Page 1

                (SPLASH IMAGE) IMAGE FROM LAST ISSUE, PAGE 15:

                TORK HANDS KASPER HIS COAT— SIGNALING IT IS TIME FOR KASPER TO GO HOME.

 

PREVIOUSLY...

Realizing King T’Challa, the Original Black Panther, would be no help, NYPD Narcotics Officer Kasper Cole launched his own investigation into the near-fatal attack on his father, the legendary hero cop “Black” Jack Cole. Again posing as The Black Panther, Kasper interrogated a prison guard who confessed the hit on Black Jack was ordered by Detective Bernie Scruggs, Lt. Sal Anthony’s right-hand man. Sal Anthony had been attempting to recruit Kasper into his circle of crooked cops. Kasper went to confront Sal, but was checkmated by Sal’s revelation that he’d learned “Panther”’s secret identity. Furious and afraid for his father and the rest of his family, Kasper turned to his trusted friend, Sgt. Tork, who advised him to simply go home and stay there.

 

BLACK PANTHER

Kevin “Kasper” Cole, son of hero cop “Black” Jack Cole, was an ambitious young narcotics officer who’d been suspended from the force following a disastrous unauthorized drug bust. Kasper “borrowed” one of The Black Panther’s old costumes from Sgt. Tork— Kasper’s boss and Panther’s former ally. He only needed it for three days.

 

LT. SALVADORE VERASCE ANTHONY

is a shift commander for the Patrol Services Bureau (the uniformed force) of the 74th Precinct. Sal is secretly a contract agent of the 66 Bridges Gang. Sal has a small inner circle of corrupt officers, DETECTIVE BERNIE SCRUGGS chief among them.

 

NIGEL “TRIAGE” BLACQUE

Triage is the CEO of Grace & Tumbalt, a public relations firm that is, essentially, an elaborate front for the ruthless 66 Bridges gang. Triage is the official spokesman for the “foundation” as he calls it, and is a savvy activist and lobbyist. He is also rumored to be the actual head of 66 Bridges, the mystery man known only as “Kibuka.”

 

BLACK JACK

Kasper’s father, Jonathan Payton “Black Jack” Cole, was a highly decorated NYPD officer who was arrested and convicted on drug charges when Kasper was a teenager. He has spent nearly eight years in the NY State Correctional Facility at Ossining, NY. He was recently attacked and beaten nearly to death by corrections officers.

 

GLOSSARY OF TERMS:

Uncle = case worker, Internal Affairs detective assigned to your case

Up = up in the air = under surveillance

Spook = spy = covert operative

Full Flip = turning state's evidence = testifying against his partners in exchange for a plea bargain

Lew = lieutenant

RMP = Radio Motor Patrol = police car

2330 = 11:30 PM

ICQ ("I Seek You") the leading interpersonal chat program

 

The Hill = The Leslie N. Hill Housing Project, 2793-2831 Wortman Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11207. The Black Panther was once headquartered at this housing project, which is in the 74th precinct, where Tork and Kasper work. Kasper and Tork LIVE in Harlem, but they WORK in Brooklyn.

 

Hunter provided a few high-tech tools to Kasper to help Kasper break into his father's prison in issue #53

 

Panther and Dre made a pact in issue #50. Scruggs killed Dre in issue #53

 

Osiibye otya nno? = Good evening (literally: "How Was Your Day?"); Bulungi = "Fine;" Tunaalabagana = "See you later," in Luganda

 

The White Wolf decimated the 66 Bridges Gang when he destroyed XCon- the Trans Continental Covert Operations Alliance- during "Enemy of The State II,” issues #41-45

Page 2

                CHAPTER HEADING

    1  TITLE:        Legend of The Six

 

1              DETAIL: INT/RECEPTION AREA AT A SNAZZY, HIGH-END CORPORATION. A CORPORATE SIGN ON THE WALL.

 

                COLOR: IT IS NIGHT. HEAVY SHADOWS, THE SCENE IS LARGELY  LIT FROM THE DESK LAMP.

    2  CORPORATE SIGN:  Grace & Tumbalt

 

2              INT/A CORPORATE OFFICE: THE CEO OF THIS FIRM. LARGE, SPACIOUS, AFRICAN ART. EXPENSIVE. BLACK PANTHER SITS AT A LARGE, EXECUTIVE DESK, TYPING ON A HIGH-END, EXPENSIVE COMPUTER. LCD FLAT-SCREEN MONITOR.

    3  VOICE:        (Off) Elohim.

 

3              NIGEL BLACQUE, CEO OF GRACE & TUMBALT, ENTERS. $3,000 SUIT. A VERY DRY, WRY EXPRESSION, DEEP-SET, EVIL EYES. MYSTERIOUS, THREATENING.

    4  TRIAGE:       --figured having my password might help.

    5  TRIAGE:       You won’t find what you’re looking for on my PC, King T’Challa.

    6  TRIAGE:       The CIA files are all on encrypted satellite feeds-- deleted off of local networks.

    7  TRIAGE:       But, then, you already know that--

 

4              ON TRIAGE: GRIM EXPRESSION: NOT ANGRY, NOT PLEASED.

    8  TRIAGE:       --your Avengers security clearance could get you around my firewall in a snap.

    9  TRIAGE:       In fact, you could easily hack into my system from your PantherCave or whatever.

   10  TRIAGE:       Which makes one wonder why, uh, so busy and so royal a cat would come all the way down to my raggedy little $12 million

                     penthouse--

 

5              ON PANTHER: IGNORING TRIAGE AS HE TYPES.

   11  TRIAGE:       (Off) --and sit here pretending to read my email.

   12  PANTHER:      You, Nigel Blacque, are a regional manager for the 66 Bridges Gang.

   13  TRIAGE:       (Off) My friends call me Triage.

 

6              DOWN ANGLE: THE TWO MEN, PANTHER CONTINUES TYPING. TRIAGE IS REMOVING HIS SHOES.

   14  PANTHER:      Your drug traffic into New York City involves a network of revolving drops at Manhattan Beach Marina and Sheepshead Bay.

   15  PANTHER:      A coalition of corrupt law enforcement and elected officials provide security.

   16  PANTHER:      My purpose, therefore, would seem obvious.

Page 3

1              EXTERIOR VIEW OF THE OFFICE BUILDING. THIS IS A MODERN OFFICE TOWER SOMEWHERE IN MANHATTAN. THE CORPORATE NAME “GRACE & TUMBALT” DESIGNED INTO THE BUILDING SOMEHOW (NOT MERELY A TACKED-ON SIGN, THE NAME OF THE BUILDING IS PART OF THE BUILDING DESIGN ITSELF).

    1  TRIAGE:       (From building) Actually, it is.

    2  TRIAGE:       (Attach) My guess, though, is you’re not after us so much as you’re after him--

    3  TRIAGE:       (Same)  --Sal Anthony.

 

2              RE-ESTABLISH THE INTERIOR: TRIAGE’s PENTHOUSE OFFICE: PANTHER STILL TYPES AT THE COMPUTER, TRIAGE REMOVES HIS JACKET.

 

                TRIAGE IS NOW BAREFOOT: HE HAS REMOVED HIS SHOES AND SOCKS.

    4  TRIAGE:       Sal seems to think you’ve got some kinda case about him alluvasudden.

    5  [1]TRIAGE:      Wants us to do thus and so. Then he shakes us down for 85G when his boy Skip asked for less than half that.

    6  TRIAGE:       Now I come in and find a Panther at my desk.

 

3              ON TRIAGE:  HE IS REMOVING HIS SHIRT, REVEALING HIS BARE CHEST.

                TRIAGE HAS AFRICAN TRIBAL MARKINGS ON HIS CHEST THAT WERE CUT INTO HIS FLESH WHEN HE WAS A CHILD, A KIND OF TRIBAL “BRANDING”. THIS “BRANDING” SHOULD SERVE THE SAME PURPOSE AS A SUPER-VILLAIN CHEST INSIGNIA: SIMILAR TO IRON FIST’s DRAGON TATTOO. LET’s DISCUSS WHAT THIS SHOULD LOOK LIKE.

 

                TRIAGE’s CHEST AND ARMS ARE WELL-DEVELOPED, A VERY LEAN, LOW-MASS SWIMMER’s BUILD, LIKE BRUCE LEE. HE IS A SUPERB ATHLETE AND MARTIAL ARTIST.

    7  TRIAGE:       See, I figure maybe Sal is becoming an expense we don’t need.

    8  TRIAGE:       The NYPD has 40,000 officers across 8 borough commands in 76 precincts.

    9  TRIAGE:       If only one half of one percent of those officers are, uh, available for freelance work--?

   10  TRIAGE:       That’s 200 opportunities. 200 Sal Anthonys, dog. It’s a buyer’s market.

 

4              ON PANTHER: STILL TYPING.

   11  TRIAGE:       (Off) I give you this one-- takes me two phone calls to find me a new Sal. A cheaper Sal, with less headaches.

   12  TRIAGE:       (Off) So-- what say I deal Sal to you--

   13  TRIAGE:       (Attach) --and you go on back to fightin’ the Red Squirrel and what-not.

   14  PANTHER:      You are a criminal and you will be punished.

(More)

5              MEDIUM CLOSE-UP: TRIAGE, HIS HEAD BOWED SLIGHTLY AS HE USES BOTH HANDS TO PUT ON A PAIR OF EXPENSIVE, VERY CHIC AND STYLISH SUNGLASSES. PLEASE MAKE THESE SUNGLASSES RIMLESS, WHICH IS TO SAY, THE ARMS OF THE GLASSES ARE HINGED DIRECTLY TO THE LENSES THEMSELVES, WITHOUT ANY TRADITIONAL METAL FRAME AROUND THE LENSES.

 

                TRIAGE HAS ALSO TIED A CHECKERED BANDANA AROUND HIS HEAD (I WILL PROVIDE REF), GIVING HIM A MORE MENACING URBAN “GANGSTA” APPEARANCE.

 

                THE GLASSES AND BANDANNA SHOULD BE UNIQUE IN CHARACTER AND DESIGN AND ARE A PART OF TRIAGE’s COSTUME.

 

                COLOR: CAN WE DO AN “EFFECT” FOR THE LENSES OF THESE SUNGLASSES?. I WOULD IMAGINE A VIBRANT GREEN WITH NO BLACK PLATE ON THE LENSES, SO THE LENSES APPEAR TO BE VIRTUAL LENSES, COMPOSED OF SOME KIND OF ENERGY, RATHER THAN GLASS.

   15  TRIAGE:       Look, dog, we’re not crooks anymore. Nobody dresses like a Penguin or sends, uh, frickin’ riddles to Chief O’Hara.

   16  TRIAGE:       That day is dead, dog. We’re entrepreneurs now. In a vertically-integrated growth industry--

 

6              DETAIL: VIEW THROUGH TRIAGE’s GLASSES: WE SEE A “NIGHT VISION” EFFECT AND TACTICAL DISPLAY THAT ALLOW TRIAGE TO LITERALLY SEE BEHIND HIM. ALSO, A COLUMN OF INFORMATION, A DATA STREAM, IS PROJECTED ONTO ONE OF THE LENSES.

 

                IF YOU HAVE EVER SEEN THE FILM The Terminator, THAT IS THE EFFECT I AM LOOKING FOR, A KIND OF POLARIZED VIEW WITH STREAMING DATA AND TECHNICAL INFORMATION.

   17  STREAMING DATA:  Remind me to email in some dummy copy

   18  TRIAGE:       --protected at the highest levels of government.

   19  TRIAGE:       Let me tell you a story-- an old story-- of Kibuka, Keeper of the Six--

Page 4

1              NEW ANGLE: TRIAGE, NOW WEARING ONLY PANTS, BAREFOOT AND BARE CHESTED, SOME VERSION OF THIS LOOK SHOULD BECOME TRIAGE’s STANDARD LOOK WHEN HE GOES INTO BATTLE.

 

                TRIAGE CALMLY REMOVES AN OVERSIZED KNIFE FROM A DISPLAY CASE OR SHELF. THIS KNIFE SHOULD HAVE A UNIQUE DESIGN, IT WILL BE PART OF TRIAGE’s STANDARD WEAPONRY

 

                JORGE: THIS IS THE EXACT SAME STYLE OF KNIFE KIBUKA USED TO KILL TORK AT THE END OF LAST ISSUE. THIS IS NOT THE ACTUAL KNIFE, THERE IS NO BLOOD ON IT, BUT IT IS THE EXACT SAME DESIGN.

    1  TRIAGE:       See, the king of the Baganda asked heaven for assistance in war, and Kibuka was sent to help them.

    2  TRIAGE:       Now, the king warned Kibuka not to touch the enemy's women, but Kibuka nevertheless made love to a woman prisoner, who bore him a son.

    3  TRIAGE:       Unwisely, Kibuka confided in her, and after escaping she told the enemy how Kibuka could be killed--

 

2              ANGLE ON TRIAGE, PANTHER’s HAND EXTENDS INTO PANEL, AIMING HIS PISTOL DIRECTLY AT TRIAGE’s TEMPLE (THE SIDE OF HIS HEAD). TRIAGE IGNORES THIS THREAT, CONTINUES TO INSPECT THE KNIFE IN HIS HAND.

    4  TRIAGE:       --by firing arrows into the cloud where he was hiding.

    5  TRIAGE:       Kibuka flew off to a tall tree to die, and a temple was built at the place where his body was found.

    6  TRIAGE:       But, see, the Baganda believed in superhuman spirits in the form of Mizimu, Misambwa and Balubaale.

 

3              WIDE:  TRIAGE AND PANTHER: PANTHER’s ARM EXTENDED, AIMING THE GUN AT TRIAGE, TRIAGE’S ARM EXTENDED, NOW POINTING THE KNIFE AT PANTHER: THEIR ARMS CROSS ONE ANOTHER IN THIS MUTUALLY THREATENING STANCE.

 

                THIS IS A STAND-OFF OR A PRELUDE TO WAR.

    7  TRIAGE:       The Balubaale were believed to have been men whose exceptional attributes in life were carried over into death.

    8  TRIAGE:       There’s this legend that tells of six Balubaale-- warriors felled in battle-- who joined their essence to empower the great war god Kibuka to escape the land of the dead--

 

4              OVERHEAD ANGLE: THE ROOM: THE TWO MEN LOCKED IN THEIR STAND-OFF.

    9  TRIAGE:       --in exchange for his becoming guardian of their immortal souls--

   10  TRIAGE:       --Keeper of the Six.

   11  TRIAGE:       Now, I don’t much know what allat means, dog. It could mean I’m this resurrected warrior and you’re the enemy--

 

5              TRIAGE: DEADLY SERIOUS..

   12  TRIAGE:       --or you are a resurrected spirit-- and we’re the legion of evil you’ve been revived to battle.

   13  TRIAGE:       Or, maybe it’s the world that’s evil-- and we are the sprits of righteous men-- the Balubaale, here to--

   14  TRIAGE:       --Awazili N’gyato Imo Sabolari.

 

6              ON PANTHER: GRIM.

   15  TRIAGE:       (Off; Ital.) “To Embrace The Global Village.”

   16  TRIAGE:       (Attach) Your nation’s creed, isn’t it--?

   17  TRIAGE:       (Same) You do speak Wakandan, don’t you--?

Page 5

1              MEDIUM CLOSE-UP: PANTHER: TRIAGE’s HAND EXTENDS IN FROM OFF-PANEL, SURRENDERING HIS KNIFE TO PANTHER: TRIAGE’s HAND HOLDS THE KNIFE BY ITS BLADE, THE KNIFE HILT POINTS TOWARDS PANTHER: HE IS NOT THREATENING PANTHER WITH IT, BUT IS SURRENDERING IT TO PANTHER.

 

                PANTHER DOES NOT TOUCH THE KNIFE. PANTHER GRIM, SNARLING.

    1  TRIAGE:       (Off) Of course you do.

    2  TRIAGE:       (Attach) My bad.

    3  TRIAGE:       (Same) So-- we gonna deal on this Sal thing or what--?

 

2              STAT/REPEAT: PANTHER’s FREE HAND NOW IN VIEW, REACHING FOR THE KNIFE TRIAGE IS OFFERING HIM.

    4  PCAPTION:     (Double border, Ital.) Unwise.

    5  PANTHER:      --?!  What--?!

    6  TRIAGE:       (Off) Sal, dog-- I get what I want-- you get what you want--

    7  CAPTION:      What’s this voice-- inside my head--

    8  PCAPTION:     (Double border, Ital.) Extremely unwise.

 

3              NEW ANGLE: ACROSS THE ROOM: T’CHALLA. STILL UNGROOMED, SCRAGGLY BEARD, UNCOMBED HAIR. T’CHALLA WEARS SWEAT PANTS, AND OLD SHIRT, AN OLD JACKET. HE LOOKS LIKE A VAGRANT.

 

                JORGE: THE KEY THING ABOUT T’CHALLA, HERE, IS HIS PIERCING GAZE. HIS PREDATOR GLARE. EVEN THOUGH HE LOOKS LIKE A VAGRANT, IN THE EYES, IN THE MENACE OF HIS EXPRESSION, WE CAN TELL HE IS STILL A FORMIDABLE THREAT.

    9  CAPTION:      --Jeez-- he’s here-- Black Panther.

   10  CAPTION:      Come to bail me out-- or what--?!?

   11  PCAPTION:     (Double border, Ital.) Leave. At once.

   12  CAPTION:      Not ‘till I get what I came for, Skippy--

(More)

4              STAT/REPEAT PANEL (2): ONLY NOW PANTHER’s HAND GRIPS THE KNIFE HILT FIRMLY, TAKING THE KNIFE FROM TRIAGE. A VERY BRIGHT BURST OF LIGHT EMITS FROM THE KNIFE, LIKE A 1,000-WATT FLASHBULB. THE KNIFE HILT CONTAINS A CONCUSSION DEVICE.

   13  CAPTION:      --dammit--

   14  CAPTION:      --knife-- rigged--

   15  CAPTION:      --concussion grenade--

 

5              NEW ANGLE: THE ROOM: PANTHER LIES ON THE FLOOR, MOMENTARILY STUNNED. TRIAGE STANDS OVER HIM IN BATTLE STANCE, TRIAGE NOW HOLDS THE KNIFE AGAIN.

   16  TRIAGE:       Yeah, dog, it’s not the explosion that does you--

   17  TRIAGE:       --it’s the light. Fries your brain. Call it a “neural stun.”

   18  TRIAGE:       Now, I think Sal is wrong about you bein’ Tork, dog.

 

6              FLOOR LEVEL: TRIAGE SQUATTING OR KNEELING, HIS HAND HAS GRABBED HOLD OF PANTHER’s MASK AROUND THE NECK LINE, HE’S ABOUT TO PULL THE MASK OFF. TRIAGE IN B/G, HOLDING THE KNIFE, GRIM.

   19  TRIAGE:       You really don’t give off that whole white boy vibe, knowatemsayin’--?

   20  TRIAGE:       So, hey-- let’s see what we got, here...

Page 6

1              NEW ANGLE: PANTHER EXECUTES A MARTIAL ARTS FLIP, THROWING TRIAGE OVER HIM, A JUDO-STYLE FLIP. HE’S GRABBED TRIAGE’s WRIST AND USES IT AS LEVERAGE, ALSO KICKING TRIAGE IN THE MIDSECTION TO PROPEL HIM.

    1  CAPTION:      Triage gets this mask off--

    2  CAPTION:      -and everybody’s dead.

 

2              NEW ANGLE: PANTHER FIRES HIS GUN AS TRIAGE’s KNIFE, HURLED IN FROM OFF-PANEL, EMBEDS ITSELF IN A WALL OR SOME FURNITURE A MERE FRACTION OF AN INCH FROM PANTHER’s HEAD.

 

                MUZZLE FLASH AND EJECTING SHELLS.

 

                COLOR:  BRIGHT LIGHT EFFECT HERE AS TRIAGE’s KNIFE EMITS ANOTHER STUN BURST ON IMPACT.

 

                JORGE: VERY HIGH CONTRAST OF LIGHT TO SHADOW HERE, A “FLASHBULB EFFECT” FROM THE KNIFE’s NEURAL STUN.

    3  CAPTION:      Everybody.

    4  CAPTION:      Black Jack, my mom-- Gwen--

    5  CAPTION:      --my son--

 

3              CUT TO: TRIAGE, EXECUTING A GRACEFUL FLIP OR LEAP: SOMETHING THAT EVOKES MARTIAL ARTS: HE IS EVADING PANTHER’s GUNFIRE, TWISTING, PIVOTING AS HE LUNGES FOR  A CABINET OR DESK.

 

                INCOMING GUNFIRE HITS FURNITURE, WINDOWS— WHATEVER YOU WANT. TRIAGE IS CLEARLY ON THE DEFENSIVE.

 

                JORGE: TRIAGE’s OBJECTIVE IS TO GET TO A CABINET OR DESK WHERE HE HAS HIDDEN A GUN. COMPOSE THIS IMAGE WITH THAT GOAL IN MIND.

    6  CAPTION:      --my [Ital. Bold] son--

 

4              ON PANTHER, SUDDENLY CAUGHT IN A HAIL OF BULLETS, FIRED FROM OFF-PANEL AND PRESUMABLY FROM AN AUTOMATIC WEAPON. THE INCOMING BULLETS DO MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE WALLS AND FURNITURE.

 

                INCOMING MACHINE GUN FIRE KNOCKS PANTHER’s GUN OUT OF HIS HAND.

 

                JORGE: NOTE THAT PANTHER’s COAT IS NOT DAMAGED FROM THE GUNFIRE. HIS COAT IS MADE OF THE SAME VIBRANIUM MICROWEAVE HIS COSTUME IS MADE OF.

    7  CAPTION:      Lenses in the mask-- probably filter out most of Triage’s light show.

    8  CAPTION:      Vibranium microweave under the suit cancels out the bullets--

    9  CAPTION:      --looks like Wolf used the same stuff on my coat, too--

   10  TRIAGE:       (Off) Armorex, baby-- the cutting edge in body armor--

 

5              NEW ANGLE: TRIAGE:  RACING AWAY FROM US WHILE FIRING A TECH-9 MACHINE PISTOL (SEE REFERENCE). THIS WEAPON, SIMILAR TO A SMALL UZI, FIRES OVER 100 ROUNDS A MINUTE. MUZZLE FLASH AND A STEADY STREAM OF EJECTING SHELLS.

 

                TRIAGE HOLDS THIS PISTOL ON ITS SIDE AS HE FIRES IT (SEE REF FOR HOW “GANGSTAS” FIRE PISTOLS).

   11  TRIAGE:       --bonded to my skin-- like them “invisible” car bras and what-not.

   12  TRIAGE:       So thin you can barely see it--

   13  TRIAGE:       --but more than enough to repel your gel bullets!

Page 7

1              PANTHER IN COILED FRANK MILLER-STYLE LEAP AS HE SPRINGS FORTH IN PURSUIT: ONE ARM EXTENDED IN FRONT OF HIM AS HE FIRES HIS PISTOL, HIS OTHER ARM EXTENDED BEHIND HIM FOR BALANCE. HE HOLDS PISTOLS IN BOTH HANDS (HE HAS RECOVERED THE PISTOL TRIAGE KNOCKED FROM HIS HAND).

 

                PANTHER CAN BE LEAPING OVER A CHAIR OR DESK OR OTHER FURNITURE. I SUGGEST USING A SIDE PROFILE VIEW RATHER THAN HAVE HIM COMING STRAIGHT AT US (MOTION IS ALWAYS BETTER DEMONSTRATED MOVING LATERALLY RATHER THAN IN A FORWARD DIRECTION AT THE CAMERA, WHICH MAKES IMAGES APPEAR STATIC).

    1  CAPTION:      Good. Better that way.

    2  CAPTION:      Yeah, you mother-- [Bold Ital.] yeah--

    3  CAPTION:      --man the hell up.

 

2              CUT TO: A HALL: PANTHER RACES DOWN THIS HALL, PURSUING TRIAGE. TRIAGE CONTINUING TO FIRE BEHIND HIM. PANTHER CONTINUES FIRING AT TRIAGE.

    4  [2]PCAPTION:    (Double border, Ital.) Take the elevator-- 9 o’clock.

    5  CAPTION:      Shut up.

    6  CAPTION:      Get outta my brain.

 

3              CUT TO: AN ELEGANT ATRIUM. HUGE GLASS WALLS MADE OF A STEEL LATTICEWORK AND GLASS PANES (SIMILAR TO A GREENHOUSE) REVEAL THE NIGHT CITY. THIS IS AN INDOOR GARDEN, COVERED BY GLASS WALLS AND CEILING. THIS IS AN EXTENSION OF TRIAGE’S PENTHOUSE ON TOP OF THE GRACE & TUMBALT BUILDING.

 

                THE LATTICEWORK OF FRAMES FOR THE GLASS PANES OF THE DOME AND THE WALLS CAST HUGE SHADOWS: CROSSING LINES ACROSS THE FLOORS AND WALLS OF THE ATRIUM.

 

                GIVE THIS ATRIUM MULTI-LEVELS, SO YOU ENTER THE ATRIUM SOMEWHERE NEAR THE TOP, AND  WOULD NEED TO DESCENDED A SHORT STAIRWAY TO ENTER THE ATRIUM.

 

                PANTHER EXECUTES A COILED LEAP HERE, CYCLING (COCKING) HIS SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN NOW (HE NO LONGER HOLDS HIS PISTOLS, WE CAN ASSUME THEY ARE BACK  IN THEIR HOLSTERS UNDER THE COAT).

 

                COLOR: MULTIPLE CROSSING RED LASER “LINES” EXTEND IN FROM OFF-PANEL, TERMINATING AS RED “SPOTS” ON PANTHER’s BODY: THESE ARE PROJECTED FROM TARGETING SIGHTS ON THE WEAPONS OF THE OFF-PANEL BAD GUYS. THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED AS A SEPARATE RED PLATE OR COMPUTER-GENERATED IMAGE.

    7  PCAPTION:     (Double border, Ital.) Wasted effort.

    8  CAPTION:      How’s he inside my head--?!?

    9  CAPTION:      This guy a telepath now, or--

 

4              NEW ANGLE: SOME DISTANCE AWAY: GUNMEN FIRING AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. THESE GUNMEN ARE GANGSTAS: YOUNG GANG MEMBERS IN APPROPRIATE GANG DRESS. PLEASE SEE REFERENCE.

 

                THERE SHOULD BE AT LEAST 4 TO 6 OF THEM, FIRING A VARIETY OF AUTOMATIC WEAPONS. IF THEY FIRE PISTOLS, THEY LEAN THESE WEAPONS ON THEIR SIDE AS THEY FIRE THEM (“GANGSTA STYLE”).

   10  CAPTION:      --oh.

   11  CAPTION:      [Ital. Bold.] Dhuh.

   12  CAPTION:      My cowl-- must be a transceiver inside it.

   13  PCAP:         You must leave this building at once.

 

5              PANTHER LANDS IN A CROUCH ATOP AN ELEVATED PLATFORM OR SUPPORT, FIRING THE SHOTGUN. INCOMING GUNFIRE DESTROYS PLANTS AND SCULPTURES AND SUCH.

 

                COLOR: BRIGHT BURST FROM SHOTGUN BLAST. THIS IS A FEROCIOUS INSTRUMENT.

   14  CAPTION:      Be right witcha.

   15  CAPTION:      Right soon as I tighten up ol’ boy,

                     here--

   16  PCAP:         Unwise.

   17  CAPTION:      Nothin’ but love for ya.

 (More)

6              SMALL PANEL OR INSET:

                MEDIUM CLOSE-UP OF PANTHER, SNARLING: TURNING HIS HEAD TO SEE SOMETHING

 

                COLOR: PANTHER IS BRIGHTLY OVERLIT HERE

   18  PCAP:         Extremely unwise.

   19  CAPTION:      ---

   20  CAPTION:      --may just have a point...

Page 8

1              (TOP HALF OF PAGE) WIDE SHOT OF THE ATRIUM: THROUGH THE MASSIVE GLASS DOME, WE SEE AN ATTACK HELICOPTER, SIMILAR TO A BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER (I WILL FIND REFERENCE). THIS HELICOPTER IS MOSTLY A BLACK SHAPE, AS FLOODLIGHTS MOUNTED TO THE HELICOPTER SHINE SO BRILLIANTLY, THE HELICOPTER ITSELF IS RENDERED MOSTLY IN SHADOW.

 

                THE LATTICEWORK OF FRAMES FOR THE GLASS PANES OF THE DOME AND THE WALLS CAST HUGE SHADOWS: CROSSING LINES ACROSS THE FLOORS AND WALLS OF THE ATRIUM.

    1  CAPTION:      Chopper.

    2  CAPTION:      Looks like a Black Hawk--

    3  PCAP:         The elevator. Now.

    4  CAPTION:      No-- I don’t quite think so--

 

2              PANTHER DIVES FOR THE FLOOR AS THE ROOM IS RIPPED BY EXPLOSIONS.

    5  CAPTION:      --yep. That’s definitely a Black Hawk.

    6  CAPTION:      14 million dollars’ worth of machine drug dealers simply couldn’t have.

 

3              PANTHER CHARGES ACROSS THE ATRIUM, WHICH IS NOW ON FIRE, MASSIVE DAMAGE. HEAVY SMOKE FROM TEAR GAS. PANTHER IS UNAFFECTED BY THE SMOKE. PANTHER NO LONGER HAS HIS SHOTGUN IN HIS HANDS.

    7  CAPTION:      --which is the first good news I’ve had all evening.

    8  CAPTION:      I bag me a CIA pilot-- maybe I can start dealing my way out of this mess.

    9  CAPTION:      By now, the code-smasher “worm” Hunter gave me to break into Ossining should have uploaded all of Triage’s files--[3]

 (More)

4              DETAIL: PANTHER’s BOOTS AS HE RUNS.

                COLOR: THE SOLES OF THE BOOTS GLOW BLUE.

   10  CAPTION:      --and disintegrated-- leaving no trace.

   11  CAPTION:      Which means, I no longer need to keep ol’ boy busy--

   12  PCAP:         Unwise.

   13  CAPTION:      --and, maybe-- just maybe--

Page 9

1              DRAMATIC ANGLE: PANTHER LEAPS OUT OF THE BUILDING, TRYING TO GRAB THE SLED SKIS ON THE BLACK HAWK HELICOPTER.

 

                MAKE A BIG DEAL OUT OF THIS.

 

                JORGE: THIS IMAGE CAN BE COMPOSED ANY WAY YOU WANT: EITHER INSIDE THE ATRIUM, WITH PANTHER LEAPING AWAY FROM US, OR OUTSIDE THE ATRIUM WITH PANTHER LEAPING TOWARDS US.

 

                HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO COMPOSE THIS IMAGE, JUST MAKE THIS A VERY DRAMATIC MOMENT.

    1  CAPTION:      --my life starts turning around.

 

2              DETAIL: PANTHER’s HAND: REACHING FOR THE SLED SKI OF THE BLACK HAWK: HIS REACH IS NOT LONG ENOUGH: HE’S JUST MISSING THE SKI.

    2  CAPTION:      --nuts--

 

3              DOWN ANGLE: PANTHER PLUMMETS TOWARDS HIS CERTAIN DEATH. CITY STREETS BELOW.

    3  PCAP:         Foolish.

    4  PANTHER:      Shut up, already, will you?!?

    5  CAPTION:      Okay-- Tork says Panther’s boots allow him to land safely from heights up to 8 stories.

    6  CAPTION:      Triage’s penthouse is on the 62nd floor.

    7  CAPTION:      Too far away to claw the wall.

 

4              DOWN ANGLE: DETAIL: A FLAG POLE: MOUNTED ON THE SIDE OF A BUILDING, THIS POLE EXTENDS OUTWARD, AWAY FROM THE BUILDING. AN AMERICAN FLAG HANDS FROM THIS POLE.

 

                JORGE: THIS BUILDING IS NOT THE GRACE & TUMBALT BUILDING, PANTHER HAS LEAPED AWAY FROM THE G&T BUILDING, SO THIS BUILDING IS LIKELY ACROSS THE STREET OR NEXT DOOR TO THE G&T BUILDING.

    8  CAPTION:      Flag pole.

    9  CAPTION:      Grab it-- swing around, use it to slow my momentum...

   10  CAPTION:      ...yeah... like Spider-Man, Daredevil-- those guys...

 

5              PANTHER GRABS THE POLE, WHICH IMMEDIATELY BREAKS, THE POLE BREAKING AND THE MOUNT HOUSING BREAKING OFF OF THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING. PANTHER SNARLING.

 

                JORGE: MAKE CERTAIN THAT PANTHER GRABS THE POLE TOWARDS IT’S END, IN OTHER WORDS, THAT PANTHER IS STILL TOO FAR AWAY FROM THE WALL TO SIMPLY GRAB THE WALL WITH HIS CLAWS.

   11  CAPTION:      ...crap...

   12  CAPTION:      ...works for the white boys...

Page 10

1              DOWN ANGLE: PANTHER CONTINUES TO PLUMMET TOWARDS THE BUSY STREET: HE IS NOW TANGLED AND TWISTED UP IN THE FLAG.

    1  CAPTION:      ...harder than it looks, kids...

 

2              DRAMATIC ANGLE: PANTHER SHREDS THE FLAG WITH A SWEEP OF HIS CLAWS (I REMIND YOU HIS CLAWS ARE ONLY ON HIS LEFT HAND). HE IS FREEING HIMSELF FROM THE TANGLE OF THE FLAG.

    2  CAPTION:      Blind.

    3  CAPTION:      Get this off--

 

3              THE SHREDDED FLAG GETS CAUGHT ON OVERHEAD POWER CABLES. TRAFFIC SIGNALS HANG FROM THESE CABLES (I WILL SEND REF). PANTHER NOW HANGING FROM THE FLAG, HIS WEIGHT AND MOMENTUM CAUSING THE FLAG TO SNAG THE CABLES, PULLING THE CABLES AND TRAFFIC SIGNALS DOWNWARD.

    4  CAPTION:      --oh yeah--

 

4              PANTHER SMASHES UNCEREMONIOUSLY ONTO THE FRONT OF A NEW YORK CITY TAXI. ONE OF THE TRAFFIC SIGNALS SMASHES DOWN ON THE WINDSHIELD OF THE TAXI, SHATTERING IT.

 

                JORGE: THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL HAS REAL WEIGHT, IT WEIGHS NEARLY 100 POUNDS AND SHOULD HIT THE WINDSHIELD WITH SOME MEASURE OF FORCE, SENDING GLASS FLYING FROM THE IMPACT.

 

                THE COMBINED WEIGHT OF PANTHER AND THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL FORCES THE FRONT END OF THE TAXI DOWN, SMASHING IT INTO THE GROUND.

    5  CAPTION:      --this works...

 

5              OVERHEAD ANGLE: THE FINALE: AN OVERHEAD VIEW OF THE RUINED TAXI. STEAM RISES FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.

 

                PANTHER LIES ON THE HOOD OF THE CAR, MOMENTARILY STUNNED. THE TRAFFIC SIGNAL IS IMBEDDED IN THE WINDSHIELD.

 

                THE TATTERED AMERICAN FLAG DRIFTS DOWNWARD, DRAPING OVER PANTHER.

 

                DELAY (SEE FOLLOWING PANEL FOR DESCRIPTION) APPROACHES PANTHER, HOLDING TWO CUPS OF COFFEE. THE COFFEE IS IN PAPER “TO GO” CUPS WITH PLASTIC LIDS.

— no copy —

Page 11

                CHAPTER HEADING

   1a  TITLE:        Who’s Your Uncle

 

1              ANGLE OVER PANTHER’s SHOULDER AS HE PAINFULLY ATTEMPTS TO SIT UP: DELAY, THE MAN WITH THE COFFEE, OFFERS HIM A CUP. HE DOES NOT SMILE.

 

                THIS MAN IS A NEW CHARACTER: FRANKLIN de LAGUARDIA. HE IS A CAPTAIN IN THE INTERNAL AFFAIRS BUREAU. MID 50’s, SILVER HAIR, A BIT OVERWEIGHT SO HIS FACE IS FULL. LOSING SOME OF HIS HAIR.

 

                THINK OF de LaGUARDIA (‘DELAY”) AS A SHORTER, ROUNDER VERSION OF MAGNETO. GIVE HIM LOTS OF CHARACTER IN HIS FACE, AND PIERCING EYES THAT HAVE SEEN THE WORLD.

 

                DELAY WEARS SUIT, TIE, OVERCOAT. HE DOES NOT DISPLAY A BADGE. HE DOESN’T NEED TO.

 

                JORGE: THIS IS THE POLICE OFFICER WHO ARRESTED BLACK JACK BACK IN ISSUE #53 PAGE 15. HE IS ABOUT 8 YEARS OLDER, HIS HAIR NOW COMPLETELY SILVER.

    1  DELAY:        Thought you might like some coffee.

    2  CAPTION:      Rat Squad.

    3  CAPTION:      Never seen him before, but he wears it.

 

2              MEDIUM CLOSE-UP: DELAY, GRIM, SIPPING COFFEE.

    4  DELAY:        I’m Captain Franklin de LaGuardia. Call me Delay. I’m your uncle.[4]

    5  PANTHER:      (Off) I do not understand the meaning of--

    6  DELAY:        Sure you do, Kasper.

    7  CAPTION:      Spit...

    8  DELAY:        Let’s get you off the street-- fast.

 

3              CUT TO: AN UNMARKED POLICE CAR RACES THROUGH CITY STREETS.

    9  DELAY:        (From car) I suggest you get that mask off.

   10  DELAY:        (Attach) If Sal sees “Black Panther” on the street tonight, your whole family’s dead.

   11  DELAY:        (Same) Sal’s convinced Sgt. Tork is the cop playing “Panther.” Sal’s stupidity is the only card you’ve got left to play, kid.

 

4              INT/CAR: KASPER HAS PULLED THE “PANTHER” MASK OFF. HE IS OTHERWISE STILL DRESSED IN THE OVERCOAT AND COSTUME, BUT, AT FIRST GLANCE, HE APPEARS TO BE A NORMAL CIVILIAN.

 

                DELAY DRIVES, GLARING AHEAD AT TRAFFIC AS HE HURRIES TO GET KASPER AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN.

 

                KASPER GLARES AT DELAY, WONDERING WHAT HE’S GOTTEN HIMSELF INTO.

   12  DELAY:        I know Sal’s been trying to recruit you. At first, I thought it was because you were making trouble for Sal and Bridges.

   13  DELAY:        Easier to buy you off with a gold shield.

   14  DELAY:        Now... I dunno. Now  think somebody’s leaning on Sal to lean on you.

 

5              EXTERIOR: THE CAR TAKES THE RAMP FOR THE FDR DRIVE. THIS IS A 4-LANE HIGHWAY THAT RUNS ALONG THE EAST RIVER. THEY ARE HEADED NORTH.

 

                JORGE:: ACROSS THE RIVER IS BROOKLYN. THERE ARE NO SKYSCRAPERS IN BROOKLYN, JUST 5 TO 6-STORY BUILDINGS. THERE SHOULD BE TWO SUSPENSION BRIDGES IN THE BACKGROUND (THESE CAN BE HINTED AT, OPEN SHAPES FOR COLOR).

   15  HIGHWAY SIGN: FDR Drive

                           NORTH

   16  DELAY:        (From car) So, yeah, you’ve been up for awhile. I know about the costume, and this Hunter spook.[5]

   17  DELAY:        But, I also know you’re clean. A good kid, Kasper. A good cop.

   18  DELAY:        That’s why I want you to go home, now.

Page 12

1              INSIDE THE CAR.

    1  DELAY:        The Job has always been onto Sal and his crew.

    2  DELAY:        It’s just a matter of time before one of Sal’s boys goes the full flip and gives Sal to us.[6]

    3  DELAY:        But we’re also fighting the CIA and the crooked judges and politicians Bridges has collected over the years.

 

2              EXTERIOR: THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY. LIGHT TRAFFIC (IT IS NIGHT).

 

                JORGE: THE FDR DRIVE IS A 4-LANE HIGHWAY, 2 NORTH AND 2 SOUTHBOUND LANES, DIVIDED BY A LOW CONCRETE BARRIER (ABOUT THE HEIGHT OF A CAR’s WINDOW).

 

                THE HIGHWAY IS LIT BY FREQUENT STREET LAMPS. GREEN DESTINATION SIGNS HANG OVERHEAD.

    4  OVERHEAD SIGN:  72 Street

    5  DELAY:        (From car) And, see-- you go put a bullet in Sal’s brain, that helps nobody. They just get another Sal.

    6  DELAY:        (Same) Sal must believe he is completely safe, or we have no hope at all of taking 66 Bridges down.

 

3              DELAY, AS HE DRIVES. GRIM.

    7  DELAY:        Kasper, for every bad cop on this job, there are 100 good cops who’d go after the bad ones with a lead pipe if they could.

    8  DELAY:        Nobody’s asking you to come work for us. We know what that means on this job.

    9  DELAY:        Nobody’s asking you to trust us, either.

 

4              EXTERIOR: THE CAR EXITS THE HIGHWAY

   10  SIGN:         125th Street

                     HARLEM

   11  KASPER:       (From car) What does The Job know-- about me--

   12  DELAY:        (From car) The Job knows what I tell it. I haven’t finished my report yet.

   13  DELAY:        (Attach) What they find out-- is up to you.

   14  KASPER:       (From car) Who put the hit out on Black Jack?

 

5              KASPER, GRIM

   15  DELAY:        (Off) I honestly don’t know, Kasper.

   16  DELAY:        (Attach) My guess, though, would be the same someone who’s leaning on Sal to recruit you.

   17  KASPER:       Like it wasn’t enough The Job set Black Jack up--

(More)

6              EXTERIOR: KASPER’s APARTMENT IN HARLEM (I BELIEVE IT IS OVER A STORE). DELAY’s CAR ARRIVING AT KASPER’s PLACE.

   18  DELAY:        (From car) Kasper, I’m I.A.B., which means I’m a cop who got caught with his hand in the till and was given two choices--

   19  DELAY:        (Attach) --the bureau or out on my can. So, by definition, I’m a liar and a cheat, barely holding onto my own shield.

   20  DELAY:        (Same) But I can look you in the eye and tell you-

Page 13

1              MEDIUM C/U: DELAY, TURNING TO FACE KASPER: HEAVY SHADOW ACROSS HIS FACE. GRIM EXPRESSION.

    1  DELAY:        --Black Jack Cole was one of the greatest cops ever on this job.

    2  DELAY:        And I can also tell you he was a crook who got what was comin’ to him.

 

2              REVERSE ANGLE: KASPER: GRIM, HEAVY SHADOW, GLARING AT DELAY.

    3  KASPER:       Why are you telling me this?

    4  KASPER:       Why give up your whole surveillance..?

 

3              STAT/REPEAT PANEL 1: DELAY, GLARING AT KASPER. HEAVY SHADOW.

    5  DELAY:        They got your sergeant.

    6  DELAY:        Sal and his crew bagged him a couple hours ago. Dumped our surveillance.

    7  DELAY:        Tork confessed to being The Black Panther.

 

4              STAT/REPEAT IMAGE OF KASPER: GLARING. HIS EXPRESSION UNCHANGED.

— no copy —

 

5              STAT/REPEAT KASPER AGAIN.

    8  DELAY:        (Off) I’d guess to protect you.

 

6              STAT/REPEAT KASPER AGAIN.

    9  DELAY:        (Off) Kasper-- because you put that costume on again, Sal’s got to know he iced the wrong cop.

   10  DELAY:        (Attach) And soon, even a mope like Sal will figure out who the right cop is.

Page 14

                CHAPTER HEADING

    1  TITLE:        God and Man

 

1              OVERHEAD ANGLE: THE BLACK PANTHER’s CAR (LEXUS GS400) PARKED IN THE WILDLIFE PRESERVE FROM ISSUE #50 PAGE 9.

 

                THIS IS NOT A FLASHBACK PANEL.

 

                THE CAR’S headlights shine brightly on AN OBJECT IN FRONT OF IT: A BURIAL SPOT. TORK’s SHOTGUN PLANTED IN THE SANDY GROUND, BARRELS SHOVED DEEP INTO THE SAND, THE RIFLE STOCK JUTTING STRAIGHT UP, LIKE A GRAVE MARKER.

 

                TORK’s SERGEANT’s BADGE (SEE REF) clipped to a leather PATCH AND HUNG FROM A BEADED CHAIN, THE CHAIN HUNG OVER THE RIFLE STOCK, THE BADGE DANGLES AT THE END OF IT (IN THIS SHOT, THIS MAY NOT BE CLEAR SINCE THE RIFLE IS SO SMALL; WE WILL SEE A DETAIL OF THIS IN THE FOLLOWING PANELS).

 

                ESTABLISH THE AREA: TALL GRASS AND SHRUB BRUSH (THIS IS A WILDLIFE REFUGE IN BROOKLYN, NEAR PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE). FEW TREES, BUT LOTS OF WAIST-HIGH GRASS. THIS SI A SMALL CLEARING WHERE A GRAVE HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN DUG.

 

                COLOR IMPORTANT!!! PLEASE MAKE IT CLEAR THIS IS NOT DELAY’s CAR. THIS IS PANTHER’s BLACK LEXUS, AND A SCENE/TIME JUMP.

 

                COLOR: IT IS STILL NIGHT.

    2  CAPTION:      God.

    3  CAPTION:      Please, God.

    4  CAPTION:      Father... I’m begging you...

 

2              CUT TO: DIRECT VIEW THRU THE WINDSHIELD: PANTHER AT THE WHEEL. BOTH HANDS GRASP THE WHEEL FIRMLY, LIKE HE’s HAVING A CONVULSION. PANTHER’s HEAD BOWED, HIS FOREHEAD PRESSED AGAINST THE STEERING WHEEL.

    5  CAPTION:      ...please...

    6  CAPTION:      ...don’t make me carry this...

 

3              FLASHBACK: ROUNDED CORNERS: MUTED OR SEPIA COLOR:

                FROM ISSUE 52 PAGE 12: KASPER PUSHES TORK INTO THE LEXUS, IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT.

    7  KASPER:       You’ve gotta get this car out of here for me.

    8  KASPER:       Park it over on The Hill-- the projects where Panther used to live. [7]

 

4              RETURN TO PRESENT: NORMAL PANEL BORDERS AND COLOR:

                PANTHER AT THE WHEEL OF HIS CAR, HEAD BOWED, IN EMOTIONAL AGONY.

    9  CAPTION:      Tork’s prints on that car...

      

5              DETAIL: IN CLOSE NOW ON TORK’s RIFLE: BRIGHTLY LIT BY THE HEADLIGHTS OF THE (OFF-PANEL) LEXUS. WE CLEARLY SEE TORK’s BADGE, HANGING FROM THE CHAIN, THE CHAIN SLUNG OVER THE RIFLE BUTT.

 

                COLOR: SERGEANT’s BADGES ARE GOLD.

   10  CAPTION:      ...got him killed...

Page 15

1              EXTERIOR: PANTHER USES THE RIFLE TO SIFT THROUGH THE SANDY DIRT. JORGE: THIS GROUND IS MUCH LIKE SAND,. AND THE GRAVE IS VERY NEW, SO DIGGING IS EASY.

    1  CAPTION:      This place-- the wildlife preserve off of Pennsylvania Avenue--

    2  CAPTION:      --is where I brought that skel Dre at the beginning o fall of this--[8]

 

2              FLASHBACK: FROM ISSUE #50: DRE IS DIGGING HIS OWN GRAVE WHILE PANTHER, IN FERAL CROUCH, HOLDS THE SHOTGUN ON HIM.  THE COP CAR IN B/G.

    3  PANTHER:      We will have an understanding between us.

    4  PANTHER:      Speak of it to no man...

 

3              RETURN TO PRESENT: IN CLOSER ON PANTHER AS HE DIGS.

    5  CAPTION:      Now look who’s digging.

 

4              SAME ANGLE: ANIMATE PANTHER AS HE DIGS.

    6  CAPTION:      If Sal capped Dre, it’d make sense that Dre would have told Sal everything-- including our rendezvous here.

    7  CAPTION:      What better way to burn “Panther” than to bury him in his own death trap.

    8  CAPTION:      Hope I’m way off...

 

5              SAME: CONTINUE TO CHANGE PANTHER’s POSE AS HE DIGS.

— no copy —

 

6              SAME: PANTHER HAS STOPPED DIGGING. HE GLARES DOWN AT WHAT HE SEES (WE DO NOT SEE WHAT HE SEES).

    9  CAPTION:      ...dammit.

Page 16

1              (TOP 1/3 OF PAGE) AERIAL SHOT: THE AREA: PANTHER NOW KNEELS BY THE GRAVESIDE, PRAYING. WE CAN SEE INTO THE GRAVE NOW: TORK, DEAD, LYING IN CONTORTED, RAG-DOLL POSE.

 

                PANTHER HAS REMOVED HIS MASK. KASPER IS NOW WEARING A JEWISH YARMULKE AS HE PRAYS REVERENTLY.

    1  CAPTION:      Elohaynu veilohay avoteinu v'imoteinu...

    2  CAPTION:      ...Adonai natan v'Adonai lakach. Y'hiyi shem Adonai m'vorach...[9]

 

                CHAPTER HEADING

    3  TITLE:        Home

 

2              SLIVER PANEL: THE DOOR TO KASPER’s APARTMENT: HIS MOTHER HAS OPENED THE DOOR: SHE HAS AN ANNOYED EXPRESSION. KASPER’s MOTHER CLUTCHES A 6-PACK OF TOILET TISSUE, 6 ROLLS PACKAGED TOGETHER IN PLASTIC.

 

                MOM HAS CURLERS IN HER HAIR AND WEARS AN OVERSIZED HOUSE DRESS WITH A FADED FLORAL PRINT.

    4  MOM:          It’s not good, Kevin.

    5  MOM:          You’re really going to have to do something about her--

    6  GWEN:         (Off) About me?!

                     About [Bold Ital.] me--?!?

 

3              INT/KASPER’s APARTMENT: KASPER ENTERS, HEAD HUNG DOWN: HE IS DEVASTATED BY NEWS OF TORK’s DEATH. HE CANNOT HEAR A WORD THESE FOOLISH WOMEN ARE SAYING.

 

                KASPER HAS CHANGED HIS CLOTHES: HE IS NOW DRESSED IN TYPICAL URBAN WEAR. REMEMBER IT IS WINTER, SO HE SHOULD BE WEARING A JACKET OR SOME SUCH. HE IS NOT WEARING ANY OF THE PANTHER GEAR.

 

                GWEN BICKERS AT KASPER, WAVING ONE HAND IN BROAD GESTURES AS SHE COMPLAINS ABOUT KASPER’s MOTHER. GWEN IS DRESSED IN A LONG FOOTBALL JERSEY, HER PREGNANT BELLY PRONOUNCED THROUGH THIS SHIRT.

 

                MOM, STILL CLUTCHING THE 6-PACK OF TOILET PAPER, TRIES REASONING WITH HER, TO NO AVAIL.

    7  GWEN:         This is the woman who needs something done!

    8  GWEN:         We’re out of toilet paper-- I called you to tell you to bring some home--

    9  GWEN:         --but, then, remembered you, genius, lost your cell phone!

   10  GWEN:         So, I go to borrow a roll of hers--

(More)

4              CUT TO: INT/KASPER’s SMALL, CRAMPED BATHROOM: KASPER, STILL WEARING HIS CLOTHES, STANDING IN THE SHOWER, LEANING FORWARD AGAINST THE WALL, HIS HANDS BRACED AGAINST THE SHOWER WALL. HIS HEAD DOWN, LETTING THE WATER CASCADE OVER HIS HEAD.

   11  GWEN:                (Off)  --and this lunatic says “no”--!

   12  MOTHER:              She does this every time, Kevin--  and never replaces the roll she “borrows.”

   13  MOTHER:              I’m on a fixed income--

 

5              ZOOM IN FOR A CLOSE-UP OF KASPER: PROFILE (SIDE) VIEW: HIS PREDATOR GLARE : HIS HEAD BOWED, GLARING STRAIGHT AHEAD OUT OF THE TOP OF HIS EYES.

 

                FURIOUS. MOSTLY AT HIMSELF.

   14  VOICE:        (Off, Burst) KASPER--!!

   15  VOICE:        (Off, Burst) KEVIN--!!

Page 17

                CHAPTER HEADING

    1  TITLE:        War and Peace

 

1              DETAIL: THE STEEL DOOR OF A LOCKER. A NAME WRITTEN ON THE NAME PLATE.

    2  NAME PLATE:  TORK, SGT.

 

2              INT/THE PATROLMAN LOCKER ROOM AT THE 74th PRECINCT: ROWS OF LOCKERS. A LONG, WOODEN BENCH RUNS THE LENGTH OF THE AISLE BETWEEN THE ROWS OF LOCKERS.

 

                KASPER COLE, IN TYPICAL HIP URBAN CIVILIAN GARB, SITS ON THE BENCH, LOOKING AT A FILE FOLDER HE IS HOLDING IN HIS HANDS.

 

                THIS IS THE FILE FOLDER WITH THE EVIDENCE THE WHITE WOLF GAVE HIM.

 

                A GARMENT BAG HANGS ON THE FRONT OF THE CLOSED LOCKER (THE GARMENT BAG’s HANGER IS HOOKED OVER THE TOP OF THE LOCKER). KASPER’s POLICE UNIFORM IS INSIDE THIS GARMENT BAG, BUT WE DO NOT NEED TO SEE THE UNIFORM ITSELF.

 

                AN OFFICER OR TWO, PASSING BY, PATS KASPER ON THE SHOULDER: THIS IS A SYMPATHETIC GESTURE: THEY REALIZE HE IS MOURNING THE LOSS OF HIS FRIEND, TORK.

 

                JORGE: ALL POLICE BADGES SHOULD NOW HAVE A 1-INCH MATTE BLACK BAND ACROSS THE CENTER OF THE BADGE: NEW YORK POLICE OFFICERS PLACE THIS BAND OVER THE BADGES AS A SIGN OF SOLIDARITY WHEN ANOTHER OFFICER IS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY.

 

                COLOR: IT IS DAY.

— no copy —

 

2              DETAIL: KASPER’s POINT OF VIEW: THE FILE FOLDER IN HIS HANDS.

— no copy —

 

3              FLASHBACK: ROUNDED CORNERS, PLEASE: FROM ISSUE #52 PAGE 12: TORK AND KASPER STANDING IN THE ALLEY NEXT TO PANTHER’s CAR.

 

                KASPER FLIPS THROUGH THE FILE FOLDER OF EVIDENCE ON SAL ANTHONY.

                TORK STANDING, EATING EGGS FROM A PLATE.

 

                COLOR:  IT IS DAY.

    3  KASPER:       This file...

    4  KASPER:       ...all the dirt Hunter dug up on Sal Anthony...

    5  TORK:         Burn it.

    6  TORK:         Dump it in the river, Kasp. Don’t get in with these mutts.

 

                THREE PANELS ACROSS BOTTOM  OF PAGE: FIXED CAMERA ANGLE:

 

4              RETURN TO PRESENT: CUT TO: VIEW FROM INSIDE THE LOCKER: KASPER OPENS THE DOOR, LOOKING INTO THE LOCKER. GRIM, PREDATOR EXPRESSION.

    7  CAPTION:      Oh... damn...

 

5              SAME: KASPER’s HEAD IN PROFILE (SIDE) VIEW NOW: GLARING AT SOMETHING ELSE IN THE ROOM. HE IS NOT LOOKING INTO THE LOCKER, HERE.

    8  CAPTION:      ...it gets worse...

 

6              NEW ANGLE: WHAT KASPER IS LOOKING AT: INSIDE THE LOCKER:

                A SMALL STACK OF $100 BILLS, BOUND WITH TAPE AROUND THE CENTER. SOME OF THE BILLS ARE WORN AND FOLDED, AND THERE IS A BLOOD STAIN ON THE ENTIRE STACK (AS THOUGH SOMEONE WITH BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS HAD HANDLED THE STACK OF MONEY).

 

                NEXT TO THE STACK OF $100 BILLS: A .38 SNUB NOSE REVOLVER (A “CHIEF’S SPECIAL,” THE BARREL ON THIS PISTOL IS VERY SHORT, ONLY ABOUT AN INCH AND A HALF IN LENGTH).

 

                NEXT TO OR BEHIND THE GUN AND THE MONEY: A SMALL PAPER BAG, WRINKLED AND WORN. THE MONEY AND THE GUN HAD ONCE BEEN INSIDE THIS BAG.

 

                JORGE: THIS IS THE GUN USED TO KILL DRE BACK IN ISSUE 53 PAGE 2. THIS IS THE MONEY DRE WAS HOLDING WHEN HE WAS SHOT.

— no copy —

Page 18

1              CUT TO: INT/SAL ANTHONY’s OFFICE:  KASPER STANDING IN THE DOORWAY, GRIM EXPRESSION.

 

                KASPER IS STILL WEARING CIVILIAN CLOTHING. SAL WEARING HIS UNIFORM: BADGE IN BADGE RACK, AWARD RIBBONS (SEE REF). SAL HAS NO GUN OR HARNESS: HE’S AN OFFICE GUY.

 

                I REMIND US: SAL IS AFFABLE HAL LINDEN (Barney Miller) TYPE: EVERYBODY’S DAD. A REAL SWEETHEART.

 

                KASPER IS GRIM, PREDATOR GLARE. HE HAS THE FILE, THE EVIDENCE ON SAL, THAT THE WHITE WOLF GAVE HIM. HE CLUTCHES THE PAPER BAG IN HIS FREE HAND. THE TOP OF THE BAG IS ROLLED OVER, CLUTCHED IN HIS HAND. THERE IS, OBVIOUSLY, SOMETHING INSIDE THE BAG, NOW (PRESUMABLY THE MONEY AND THE GUN).

 

                COLOR: SAL ANTHONY’s BADGE IS A GOLD LIEUTENANT’s SHIELD, WHICH HAS NO BADGE NUMBER. SAL’S SHIRT IS WHITE.

   1a  KASPER:       Let’s talk.

    1  SAL:          Sorry about Tork, Kasp. “Anonymous” phone tip? Likely the skel that got him--

    2  KASPER:       I got your message.

    3  SAL:          --?!  Message--?

 

2              DETAIL: KASPER UPENDS THE SACK: DROPPING THE CASH AND GUN ONTO SAL’s DESK. THE CASH STILL BOUND BY THE BLOODY BAND.

    4  KASPER:       (Off) In Tork’s locker--

    5  KASPER:       (Attach)  --I can only guess where ballistics will match this gun to.

    6  KASPER:       (Same) I figure Dre--

 

3              THE OFFICE: SAL, AMUSED, CLOSES THE DOOR AS KASPER CONTINUES. KASPER DOES NOT LOOK AT SAL, BUT FIXES HIS GAZE ON THE CASH AND THE GUN.

    7  KASPER:       --the Bridges hype Panther tried to move Scruggs with.[10]

    8  KASPER:       You’re trying to make Tork good for that murder-- tie him into Bridges--

    9  KASPER:       --make him a dirty cop who got wacked by the snakes he was in bed with.

   10  SAL:          Which buys me what, Kasper?

 

4              KASPER, GRIM, TURNING TO LOOK AT SAL, NOW.

   11  KASPER:       Me.

   12  KASPER:       I crew up with you-- Tork gets to die a good cop.

   13  SAL:          (Can be off) Sounds like an offer.

   14  SAL:          And, now, the other shoe--

   15  SAL:          --what’s in the file?

 

5              SAL BEHIND HIS DESK, KASPER SITS IN FRONT, FLIPPING THROUGH THE FILE.

   16  KASPER:       Off-shore accounts, African diamonds, Krugerands--

   17  KASPER:       --bribery, extortion, contract hits, destruction of evidence--

   18  KASPER:       --and, hey, I never met a C.I.A. agent before.

   19  SAL:          That’s all fiction, you know.

 

6              KASPER, HOLDING UP THE FILE FOLDER, NOW, POINTING TO IT.

   20  KASPER:       What-- this? Yeah, I know it’s fiction.

   21  KASPER:       “Evidence” you invented to make sure it got to me-- to see what I would do with it.

   22  KASPER:       [Ital.] --“Is Kasper Cole an I.A.B. Rat?”

Page 19

1              KASPER TOSSES THE FILE ONTO SAL’s DESK. SAL AMUSED.

    1  KASPER:       [Ital. Quote] “Does Kasper turn down the sheets with Internal Affairs?”

    2  SAL:          Very good, Officer Cole.

    3  SAL:          Now-- the motive:  what’s my act?

    4  KASPER:       Recruitment.

 

2              SAL’s POINT OF VIEW: UP ANGLE: KASPER: SUPERIOR, HAUGHTY PREDATOR GLOWER. SNEERING DOWN AT US.

    5  KASPER:       I’m a narcotics officer-- me an my crew have been making high-level busts--

    6  KASPER:       Chasing the gold shield-- promotion to detective.

    7  KASPER:       Maybe we turn the heat down a little-- and there’s the peace.

 

3              DOWN ANGLE: KASPER’s POINT OF VIEW: SAL: STILL AMUSED, AN EVIL EYE, GLARING UP AT US. SAL THINKING THINGS OVER.

— no copy —

 

4              STAT/REPEAT IMAGE:

    8  SAL:          There’s a woman with a shopping cart down on Bay 13th Street in Dyker Beach.

    9  SAL:          Motor pool will assign you an RMP at 2330. You give the lady a lift to Grand Army Plaza.[11]

 

5              STAT/REPEAT IMAGE:

   10  SAL:          And there’s the peace.

 

6              ON KASPER, JABBING A FINGER AT SAL, NOW.

   11  KASPER:       Put me back on the street-- no more of this traffic cop spit.

   12  KASPER:       I want my life, you want your life.

   13  KASPER:       Oh-- and one more thing--

 

7              NEW ANGLE: KASPER EXITS, DOES NOT LOOK AT SAL AS HE DELIVERS HIS THREAT.

   14  KASPER:       --touch my pop again and I’ll kill you.

Page 20

                CHAPTER HEADING

    1  TITLE:        Not Like Lew

 

1              DETAIL: GROUND LEVEL: THE WHEELS OF A WHEEL CHAIR, KASPER’s FEET. HE IS PUSHING THIS WHEEL CHAIR.

 

                JORGE: KASPER IS WEARING NORMAL SHOES: EXPENSIVE URBAN HIKING BOOTS (LIKE TIMBERLANDS).

 

                COLOR: IT IS DAY.

    2  KASPER:       (Off) --yeah-- toilet paper.

    3  KASPER:       (Attach) Wanted to put my head thru plate glass, Pop...

    4  JACK:         (Off) A man, he tell me...

    5  JACK:         (Attach) ...your sergeant is dead.

 

2              ESTABLISH: A GRASSY AREA ON THE GROUNDS OF THE PRISON. PARK BENCHES. FAMILIES VISITING SOME OF THE INMATES.

 

                FULL FIGURES: KASPER COLE STROLLS ALONG, PUSHING BLACK JACK IN A WHEEL CHAIR. BOTH MEN ARE GRIM. BLACK JACK KNOWS KASPER IS KEEPING SOMETHING FROM HIM, AND HE DOESN’T LIKE IT.

 

                KASPER IS WEARING WHATEVER HE WAS WEARING IN THE EARLIER SCENE IN SAL’s OFFICE. THIS IS THE SAME DAY. HE IS NOT WEARING HIS POLICE UNIFORM.

 

                KASPER’s PATROLMAN SHIELD (THE SILVER SHIELD) IS MOUNTED ON A SMALL PATCH OF BLACK LEATHER AND SUSPENDED FROM A BEADED CHAIN AROUND HIS NECK. HE ALSO HAS A “VISITOR” TAG CLIPPED TO HIS JACKET.

 

                KASPER’s BADGE NUMBER IS 62783.

 

                REMEMBER IT IS WINTER. EVERYONE SHOULD BE WEARING JACKETS OR COATS, AND SMALL PATCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND WOULD BE GOOD.

 

                BLACK JACK WEARS ORANGE PRISON JUMP SUIT, A DENIM PRISON-ISSUE JACKET OVER IT.

 

                JORGE: THIS IS A PRIVILEGED AREA. ONLY VERY PRIVILEGED INMATES ARE ALLOWED VISITATIONS HERE. THIS AREA IS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR FAMILY INTERACTION.

 

                THROUGHOUT THIS SCENE: MAKE SURE WE SEE HIGH FENCES WITH BARBED WIRE, CAMERAS, PRISON GUARDS (ARMED ONLY WITH WOODEN BATON “NIGHT STICKS”; NO GUNS).

 

                THE IDYLLIC PARK-LIKE SETTING SHOULD BE IN DIRECT CONTRAST TO THE SECURITY MEASURES SURROUNDING THEM. THINK OF THIS AS A VERY SMALL, FENCED-IN PARK.

 

                IF WE SEE IT, THE LARGER PRISON AND GROUNDS ARE IN BACKGROUND. THESE BUILDINGS CAN BE OPEN SHAPES.

 

                COLOR:  IT IS DAY. BLACK JACK’s JUMP SUIT IS BRIGHT ORANGE. HIS JACKET IS BLUE DENIM. KASPER’s BADGE IS SILVER.

    6  JACK:         He a good man, your sergeant?

    7  KASPER:       ---

    8  KASPER:       --yeah. He was, Pop.

    9  JACK:         And, this thing you are not saying-- this a Lew thing-- with your sergeant--?

   10  KASPER:       I--  I dunno, Pop.

 

3              MEDIUM: BLACK JACK: VERY GRIM, GLARES STRAIGHT AHEAD, NOT LOOKING AT KASPER.

   11  JACK:         I am a child, now.

   12  JACK:         You protect an old man-- tell him lies and half-truths.

   13  KASPER:       (Off) Pop--

   14  JACK:         Street cop for 20 years, boy.

 

4              ON KASPER: GRIM.

   15  KASPER:       Then you understand how the world works.

   16  KASPER:       The choices a good cop has to make.

 

5              MEDIUM: BLACK JACK HAS TURNED AND GRABBED  FISTFUL OF KASPER’s SHIRT OR JACKET. THIS IS A THREATENING GESTURE, AND BLACK JACK GIVES KASPER A FIERCE, ANGRY LOOK. KASPER LOOKS AT HIS FATHER, BUT REMAINS GRIM.

   17  JACK:         So long as it is the right choice.

   18  JACK          Not like Lew.

   19  JACK:         Never like Lew.

Page 21

                CHAPTER HEADING

    1  TITLE:        Signs

 

1              A TRAILWAYS BUS DRIVES ALONG A QUIET, RURAL HIGHWAY. STILL IN UPSTATE NEW YORK SOMEWHERE.

 

                COLOR: IT IS DAY. TRAILWAYS BUSES ARE WHITE WITH RED TRIM AND LETTERING.

    2  DESTINATION SIGN ON BUS:  NEW YORK

    3  VOICE:        (From bus) Here is the transcript of the data from Triage’s computer--

    4  DIFFERENT VOICE:  (From bus) --yeah-- or the parts of it you allow me to see--

 

2              CUT TO: INTERIOR/BUS: KASPER SITS WITH HUNTER. HUNTER IN WHITE SUIT AND TIE.

 

                HUNTER IDLY READS THE PAPER WHILE KASPER FLIPS THROUGH A VERY THICK STACK OF PAPERS. KASPER GRIM. HUNTER HAS A BENIGN EXPRESSION.

 

                JORGE: FOLD THE NEWSPAPER INTO SOMETHING SMALL SO THE NEWSPAPER DOES NOT BLOCK OUR VIEW OF HUNTER OR KASPER.

 

                COLOR: ALL OF HUNTER’s ACCESSORIES ARE SILVER OR PLATINUM FINISH.

    5  KASPER:       --you and Panther being the puppet masters, Hunter.

    6  HUNTER:       You will find my adopted brother and I view the world in very different ways...

    7  HUNTER:       (Small)  ...and why the blazes couldn’t we have simply taken my car...

 

3              ON HUNTER: HE IS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. HAVE HIM LOOKING WITH DISGUST AT A PASSENGER ACROSS THE AISLE. RIDING ON A BUS IS BENEATH HIS DIGNITY.

    8  KASPER:       Everybody’s watching, Hunter.

    9  KASPER:       I roll out here in a white limo, and the jig is up, dude-- this is gibberish.

   10  KASPER:       Fragments of encrypted satellite feeds.

   11  HUNTER:       Yes. Even Wakandan technology would find little of value on Triage’s computer--

 

4              ON KASPER, GOING THROUGH THE BOOK.

   12  KASPER:       Just his personal files-- this ICQ

                     journal-- something in Swahili--[12]

   13  KASPER:       --“Omutabani Babiri”--?

   14  HUNTER:       (Can be off) Luganda.

   15  HUNTER:       It is the language of the Kingdom of Buganda--

   16  HUNTER:       “Omutabani Babiri” means “Two sons.”

 

5              GET BOTH MEN IN SHOT. HUNTER STILL LOOKING AROUND THE BUS, VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. KASPER IGNORES HIM, CONTINUES TURNING PAGES ON THE TRANSCRIPT.

   17  KASPER:       The head of 66 Bridges is a mystery man known only as Kibuka-- a Bagandan War God.

   18  KASPER:       Triage was blathering on about how Kibuka died--

   19  KASPER:       --by falling in love with one of the enemy’s women -- who bore him a son.

   20  KASPER:       The woman later betrayed him...

Page 22

1              EXTERIOR: THE BUS NOW ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, HEADING BACK TOWARDS NEW YORK CITY.

 

                COLOR: IT IS DUSK, THE SUN SETTING.

    1  HUNTER:       (From bus) This correspondence, largely in Luganda, appears to be of a personal nature--

    2  HUNTER:       (Attach) --apparently between father and son.

    3  KASPER:       (From bus, separate balloon) So-- Kibuka-- whoever he is-- is Triage’s father--?

 

2              INSIDE THE BUS: KASPER, ANNOYED, GRABS HUNTER’s ARM, TURNING HUNTER TOWARD HIM.

    4  HUNTER:       Hardly conclusive--

    5  KASPER:       ---

    6  KASPER:       --you know. You know who Triage is talking to.

    7  KASPER:       You already know who this “Kibuka” is.

 

3              ON HUNTER: GRIM. INDIFFERENT TO KASPER’s REQUESTS.

    8  KASPER:       (Off) Guys on your level-- this is all just some training exercise to you.

    9  KASPER:       (Attach) Who is he--? A cop-- a judge--?

   10  KASPER:       (Same) Some fat cat plays golf with Bush? C’mon, Hunter--

(More)

4              CUT TO: BLACK JACK COLE IS WHEELED BACK INTO THE PRISON INFIRMARY. HE REMAINS GRIM, CONCERNED ABOUT HIS SON.

   11  CAPTION:      “--stop using me.”

   12  CAPTION:      “Using you--?!”

   13  CAPTION:      “Yeah-- to snap Panther out of his coma.

   14  CAPTION:      “I know Wakanda is all you care about--

 

5              BLACK JACK’s POINT OF VIEW: UP ANGLE: AN EVIL, POWERFUL PRISON GUARD, GRIM, GREAT MENACE IN HIS EYES. GLARES DOWN AT US.

   15  CAPTION:      “--but, my pop’s life is at stake,

                     dammit--!!

   16  CAPTION:      “Help me help him--!”

Page 23

1              KASPER AND HUNTER ON THE BUS. HUNTER STIFLES A YAWN AS HE CHECKS HIS WATCH. KASPER GLARES AT HIM.

    1  HUNTER:       I do not know who this “Kibuka” is.

    2  HUNTER:       Though I doubt you believe me.

    3  KASPER:       This has to be the guy pulling Sal’s strings--

    5  KASPER:       --who’s pushing Sal to recruit me. Who ordered the hit on Black Jack--

    6  KASPER:       --killed Tork--

 

2              DETAIL: BLACK JACK’s FEET: HE STEPS OUT OF THE CHAIR GUIDES ON HIS WHEEL CHAIR.

    7  CAPTION:      “--why’s this “Kibuka” got a case for Kasper Cole?!

    8  CAPTION:      “And how do I find him before he finds me--

 

3              FULL FIGURE: BLACK JACK STANDS ERECT: COMPLETELY UNHARMED. HE CASTS OFF HIS JACKET TO THE MEAN GUARD, WHO ACCEPTS IT WILLINGLY.

 

                JORGE: BLACK JACK WAS PRETENDING TO BE INJURED. THE MEAN GUARD IS HIS VALET.

    9  CAPTION:      “--before he realizes the enemy he’s trying to destroy and the cop he’s trying to recruit--

(More)

4              BLACK JACK AT A COMPUTER TERMINAL, NOW: STARING AT THE MONITOR WHILE TYPING.

   10  CAPTION:      “--are the same guy.”

   11  MESSAGE:      (This is text from the computer monitor)

                     Osiibye otya nno?[13]

   12  REPLY:        (Different color) Bulungi.

   13  REPLY:        (Same color) I was worried about you--

 

5              ZOOM IN: BLACK JACK’s EYES: COLD, STEELY GAZE.

   14  REPLY:        (Same color) --wasn’t sure you’d make it back in time.

   15  MESSAGE:      (First color) We are well.

   16  MESSAGE:      (Same) We will have a conclusion to these matters...

   17  MESSAGE:      (Same) ...soon...

   18  NEXT:         NEXT:  OL’ BOY ENTERS THE LIFE

                     THE CONCLUSION TO THESE MATTERS...

 

 

— 30 —