Transcript 9: Someone Like Me (part 2 of 2)
Brett's apartment, kitchen, living room
Brett
Don’t you see it. Sam Milford is one of my oldest friends. Well, I… I come and go as I please. The guards all know me, no check. That’s what so special about my face. It’s an unquestioned passport to Sam Milford.
He goes into his bedroom.
See if you get him on the phone, will you.
Danny goes through the living room
Okay.
Brett calls from his bedroom
You find the number on a pad by the telephone.
Danny
Got it, pal.
He sits down beside the telephone.
Let’s see.
Brett
Find the number?
Danny
Milford, what is it under?
Brett comes only with trousers on into the living room
What do you suppose Milford is under?
Danny studies the phone block
Oh, yeah, M, right.
Brett
Here, I got to see it.
Danny
Milford… It’s under M… I don’t see any Milford anywhere.
Brett takes Danny the block out of his hands and leafs through it. He puts it down on the table.
That way.
Danny looks at the bruise on Brett’s left forearm.
Wait a minute.
Brett puts on his shirt.
What…?
Danny
Wait a minute.
He holds Brett’s wrist and pushes up the shirtsleeve.
Flashback: Brett falls backwards through a brick wall and some of the stones hurt him on the left forearm.
Danny
When did that happen?
Brett
When they were holding me at the house I imagine. I don’t remember it happening. Why?
Danny
Well, the guy I fought last night was you. There’s no double. Anyone’s primed to kill Sam Milford, it’s you.
+++
Street in front of 54 Queen Anne's Gate
Along the road parks Brett’s beautiful Aston Martin, Danny’s flashy Ferrari and then the very ugly car with Dr.Fowler and Nurse Crane at the wheel.
Dr.Fowler
I shall make the telephone call in… exactly five minutes from now.
+++
Brett's apartment, living room
The two come - fully dressed now - from Brett’s bedroom into the living room. Brett is still buttoning up his vest.
Danny
My bet is, that they’ve… programmed you to carry out a sequence of actions. The main one is to kill this guy Milford.
Brett sits on his sofa.
Well that’s not possible. I’d have some memory of it. There’d be something.
Danny sits down on the stairs to the dining room.
You know they’ve… technique now is pretty sophisticated.They’ve got that hypnotic drugs, auto-suggestion, mind implants. With the right treatment they can get you into any action they want.
Brett
Assuming what you say is true, then why last night? Why did I attack you?
Danny stands next to the sofa.
It’s probably some phrase or word. When you hear it, it acts like a switch and you’ll do or say anything they want. When it’s over, there’s a word that’ll switch you off and you don’t remember anything that’s happened.
Brett
It’s like being a human grenade.
Danny
One thing’s sure, I can’t let you near this Sam Milford until I can get some expert help. As a matter of fact, I’m not gonna let you near anybody, because that pin doesn’t go off unless someone… somebody delivers the trigger word.
+++
Street in front of 54 Queen Anne's Gate
Dr.Fowler looks at his watch
Right.
Nurse Crane waits in the car while he goes to the phone booth and calls Brett.
+++
Brett's apartment, living room
The phone rings.
Brett stands up. Both stare at the ringing phone.
Why don’t you answer?
Danny
Let it ring.
+++
Street in front of 54 Queen Anne's Gate
Dr.Fowler goes back to the car.
Nurse Crane
What’s happened? What’s happened?
Dr.Fowler
He’s not answering. I'm going up there. Give me the gun.
Nurse Crane gives him the gun out of the glove compartment. He takes it and walks away.
+++
Brett's apartment, living room
Danny sits in an armchair, his feet on the table and reads a magazine. (Looks like he is a bit of a messy.)
Brett collects magazines off the floor next to Danny, pushes him to take his feet off the table and puts the magazines on the table.
Well I can’t stay here for the rest of my life.
Danny takes a sandwich from the plate on the table and bites.
It’s only been ten minutes. You know, you’d be some partner on a desert island, I tell you.
Brett roams nervously around the room.
Well, I'm not on a desert island. I'm in the middle of London. I have things to do, people to see.
Danny takes the glass of lemonade, leans back and puts his feet back on the table. He speaks with his mouth full of sandwich.
So Milford is going to be here till tomorrow morning. Then you can bust up. Untill then you gotta relax. I know what we’ll do. We’ll play some gin. Go get the cards, they’re in the desk.
Brett
You always cheat at gin.
Danny
Look, that’s the only way I’m gonna win. Will you humor me? Just go, get the cards! Give in to my picadillos.
He eats and drinks while Brett goes to fetch the cards. The doorbell rings. Danny puts down his glass and the rest of the sandwich.
Danny
Get in the bedroom.
Brett goes toward the bedroom. Danny goes and opens the door. Outside is Dr.Fowler. Danny grabs him and throws him on the living room floor. Dr.Fowler throws the gun on the sofa. Danny lunges at him and they fight. Brett waits by the door to the bedroom.
Dr.Fowler
San Lucardo Barameda.
Brett takes the gun and walks over to the two men. Danny knocks out Dr.Fowler. Brett hits Danny with the gun.
Danny
Uh, uiih.
He faints. Brett checks the magazine of the revolver and goes off.
+++
Skyscraper of Milford Shipping Corporation
Brett drives into the yard and parks next to Milford’s Rolls Royce. He walks through the lobby past the first employee.
Second employee
Good afternoon, Lord Sinclair.
Brett
Good afternoon.
He enters the elevator.
Second employee
Mister Milford is expecting you, sir.
Brett
Thank you.
++++
Brett's apartment, living room
Danny wakes up, shakes himself and runs his fingers through his hair. He slaps the unconscious Dr.Fowler awake and pulls him to his feet.
Danny
Get up. Get up.
Dr.Fowler
Leave it. Ahh.
Danny
Alright, what did you do? How did you trigger Brett to kill this guy Milford. How… How did you do it?
He punches Dr.Fowler in the abdomen.
Dr.Fowler
You can’t stop it now. You can’t stop it. We’ve done experiments, we’ve done tests. Sinclair will kill Milford.
+++
Chairman's Suite at the top floor of Milford Shipping Corporation
Brett blinking fast
Hello, Sam.
Sam Milford shakes Brett’s hand.
Hello, Brett. Good to see you. It’s been too long.
Brett
You look marvelous Sam, I don’t know how you do it.
Sam Milford
Well, you’re not exactly falling to pieces yourself. Come on, sit down, let's talk. I got a million things I want to ask you. And… a couple of things I wanna tell you.
Brett
Oh, like what?
Sam Milford
Well I don’t know how to prepare for this, but… so hold on.
Brett
Oh, don’t keep me in suspense, Sam.
Sam Milford
I got married.
Brett takes Sam Milford's hand and shakes it.
That is fantastic. The last of the natural bachelors hooked. When am I gonna meet her?
Sam Milford
Right now.
He goes to a swivel chair and swings it around. In it sits the Blonde.
The Blonde gets up and comes with an outstretched hand to Brett.
Hello, Lord Sinclair. Sam’s told me so much about you. I think you must be the only man in the world that he really trusts.
+++
Brett's apartment, living room
Dr.Fowler sits in the desk chair. Danny looms over him and shakes him by the collar.
Danny
Come around. Now. How did it happened?
Dr.Fowler
There’s a trigger word. He’ll pull the gun, he’ll fire, he got no control over his actions, at all.
Danny puts on his leather gloves.
Is that’s what happened to me last night?
Dr.Fowler
Yes.
Danny
Alright. How do you turn him off?
Dr.Fowler
There’s an eraser word.
Danny
What's the word?
Dr.Fowler
It won’t work this time. He is mentally compelled to go through a course of actions that only he can end.
Danny raises his right fist threateningly.
Now what’s the word?
Dr.Fowler
It’s not a word. Not this time. It’s a sound. The sound of a gun shot as he kills Milford.
Danny
Thanks, kiddo. Oh, good night.
Again he knocks out Dr.Fowler.
+++
Chairman’s suite in the Milford Shipping Corporation
Brett sits next to the Blonde on a circular sofa. He blinks and pats his right hand constantly nervous on his left hand.
So, when did all this happened?
Sam Milford sits opposite them on the end of the sofa.
Five months ago. We had a honeymoon in Trinidat, and then I had to get back to the States.
Blonde
In all that time, we only had a couple of months together. I’ve been here in London.
Sam Milford
I think this calls for a celebration. I leave all the fancy bits to Scott. Scott, have you got anything special for us?
Scott Maskell
Yes. We have a sherry. As a matter of fact, I’d rather like Lord Sinclairs opinion on it. It’s something rather unique.
Brett
It would be my pleasure.
He begins to blink faster.
+++
Lobby in the skyscraper of Milford Shipping Corporation
Danny marches into the lobby.
Hey!
First employee grabs Danny's arm.
Excuse me, sir, you ...
Danny
Don’t try to stop me, I am really in a hurry.
He throws the first man with the second employee to the ground and jumps in the elevator to the Chairman's Suite.
+++
Chairman's Suite at the top floor of Milford Shipping Corporation
Scott Maskell gives Sam Milford a glass of sherry.
It’s from a tiny bodega in San Lucardo Barameda.
Brett begins to blink faster. His hands are shaking.
Just a few acres, but as far as I know…
The Blonde gets up and backs away from Brett.
…it’s the only wine still shipped in amphorae.
Brett pulls the gun out of his pants pocket, gets up and aims it at Sam Milford.
Sam Milford
What’s the matter, Brett?
+++
Danny comes out of the elevator, pushes with his shoulder through the next door. Third employee turns his way.
+++
Brett aims at Sam Milford. Scott Maskell backs off to the side.
+++
Danny kicks the Third employee and storms through the next door, past the Blonde, jumps over the sofa and claspes Brett from behind. He tried to wrestle the gun from him. Finally, he fires the gun several times and Brett stops fighting. Danny lets him go. Brett holds his head and looks around like he is just awakening. He recognizes the Blonde and Scott Maskell as his assassins in the forest.
Brett points on them.
It was you. Both of you.
He goes to Sam Milford, still with the gun in his hand.
They planned this, Sam.
Sam Milford puts the Sherry Glass on the bar and goes towards the entrance door. His wife comes to him and puts her hand on his shoulder.
Blonde
Sam.
He shakes it off and leaves.
+++
Pinchbeck's Club and Bar
Danny, Annabell, Brett and Cynthia are sitting around a table with four glasses. Danny holds an egg.
Danny
Here.
He gives Brett the egg.
Brett laughts
As hard as I can?
Danny
As hard as you can. Strongest structure in the world.
Brett
Have you seen this, Cynthia?
Danny
Can’t possibly break it.
He puts his arm around Annabell who sits back to be out of danger. They keep exchanging looks.
Brett
You buy me a new suit?
Danny
Can’t possibly break it.
Brett makes a big show, several times to squeeze the egg hard in his right fist.
Danny
Come on.
Brett
I give in. You are right, Daniel.
He lays the egg firmly back on the table in front of Danny, who looks at it in consternation.
Brett finishes his cognac.
Shall we, children?
Brett, Annabell and Cynthia put their napkins on the table, stand up and turn to go.
Tramps, awaits.
Danny
Ah, how did you…
Rising from his bench, Danny leans on the table - and on the raw egg. It breaks.
Brett
Oh, Danny.
Danny shakes his soiled hand and throws a napkin over the disaster. He gestures the bartender while he follows Brett and the two girls.
end
Credits