Derry, Northern Ireland

Derry, Northern Ireland
A book I'm working on is set in this town.

Friday, April 24, 2015

More of MFD...

Continues from previous bit...and updated to reflect changes...
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EXT. MARINA - DAY

By London City Airport. High-end yachts. A lock gate opens and a massive cabin cruiser powers into the harbor to stop by a quay. An open lot is beside it. MARC PLOMIER -- middle-aged but youth-obsessed -- hops out to tie up the mooring.

BEN (O.S.)
Uncle Marc.

He spins to find --

Ben approaching. His hair is blond.

MARC
Ben!?

INT. CRUISER CABIN - DAY

Pristine. Well-furnished. Marc pours tea for Ben.

MARC
(French accent)
What a surprise to see you. Where have you been? How did you know I am here?

BEN
Laurent wrote me; mentioned your new boat.

Marc tenses. Glares at Ben.

MARC
What are you talking about? Laurent is dead.

BEN
He sent a letter to my old unit’s quartermaster. Year ago, maybe. He held it for me.

MARC
... And only now do you reappear?

BEN
... I only just heard. I'm sorry.

MARC
These past two years have been like a nightmare. My sister, your father, killed. Your wife. You, almost. And then my son. One wonders who is next. Where did you go?

BEN
Off to meself. I had lots to think about. But I heard about Laurent, I knew it was time to come back. Get things going, again. I hoped you could help.

MARC
Nothing will please me more.

BEN
Thanks. I’m staying at a B and B in Dartford and -- .

MARC
No, no, no, you will stay with us.

He pulls out a mobile phone. Ben fights a smile.

BEN
Uncle Marc, I don’t want to impose.

INT. MARC’S HOUSE - DAY
Exquisite. Overlooking The Thames. LAUREN -- 40, looks 30, thinks she’s 20 -- holds her mobile phone.

MARC (O.S.)
Ben, please. You are my sister’s son. It would insult me if you do not have use of my home.

INT. MARC'S HOUSE - DAY
Lauren leads Ben down a hall. He has a duffel bag. She motions to a door.

LAUREN
(British)
I’d put you in Laurent's room, but ... well ...

BEN
I'm happy not to be.

LAUREN
Here you go.

She shows him a nicely furnished room overlooking the Thames.

LAUREN (CONT’D)
Why not freshen up while I make lunch? Would you like some wine?

BEN
No, thank you, Aunt Lauren.

LAUREN
Ben ... please, it’s just Lauren.

BEN
... Lauren.

LAUREN
I’m glad to see you’re all right. When you vanished ... well ...

He tightens.

LAUREN (CONT’D)
I ... I’ll get lunch started.

She exits.

He drops his duffel-bag on the bed. Pulls out clothes, a laptop computer, notebook, wad of cash, a GLOCK PISTOL with ammunition and 2 extra clips, and a belt holster.

He takes a worn black & white photo from the notebook -- of him, Irina, Isobel and Forrier in front of the Country Home.

EXT. IRISH COUNTRY HOME - DAY (FLASHBACK)
Forrier and Isobel stand stiff behind Irina, in white, and Ben in Full Army Dress. Vaughn, also in Army Dress, sets up a camera on a tripod.

VAUGHN
Oh, no, Irina’s part of the family, now! That’s reason to celebrate!

ISOBEL
Here is my celebration face.

Forrier begins to chuckle. Irina loses it, too. Isobel swats at her husband, smiling.

ISOBEL (CONT’D)
(in French)
Can’t you be serious for one second?!

Ben laughs. Vaughn snaps the photograph.

INT. MARC'S HOUSE - DAY
In his room, Ben slips the photo into a corner of the dresser mirror. He pulls a slip of paper from the notebook; it reads: Nicholas Glyde, The Windwood, Sifford Heath, London RM22 1XP.

INT. SHAGGY APARTMENT - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Very low-rent. Packed with high-tech computer equipment. A NERDY DUDE passes a folder to Ben.

NERDY DUDE
Yeah. Hard to find, this one. Took me near an hour.

INT. MARC’S HOUSE - DAY
Ben shoves the paper in his pocket, clips the holster to his back belt, slips his pistol into it. His jacket hides it.

EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - DAY
Ben drives past rolling hills.

EXT. GLYDE MANOR - DAY
Elegant. Overlooking green fields and surrounded by trees. Barbed wire atop the brick fence. The entry gate is guarded. Ben passes.

EXT. HILLSIDE - DAY
Ben parks. Gets a case out of the boot. Takes a tiny drone and remote control from it. Starts the laptop. Links the drone camera to the laptop. Gets it flying. It whispers away.

THE DRONE FOCUSES ON THE MANOR. A classic ASTON MARTIN CONVERTIBLE in perfect condition sits near the front door. Bodyguards stroll about. Security cameras are everywhere.

The DRONE’S CAMERA ZEROES IN ON A WINDOW OF THE HOUSE to find NICHOLAS GLYDE -- 45, big and never not in control -- talking on a mobile phone as he paces in his office.

Ben smiles. HIS CAMERA SHIFTS TO THE FRONT DOOR to catch --

AURELIA GLYDE -- 20, the epitome of every young man’s dream -- exiting. Her IMAGE FREEZES.

INT. MARC’S HOUSE - NIGHT
In his room, Ben sits before the laptop. Its screen shows the same image of Aurelia. He rewinds the image to Glyde in the window. Returns to Aurelia.

INT. SHAGGY APARTMENT - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)
Ben flips through Nerdy Dude’s folder.

NERDY DUDE
Bastard’s got two kids. Aurelia and Auric. Idiot names from an idiot.

BEN
Both names refer to gold.

NERDY DUDE
Well, they’ve lived golden lives.

INT. MARC’S HOUSE - NIGHT
Ben watches Aurelia move in SLOW-MOTION. His expression is cruel.

2 comments:

MAC said...

Love it... thanks for sharing.

Have a FABULOUS weekend my friend!

JamTheCat said...

Thank you, Mac. I'll post more of it, tomorrow...uh...Sunday...