The Essential Ellison Part 69

CALISTADerek, listen to me...please. Right now, on the other side ofthat door they're deciding your fate.

FLINTWho is the Chairman of the Board?

CALISTA.

(desperate)Please, listen! I'm only an agent. The Gunsmiths will stop atnothing to get the black diamond. I'm telling you the truth.

FLINTWhy, Miss Griffen, without your gla.s.ses and gas maskyou're...you're... (beat)...underwhelming.

CALISTAYou fool, can't you see I'm trying to help you!

FLINTI'm trying to be gallant, but frankly, Calista, you help theway Torquemada helped at the Spanish Inquisition.

CALISTA(dead serious)But...I've come to care for you.

FLINT(looks to heaven)Forgive her, she didn't mean that.

At that moment, the door opens and the two Blacksuits come in, dragFlint out of the chair and pull him into the next room.

CUT TO:.

49 INT. THE COURTROOM.

Where a Tribunal has been set up. The 1st Vice President is thejudge, and in a tiny jury box there are a group of Blacksuits.Barmeier stands near the judge's bench as Calista comes through thedoorway. Ist V.P. places black cloth on his head in the manner of English courts. The VOICE of the CHAIRMAN erupts from a speaker grille on the wall.

CHAIRMAN.

Mr. Flint, this organization has spent thirteen hours trying

to get you to cooperate. Time-motion studies and psychological

a.n.a.lyses indicate we've wasted our time. The Gunsmiths operate

on a simple profit-and-loss basis. At this point you cost more

than you're worth. Mr. 1st Vice-President, have you reached a

decision?

1st V.P.(gleeful)We have, Mr. Chairman.

(beat)Liquidation of the property.

CHAIRMANCarry out the sentence.

Two Blacksuits come to Flint. One throws a hemp rope over a beam inthe tribunal hall, the other lifts Flint onto a short footstool.They string the rope around his neck and pull it tight.

1st V.P.I think Miss Griffen should have the pleasure.

Calista registers horror.

CALISTAI wasn't hired to- CHAIRMANMiss Griffen! Your employment can be terminated at ourdiscretion.

Calista's shoulders sag. She walks to Flint slowly. She reaches him,raises up on toes and CAMERA COMES IN SMOOTHLY TO EXTREME CLOSEUP ofher face near his ear, as she pretends to kiss him. She speaks loudenough to carry to 1st V.P.

CALISTAOne last kiss for the road, Derek, dear?

(then, whispers)Here...this will make it easier...no pain...

And she breaks an ampoule of pink mist under his nose, her bodys.h.i.+elding her actions from the rest of the room. Then she kisses.h.i.+m, long and lingering.

CAMERA PULLS BACK. Flint shakes his head very slightly, as if tryingto clear his senses.

1st V.P.(screams)Hang him!

Calista kicks out the footstool as CAMERA WHIPS UP AND AROUND ANDTILTS DOWN to show us Flint's legs hanging above the floor as theeerie, mechanical voice of the Chairman booms out and reverberatesover and over- CHAIRMANFlint is deaddddddddd...!

FADE TO BLACKandFADE OUT.

END ACT ONE.

ACT TWO.

FADE IN:.

50 MISTY LIMBO-SHOT MOVING BACK.

Swirling fog, pastel-colored, but not the same limbo of scenes 25 37. This is a lighter, less-ominous ambience. It is Flint swimmingup out of unconsciousness. The mists begin to part. And while wecome up through this, we HEAR FLINT'S VOICE OVER as if on a tapeca.s.sette, scratchy, tinny, clearly a recording, which is preciselywhat it is.

FLINT Ca.s.sETTE O.S....Carefully inspect all cranial wounds to be certain nodamage has been inflicted on the skull or brain. A history ofloss of consciousness, even if only for a few seconds, willserve as a warning that an injury to the intracranial contentshas been incurred. X-rays are indicated in such cases in viewof the possibility of a skull fracture.

(beat)On ca.s.sette five of this series I have recorded instructions for theproper use of the X-ray machine...

By the time we reach this stage of the DIALOGUE OVER the mists willhave blown away like a jet pa.s.sing through clouds, and we will beseeing THROUGH FLINT'S EYES as everything comes from murky and out-of-focus to FOCUS.

51 FLINT'S POV-WHAT HE SEES-INT. FLINT'S APT.-DAY.

His apartment is all around him. The elegant residence designatedfor this series. Leaning over him are his two female house guests,TANIA Can exquisite Eurasian) and CLAUDIA Ca stunning Barbie dolltype who is actually a Ph.D. in Oriental Philosophy, and holds adegree in piezoelectricity). They are tending him. He is now seeingclearly, and we see Tania reach across and click off the ca.s.setterecorder that has been playing Flint's medical advice.

52 FULL SHOT.

as Flint sits up on the futuristic examination table they'veextruded from the wall in the living room. Flint reaches up andclicks off the examination light that was s.h.i.+ning down on him. Herubs a hand across his neck. There is a raw, red burn there...as iffrom a lynch rope.

FLINT(coughs)They don't seem to be making death the way they used to.

He gets up, a little unsteadily, closes his eyes and puts hisfingertips to his temples. He sighs, as though gathering hisstrength, and both girls move as if to help him. He opens his eyesand with a movement of his head stops them.

FLINT (CONT'D.).

I'm all right. I'm just checking my motor responses. Give me amoment.

He closes his eyes again, and after a few seconds sighs withacceptance. He opens his eyes.

FLINT (CONT'D.)Everything's fine. Heartbeat a trifle erratic. I'll take careof that later. Which ca.s.sette did you use to revive me?

TANIAThe one you recorded on brain surgery and podiatry.

FLINTMm. Have to revise it to include transplants.

He looks around. Seems a trifle disturbed that he's here.

TANIAWe got to you just in time. They wanted to take you to thehospital, but we told them we could do more for you here atthe apartment.

FLINTI had a most amusing death fantasy. Something from theEgyptian Predynastic or Ptolemaic periods, I think.

He slides the modular foam-rubber examination table back into thewall.

CLAUDIA.

(gives him wine)Mr. Cramden's department had a tracker on you. It took them awhile to trace the signal and triangulate your location, butagents broke in and cut you down in time.

Flint is walking around, testing himself, asking his body how itfeels and getting back synaptic responses. In the truest sense it isMan, Know Thyself. He looks at Claudia, about to smile and say thankyou for the information when CUT TO :.

53 INTERCUT-CLAUDIA.

He suddenly sees her with flaming red hair. The shot lasts a moment,a MATCH-SHOT with Claudia as she stands before him but CUT BACK TO:.

54 SAME AS 52.

the vision suddenly phases back and we see Claudia standing before

us with auburn hair. It's still red, but nowhere nearly as flamboyant as in the intercut.

FLINT.

When did you change your hair color?Claudia seems a trifle nonplused, pats her hair.

CLAUDIA(smiles) Just a rinse.

(beat)How do you feel?

FLINTFine. I've got to talk to Cramden.

TANIAHe'll be here soon.