The Rock

IN THE GLASS VESSEL

The cockroaches convulse, flip in the air and explode, guts splattering the vessel walls.

ISHERWOOD

What's hap... what's happening...?

Dr. Ling looks at a DIGITAL CLOCK on the control panel.

DR. LING

Don't panic, Bill. 50 seconds and the gas will clear. You're okay.

Goodspeed grabs the doll from Isherwood, slams it on the table, and grabs a SCALPEL. Cuts open the doll's chest.

GOODSPEED

I've got some bad news and some really bad news. The bad news is the gas is corrosive. It's eating our suits.

Isherwood looks at his RUBBER GLOVES. The rubber is beginning to bubble and corrode.

DR. LING

What's the really bad news.

Goodspeed peels back the doll's plastic chest, revealing: a C-4 EXPLOSIVE DEVICE and TEN POISON AMPULES.

GOODSPEED

Enough C-4 explosive to blow the chamber and enough poison gas to kill everybody in the building.

Isherwood's and Goodspeed's rubber gloves are melting.

ISHERWOOD

The acid's eating... it's eating my fucking suit...

GOODSPEED

Chill, Marvin.

(yells outside)

WHERE'S THE GODDAMN SPRINKLERS?

Dr. Lonner flips on the sprinklers. The pipes KNOCK. A FEW PATHETIC DROPS trickle from the SPRINKLER HEADS.

DR. LONNER

Something's blocking the pipes, Bill. When in Christ's name are they gonna give us a new building...

DR. LING

Get the atropine, Isherwood. The atropine, Marvin.

Isherwood, terrified, jerks open an OVERHEAD CABINET, revealing several 6 inch needled SYRINGES.

DR. LING

You die, we all die, Bill. Inject yourself, then diffuse it.

(Goodspeed continues to inspect the device)

Goddamn it, Bill, take the antidote.

Isherwood fumbles with a huge syringe.

GOODSPEED

Get that away from me.

(to himself)

I hate needles.

DR. LING

INJECT YOURSELF!

GOODSPEED

LONNER, WHERE'S THE GODDAMNED WATER?

The pipes are KNOCKING, now they're COUGHING.

DR. LONNER

It's coming, it's coming...

Isherwood sinks to his knees, holding the huge syringe in front of his heart, hara-kiri style, hands trembling...

Goodspeed concentrates on the device; his calm is unsettling. His hands flash, grabbing instruments and performing precise, deft, functions. He snips a wire and splices it. Another. Another.

DR. LING

(sweating it out)

Ten seconds, Bill.

Isherwood moves the syringe closer to his chest.

ISHERWOOD

Oh fuck oh shit oh fuck THIS IS LIKE FUCKING PULP FICTION ONLY IT'S REAL.

Isherwood drops the syringe. Fumbles for another... Goodspeed, ice-cold, continues on the device...

DR. LING

Five seconds, Bill, four seconds, Jesus Christ...

GOODSPEED'S RUBBER GLOVE is stretched to transparency. We see GOODSPEED'S FLESH through the acid-eaten rubber. He makes one final cut-and-clamp. THE DETONATOR on the poison gas turns off.

DR. LING

Three, two... the gas is clear!

OUTSIDE THE GAS CHAMBER

GREEN LIGRTS FLASH on the control panel and a TORRENTIAL SPRAY soaks Goodspeed and Isherwood. is wide-eyed and trembling. Goodspeed glares at him.

DR. LING

Next time use the atropine!

GOODSPEED

I don't like needles.

EXT. GEORGETOWN – STREETS / ALLEYWAY – DAY

The bohemian part around Georgetown U. Goodspeed heads down an alley between two townhouses. LOUD COUNTRY MUSIC emanates from an apt. above. Goodspeed ascends.

INT. GEORGETOWN – GOODSPEED'S APARTMENT – DAY

A young woman stands in the middle of the living room, belting out a Carlene Carter tune in cowboy boots, rhinestone blouse and skirt. CARLA PESTALOZZI, 20's, is playing guitar, accompanied by a boom box.

CARLA

Every little dream I dream about you, Every little song I sing about you, It drives me crazy when you go away.

(notices Goodspeed)

Wanna keep you locked up at home...

Goodspeed walks past her into the kitchen. Carla turns down the music. Goodspeed re-enters with a Budweiser.

CARLA

(New Jersey accent)

Hey there.

GOODSPEED

Hey honey.

CARLA

Wrote a new song. Wanna hear it?

Goodspeed sits heavily on the couch. Rubs his temples.

GOODSPEED

Not now.

CARLA

Boy, somebody's in a bad mood.

GOODSPEED

Yeah, somebody's in a bad mood.

Carla changes the CD: a PUCCINI OPERA plays.

CARLA

Better?

GOODSPEED

Much better. She sits with him. Puts her arm around him.

CARLA

What happened baby. Tell me.

GOODSPEED

Had a close one.

CARLA

You want to talk about it?

GOODSPEED

Not really.

CARLA

You know how I feel about what you do.

GOODSPEED

Could we change the subject?

CARLA

That record company in Nashville wants to hear my demo tape.

GOODSPEED

Hey! Now there's some good news.

CARLA

You think I'm too... ethnic for country music?

GOODSPEED

Carla Pestalozzi? No. Definitely not. You could have posed for the Mona Lisa. Sophia Loren looks Swedish next to you.

(smiles)

I hope that's a compliment. I could change my name. How 'bout Bobby Sue Pestalozzi? Billy in Pestalozzi?

GOODSPEED

Stick with Carla.

CARLA

Okay. How 'bout Carla Goodspeed?

(Goodspeed frowns)

Six years, Bill. We've lived together six years.

GOODSPEED

We've talked about this, Carla, we've talked it up, down, inside and out...

CARLA

Billy, this probably isn't the best time... Bill, I'm uhhh.

CARLA

I'm pregnant.

GOODSPEED

You're what... ?

She holds up a positive home pregnancy test.

CUT TO:

EXT. DESERT AREA (SOUTHWESTERN U.S.) – DAY

TWO Y GUNSHIPS roar over camera and land next to the two Humvees. The Huey's doors open. Marine Captains FRYE and DARROW, both late 20's, drag out two MARINE LANCE CORPORALS, bound and gagged, and sit them down. Other marines roll gurneys laden with chem rounds, rockets and other equipment onto the Hueys.

They Hueys ascend and SCREAM off across the desert and...

CUT TO:

EXT. SAN FRANCISCO – AFTERNOON

Establishing shots of San Francisco and Alcatraz Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

EXT. ALCATRAZ ISLAND – AFTERNOON

A PARK RANGER (JOE) leads a group of 80 TOURISTS across the prison exercise yard. In the background looms the city of San Francisco and Golden Gate Bridge.

PARK RANGER JOE

Alcatraz – "the Rock" – is the most famous, and was the most feared, prison ever built. Here the inmates were allowed one hour of daily exercise.

FEMALE TOURIST

Is it really true no one escaped?

PARK RANGER JOE

True, madam. From 1936 until the prison's closing in 1963, there were fourteen attempts but no one's believed to have made it to shore – alive at least.

The tourists file off toward the MAIN CELL HOUSE. Bringing up the rear are Gen. Hummel, Maj. Baxter, Sgt. Crisp, Capt. Hendrix, and Pvts. Scarpetti,. Royce, Gamble and Starling, all in civilian clothes.

Hummel motions to Crisp, who bleeds off with Scarpetti and Royce. Hummel and the others continue with the group.

INT. ALCATRAZ – MAIN CELL HOUSE – AFTERNOON

Cell Blocks B and C, which inmates called "Broadway." A long corridor with three tiers of cells on each side.

The Ranger leads the tourist group inside.

PARK RANGER JOE
Al Capone; Machine Gun Kelly; Robert Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz; all lived in these cells.

The Ranger pulls the CELL DOOR OPEN/SHUT LEVER (recessed in the wall at the end of cell block). All the cell doors on the first floor slide open.

PARK RANGER JOE

Now Ladies and Gentlemen, the U.S. Park Service cordially invites you to become inmates of Alcatraz – temporarily of course.

The tourists laugh and move inside the cells.

EXT. ALCATRAZ – WHARF – AFTERNOON

The side across from San Francisco. The TOURIST BOAT is docked in front of the U.S. PARK RANGERS' OFFICE.

Sgt. Crisp and Pvts. Scarpetti and Royce walk up to the Ranger's office. They look left and right, then enter.

INT. ALCATRAZ – U.S. PARK RANGERS OFFICE – AFTERNOON

TWO PARK RANGERS and a SECRETARY look up.

ALCATRAZ PARK RANGER

You're not supposed to leave the tour, guys. Is there a problem?

SGT. CRISP

Big problem.

INT. ALCATRAZ – MAIN CELL BLOCK – AFTERNOON

The tourists are in the cells, looking around. Park Ranger Joe notices Hummel, Baxter, and the other marines standing behind him. Smiles:

PARK RANGER JOE

Don't want to be locked up, fellahs?