulls out a paper bag with cat food inside. The bag is printed: "Prize Pets". With an address.

EXT. PRIZE PETS – DAY

A local mom & pop operation. As the Mustang pulls up...

INT. PRIZE PETS – DAY

An OLDER WOMAN looks up as Rath approaches the counter. But she's not looking at Rath.

OLDER WOMAN

Pearl! How are you, dearie? Where's Mama?

Holding the cat in his arms, Rath smiles.

EXT. ELECTRA'S BUILDING – DAY

Three towers in the background. A car pulls into an assigned spot. "Bob" gets out, heads into the building.

INT. ELECTRA'S LIVING ROOM – DAY

Electra packs. No rhyme or reason. She just tosses stuff into her bag. As she moves into the bedroom, we STAY here. The monitors are on. Bob enters Jennifer's apartment.

EXT. ELECTRA'S BUILDING – DAY

Bain steps up, smiles at the towers. There are three cars in the lot. He walks along, placing a palm on the hood. Seeing which engine is warm. Bob's. Noting the apartment number on the space, Bain heads inside.

INT. JENNIFER'S APARTMENT – LIVING ROOM – DAY

Bain enters, begins looking through the room, after the disc.

INT. JENNIFER'S APARTMENT – BEDROOM – DAY

Bob hears the sound, thinks the wrong thought.

BOB

Jenn?

Bob hears FOOTSTEPS coming down the hall. As they near he door...

BOB

I love you.

Bain is there, filling the doorway.

BAIN

That's sweet.

INT. ELECTRA'S LIVING ROOM – DAY

Bag packed, Electra steps out from the bedroom. She stops short at the sight of the monitor.Bain raises the .22, Bob's eyes widen. As he steps back, Bain steps forward.

BOB (V.O.)

(on TV)

Who are you?

BAIN (V.O.)

(on TV, advancing)

You'll never know... Romeo.

Bob backs right into the walk-in closet. Bain follows. The SILENCER WHISPERS and BOB THUMPS to the floor.

JENNIFER'S BEDROOM

Bain takes in the room. Breathes it in. Something catches his eye. A smoke detector on the ceiling. He stands on the bed.

ELECTRA'S LIVING ROOM

Electra's mouth open, but no sound comes out as Bain's face suddenly looms right into the monitor. Distorted, his face right in the camera.

INT. JENNIFER'S APARTMENT – BEDROOM – DAY

Standing on the bed, Bain pulls the detector housing should be. He pokes at it. A warped smile as he realizes what it is.

INT. ELECTRA'S LIVING ROOM – DAY

BAIN (V.O.)

(on TV)

You sick little bitch.

Electra turns to get out, stops short at MEOW. PEARL trots into the room. Electra scoops her and Rath is there. He spots Bain on the monitor, draws his .22. She flinches.

RATH

Where is he?

Electra points to the floor. The screen goes to snow as Bain reaches, yanks the smoke detector from the ceiling. Rath grabs Electra and they're out of there.

EXT. MUSTANG (PARKED) – DAY

Up the street, the front end smashed. Rath gets Electra and Pearl inside.

RATH

Wait for me at the pet shop.

She nods. Without another word, Rath heads back. Electra STARTS the car. Smoke pinwheels off the tires as she roars off.

INT. JENNIFER'S APARTMENT – LIVING ROOM – DAY

Leading with the .22, Rath enters. Every nerve is tingling as he steps into...

JENNIFER'S BEDROOM

Rath steps in. No Bain. Rath spots the plaster torn from the ceiling, Bob's legs visible through the closet door. Rath steps over. As he kneels to take a pulse, he hears FOOTSTEPS OVERHEAD. In Electra's apartment.

INT. ELECTRA'S LIVING ROOM – DAY

Two discs on the coffee table. Bain scoops them, runs them through his scanner. Red lights flash. Not the ones he wants. He tosses them aside.

EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREET – MUSTANG (ROLLING) – DAY

Electra slows for a stop sign. Continuing, she passes Jennifer going the other way. Headed home. Oh no! Electra looks back over her shoulder. She makes a decision.

A HORN BLARES. Electra brakes, looks ahead where she's come inches from a head-on collision. She throws it in reverse, nearly hits a car coming up from behind. More HORNS.

Back to drive, Electra hops the curb, driving over a circular median and knocking down a "Slow" sign as she turns around.

INT. ELECTRA'S BUILDING – 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY – DAY

Gun drawn, Rath makes his way, enters.

INT. ELECTRA'S APARTMENT – LIVING ROOM – DAY

No Bain. Rath moves silently toward...

ELECTRA'S BEDROOM

Bain searching the place. Holding his .22, he picks up a bottle of perfume, takes a whiff, smiles.

BAIN

Jasmine...

In the dresser mirror, Bain spots Rath enter behind him. Dropping the perfume, Bain wheels, FIRES!

A MIRROR on the back of the door SHATTERS and Rath is gone. Or at least his image.

Guessing. Bain starts FIRING in a moving pass across the wall. The SILENCER makes it almost surreal.

LIVING ROOM

Rath runs, just a step ahead of the BULLETS which BURST from the wall behind him. Diving, he rolls into the...

KITCHEN

Coming out of the tuck and roll, Rath slams into the stove, rocking it two feet across the floor.He looks up at the gas line inches over his head.

LIVING ROOM

Slapping in a new clip, Bain leaps out, sees that Rath must be in the kitchen. Bain aims, but stays where he is.

BAIN

You're getting slow, Abuelo.

RATH (O.S.)

I'm not the one shooting at mirrors.

INT. JENNIFER'S APARTMENT – BEDROOM – DAY

Home, Jennifer stops short when she sees plaster everywhere. Looking up, she sees the cable snake up to the hole in Electra's floor. Unfortunately, she doesn't see Bob. Furious about the mess, she hurries out of the room.

INT. ELECTRA'S LIVING ROOM – DAY

Where Bain is edging his way toward the kitchen. That's when Jennifer storms in.

JENNIFER

Who the hell are you?

She stops short at the sight of Bain's .22.

BAIN

(whispers; wants)

The disc.

A frozen moment before she bolts for the door. Bain. As Jennifer falls, Bain makes a critical error.

BAIN

(at kitchen)

I beat you to the buyers and now I beat you to the mark. I'm starting to think I picked the wrong guy to be my hero.

INT. KITCHEN

Rath wonders who Bain shot. Out the window, he sees Electra pull up in the Mustang, run for the building.

LIVING ROOM

Bain waits for an answer, doesn't get one.

BAIN

You know it's my birthday today, Rath? It's true. Today I become number one.

Picking up a big shard of mirror, Bain inches his way to the kitchen door. It's blind; no view at all.