The Rock

MASON

Came out right through there.

(squeezes through the hole; mutters)

'Course I've gained a few since...

Goodspeed follows Mason through the hole.

INT. CIVIL WAR DUNGEON – OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL – NIGHT

Mason and Goodspeed emerge to a ledge which faces a POOL OF DANK STAGNANT WATER. It's about 3 ft. deep.

MASON

Across that, then 50 yards to the morgue.

(off Goodspeed's blank stare)

You said that's where the fucking poison is, Goodspeed.

GOODSPEED

I don't get it. You're going to help me?

MASON

No. I'm going to give you dancing lessons. What the fuck do you think?

GOODSPEED

You don't have to get all bent out of shape.

MASON

What's bent out of shape, idiot, is the tunnel I was going through to freedom five minutes ago.

GOODSPEED

All right, all right. Don't call me idiot, okay?

Mason what did I do to deserve this? What God did I offend...

Goodspeed begins to wade into the pool.

MASON

Stop.

(Goodspeed stops)

There. And there.

Goodspeed squints. The water slithers with COTTONMOUTHS. Mason unpack the QUART OF MOTOR OIL in spray bottle.

MASON

Cottonmouth snakes. They breath through their skin. Oil clogs it. They hate the stuff.

MASON

sprays the motor oil across the pool. The snakes scatter. The pool's now coated with an oil slick. Mason wades in. Goodspeed follows.

The COTTONMOUTHS, repulsed by the oil, stay away. Goodspeed tries not to look at the snakes. They make it across.

GOODSPEED

Something's a little off here: I'm the FBI Agent, you're the convict, and you have all the guns.

Mason slaps the 9mm pistol into Goodspeed's hand walks off. Goodspeed follows.

INT. ALCATRAZ – TUNNEL UNDER PRISON MORGUE – NIGHT

Mason and Goodspeed arrive at a fork in the tunnel.

DOWN THE FORK IN THE TUNNEL

... is the PRISON MONO-RAIL SYSTEM: a single rail suspended from the tunnel ceiling, upon which SMALL CARTS are suspended.

GOODSPEED

The morgue?

Mason nods. Moves to a STEEL-RUNGED LADDER leading to a GARBAGE CHUTE against the wall. Goodspeed follows.

INT. ROOM ADJACENT TO MORGUE – NIGHT

Mason and Goodspeed emerge from the garbage chute. They hear VOICES in the next room.

INT. MORGUE – NIGHT

Pvts. Gamble and Starling are guarding the poison. Starling's walking around. Gamble's seated on a MORTICIANIS TABLE, smoking.

The door bursts open. Mason stands in the doorway. GAMBLE dives away. Starling whirls, raising his M-16.

MASON'S HAND flashes. THE SAW-TOOTHED KNIFE flies the length of the room and buries in Starling's neck.

MASON
Never hesitate.

Gamble fires from his position around the corner. Mason and Goodspeed dive for cover behind a cabinet. Goodspeed fires from cover without looking, his gun raised over the cabinet. Mason, underneath the cabinet, fires at GAMBLE'S FOOT. Gamble, shot, hits the deck.

Gamble unclips a GRENADE. Before he can pull the pin...

MASON FIRES HIS CLIP EMPTY at the AIR CONDITIONER MOUNT on the ceiling above Gamble. The mount gives; the ENORMOUS AIR CONDITIONER falls, crushing Gamble. Gamble's GRENADE, still secured with the pin, rolls away.

Goodspeed rises. Looks at Gamble under the air conditioner. Just HIS LEGS stick out. (Note: the rest of the scene's action plays out around Gamble's legs.

GOODSPEED

You didn't learn that in prison.

MASON

No, and I used to be a lot quicker.

GOODSPEED

I've got some questions for you but they can wait.

Goodspeed opens the CORPSE DRAWERS revealing the V.X. CHEM ROUNDS (shaped like big tennis ball cans).

Goodspeed carefully lifts out a chem round. Mason grabs one, accidentally knocking it against the drawer.

GOODSPEED

Careful. The second you don't respect this, it kills you.

Goodspeed and Mason set the V.X. chem rounds on the mortician's table. Goodspeed pulls out his EQUIPMENT KIT. Begins detaching the tops of the chem rounds.

Goodspeed reaches inside a chem round and carefully pulls out... a STRAND OF V.X. POISON PEARLS: ping-pong ball sized glass bubbles filled with poison.

GOODSPEED

I need a hand here.

(Mason looks anxiously at the poison pearls.)

Mason. Now.

Goodspeed hands the poison pearl strand to Mason. Mason holds it like a string of wind chimes.

MASON

What... exactly does this do to you?

GOODSPEED

Any epidermal exposure or inhalation and you'll know: A twinge at the small of your back as the poison seizes the nervous system.

(hands over another poison pearl strand)

Then loss of muscular function. Then you spit your guts out, it looks like a tub of spaghettis spilled on the floor, then your skin turns black...

Mason stares uneasily at the pearl strands.

MASON

Sounds like my first marriage.

Goodspeed has the chem round's GUIDANCE SYSTEMS exposed. Inside are tiny GUIDANCE SYSTEM MICRO-CHIPS. Goodspeed plucks the chip from each chem round and pockets it.

GOODSPEED
(into tac radio)

Pier 39 come in.

SANCHEZ (V.O.)

(tac radio)

Goodspeed? Where the hell have you been. Talk to me.

GOODSPEED

We're in the morgue. I'm removing the rocket's guidance system chips.

(to Mason)

Without em the rocketslll fly about 500 feet and splash down like a wounded duck.

Goodspeed moves on to the third and fourth chem rounds. Suddenly there's a BEEP. Goodspeed and Mason whirl. Pvt. Gamble's WALKIE TALKIE is talking to them:

HUMMEL (O.S.)

Gamble, Starling. Come in.

Mason and Goodspeed exchange a nervous look.

HUMMEL (O.S.)

Privates Gamble and Starling, come in.

EXT. ALCATRAZ – INFIRMARY COMMAND CENTER – NIGHT

Hummel clicks off his walkie-talkie. Stands there a second, thinking.

HUMMEL

The morgue. Hummel and Baxter exit quickly.

INT. ALCATRAZ – MORGUE – NIGHT

Goodspeed goes faster; his hands are sweating, trembling. It's like he's lost his spine. (And thinking about Carla, perhaps he has.)

MASON

C'mon c'mon... faster...

Goodspeed nearly drops a chem round. Mason recoils.

MASON

I thought you were cool under pressure.

GOODSPEED

Shut up; you're making me nervous.

EXT. ALCATRAZ – BETWEEN CELL HOUSE AND MORGUE – NIGHT

Hummel and his men race toward the morgue.

INT. ALCATRAZ – MORGUE – NIGHT

Goodspeed has dealt with eight chem rounds. There should be seven more, but there's not. Goodspeed counts them...

MASON

They'll be on us in twenty seconds.

GOODSPEED

Wait a minute. Fuck. Hummel stole fifteen chem rounds. There's only twelve here. Here. Quickly. Do these last four.

Mason raises the poison pearl strands from each of the remaining four chem rounds. Goodspeed quickly plucks the chips from the guidance systems.

EXT. ALCATRAZ – MORGUE – NIGHT

Hummel and the marines converge on the morgue. Surround the door. They burst inside, guns trained.

INT. ALCATRAZ – MORGUE – NIGHT

Cox, McCoy, and Darrow fire machine gun bursts at –
 

MASON AND GOODSPEED

Sprinting across floor, BULLETS chewing the floor. They dive into the MORGUE INCINERATOR CHUTE, Goodspeed leaving the tac radio behind...

INT. TUNNEL UNDER MORGUE – NIGHT

Goodspeed and Mason tumble out of the chute. Two MONO-RAIL CARTS are hanging there. They exchange a look and climb into the first cart. Mason throws the cart's RELEASE LEVER. The cart glides down the mono-rail.

INT. ALCATRAZ – MORGUE – NIGHT

Hummel goes to the mortician's table. Sees the theft of the guidance chips.

HUMMEL

Hendrix! Take Royce and Scarpetti!

Cpt. Hendrix and Pvts. Royce and Scarpetti dive into the incinerator chute after Mason and Goodspeed.

BAXTER

Gamble and Starling are dead.

CUT TO:

INT. TUNNEL UNDER MORGUE – MONO-RAIL TRACK – NIGHT

Hendrix, Scarpetti, and Royce tumble from the incinerator chute. Mason and Goodspeed are down the Mono-rail track.

Hendrix gets in THE SECOND MONO-RAIL CART. Scarpetti gets in THE THIRD MONO-RAIL CART. Hendrix and Scarpetti pull the release levers. The Mono-rail carts rumble after Goodspeed and Mason. Hendrix shouts back to Royce:

CAPTAIN HENDRIX

FOLLOW ON FOOT!

INT. ALCATRAZ – MONO-RAIL TUNNEL – NIGHT

The three carts fly down the mono-rail: Goodspeed and Mason (in CART 1) 50 feet ahead of Scarpetti (in CART 2), who is 50 feet ahead of Hendrix (in CART 3).

IN CARTS 2 AND 3

Scarpetti and Hendrix fire M-16s.

IN CART 1

Mason and Goodspeed duck as BULLETS RICOCHET around the tunnel walls. They pop up and return fire.

IN CART 2

Scarpetti arms hi over/under M-16 grenade launcher with a grenade and... FIRES.

The GRENADE PROJECTILE shoots down the monorail tunnel.

IN CART 1

Mason and Goodspeed duck as the GRENADE PROJECTILE wings over their heads, continues down the tunnel and DETONATES against the tunnel wall.

CART 1

Roars through smoke and debris left by grenade explosion. As it rounds a corner, Mason grabs A SPLINTERED TIMBER and releases from the cart. CART 1, with Goodspeed alone continues down the mono-rail.

Mason yanks down a 5 ft. long BROKEN SECTION OF SEWAGE PIPE and presses himself against the tunnel wall.

AS CART 2 rounds the corner...

WHAM!! Mason swings, hitting Scarpetti flush in the forehead, killing him and blowing him off the cart. Cart 2, without Scarpetti, continues down the mono-rail.

Mason waits. As CART 3 rounds the corner

Mason swings again But Hendrix is waiting for it. Hendrix grabs the swinging pipe and pulls Mason into Cart 3!

IN CART 3 – HENDRIX AND MASON FIGHT SCENE

Mason's sprawled on the floor of the cart. Hendrix levels his M-16. Mason whipsaws the legs under Hendrix, bowling him over, the M-16 falling away from the cart.

Mason and Hendrix get to their feet.. They trade blow after blow as the Cart ROARS through the tunnel.

IN CART 1

Goodspeed looks over his shoulder at Mason and Hendrix locked in mortal combat. He pulls the CART BRAKE. Cart 1 begins slowing down. CART 2 (Scarpetti's) rams into it. Now Carts 1 and 2 are together. And on comes –

CART 3

Hendrix knocks Mason to the floor of the cart. Hendrix dives atop Mason, strangling him. mason's head is bent over the front lip of the cart. Mason looks down the mono-rail track. To his horror he sees CARTS 1 and 2 slowing down...

IN CART 1

Goodspeed realizes that his cart is going to ram Mason's outstretched head. He releases the brake, and Cart 1 picks up speed...

IN CART 3

Hendrix draws the knife. Hendrix raises the knife. With his last strength, Mason rolls away. Hendrix plunges the knife down, missing Mason, him momentum carrying his head and shoulders over the front lip of the cart. Mason SCREAMS at Goodspeed.

MASON

BRAKE!!!

IN CART 1

Goodspeed pulls the cart brake and –
 

CART 3 SLAMS into CARTS 1 and 2 at 20 mph., crushing Hendrix's head and torso between Carts 2 and 3.

The collision knocks Mason off Cart 3, SLAMMING his head against the tunnel wall. Mason falls unconscious to the tunnel floor, while –

CART 1 is shoved by the collision across a DITCH OF WATER in the tunnel floor. Goodspeed groggily gets to his feet. Jumps down from the cart.

GOODSPEED

Mason!

In the midst of this Pvt. Royce runs up. Sees Mason concussed, helpless. Royce draws his GLINTING KNIFE. Kneels over Mason. He's going to cut his throat.

GOODSPEED

Wait.

Royce lowers the knife. Looks across the ditch at Goodspeed. The ditch is 20 ft. wide and filled with dank, stagnant water and we've seen dank, stagnant water before.

GOODSPEED

Pretty easy killing an unconscious man. How about trying me? Punk.

(beat)

What're you waiting for? Limp dick.

ROYCE

I am going to fuck you up something fierce. You rolled the wrong number, shithead. You crapped out.