INNERSPACE

AL (VO)

If they wanted us out,

they must be up to something.

INSIDE - EXT. THE POD - LATER

AL TRAVELS TO JOE'S EYE.

EXT. NIGHT - KYOTO - JOE'S POV

A DARKLY WOODED TRAIL OUTSIDE RIUJI'S HOUSE leads to back alleys

and shrines. Stone gargoyles appear out of the mist. SOUNDS ARE

ENHANCED...PART OF THE TRAIL SEEMS TO GLOW DIMLY...TO THE LEFT.

AL (VO)

...To the left. To the left.

INSIDE - INT. THE POD

Al studies the MONITOR.

INSERT - MONITOR

The same wooded scene seen as an infrared scan...Warmer areas

show in lighter colors.HE SCANS THE INFRARED SPECTRUM through the

clear lens of Joe's eye.

AL

They passed this way,

the trail is warmer...Quietly now.

Joe and Al follow the residual heat trail to:

A SMALL CABIN

A workshop and Communications shack. Inside, RIUJI, GRUNER and

other suspicious men.

AL (VO)

Now, be careful.

The window he's leaning on swings in. Off balance, Joe topples

after it. He lands with a crash at the feet of the men. He takes

the table lamp with him, plunging the room into darkness.

SHOUTS and CURSES as everyone CRASHES into EVERYTHING.

JOE - on the floor, crawing.

AL (VO)

To the left, to the left.

Joe crashes into the wall.

JOE

Ow!

AL (VO)

A hard left. A hard left.

INSIDE - INT. THE POD

Al tries to guide him by infrared.

AL

Door to the right. Get up and run.

JOE (VO)

I can't see a thing.

AL

Neither can they.

OUTSIDE

Joe gets up and runs, blind.

INSIDE - INT. THE POD

Al sees the dim door grow closer. A figure enters and blocks it.

AL

Shit ! Look out!

OUTSIDE

At full speed, Joe tucks and hits a giant thug right in the

chest. They both go down. The lights go on...RIUJI and The others

stand over him.

FISTS IN THE GUT - JOE is slugged around. Strangely, it doesn't

seem to bother him.

JOE

What are you doing?

The giant thug, an "animal" looks down, smiles.

THUG

I'm beating the shit out of you.

INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL

AL

Blocking pain impulses with

Endo-Morphins. You'll be alright.

OUTSIDE - JOE

doubles up under another blow.

JOE

I won't look so good.

Another thug takes up the conversation.

THUG 1

Hell, when we get through,

you'll look like him.

He indicates the "Animal". They all laugh...as RIUJI enters. Joe

leaps up and nails the Animal with a haymaker. He goes down hard.

The others start to close, but Ryuji stops them. He pulls a gun

out, holds it on Joe.

RIUJI

No. Never mind him, Where

is GRUNER?

THUG 1

No sign of him.

RYUJI

Keep looking.

The thugs depart. RIUJI's mood changes. He crouches close.

INSIDE - INT. THE POD

Al works on RIUJI's identity.

OUTSIDE - RIUJI -

RIUJI

Now, who do you work for?

JOE

What can I say?

AL (VO)

I'm working on it.

INSIDE - INT. THE POD

Al finds info in a NSA data bank.

AL

Here it is..(Japanese phrases).

OUTSIDE - JOE

RYUJI

Who are you? What do you want?

AL (VO)

(Japanese phrase)

JOE

What?

AL (VO)

Never mind, just say it.

JOE

(Japanese phrase)

RYUJI is taken aback.

RYUJI

How do you know that? CIA?

INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL

AL

I think he deals in...

OUTSIDE - JOE

JOE

...you deal in stolen technology.

...from...Glomsui.

RYUJI

(Shows him ID)

I am GLOMSUI! Corporate Security.

AL (VO)

(denying it)

He was with Gruner!

JOE

You were with GRUNER!

RIUJI

(exasperated)

And now he's gone! What do you

think you're doing, stumbling

through this case. I almost had

the goods in my hand!

JOE

You know what he's got?

RIUJI

Whatever it is, he's

still got it.

JOE

You going after him?

RYUJI

I can't. He didn't do anything.

Thanks to you.

JOE

Why are you on to him?

RYUJI

We've had thefts of our new stuff

...GRUNER deals in this...

A big deal is going down now. I went

to see if GRUNER had anything to sell.

But he didn't make any moves...And

when you arrived, he backed off.

JOE

Why'd you invite me here?

RYUJI

Someone is selling. You followed us.

If it's not him, it must be you. If

it's not you, it must be him...

You scared him off.

JOE

What about the others.

RYUJI

I don't know.

Ryuji puts the gun away, Joe turns to go.

JOE

Would you have bought it from him?

RYUJI (inscrutable)

We don't need to steal anything...

EXT. HOUSE -NIGHT

RENE appears. There is a disarming dizziness about her.

RENE

You're leaving.

JOE

Food doesn't agree with me.

RENE

I'm leaving too.

JOE

Why?

RENE

This business is over.

JOE

I'm sorry. What will you do?

RENE

Go back to Tokyo. Try to get another

tour....You're following GRUNER?

JOE

I'm just on vacation.

RENE

Now, so am I...What's so

interesting about him?

JOE (blurts it out)

Why don't you come and find out?

INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL

AL

No!

OUTSIDE -

RENE

Oh, I can't.

AL (VO)

Good.

JOE

I need a guide and you

need a client...and $1000.

INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL

AL

No. You can't trust her.

OUTSIDE - Joe counts out fistfull of money.

JOE

You know where he went?

RENE

What's he done?

JOE

He stole something. From

a friend of mine.

RENE

He must be a good friend.

JOE

We're very close.

RENE

What'd he steal?

JOE

A chip. Goes in a computer.

RENE

One chip?

JOE

The most important one.

Can you help me find him?

RENE

(looks at money)

How do you know you can trust me?

JOE

Got to trust someone.

AL (VO)

Who says so?

RENE is skeptical, but fascinated.

RENE

I don't know. He mentioned a city.

JOE

What is it?

RENE

Hiroshima.

JOE

Get your things.

She runs into the house.

INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL

AL

Hiroshima! She's going, with us?

Are you out of your mind.

JOE (VO)

Probably.

AL

I don't trust her.

JOE

Then why let her out of our sight?

Besides, she's all we've got...

OUTSIDE

She reappears, throws her bag in the car, hops in. Joe

gets in after her. She laughs at him...As they pull away.

JOE

You don't believe me.

RENE

Oh sure.

JOE

Then why are you smiling like that?

RENE

Lots of my clients are rich guys...

They like danger..like playing

with drugs and things...running

around, acting mysterious.

JOE

You think I'm like that?

She shruggs.

JOE

What's Gruner like?

RENE

They'd never talk in front of me.

They'd walk away up the beach.

Nervous about something.

JOE

Who was?

RENE

Ryuji and Gruner.

JOE

And Dieter.

RENE

Friend of Gruner. Just went

along for the party.

JOE

And you?

RENE

It was a good job. Not many ways

for a foreigner to make money here.

Ryuji hires me to organize business

meetings...take care of things.

Up Ahead - a dark Mercedes. A lone figure drives, Gruner. She

turns off her headlight, pulls in close behind the moving car.

HIROSHIMA - A PORT ON THE INLAND SEA - LATER THAT NIGHT -

Gruner's car pulls into a dockside warehouse. A figure emerges

and crosses to a gangway. The FIGURE boards a SHIP. Joe(Al) and

RENE watch from a distance.

RENE

I can't even see in this light.

How do you know it's him?

INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL works the infrared monitor.

AL (VO)

It's him.

OUTSIDE

JOE

Come on.

RENE

Where we going?

JOE

Beats me.

INLAND SEA - THE BOAT IS A PLEASURE CRUISER

Crowded with tourists taking pictures of everything in sight.

TOPSIDE

GRUNER sits in the sun, listening to his Walkman as the islands

move by. Nearby, wearing a hat and dark glasses, Joe/Al tries to

stay close without being recognized. RENE slips into the seat

beside them.

RENE

This boat doesn't go anywhere.

Just toots around the Inland Sea.

JOE

Must be a pick-up, a rendezvous.

RENE

Then where's the chip.

AL (VO)

If you were going to smuggle a

chip, where would you put it.

She looks over to GRUNER, he has stripped to his shorts and

digital watch. He applies oil. JOE focuses on the Walkman.

AL (VO)

Plenty of circuits in a

Walkman...

INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL

AL

I've got an idea.