FACE/OFF

                             CASTOR
               I'm not going anywhere.

                             EVE
               You always say that -- then you
               leave.

                             CASTOR
               I bet I deserved that.  I bet Jon
               Archer is the most inattentive,
               sexless spouse on Earth.

                             EVE
               Jon, that's not true --

                             CASTOR
               Of course it's true, but I'm
               trying to change?  I'm here
               because I want to be alone with
               you.  I want to see the candle-
               light dance in your beautiful --

     Uh-oh.  Castor can't tell the color of Eve's eyes.  He
     leans in "romantically" -- but we know the real reason.

                             CASTOR
               -- brown eyes.

     He smells her hair, then her shoulders, her skin.  She's
     aroused, but wary.  So Castor goes in for the kill.

                             CASTOR
               I wanted it all to be just
               right... when I told you about my
               promotion.

                             EVE
               Your what?

                             CASTOR
               Well, I don't have it yet.  But
               Lazarro's getting old -- he won't
               be around forever.  And I'm
               getting the itch to move up.

                             EVE
               Jon... that's wonderful.

                             CASTOR
               So you see, I'm not going
               anywhere.  Unless it's upstairs
               with you...

     INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT

     Castor carries Eve into the shower and spins on the
     water.

     He rips her blouse open -- on her like a vulture to
     carrion.  As they drop to the floor of the stall -- water
     filling up around them -- Castor licks her ear and
     whispers...

                             CASTOR
               baby, it's like I'm having you for
               the first time.

     Dirty water runs down a floor drain... PULL BACK to:

     INT. EREWHON PRISON - POPULATION - NIGHT

     Desolate, Archer mops down the rec area.

                             ARCHER
               Don't they ever let us take off
               these boots?

                             VOISINE
               Not unless you're sent to the
               'Clinic.'

                             ARCHER
               You mean if I get sick?

                             VOISINE
               They don't give two fucks about
               your health.  The Clinic's where
               they send the real hard-cases for
               attitude adjustment.  Dubov just
               got sent down -- and look at
               Wainwright --

     Voisine gestures to a dazed inmate nearby -- WAINWRIGHT
     -- who sits in a corner -- gnawing at his knuckles.

                             VOISINE
               Toughest bastard I ever saw --
               after you, of course.  Now he's a
               fucking drool case.

                             ARCHER
               What did he do?

                             VOISINE
               He hit a guard.

     Archer sees Walton hovering nearby.  Archer heads for
     him.

                             WALTON
               Looking for trouble, Castor?

                             ARCHER
               As a matter of fact -- yes.

     Crack!  Archer decks Walton.

     INT. PRISON - POPULATION - NIGHT

     Walton and a guard herd Archer toward a steel door.

     INT. "CLINIC" - NIGHT

     Archer is dumped on the floor.  He sees he's lying in a
     puddle of something.  He looks up -- and recoils.

     ARCHER'S POV - DUBOV

     is strapped to a vertical gurney -- post-procedure.  His
     limbs are stiff, his eyes blank as a mako shark's.  But
     his feet are bare -- bootless.

                             MED-TECH
               Where's the mop, he puked all over
               the place.

     An assistant unstraps Dubov and drops him on a gurney.

                             MED-TECH
                      (mopping up)
               -- next time, bring them in before
               dinner...

     Archer cases the place:  Above is a catwalk... leading
     out.

     BACK TO SCENE

     Walton muscles Archer into the gurney.  The Med-Tech
     smirks.

                             MED-TECH
               Oh happy day -- Castor Troy.

     The Med-Tech wheels the ECT head-gear cart into place:
     twin needle-like BOLTS ready to fit into ARCHER'S ears. 
     A single blue static spark jumps from the bolts.

     Walton roughly wedges Archer's head into the head gear,
     shoving the chewed-up bite strap into Archer's mouth.

                             WALTON
               Bite hard, scumbag, 'cause you'll
               be gumming baby food from here on
               out.

                             MED-TECH
               Get his boots, Sergeant.

     Walton unlocks Archer's first boot and pulls it off.  As
     the Med-Tech starts to fasten Archer's arm -- Walton
     unlocks and pulls off the second boot.

     Archer's feet are free.  Crack!  He yanks his foot up
     hard -- Walton reels back, stunned.

     One arm still restrained, Archer backrolls in the gurney
     and kicks the head-gear cart away -- knocking it into the
     Med-Tech who collapses onto it, hitting "Test" --

     ZAP!  The HEAD-BOLTS FIRE, catching the Med-Tech through
     the shoulder -- he drops to the floor, his synapses shot.

     Seeing that Archer is still restrained by the arm -- the
     assistant darts out of the room.

     As Archer pulls free -- Walton looms over him -- gun
     poised.

     Then -- wham!  Dubov wallops Walton -- using his boots as
     brass knuckles.  The head guard collapses.

     Dubov smiles dumbly at Archer -- all trace of vendetta
     now obliterated.  Archer nods gratefully -- they're on
     the same team... at least for now.

     Suddenly the ALARM BLARES.

     Archer sees guards charging the room.  He tries closing
     the door -- but the guards arrive.  Dubov lumbers over
     and puts his massive weight into it -- and slams the door
     shut.

     O.S., guards POUND at the now-locked door.

     Archer quickly frisks Walton -- coming up with a
     cigarette lighter.  he pockets it.

     Scanning around -- Archer leaps onto a mounted, hinged
     lamp.  it swings against the wall.  Archer uses it to
     reach the catwalk above.

                             ARCHER
               Dubov -- come on!

     Dubov obeys and follows Archer up onto the catwalk.

     A groggy Walton muscles open the door from inside. 
     Guards pour in.  Walton grabs an AUTO-RIFLE and opens
     FIRE.

     SLUGS chase Archer and Dubov as they flee through the
     catwalk door.

     INT. CENTRAL SECURITY CONTROL

     Two guards watch Archer and Dubov disappear off the
     clinic's monitor.  They grab their shock-sticks and rush
     for the door.

     The door opens -- revealing Dubov and Archer.  Perfectly
     in synch -- they double cold-cock the startled guards.
     Archer grabs a shock-stick -- and fuses the door shut.

     He yanks out wires and shatters the computers.  Dubov
     mimics the behavior -- ripping out an entire console --
     and revealing a narrow cable duct.

     Flames explode -- shorting the circuitry -- the DRONING
     HUM RISES -- the magnetic power monitor shows a dangerous
     surge.

     AROUND PRISON

     Chaos.  Guards scatter as the huge diamond-vision SCREEN
     EXPLODES and inmates are flung like rag-dolls by their
     short-circuiting boots.  Anything metallic flies into the
     magnetic domes.

     SECURITY CENTRAL

     As the men back through the cable duct -- Archer
     struggles to replace the heavy console.

     The DOOR is BLOWN open.  Walton enters to find... no one.
     Then his eyes light on the console -- slightly askew.

     INT. CABLE CORRIDOR

     Archer and Dubov rush down the tight corridor -- and
     around the bend.  The corridor ends in a...

     STORAGE/MAINTENANCE AREA

     Lined with tools, toilets, sinks, a rack of old lock-down
     boots.  They race through the far door...

     INT. CENTRAL TOWER ROOM

     Archer and Dubov find themselves in a multi-level
     labyrinth.  A hundred feet high -- criss-crossed with
     catwalks, staircases and high walls.

     ECHOES resound -- SHOUTING, FOOTSTEPS GETTING CLOSER --
     they seem to be coming from all around them.

     Over the magnetic HUM -- Archer notices loose screws and
     other metal debris stuck to the sheer wall.  He pulls one
     screw away -- and lets it fly back into the polarized
     wall.

     Archer gets an idea -- and looks back the way they came. 

                                                SMASH CUT:

     SHEER WALL

     Archer and Dubov scale the face -- using the old metal
     boots.  They climb higher and higher as...

     Guards criss-cross the catwalks and staircases below and
     around them -- oblivious.

     Archer and Dubov almost reach the next level when...

                             WALTON
               There!

     BULLETS SMACK the wall around them -- just as Archer and
     Dubov reach the next catwalk.

     Archer spots the emergency exit security door at the far
     end.  But four guards descend on them -- and block their
     way.

     Fist fight as Archer and Dubov take on the attacking
     guards.  Archer heaves one down the stairs -- into more
     guards.  Dubov drops another over the catwalk.

     They continue their desperate race for the door --
     reaching the landing.  As BULLETS PING around them --
     hulking Dubov rips away a floor panel.  He uses it as a
     shield as Archer sparks up Walton's lighter.

     As SLUGS EXPLODE into the shield -- Archer places the
     flame to his thumb... and peels off the skin mold.

     He presses his thumb to the door's keypad.  To his
     horror, its LED reads "print unreadable."

     Walton and guards movie in, FIRING at closer and closer
     range.

     Dubov staggers under the FUSILLADE OF BULLETS.  The
     shield is repeatedly punctured -- and is quickly
     disintegrating.

     Archer licks his thumb, tries again.  Finally it reads
     "Clearance Confirmed"... the door slides open.

                             ARCHER
               Let's go!

     Dubov heaves the shield at the encroaching guards -- but
     as he turns to follow... Walton BLOWS him away.

     Archer reaches to pull Dubov through, but the riddled
     inmate ignores the helping hand.  Pulling the door shut,
     he collapses in front of it -- blocking it momentarily.

     INT. HIGH CATWALK TOWER

     Archer hesitates for a moment... but that's all he has.
     he keeps going... up the winding staircase-catwalk --
     higher and higher -- a step ahead of the onrushing
     guards.

     As BULLETS CLANG around him -- Archer reaches the top.
     He ignores a sign which reads...

                        EMERGENCY EXIT ONLY
                       SAFETY LINES REQUIRED

     He charges straight up a ladder and plows right
     through --

                                                SMASH CUT:

     EXT. PRISON - DAWN

     Archer's blinded -- it's daytime in the real world.

     A sea gull flies across his face -- as we FOLLOW the
     bird...

     PULL WAY, WAY BACK to reveal:

     The prison's in the middle of the goddamn ocean, in what
     appears to be just an abandoned, rusty oil rig platform. 

     Archer rushes over to a transport chopper.

     INSIDE COCKPIT

     Archer searches for the keys.  No go.  He throws
     switches.  Nothing works.

     Guards pour out of the hatch -- FIRING.  Archer leaps
     from the chopper and jumps over the side to the
     platform's --

     LOWER LEVEL

     He lands hard on the slanted, corrugated shed roof and
     rolls to the ground.  He grabs a high-pressure hose --
     and cranks the pressure valve -- as the pursuing guards
     close in.

     Archer BLASTS the guards with the WATER CANNON --
     knocking Walton and others into the sea.  Archer upends a
     stack of oil barrels -- which roll into more guards.
     Archer spots:

     TUGBOAT

     pulling a Zodiac dinghy -- heading out to sea.

     Archer jumps up a stack of pipes to the south rail --
     where the end of a crane's hook is tagged back.  Under
     FIRE -- Archer frees the hook, which swings away from the
     platform.

     Hanging on to the hook, it swings him out over the ocean.
     At the apex -- le lets go and plummets down into...

     CHOPPY SEA

     He pulls himself into the ZODIAC and frees it from the
     tug.  It ROARS off.

     EXT. ZODIAC - MOVING - DAY

     The nylon craft zips through the waves -- approaching San
     Pedro Harbor.  The ENGINE SPUTTERS... low on gas.

                             ARCHER
               Come on... come on...

     Archer senses something... He looks up and...

     Whoosh!  Something swoops down -- but it's just a
     pelican.

     He FIDDLES with the ENGINE -- which finally DIES.  Archer
     grabs the oars -- about to start rowing when --

     Another swoop!  This time it's the prison chopper.

     Archer spots a string of buoys dotting the harbor.  An
     idea.