FIGHT CLUB

JACK

Is it stupid because the answer's "yes" or because the answer's "no"?

MARLA

Is this a trick?

JACK

Will you just answer, for God's sake?!

MARLA

Oh, you mean, you want to know if I think it was "making love" or just

two animals going at it?

JACK

So we *did* make love?

MARLA

Is that what *you're* calling it?

JACK

ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!

MARLA

You fuck me, then snub me. You love me, you hate me, you show your

sensitive side, you turn back into an asshole!

JACK

Oh, God.

MARLA

Is that a pretty accurate description of this relationship?

JACK

What's my name?

PG 105

MARLA

Tyler Durden.

JACK (V.O.)

We've just lost cabin pressure.

MARLA

I'm coming over.

As Marla hangs up, we END INTERCUT. Jack stares at the receiver a

beat, then realizes ...

JACK

Oh, shit! No! I'm out of town!

He punches Marla's number like a maniac. Listens ... just ringing and

ringing. He turns, sees TYLER -- sitting on the bed, staring at him

with an ominous poker face. Jack drops the receiver. The room is only

lit by dim moonlight through the window.

TYLER

You broke your promise.

JACK

Why do people think I'm you?

TYLER

Because we happen to share the same body.

JACK

What the hell are you talking about?

TYLER

Sometimes *I* control it and you imagine watching me.

INT. BAR BASEMENT - NIGHT (JACK'S MEMORY)

Jack stands near the back of the crowd as Tyler stands in the middle of

the light.

TYLER

The first rule of fight club is --

JUMP CUT - SAME SHOT - (ALTERED FLASHBACK) -- it's JACK in the light,

talking, behaving like TYLER.

JACK

-- you don't talk about fight club.

PG 106

INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING

Jack gasps and wheezes. Tyler grins and nods.

JACK

But we fought --

TYLER

When *you're* controlling the body, you see me and hear me. But no one

else does.

INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - IN FLIGHT - NIGHT (ALTERED FLASHBACK)

Jack sits next to an empty seat and "looks" at the blank air beside

him, eyes focusing on "someone" close.

JACK

What do you do Tyler?

(pause; listens to reply)

I mean -- for a living.

Jack listens to the reply, then laughs.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING

Jack has trouble catching his breath.

JACK

What about when we were together around other people?

TYLER

You never talked.

EXT. PARK - NIGHT (ALTERED FLASHBACK)

Jack (Tyler) has his face right in front of the Police Commissioner's.

JACK ("TYLER")

We'll send one ball to the "New York Times" and one ball to the "Los

Angeles Times". Sort of press release style.

PG 107

INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING

Tyler sits down on the bed, takes Jack's hand. He presses his lips to

the kiss-scar.

TYLER

And when you fall asleep, I go places and do things without you.

EXT. BUILDING (FLASHBACK)

We see that the building is "TRW". Jack, Bob, Ricky, Angel Face and

another GUY rappel down the die and start SPRAYING PAINT. Everyone is

more or less paired off. Jack IS "TYLER" in his demeanor, mannerisms,

speech. He's next to Angel Face.

JACK ("TYLER") (to Angel Face)

You are not your job. You are not how much money you have in the bank.

Suddenly, the TWO WINDOWS SHATTER OUTWARD and two of the men yell out

the windows:

BRUISED MAN #1

I AM NOT MY JOB!

BRUISED MAN #2

I AM NOT HOW MUCH MONEY I HAVE IN THE BANK!

INT. HOTEL ROOM - RESUMING

Jack shakes his head in disbelief.

JACK

But you ... you ... you rent the house.

TYLER

The house is rented in your name.

JACK

You're a projection? A personality disorder? A psychogenic fugue

state?

TYLER

Fuck that. You're *my* hallucination.

PG 108

JACK (points to his body)

I was here first.

TYLER

Who's done more with it?

JACK

You're not going to do any more with it.

TYLER

What are you going to do? You couldn't even figure this out. It's

been staring you in the face for months. I had to drop my busy

schedule and come here and tell you. How are you going to fuck with

me? You think there's any possibility that I haven't prepared for? Do

you think anyone you care about is safe?

Jack quivers with shock, shaking his head, sweating more profusely.

JACK

No. This is all ... it's not possible. Tyler. Tyler ... it's a joke,

right? Right?

Jack FAINTS and falls to the floor, UNCONSCIOUS.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - DAY

Jack's eyes snap open. He shoots to his feet.

JACK

Tyler ... ?

He remembers the revelations of the previous night ... he looks at

himself in the mirror. A sledgehammer of emotions hits him. He looks

at the clock -- 1:35p.m.

BAM!

INT. HALLWAY

The room door slams against the wall as Jack bursts out of the room,

SPRINTING for the stairs. Fuck the luggage.

INT. STAIRWELL

Jack takes three steps at a time.

PG 109

INT. LOBBY

Jack storms for the front door, passing the length of the front desk.

A DESK CLERK calls out to him.

DESK CLERK

SIR?!

Jack catches sight of the Clerk, who waves a piece of paper.

DESK CLERK

Please initial the list of phone calls.

Jack snatches the bill and looks at it. There's a MASS of PHONE

NUMBERS.

JACK

When were these made?

DESK CLERK

It says right there, Sir. Between two a.m. and five thirty a.m.

Jack grins. He initials the bill. The Clerk gives him a copy. Jack

stuffs the bill into his pocket and disappears out the door.

INT. AIRPLANE CABIN - IN FLIGHT - DAY

Jack sits, staring out the window, his face set hard.

EXT. AIRPORT DRIVE - SUNSET

Jack sprints to the curb and leaps onto a taxi.

EXT. MARLA'S HOTEL - SUNSET

The taxi pulls to a halt by the curb. Jack leaps out and runs up the

front steps.

INT. HOTEL STAIRS - CONTINUOUS

Jack sprints up the steps, taking two or three at a time. He gets to a

landing and turns and runs down to the end of the

PG 110

INT. HALLWAY

Where he pounds on Marla's door. She opens it. He endures her baleful

gaze for a beat.

MARLA

Your whacked-out, bald feaks threw me out of the house. I thought they

were going to kill me. They almost broke my arm.

JACK

I'm sorry, I ...

Jack takes both her hands in his.

JACK

Marla, I'm going to tell you something and it's going to take a

tremendous act of faith on your part to believe me.

MARLA

Here comes an avalanche of bullshit.

JACK

-- A little *more* faith than that.

MARLA

Spill it.

INT. MARLA'S ROOM - CONTINUOUS

Jack leads her toward the bed.

JACK

Look, did you notice a big difference between me when we were having

sex and when ... we weren't?

MARLA

Did I notice? You're manic-depressive. It's like a neon sign all over

you.

JACK

No. It's worse than that.

Jack sits on the bed, pulling Marla down next to him. They and the

sheets and covers SLIDE OFF onto the floor. Jack keeps his composure

and looks into her eyes.

JACK

Tyler is my split personality.

PG 111

MARLA

Then, who are you?

Jack takes out his wallet, shows Marla his driver's license.

MARLA

You gave me a fake name? What a jerk.

JACK

*I* didn't give you the fake name -- a *fake person* did. Listen,

those people all over the house -- you're in danger.

MARLA

Okay, what do you want? You want me to create my own wonder-bitch

personality to match? So we can be a foursome?

JACK

I WANT YOU TO FUCKING BELIEVE ME!! YOU WANTED TO TALK?! WELL,

*HERE'S* OUR FUCKING TALK!!!

Jack's eyes well up with tears. He turns away from her. Marla's face

softens. She strokes Jack's hair, turns his face to look at her.

MARLA

I'm sorry. This split personality thing is ...

A beat of silence. She squeezes his hand; he squeezes back. He looks

at her, working up some nerve.

JACK

I've go to know something. Why did you respond to Tyler? Instead of

me. Sexually.

MARLA

I ... uh ... I don't know what to say -- *you're* Tyler.

JACK

Okay, however you want to say it -- the abusive side of me -- the

asshole who treated you like shit and made you leave in the morning.

PG 112

MARLA

What do you want? You want me to say I'm shit and I deserve to be

treated like shit? Well, I AM! And that's how you GOT ME OFF!! AND

YOU *KNOW IT*!!!

Jack touches her face and she slaps his hand away. He sighs and gets

to his feet. He pulls out an airline FLIGHT COUPON and shows it to

her.

JACK

I want you to get out of town for awhile. Whether you believe me or

not, you're in *real* danger. Is there someplace you can go?

Marla grabs the flight coupon, looks it over.

MARLA

There's plenty of places I'd like to go.

Jack digs into his pocket and produces a wad of cash. Marla roughly

seizes the cash, checks out the amount.

JACK

Leave as soon as possible. Go to a rural little town, away from any

major city. Go now. Okay? Please. Promise?

MARLA

Count on it. And I'm not paying this back -- I consider it "asshole

tax".

JACK

I agree. More than you know.

Marla's expression of rage becomes muddled with confusion over Jack's

almost spiritual tenderness. Jack starts toward the door. A WAVE OF

DROWSINESS and FATIGUE hits him. He staggers, eyes closing. He drops

onto a chair for a beat and rests his hand over his face.

He SNAPS AWAKE. Marla is GONE. Jack bolts up out of the seat.

JACK

Marla?!