Screenwriting as a Career

OVERSEAS by Katie Wan November 28, 2010

Fanny Blankers Koenlaan 35 Amstelveen, The Netherlands 1183WR 020-889-4110

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FADE IN: INT-SUBURBAN HOME-DAY A 28 year-old Asian American woman, JENNIFER WEI, is packing two lunches in the kitchen. The kitchen is very sleek, shiny, modern, and warm. Stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, maple cabinets, etc. It seems to be very cluttered, but on closer review, all of this „junk‟ is very valuable and intellectual, such as technology magazines, trip itineraries, etc.

A young boy, SAM WEI, runs into view, closely followed by his 28 year-old father, RYAN WEI. JENNIFER There are my two big boys!

She holds out two packed lunches. One is in a tin “Bob the Builder” lunch box, the other in a soft insulated lunch box.

Sam grabs his lunch box.

SAM Are you dropping me off today, Mommy?

Jennifer shakes her head. She is dressed in a pant suit, and looks ready to go to the office.

JENNIFER Sorry, honey. Mommy has to go to work.

Daddy will take you today.

Sam is visibly upset. He pouts, and crosses his arms.

SAM But you never take me to daycare! And I really wanted to show you my new friend, Paul.

Ryan, who has been donning a NAVAL BLAZER and CAPTAIN‟S HAT, finally steps in, lifting Sam up so they are eye level.

RYAN Don‟t worry, Sam, Mommy will take you to school tomorrow, and then she can meet Paul. But hurry up and get in the

3 car now, or we‟ll be late!

Sam, concedes, taking one last glance at Jennifer before he runs into the garage, slamming the door behind him.

JENNIFER Sam, do not slam doors!

Ryan sighs, and pulls Jennifer into his arms. She rests her head against his shoulder. He wraps his arms around her waist.

RYAN Let him go. You did promise him you would take him today. What‟s up with the surprise meeting, anyway? I thought you asked your boss for more flexible hours.

Jennifer kisses him, sighs, and looks up.

JENNIFER I did, I did. But I just couldn‟t get out of this one.

She pulls out of his embrace and pushes him towards the door.

Now you‟ve gotta go. I don‟t want either of you to be late. The ship might sail without you!

Ryan smiles, and walks towards the door. He opens it, and steps through partially.

RYAN It can‟t leave without me, I‟m the captain!

He leaves, and you can hear the car starting, and the garage door closing. Jennifer peaks out the window to make sure they‟re gone. She runs up the stairs to the study.

INT-STUDY-DAY A black brief case sits ajar on the floor. Jennifer keys in a code on her laptop, and a SECRET COMPARTMENT in the wall opens up.

She grabs from it some files, a few odd looking gadgets,

4 and a HAND GUN, and stuffs them all into the brief case.

She clips on an ID SECURITY BADGE. It reads „Jennifer Wei, VP of IT, Tempus Technology‟. She rushes out the door.

INT-OFFICE-DAY Jennifer quickly scans through a door, and briskly walks through a seemingly ordinary section of corporate offices.

She walks towards the door of a plush executive office. The walls are paneled with cherry maple wood, a wall length book shelf occupies a wall. The shelves, however, are not filled with books, but fragments of electronic circuitry and other devices.

As she is about to open the door, a tall, firmly built young man, exuding cockiness, stands in the way. This is NOLAN JAMES, a man that Jennifer is all too familiar with.

JENNIFER (annoyed) What do you want this time, Nolan? As you can see, I‟m trying to get into my office.

Nolan smiles, and puts his entire body in front of the door.

NOLAN Just checking to see if you were free tonight. I know you are just dying to ditch your husband to grab a couple drinks with me.

Jennifer does not seem surprised at this. Nolan has been trying to pick Jennifer up for years, all the while when she was with Ryan.

JENNIFER For the hundredth time, Nolan, NO! My satisfaction with my current relationship with Ryan has not changed since we were walking out of the office last night.

Nolan does not budge. He does not seemed deterred by this.

NOLAN You say that now, Jen, but wait until

5 tonight when you‟re eating a wellbalanced meal at the dinner table, talking about the weather with RYAN, wishing that you could be kissing ME! Jennifer, obviously irritated by that last remark, KICKS him straight in the NUTS. Nolan doubles over in pain, but is not as angry as one might be if he got kicked where it hurts. It seems this is almost routine.

NOLAN God, you didn‟t have to kick me there!

The shin would have been just fine!

Jennifer ignores this and walks into her office.

INT-JENNIFER‟S OFFICE-DAY Jennifer starts unpacking her belongings onto her desk. It resembles more of a lab station then an executive‟s desk.

The desk is cluttered with FRAYED WIRES and random PIECES OF CIRCUTRY. This is definitely not what we expected. Nolan walks in.

NOLAN Geez, you‟re not even going to apologize? (glances at her cluttered desk) And what computer crap are you working on now? Your office looks more geeky than usual.

Jen, looking down, pulls open a side drawer and procures a GUN. JENNIFER Don‟t bother me, I‟m trying to repair a computer that Ian destroyed on his last mission in Sudan. I cannot believe that idiot! He left it behind, an Ops team had to retrieve it, damaged, I might add, and now I‟m the one who has to repair it in time for tomorrow!

(Loads gun, a laser shines from the front, landing on Nolan‟s forehead.)

So, if you do not leave me alone, I will have to shoot you with this.

6 Nolan grins, but does not move to leave.

NOLAN That excuse is not going to work with me, Miss Lead Computer Technician in the Department of Science and Technology (DS&T). Do your worst!

Jen still not looking up from the broken computer, smirks.

She fires the gun. A SUCTION CUP is fired, and is stuck on Nolan‟s forehead.

NOLAN Is that the best you got? A fucking suction cup?

Nolan rips it off, revealing a black SMILEY FACE printed on his forehead.

JENNIFER (Feigning innocence) Yeah, that‟s all I got. Biggest badass in Clandestine Services (DC&S) comes out unscathed!

Jennifer fiddles with the computer. She connects it to a large screen on the wall, and it begins to download a stream of data.

JENNIFER Yes! She pumps her fists and does a mini victory dance in the room. She even finds it in herself to hug Nolan.

NOLAN Told you that you‟d finish that in record time.

(Grinning, he looks down at her.)

And hey, I managed to reel you in anyways!

Jennifer notices where she is. She immediately moves away and draws her suction cup gun again. The door to her office opens. Her hand goes down.

A middle-aged man, with graying dark hair in a designer suit stands in the door way. This is Jennifer‟s boss, BILL SANDERS.

7 BILL You two, enough with the antics and get into the briefing room, now!

They immediately lose the fun and games and file out the room.

Jennifer wipes the smiley face off of Nolan‟s forehead. He doesn‟t ask any questions. This is all business after all.

INT-BRIEFING ROOM-CIA HQ-DAY Jennifer, Nolan, and Bill, file into a sleek meeting room, packed with all the CIA BRASS, their assistants, and multiple techies. A group of Asian men stand in a corner, looking a little uptight. Jen and Nolan take their seats, while Bill moves to the front of the room with the other brass.

BILL Alright, down to business. Agent Wei of the DS&T and Agent James of Clandestine Services will be assigned this mission.

A scribe in the corner rapidly types in the corner. The rest of the CIA brass seems to approve of this decision.

BILL (to the Asian men in the corner) Mr. Kim, would you like to explain this mission to them?

An Asian man in the back of the group steps forward. He is of medium height and build, also wears a well-tailored suit, and has a SOUTH KOREAN FLAG pinned to his lapel.

Evidently, this is MR. KIM. MR. KIM Certainly, Mr. Sanders. To everyone who doesn‟t know me, I am the ambassador from South Korea for this area. North Korea has, for a long time now, threatened the world with the possibility of their possession of nuclear weapons. We have reason to believe that they will launch a series of missiles in the near future, but before we can make any assertions, we

8 need confirmation. That is what you two will need to do.

BILL We cannot let North Korea target any location with nuclear missiles, so we need you both to conduct a reconnaissance mission in North Korea itself. Discover any possible plans of attack, storage of weapons, etc.

Jennifer shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She has had plenty of experience, but something is bothering her.

Nolan is excited, and does not notice her discomfort. Bill, notes this, but makes no move to do anything about it for now.

MR. KIM You two will go undercover as scientific consultants as part of our diplomatic envoy to North Korea.

He procures two files. One of them is considerably thicker than the other.

MR. KIM (cont.)

Jennifer, you will be the lead consultant, and also head of this operation, as you are the most qualified. Nolan, you will be her assistant.

Nolan drops his head into his hands, his shoulders droop.

Jennifer, with no immediate reaction to the news, smiles at this. Anything to spite Nolan is amusing.

BILL We do not want to make the North Koreans or their allies suspicious of us, so it is of the utmost importance that this mission goes smoothly.

He takes the files from Mr. Kim and hands the thicker one to Jennifer, and the thinner one to Nolan.

9 BILL (cont.)

Read through these carefully and make sure no one but yourselves see them. If you have any questions, come by my office before you leave. Departure is tomorrow morning, 7AM. Everyone gets up off their chairs and file out the room.

Jennifer hangs back, and Bill comes over to her. They are alone in the room.

JENNIFER Sir, you know I received authorization to decline missions in openly hostile countries...

BILL I know, I signed the waiver myself.

Jennifer lets out a relieved sigh, the muscles in her body relax. She makes a move for the door. Bill grabs her shoulder, stopping her.

BILL But you cannot decline this mission JENNIFER But-BILL You are the only qualified person in the DS&T currently cleared for field work.

JENNIFER What about Ian, Rebecca, Shaun, or Molly?

BILL Ian, you should know if youâ€&#x;re fixing his computer, was injured in the Sudan mission. Rebecca and Molly are on a mission in Jakarta at the moment, and Shaun was compromised yesterday, and is now most likely being held in Somalia.

Jennifer stands completely still, her facial features

10 slack, but only for a second. She brushes the news off quickly.

JENNIFER Surely, there must be somebody-BILL No, there isn‟t! Goddamnit, Jen, you have a fucking degree in Computer Science, Nuclear Engineering, and Chemistry from MIT! You‟ve never had a failed mission! You‟re the best for the job!

Bill‟s outburst causes Jennifer to stop arguing. She simply nods.

JENNIFER Okay, okay, I get it. I‟ll be ready to leave tomorrow morning.

She walks out the door, looking at her mission information in the file.

INT-HOTEL BALLROOM-NORTH KOREA-NIGHT Jennifer walks into the ballroom, wearing a sleek, formfitting, black satin evening gown. She walks off to the side, and starts to mingle, speaking in Korean.

Nolan walks in behind her, wearing a black tuxedo, and walks to the opposite side, mingling with other guests.

Other Korean dignitaries continue to file in. One of them, a short, bearded man, interrupts another man and Jennifer.

They speak, in KOREAN, subtitled in ENGLISH: PARTY GUEST Oh, if it isn‟t Lt. Sung Woo Park! To what do I owe this pleasure?

LT. PARK Actually, I wanted to have a word with the lovely lady you are talking with.

Jennifer appears flattered. Actually she is intrigued. She did not expect to be sought after during this party.

11 JENNIFER And what can I do for you, Lieutenant?

The other party guest leaves, drifting with the flow of the party.

NOLAN‟S POV- Jennifer and Lt. Park move to a corner of the ballroom.

LT. PARK I am Lt. Park, I am in the Nuclear Weaponry Division.

The bluntness of this introduction surprises and worries Jennifer. Does he already know her mission? She does not betray her thoughts.

JENNIFER And why are you telling me this, sir?

I‟m just a scientific consultant with the South Korean delegation.

The Lieutenant smiles. This is just what he wanted to hear.

LT. PARK Yes, I know. I was wondering if you wanted to get some information about our operations in advance, before you and the rest of your delegation make the official visit in a few days. (a beat) From a less cryptic source.

This is just what Jennifer wants to hear. But she is still suspicious. Why would this man want to divulge state secrets in her?

JENNIFER I would be flattered, Lt. Park, but why are you doing this?

LT. PARK Let‟s just say that I‟m not particularly pleased at what these weapons will be used for.

He turns and looks around suspiciously, making sure no one is eavesdropping on them.

12 LT. PARK Meet me at the Paradise Café tomorrow, 2pm, don‟t be late.

He walks away, leaving Jennifer alone in the corner.

Jennifer and Nolan meet up towards the side of all the festivities.

Nolan opens his mouth to ask a question, but Jennifer merely nods. She leans in close to his face.

JENNIFER I‟ll tell you when we are in a secure location. Let‟s go to the safe house.

Nolan nods. He grabs up her hands, and they start to dance.

A pirouette.

Some sashaying.

More dance moves.

It looks very professional, very intimate.

Before we know it, they have danced their way across the room.

They stop at the door. They look back, and no one appears to have noticed. They leave.

We drift back to Lt. Park. He is on the phone.

We hear both sides of the conversation, in KOREAN, subtitled in ENGLISH: LT. PARK I set up the meeting, just like you asked. Our plan is a go.

VOICE (OS) Good. I‟ll send in some men for back up. Remember, only the girl.

LT. PARK Yes sir.

He hangs up the phone. Lt. Park turns to some other uniformed men, judging by their badges, they are lower ranked, probably sergeants. He whispers a few words to

13 them, and they leave.

The party continues.

INT-SAFEHOUSE APARTMENT-NIGHT A sparsely furnished apartment. Impeccably clean, except for the coffee table, littered with a variety of firearms, grenades, mini surveillance cameras, and extra ammunition.

Our duo are in a safehouse apartment, available to all CIA and NATO agents when in North Korea. They are now wearing sweatpants and t-shirts. But not matching.

Nolan is in the kitchenette, preparing some INSTANT RAMEN. Jennifer is on her cell phone, talking to Bill.

JENNIFER Yeah, so I‟ve arranged a meeting tomorrow with a lieutenant who says he‟s in their nuclear weapons program.

Bill responds, but we do not hear his side of the conversation.

JENNIFER Yeah, I know it‟s suspicious! Don‟t worry, I‟ll go heavily armed. Nolan will be in the adjacent park as my back up.

Bill responds. Jennifer‟s lips tighten, eyebrows raise.

JENNIFER Yes, I do know it‟s risky to only bring Nolan with me to this meeting, but anymore and it will be suspicious!

Another response. Her facial expression relax.

JENNIFER Don‟t worry, I‟ll record every minute of the meeting, and transmit it to you.

Yes, Nolan will have a copy as well.

Okay, I‟ll call you after the meeting.

She hangs up the phone.

14 NOLAN Hey, I only get to back you up from the park across the street?! You‟re going to need more help than that!

He walks over, carrying two bowls of extremely red ramen, indicating its spiciness. He places them on the dining table.

JENNIFER Mmm, this looks, um, spicy.

She grabs a pair of chopsticks and digs in. Nolan does the same, but gags at the first taste. He is obviously not used to these spices.

NOLAN God, how are you eating this stuff?!

He takes a large swig of beer and shoves the bowl of noodles away.

Jennifer continues to eat, looking unperturbed by the heat of the noodles.

NOLAN So, answer the question! Why are you using such a minimal amount of back up?

And making that one guy, albeit very skilled, so far away?

Jennifer stops eating, and takes a sip of Coke.

JENNIFER Well, the meeting is tomorrow, and there isn‟t much time to fly in some backup anyways. So much movement would be suspicious to the North Koreans.

Nolan tries the noodles again, but is met with the same reaction. He drains his beer. Jennifer finishes up her noodles.

JENNIFER Also, you being who you are, will stick out like a sore thumb in the café. If you want to remain inconspicuous and helpful, the closest place for you to be is the park. Don‟t worry, I‟ll let

15 JENNIFER (cont.) you take the big gun since you‟re so far away.

Nolan smirks at this. He gets up and starts to clear the dishes. He tries to take Jennifer‟s bowl, but is stopped.

NOLAN What, aren‟t you done?

JENNIFER No way, that soup is delicious!

She lifts the bowl to her lips and drinks. Nolan stands there, stunned.

She finishes with a happy sigh, and gives Nolan the bowl.

NOLAN How the hell can you do that!? That stuff is like liquid fire!

He brings the bowls to the kitchenette and places them into the dishwasher.

She drains the rest of her Coke and moves towards the sink.

JENNIFER You‟re just a wussie! Big, bad Nolan can‟t even stomach some spicy noodles!

That last jibe was too much. Nolan pulls out a DISH SPRAYER, and sprays Jennifer with it. She is SOAKED. Jennifer is stunned for a moment. She glares at Nolan.

She takes the DISH SOAP, and SQUIRTS it on his HEAD. He continues to spray her. She scrubs his head, creating lots of SUDS. They drop their weapons and resort to their hands.

They shove each other. Into the fridge, against a cupboard or two.

Finally, Nolan shoves Jennifer onto her BACK on top of a COUNTER. Nolan is on top, HANDS against her SHOULDERS. Both are breathing hard. They are FACE TO FACE. Look as though they are about to kiss.

16 JENNIFER No, this is so wrong.

She tries to wriggle free. Nolan holds her in place. She is pinned.

NOLAN Come on, one time. You know you want to.

He moves closer. Almost there, when— WHAM! Jennifer manages to bring her hand up and SLAPS Nolan across the FACE. She breaks through his grasp and walks towards the hallway.

She stops at the entry way and turns around.

JENNIFER I am married.

Nolan seems unperturbed by this. He cradles his face.

JENNIFER (cont.)

I have a kid.

Nolan‟s eyebrows raise. Maybe hitting on mothers isn‟t something he normally approves of himself. He opens his mouth to say something, but is cut off.

JENNIFER (cont.)

We are on A DAMN MISSION! THIS IS NOT THE RIGHT TIME OR PLACE, NOR WILL THERE EVER BE ONE! She storms down the hallway, off screen.

Nolan stands there, alone in the kitchenette. He looks down at his feet sheepishly.

INT-BEDROOM-SAFEHOUSE APARTMENT-NIGHT Jennifer lies on the bed. She is alone, in the dark.

On the nightstand, her cell phone lights up and vibrates.

On the screen, the caller ID indicates it is coming from HOME. Jennifer HEAVES herself up, and picks up the phone.

17 JENNIFER (falsely cheery) Hello?

INT-WEI HOUSE-DAY SAM Hi Mommy! I miss you!

Sam sits at the kitchen table, still in his pajamas with some half-eaten breakfast in front of him.

Ryan stands in the background grinning. He holds a cup of coffee.

JENNIFER (OS) I miss you to, Sammy! Why are you calling, did something happen?

Sam shovels a piece of food into his mouth.

SAM No, I just wanted to say hi!

Ryan walks closer to Sam, holding out his hand. Sam notices it hovering near his shoulder.

SAM Okay, well Dad wants to talk to you.

Come back soon, you still haven‟t met Paul! Bye! Sam gives the phone to Ryan.

RYAN Hey, Jen, how‟s Japan?

He looks at a calendar on the fridge.

JENNIFER (OS) It‟s fine, the technology convention was absolutely fascinating! The Japanese are so advanced in technology, I am completely envious.

RYAN I‟m glad you‟re enjoying yourself. Were we interrupting anything?

18 JENNIFER Well, it‟s pretty late here. I was about to go to bed.

RYAN Oh, in that case I‟ll let you go now.

Us guys just wanted to check in.

Seriously, you go on too many business trips!

JENNIFER Hopefully they‟ll be less frequent soon.

RYAN Yeah, some boss you have. Okay, goodnight!

INT-BEDROOM-SAFEHOUSE APARTMENT-NIGHT Jennifer lies on her bed, phone still to her ear.

JENNIFER Bye! She hangs up. Stares at her phone for a few seconds.

She places it on her nightstand and goes to sleep.

EXT- PARADISE CAFÉ- DAY A crowded patio, every table is filled. Jennifer is sitting by herself, reading a newspaper.

Underneath the table is a RECORDING DEVICE, its light is off, indicating that it is currently off.

JENNIFER‟S POV- The newspaper in front of her rustles. She pulls it down, revealing Lt. Park and his sergeants from last night.

They speak in KOREAN, subtitled in ENGLISH: LT. PARK Ah, good, we have the right table!

Jennifer stands up. As she does so, she presses the record button on the device under the table. A red light blinks on it. Nobody notices.

19 JENNIFER Nice to see you again Lieutenant. Who are these men?

They shake hands.

LT. PARK These are just some of my subordinates.

Do not worry, they are completely trustworthy. Please, let us sit.

They sit. The sergeants stand behind Lt. Park.

LT. PARK So, yes, down to business.

EXT-PARK-DAY Nolan hides behind a bush, with binoculars held up to his eyes. Behind him is an ASSAULT RIFLE. He has ear buds in his ears, and as we follow the wire, we see it is attached to a device that looks similar to the one under Jennifer‟s table. He listens to her conversation, however, he looks frustrated.

NOLAN (to himself) What I would give right now to be able to speak Korean fluently!

He hunkers down, and makes himself more comfortable in the bush.

EXT- PARADISE CAFÉ- DAY Jennifer and Lt. Park are still conversing in KOREAN subtitled in ENGLISH. LT. PARK You should know though, Miss, that I cannot give you the real information pertaining to North Korea‟s nuclear weapons plan!

Jennifer‟s left hand moves slowly down to her waist, where she slowly retrieves a HANDGUN. Her face remains calm and cheery, a façade of confidence.

The only sign giving it away is a BEAD OF SWEAT traveling

20 slowly down the side of her face.

JENNIFER What could you possibly mean, Lieutenant? You said you would give me inside information before the official delegation tour, so that I would be fully prepared!

The sergeants behind Lt. Park begin to shift, creating a semi-circle behind him.

LT. PARK Of course that is what you would say if you were in fact a scientific consultant with the abomination the South Koreans call a peace delegation!

The sergeants draw large, PISTOLS. They are all aimed at Jennifer.

Lt. Park draws his own pistol as well.

LT. PARK (cont.)

However, you are in fact Agent Jennifer Wei, of the CIA! And unless you want your bullet riddled corpse tried for espionage in court, I suggest you come with us now!

EXT-PARK-DAY Nolan sees this through the binoculars, and hears the changing tone of voice through the conversation recording.

He quickly gathers his stuff and runs towards them.

EXT-PARADISE CAFÉ-DAY Jennifer continues to sit in her seat, staring at the threatening North Koreans.

She begins to stand up, feigning surrender, when she hears fast FOOTSTEPS getting closer behind her. She turns around and sees NOLAN running towards them.

Her eyes widen, and she bites her lip. Nolan was not meant to try and rescue her.

21 She knows she is busted, but that does not necessarily mean he is too.

She tries to make a decision, but he is getting closer and closer.

There is only one way to get him out safely, and though it is painful, she is willing to do it.

Quickly, Jennifer draws a second gun, and with one in each hand, she sprays bullets EVERYWHERE, hitting a few of the sergeants, some bystanders, and NOLAN. The rest of the North Koreans shoot her, and she falls to the floor.

INT-PRISON CELL-DAY We are now in a dank, filthy, damp, and most likely rodentridden room. The only source of light is a small barred window on the back wall, currently streaming a small beam of sunlight. The walls are covered with mildew.

A DRIPPING noise in the background, followed by a dull POUNDING. Metal hitting metal in some cases.

A small figure faces a side wall, her back towards us. In its grip is a dirty, rusted METAL CHOPSTICK. This figure pounds the wall, puncturing the mildew covered wall, and revealing a damp set of insulation and pipes. A small PUDDLE of clear liquid pools near and around the pipes and the figure.

The figure is actually JENNIFER. She resembles the room, small, filthy, and withering away. She is gaunt and covered with grime.

A subtitle appears, reading 2 YEARS LATER. JENNIFER (to herself) Aha, thereâ€&#x;s the source of that stupid dripping!

She bends her head down, sniffing the liquid. From this view a GASH on her head is visible. It is still damp.

The liquid intrigues her.

She LIMPS from the hole in the wall towards the door. An

22 array of bruises and scars mark her legs and feet.

She reaches for a cracked rice bowl of water. She sips it.

Her hands and arms are no better than her legs and feet.

The right half of her face is covered with blood, from a different cut above her brow. She also sports a previously broken nose, and a few other scratches and bruises on her face.

She is about to move back to her hole, when the door to her cell is unlocked. It opens.

A tall, muscular Korean man stands in the door frame. He wears a North Korean military uniform, and has it rolled up to his shoulders. He is heavily tattooed.

He grabs Jennifer roughly and drags her out the door.

INT-TORTURE ROOM-DAY The door bursts open, and Jennifer is thrown into the room.

She is so weak from 2 years of torture, that she just lies there.

The interrogator comes in, and slams the door behind him.

He roughly grabs her, and throws her into an old, rickety, wooden chair.

He grabs some thick rope and binds her hands, ankles and torso to the chair.

He stands back and smiles, admiring his handiwork. He then pulls up a chair of his own. They sit, face to face. He grins.

INTERROGATOR So, do you want to talk to me today? I know you haven‟t felt like it for the past couple years, but every day something changes.

Jennifer looks up. DEFIANCE shining through her eyes. She grins.

JENNIFER Not a chance. Let‟s face it, we‟ve been through this every day since I‟ve been in here. One day is not going to change

23 anything.

The interrogator stands up.

INTERROGATOR Somehow I knew you were going to say that.

He walks to a side a wall. A range of torture instruments, hang there. All are covered with various human fluids. He picks up a STUDDED WHIP and walks back towards Jennifer.

He slowly unfurls the whip, and tilts his head to the side.

INTERROGATOR Maybe after this you‟ll change your mind?

He raises the whip and LASHES Jennifer repeatedly. She takes the first few lashes quietly. However, the pain increases so much, there is nothing she can do but cry out.

The interrogator pauses for a second. He looks at her. She is bleeding on both sides of her face, down her arms, through her shirt, across her stomach, on both legs.

Jennifer sits there, gasping for breath.

INTERROGATOR Want to talk now? Then the whipping will stop.

The whip tail is resting on the floor. Its studs glisten with blood.

Jennifer looks up, in agony. She continues panting.

JENNIFER No, I won‟t tell you anything that I haven‟t already told you!

The interrogator shrugs. More whipping for him!

He raises the whip, and strikes her so hard that she and the chair are knocked to the ground.

Jennifer grunts in pain, the right side of her body crushed against the chair.

The whip is raised again. It continuously strikes her side.

The blood continues to flow.

24 INTERROGATOR Now do you want to talk?!

Another whip lash.

How about now?!

Jennifer stares at the ground. Tears stream down her face.

The grime, blood, sweat, and tears all mix on her face and on the floor.

JENNIFER Iâ€&#x;m innocent I tell you, INNOCENT! A boot comes hard into Jenniferâ€&#x;s chest. The wind is knocked out of her.

It comes back. Again and again. The sickening crunch of ribs breaking. Thankfully, nothing punctures her lungs.

INTERROGATOR Confess to being a spy! You work for the CIA! The kicking stops. Jennifer and the chair are flipped onto their back. She faces the ceiling. The interrogator leans over her.

JENNIFER I am not a spy. I am the VP of IT for Tempus Technology, based in Washington D.C. I am innocent.

The interrogator was expecting this. After hearing this line he knew that she was not going to say anything else.

INTERROGATOR Okay, then, have it your way.

He makes a move as if to walk away.

Jennifer exhales a large sigh.

While her guard is down, the interrogator comes back. She does not notice this.

He PICKS UP her chair and THROWS it across the room, with her STILL TIED to it.

It hits the wall and immediately breaks to pieces. Jennifer lies on the ground, in lots of pain, but unfortunately for

25 her, still conscious.

He lights a CIGARETTE and takes a long drag.

He leaves it in his mouth, and stands still, watching Jennifer writhe in pain on the floor.

He walks over to her, hoists her feet, and shoves her out the door.

INT-JENNIFER‟S PRISON CELL-DAY They stand in the doorway of Jennifer‟s cell. He let‟s go of her. She turns around and faces him.

JENNIFER That thing with the chair back there was a new one.

He smirks. She is one of his favorite regulars to torture.

INTERROGATOR Yes, it was. I needed something to catch you off guard. You‟re one of the few to survive almost all of my tricks.

The thought makes Jennifer shudder. The interrogator grins.

JENNIFER All of your tricks?

He shoves her back into her cell. He throws the STILL LIT CIGARETTE onto her.

INTERROGATOR Almost all of them.

He slams the door shut and bolts it tight.

Jennifer sits up, wincing from her newly incurred injuries.

She holds the still lit cigarette in her hands.

She looks towards the hole in the wall she had made earlier. It is still dripping. The puddle around it has grown to cover at least HALF of the room.

Jennifer smiles. She makes sure that she is not stepping in the puddle and raises the cigarette.

She THROWS the cigarette into the puddle.

26 The puddle IGNITES. Everything that was covered in its fluids is now on FIRE. The pipe itself EXPLODES. The room is now ablaze. Jenniferâ€&#x;s smile widens.

The door bursts open, revealing some very surprised Korean guards.

Jennifer quickly glances back. The guards raise their guns to open fire, but Jennifer quickly STABS one of the guards with her old METAL CHOPSTICK in the eye. He is incapacitated.

She grapples with the second guard, but eventually is able to shoulder him THROUGH THE BURNING WALL. He dies with a thump.

She hops out of the opening in the wall down below.

EXT-PRISON COMPOUND-DAY Jennifer lands in a mud puddle. It is not hard enough to kill her, but does sprain her ankle.

She looks up. She jumped from a room FOUR STORIES HIGH. She herself is amazed at how relatively unscathed she came out of that jump.

The two guards peak out through the hole she made in the wall. They spot her and spray her with their machine guns.

She gets caught in the right shoulder but manages to dive into a military jeep. The steel plating of the jeep repels the fire of the guards.

INT-NORTH KOREAN MILITARY JEEP-DAY Jennifer uses her MIT education and WIRES the jeep.

She accelerates out of the prison compound. As she drives, she opens the glove compartment to find a machine gun and a stash of grenades.

She looks into the rear view mirror. A group of JEEPS trail behind her.

Jennifer opens the window and pulls the pins of two GRENADES. She throws them behind her out the window.

27 She continues driving. In the rear view mirror, the trio of jeeps explode.

After driving a safe distance away from the prison compound, Jennifer pulls over to the side of the road.

Jennifer looks at a map she found in the glove compartment.

After finding her bearings, she decides to drive towards Pyongyang, the location of the old SAFEHOUSE. INT-SAFEHOUSE LIVING ROOM-NIGHT Jennifer stands in the doorway of the safehouse. It hasnâ€&#x;t been used in a long time, maybe even since the last time she was in it. Everything is covered in a thick layer of DUST. Behind Jennifer, the door to the safehouse leans against the wall. The hinges are broken off. Jennifer must have broken down the door to get in. She puts the door back in place.

She limps towards the kitchenette.

She opens the freezer, and procures a KEY. She attempts to smile, but because of the massive amounts of pain she is experiencing, it turns into a grimace.

Jennifer limps back to the living room. She lifts the cushions of the couch off and throws them into the armchair. She pulls back the lining on the bottom of the couch. A small KEYHOLE is visible. She inserts the key. The whole bottom of the couch opens.

Jennifer lifts out a large black box. Again she unlocks it with the key. The lid pops open.

Inside the box is a cell phone, a pistol and ammo, some bottled water, a couple granola bars, a first aid kit, and a few grenades.

Jennifer takes the cell phone, turns it on, and dials.

FEMALE SECRETARY (OS) Hello, this is the office of Bill Sanders. Who is this, where are you calling from, and why are you calling?

Jennifer gets a little irritated. She grabs the first aid

28 kit and begins to treat her wounds.

JENNIFER (urgently) Can you please just put Bill on the line, this is important.

We hear the typing of a keyboard in the background.

FEMALE SECRETARY (OS) Sorry, I cannot allow that. Your call is coming from a known hostile country.

Please state your identity and business!

Jennifer sighs, seeing that there is no other way to get to Bill than to do what this protocol following woman wants.

JENNIFER This is Jennifer Wei, Head Computer Technician and lead scientist in the R&D Department of the DS&T. (a beat) Or I guess that would be former. I have recently escaped from the imprisonment of the North Koreans and am seeking pick up from said hostile country.

FEMALE SECRETARY (OS) THE Jennifer Wei? The one that was abducted two years ago? She hasnâ€&#x;t been heard from since!

Jennifer rolls her eyes. Of course no one has heard from her since her abduction! She was being held prisoner by the North Koreans for two years straight! Not like she could just take a break and step out for a call!

JENNIFER Yes, yes, I am THAT Jennifer Wei! Now will you PLEASE put Bill on the damn phone!

Silence and the rustling of fabric for a few seconds. The creak of a door. Then the background noise stops.

BILL Jen, is that really you?

29 Jennifer releases a relieved smile. Finally a familiar voice!

JENNIFER Yeah, it‟s really me! Can you please send some people in to get me home? I‟m a pretty beat up, both physically and emotionally.

Her eyes start to brim with tears. The effects of shock and post traumatic stress are now taking over. She continues to tend to her wounds.

BILL Sure thing, Jen! Man, you‟ve gotta be tough to survive two years with those bastards! Hang tight, I‟ll send a team now.

The tears are streaming now. She chokes back the urge to vocalize the feelings flowing through her and down her face.

JENNIFER Thanks. See you soon, hopefully. Bye. BILL Stay tough and hang in there!

She hangs up the phone. The dam she built to hold back all of her emotions the past couple years has burst open.

She closes up the couch compartment, leaving the box out.

She throws the cushions back on roughly.

Jennifer throws herself onto the couch. She whimpers.

She curls up and starts crying HYSTERICALLY. The horrors she faced while imprisoned and the relief of being freed are overwhelming. She lets it all out on the couch.

She eventually falls into a troubled sleep on the couch.

Her experiences from these recent events will probably scar her for life.

INT-SAFEHOUSE LIVING ROOM-DAY Jennifer is still tossing and turning in her sleep on the

30 couch. The sun streams in through the cracks in the blinds.

The trample of boots can be heard in the distance, getting closer. Jennifer is unaware of this, still fighting her nightmares.

The door BURSTS open, and a group of black clad commandos stream into the safehouse, shattering the already fragile calm in the room.

Jennifer bolts upright, grimacing. Her body is still extremely battered from her incarceration.

Her senses, however, are still acute. She grabs the spare pistol on the coffee table, and aims. She is disoriented.

The commandos raise their weapons in self defense. All except for the lead one.

He removes his helmet and goggles, revealing NOLAN! Jennifer drops her gun.

She runs/limps to Nolan.

He rushes to her.

The rest of the commandos lower their weapons.

Nolan and Jennifer embrace. She KISSES him right on the lips. He is surprised, but does not pull away.

They stop kissing. He looks down at her.

NOLAN Well, you look a little beat up. Care for a ride home?

Jennifer blushes at her very sudden public display of affection. She steps back.

JENNIFER Yeah, that would be nice.

He nods. Nolan turns around and gestures to the rest of the team of commandos.

NOLAN Clean this place up! Repair the door!

Replenish the emergency kit! Put that key back!

31 The commandos start to execute his orders. Nolan and Jennifer continue to stand in the room, staring at each other.

NOLAN Come on, I‟ll carry you to the van.

We‟ll take that to the plane.

He carefully lifts her up in his arms. They walk out the door.

INT-PRIVATE AIRPLANE-DAY Jennifer and Nolan sit across from each other in the first cabin of the plane. The rest of the commando team sits in the furthest back cabin.

JENNIFER So, um, about that kiss that earlier today…

They glance at each other, then quickly avert their gaze.

They FIDGET a lot.

NOLAN Yeah, about that. Um, did you really mean that? Or was it some sort of stress relief thing? Because I know that the sight of me can just you know… spur the urge to kiss me.

Jennifer shoots an angry glance at him.

JENNIFER That was totally stress. I have no romantic feelings for you Nolan. I am still MARRIED! Suddenly Jennifer remembers that with this passing in time, Ryan might have moved on.

JENNIFER Wait, am I still married? Am I still a mother? Am I officially dead?

Nolan shifts uneasily in his seat.

JENNIFER Nolan, what has happened since my

32 absence?!

Nolan glances up nervously. We have never seen him anxious.

NOLAN Well, after they abducted you, the North Koreans declared that they had caught a spy. They said that unless the country responsible stepped forward, they would publicly execute her.

He looks straight at Jennifer. Tears brim in his eyes.

This is hard for him to recount.

NOLAN The Director didn‟t want to risk the fragile diplomatic progress the country had made, so he opted to leave you. The department was furious. Bill and I wanted to send a retrieval team right after we got the message. Of course we were turned down.

He takes a deep breath, attempting to calm himself.

Jennifer leans in, intent on the story.

NOLAN Then, after 1 month, they broadcasted a video. Evidently it wasn‟t really you, since you‟re still alive, but a woman who looked really similar to you appeared on a platform, bound. Members of the North Korean military stood on either side of the imposter. Then they— Nolan shudders a little. He is having a hard time recalling this.

NOLAN They, put a gun to your, I mean your imposter‟s head, and shot. We, and the rest of the world thought you were dead.

Jennifer is stunned by this. No one, not even her captors, told her of this.

33 JENNIFER So, the North Koreans faked my death and tried to draw out the US into admitting that they had spied on them?

Nolan composes himself. He nods.

NOLAN Yeah. I don‟t know why they would fake your death though. Maybe to deter us from trying any other missions. But, to answer your question about your marital status, Ryan and Sam think you‟re dead.

But Ryan is now single.

A silence. Nolan seems to be holding something back. But Jennifer is too distracted with this current news.

She is about to ask something else when an announcement comes over the airplane‟s speakers.

PILOT (OS) Attention all passengers, we are about to land. Please prepare yourselves for impact.

They buckle their seats. All questions are forgotten.

EXT-WASHINGTON D.C. AIRPORT TARMAC-DAY As the group descends down the stairs from the plane, a group of suited men and women wearing dark sunglasses wait for them. Black cars are parked behind them.

One of the suited men steps forward.

SUITED MAN Jennifer Wei and Nolan James are to be escorted to CIA Headquarters immediately.

Jennifer and Nolan walk towards him, clearly confused.

NOLAN What, sir? Agent Wei has just been recovered from incarceration. Surely she should get some rest first!

A couple more suited agents step forward. They look

34 threatening.

SUITED MAN No, our orders are clear. You two are supposed to come with us NOW. He turns around to walk to the cars. Everyone starts to follow, but Jennifer hangs back.

JENNIFER Wait a second! What am I supposed to do once I‟m at HQ?!

Everyone turns around. Jennifer is clearly outraged.

SUITED MAN Listen, Agent Wei, I know you are still a little shaken from the past events, however— JENNIFER Do not „However‟ me! I was tortured by the North Koreans for 2 years! I should be able to rest, and take a decent shower! Not get driven down to HQ like some sort of criminal!

The other CIA agents start to circle around her. Nolan stands aside from the group.

SUITED MAN Now listen, we don‟t have time for this! Once you satisfy our superior‟s orders, then I‟m sure you can go and recover.

He signals to the others. Two men grab Jennifer behind the back and gently shove her into a car. Nolan finally intervenes.

NOLAN Hey, it‟s not like she‟s a fugitive or something! She‟s on our side! Treat her with respect!

He shoos the other agents away and leads Jen into the car.

He whispers in her ear.

35 NOLAN Sorry about that. They are so strict with the protocol.

They all load into the cars and drive away.

INT-CIA HQ INTERROGATION ROOM-NIGHT Jennifer sits at a stainless steel table, impatiently thrumming her fingers against the surface. She is silently fuming.

Nolan sits beside her, trying to calm her down.

The door opens, and in walks Bill, followed by a subordinate wheeling in a POLYGRAPH MACHINE. The subordinate closes the door. They take their seats at the other end of the table.

BILL It‟s great to see you back Jen! He holds out his hand, but Jennifer makes no move to shake it.

JENNIFER Why did you drag me down here, Bill? At this hour? Under these circumstances?

Bill pulls his hand back, and opens up a file.

BILL Well, seeing as you were missing for over 2 years in hostile territory, the Director asked for a complete report as soon as you got in. I had no choice in the matter.

Jennifer seems to accept this, but her attention switches to the polygraph machine.

JENNIFER (pointing) And what about that? Don‟t you guys trust me? I‟m not some sort of stranger to you guys!

She crosses her arms in disbelief.

36 JENNIFER Nor am I a stranger to how these debriefing and interrogation techniques work. And do you really think that I can‟t fool a polygraph machine if I wanted to? Hell, I fool those things for fun!

Nolan finally decides to pipe in.

NOLAN (to Bill) You and I both know that, Bill.

Remember how we caught her in her office one time, making it believe that she was really a Norwegian clown?

Jennifer seems surprised, not because of the person that she allegedly tried to trick the polygraph with, but that they knew about it.

BILL Yeah, but the Director is concerned that after all your time spent with the North Koreans that you might— Jennifer bursts out of her chair, furious.

JENNIFER You think that I‟m a traitor? That I switched sides? Why would you think that?!

Nolan shifts uneasily in his seat. Bill sighs. He pulls out a paper from his file.

BILL Well, there is the fact that you arranged this meeting with the Korean officer by yourself— Jennifer sits back down.

JENNIFER I was at a party, mingling! I thought I wasn‟t supposed to be with Nolan the whole time!

Bill ignores this and continues.

37 BILL And during your abduction you shot Nolan!

Nolan flinches at this. He rubs his abdomen, apparently the spot that the bullet hit.

JENNIFER That was so that the Koreans wouldn‟t think that he was involved!

BILL So you deliberately shot him?

JENNIFER Yes! If I hadn‟t Nolan would have come running in, trying to save me, and we would have both been captured or killed! I tried to cut our losses.

Bill‟s subordinate notes this. He has actually been recording and taking notes of this meeting the whole time.

BILL Okay, I guess I get that. But why such an extreme target? Why didn‟t you shoot him in the arm? You took him out for weeks by hitting him in the stomach!

Jennifer gets a little sheepish at this.

JENNIFER Well... actually that was an accident.

I meant to go for his arm, but when shooting two guns in opposite direction, it gets a little hard to aim.

Bill nods, knowing the feeling of adrenaline and the difficulty of shooting two guns with accuracy.

BILL Alright, that makes sense. But you‟re escape is also a little suspicious. How do we know the Korean‟s didn‟t just let you go?

Jennifer is exasperated now.

38 JENNIFER Do I look like I spent the last 2 years happily not getting tortured by them?

No! In fact, I think I need to see a doctor after this.

She rubs her head, revealing her some blood soaked bandages. She looks worse for wear.

BILL True, but how did you escape then? You could have bargained something.

Jennifer grins at this.

JENNIFER I‟m actually quite proud of this escape. You see, there was a gas pipe with a leak in my cell. I managed to use one of the cigarettes my torturer loved to suck on and lit up a portion of their holding facility.

Bill and Nolan fake applause.

JENNIFER Thank you, thank you. Then I made a hole in a wall and jumped out to freedom. That‟s basically it.

Bill‟s subordinate jots this down. Nolan and Bill hold new admiration of Jen‟s survival.

BILL Well, that sounds like some adventure!

You‟ve got me convinced that you‟re not a traitor, but just answer a few more questions about your incarceration and then I‟ll get you headed to a doctor and a hotel room.

Nolan perks up.

NOLAN I‟ll take her!

Jennifer smiles. Bill looks at the two of them.

39 BILL Okay then... but you‟ve got to come into the office the day after tomorrow.

And don‟t go trying to do anything but sleep! So, tell me about the Korean holding facility...

INT-JENNIFER‟S OFFICE-DAY Jennifer is now well-rested and patched up. She has a brace on her ankle and wrist, and her ribs are wrapped up. She also has a bandage on her cheek.

Jennifer is reading a technology magazine, with a few large stacks of them on her desk.

Bill walks in.

JENNIFER I hate being away for so long! I feel so out of date with everything! Not just computers, but with like simple things, like multi-functional watches!

I mean, I just found out that Nolan had one that shoots fire! I thought mine was cool for having a laser.

Bill smiles at this. He opens his mouth to say something but is cut off.

JENNIFER So, I‟m going to go down to the people in charge of cover operations to see if I can at least get a peek on my family.

She moves to walk out the door, but Bill stops her.

BILL That‟s what I came to talk to you about. You may want to sit down.

Jennifer stops in her tracks. She takes a seat back in her swivel chair. Bill puts his hands in his pockets.

BILL Your family is missing—has been missing for almost the same amount of time you‟ve been missing.

40 This is like a slap in the face for Jennifer.

JENNIFER What? But Nolan said that they just thought I was dead!

BILL Well, that‟s what we thought after seeing the video. They might never have seen it. When our agents went down to your house to pick them up and explain to them your disappearance, they were gone. There was evidence of a struggle, leading us to believe that they were abducted. However, we have no idea where they went. This was a few days after your kidnapping.

Jennifer goes into a sort of emotional shock. Her eyes tear up.

JENNIFER And how come you didn‟t tell me this right off the bat? Why wait to tell me that my family is missing?!

Bill moves to comfort her.

BILL We weren‟t sure if you were still on our side for the first part. And then after that, we didn‟t think you were fit for duty, and that you might try something while you were still recovering.

Jennifer gets up and moves to the door. Bill moves to stand in the way.

JENNIFER Well I‟m fit for duty now, and I‟m going to find them. Move out of the way!

Jennifer nudges him, but Bill doesn‟t budge. She is about to tackle him when Nolan comes by and intervenes.

41 NOLAN Whoa, whoa, whoa, what‟s going on here? (to Jennifer) You can‟t just go around and tackle your bosses and still keep your job!

Jennifer continues to resist. Bill sighs, and clears the doorway.

BILL Fine, Jen, you can go and investigate the whereabouts of your family. See if they are still alive, where they are, who has them, and why.

Jennifer relaxes, and Nolan releases her. He turns to Bill.

NOLAN Let me go with her! She‟s still not fully recovered and she could use the back up.

Bill grins.

BILL Sure, you can go with her, if she lets you.

He walks out the door. He peeps his head back in the doorway.

BILL Just make sure that you check in regularly.

He leaves. Nolan turns to Jennifer, who is now packing her stuff. She stuffs a variety of gadgets into her bag, including a TASER. NOLAN So, are you going to let me come with you?

Jennifer closes her bag up and starts walking towards the door.

JENNIFER Yeah, I guess I‟ll need the help. Meet me at my car in 10 minutes.

42 She walks out the door, leaving Nolan alone in the office.

EXT-JENNIFER‟S HOUSE-NIGHT The Wei house is cordoned off with faded yellow police tape, the house no longer possessing the sheen of simply being lived in.

Jennifer and Nolan walk up the steps to the door, and cut open the crime scene seal on the door. They walk inside.

INT-JENNIFER‟S HOUSE-DAY Jennifer and Nolan stand in the main entry way to her house. Everything in sight is covered with a thick layer of DUST. Evidently no one has been inside in a long time.

JENNIFER Wow, things don‟t look different at all.

Nolan peeks into the family room. We don‟t see it with him.

However, whatever it is catches his attention.

NOLAN Well, I do it will in this room, unless you like your stuff like this.

INT-FAMILY ROOM-DAY Jennifer comes to stand next to Nolan. She gasps.

The window to the room has been SMASHED, a black garbage bag now holds the wind out. The arm chair and sofa in the room are KNOCKED OVER, the TV CRACKED, and bean bag SLASHED OPEN. The room is in total disarray.

NOLAN I‟m guessing this is where the abduction happened.

Jennifer simply nods. They pick over the wreckage. Most of the picture frames on one wall have fallen off or are askew and cracked. We look in closer and see they are all pictures of BOATS, with at least 1 member of the family.

Jennifer chokes back tears. Sentimental memories coming back to her.

Nolan comes over, looking at the damage.

43 NOLAN Well, these pictures sure got a beating. And what‟s with all of these pictures of boats?

Jennifer smiles, remembering the good ol‟ days. She wipes away her tears.

JENNIFER Well, you know how Ryan and I met on a cruise ship?

NOLAN No, actually. Remember, you were already dating when I met you.

JENNIFER Oh. Well, ever since, we‟ve taken a photo with every ship one of us has sailed on. Then we stick it on this wall.

She frowns, looking at all the shattered pieces. But, among the shattered glass are a couple of BULLET CASINGS. JENNIFER Nolan, look these are casings from some heavy duty guns.

He examines them.

NOLAN Yeah, and they are not of any great quality either.

They both look around, searching for a place where the bullets could have been fired from. Jennifer looks up, and sees 2 bullet holes in the ceiling.

JENNIFER There, they were fired into the ceiling!

Nolan looks up and nods.

NOLAN Probably warning shots. This looks like whoever did this definitely was looking to take your family alive. Possibly a

44 hired out job.

Jennifer paces back and forth, trying to think.

JENNIFER Yeah, I think so too... I have a contact out in San Francisco who deals arms to the guys who operate in China Town. We could go there first.

NOLAN Why would we go talk to an arms dealer in San Francisco? That‟s nowhere near here!

JENNIFER Yeah, but all of the major Asian crime syndicates start in San Francisco. So if this job is in any way connected to an Asian mercenary group, then they would have started out in San Francisco.

NOLAN Fine, we‟ll start there, since there‟s no other lead.

Nolan pockets the bullet casings. They start getting ready to leave.

JENNIFER So, how are we going to get to San Francisco? Quickest would probably be a commercial jet, then we don‟t have to wait for clearance. But, do we have money to spare for tickets? And when‟s the next flight?

NOLAN Wait, we‟re not leaving now!

They both stop in their tracks.

JENNIFER Why not?! My family could still be out there! Time is of the essence!

NOLAN They can wait one more night. You are

45 still not recovered. We need to be fully rested and have a plan.

JENNIFER Can‟t we just formulate it on the way there?

NOLAN We could, but people around us would get suspicious. And you also wouldn‟t get any rest. Seeing as your place is a little eerie and covered in dust, you can stay the night with me.

He grabs her arm and drags her out.

JENNIFER What?! Okay, fine, but we leave straight away tomorrow morning.

They walk out the door.

INT-NOLAN‟S APARTMENT-NIGHT Nolan washes some dishes and Jen sits at her laptop on the sofa, a glass of merlot in hand.

He finishes washing and comes to join her.

JENNIFER So, our flight is tomorrow at 9AM. Once we get there, we rent a car, and set up shop in my apartment in downtown San Francisco. Then— NOLAN You have an apartment in San Francisco?

Jennifer looks up from her laptop screen, slightly annoyed at the interruption.

JENNIFER Yeah. I rendezvous there a lot. And I have a boat at the marina.

NOLAN You know how to sail too, not just your husband?

Jennifer looks back down at her laptop, moving back to her

46 plan.

JENNIFER Yeah, my parents were into it. Anyways, after we get to my apartment, we‟ll contact my source, and if he‟s still there and is willing to help us, we‟ll arrange a meeting. Sounds good?

NOLAN Wait, if he‟s willing to help us?

JENNIFER Well, yeah, I haven‟t been down in San Francisco for over 2 years. Things could have changed.

Jennifer closes her laptop and moves towards the duffel bags on the floor.

JENNIFER Now that the plan is settled, I think we need to think about firepower. Now— Nolan gets up and turns Jennifer to face him.

NOLAN Can you please just slow down! You need to get some rest if you‟re even going to be successful tomorrow!

Jennifer tries to move away, but Nolan keeps her there.

JENNIFER No, I cannot just slow down! My family is out there, cold, mistreated, or even dead! I can‟t just stay here, and sleep, when I know that!

She starts sobbing into Nolan‟s shoulder.

JENNIFER I wasn‟t there when they needed me the most. I had to be stuck in fucking Korea, most likely unconscious, while they were being taken away at gunpoint.

She continues to sob. Nolan attempts to comfort her, clearly not expecting this reaction.

47 NOLAN Shh, shh, calm down. There was no way you could have known that was going to happen. It‟s not your fault.

They move to the couch. She buries her face in his chest.

JENNIFER Yeah, but I‟m the one that should have been there, I‟m the spy! Ryan was only a cruise ship captain. And Sam, he was only a kid!

He pulls her closer.

NOLAN Stop using the past tense. We will find them, alive.

She simply nods. They lie together on the couch, and eventually fall asleep.

INT-NOLAN‟S APARTMENT-DAY Sun streams through the curtains of the windows. Jennifer and Nolan sleep on the couch, CUDDLED into one another.

Jennifer stirs, and eventually wakes up. She notices her surroundings and freaks out. Her rustling wakes Nolan up.

NOLAN Hey, hey, what‟s with all the commotion?

He checks his watch.

NOLAN Our flight doesn‟t leave for another 2 hours!

Jennifer turns around and stares at him.

JENNIFER What is wrong? Well, I think I may have just cheated on my husband!

Nolan grins.

NOLAN You wish.

48 Jennifer hits him on the arm. Not playfully.

NOLAN Seriously, nothing happened! You were all distraught, and I tried to comfort you, and we were both exhausted from everything that we just fell asleep.

That‟s all.

Jennifer takes a deep, calming breath.

JENNIFER Okay, thank God. I may be able to sleep soundly at night knowing that I‟ve killed a fair amount of people, but adultery does not sit well on my conscience.

They both get up off the sofa. They straighten themselves up and get ready to go.

NOLAN You have to admit that I am one cuddly man, though.

Jennifer looks over at him, eating a power bar.

JENNIFER I will admit I slept soundly. However, nothing will ever happen between us because I will find Ryan and Sam. She finishes up her power bar and throws it in the trash.

Nolan looks over, holstering his gun on his belt.

NOLAN Are you saying that I would actually have a chance if you were single?

Jennifer grabs some bags and moves to head out the door.

JENNIFER Well, seeing as I‟m not single, you‟ll just never have a chance.

He shrugs, and grabs the rest of the baggage. They load up the car and drive to the airport.

49 EXT-SAN FRANCISCO CHINATOWN-DAY Nolan and Jennifer walk down the streets of Chinatown.

They are pretending to shop.

They look at the stands of low-quality wares, groceries, even knock-off purses.

They eventually walk past an old, seedy pawnshop.

Jennifer walks up towards the front window and looks inside.

Nolan stands further away, looking puzzled. Jennifer has not told Nolan this part of the plan.

Jennifer smiles, seeing something she likes. She grabs Nolan‟s hand and drags him towards the entrance.

NOLAN Hey, why are we--?

Jennifer ignores him. They continue walking inside.

JENNIFER Just play along, and don‟t say anything.

They walk into the pawnshop.

INT-PAWNSHOP-DAY The pawnshop resembles an old video store, with hundreds of dusty kung-fu classics and some not-so-famous ones. Some odd pieces of furniture lie in a corner.

A man sleeps at the counter, a newspaper written in Korean covering his face. Jennifer walks purposefully, straight to the counter. Nolan stands around in the shop, looking around.

JENNIFER Excuse me?

The man remains sleeping. This is where Jennifer‟s professionalism comes in.

She yanks the paper from the man‟s face, startling him awake. She grabs his shirt collar, and holds him over the counter.

50 Nolan is startled by her sudden aggression. He moves to diffuse the situation, but Jennifer holds her free hand up at him. She knows what she is doing. Nolan simply stands to the side, observing.

JENNIFER (to the clerk) Are you awake now?

The clerk nods, fear the dominant feature in his eyes. He begins to sweat.

JENNIFER Good. Now, who is the proprietor of this establishment?

The clerk mumbles something incoherent. Jennifer slaps him across the face and shakes him.

JENNIFER What, I canâ€&#x;t hear you?

Nolan is having trouble with this violent style of questioning, and tries to intervene.

NOLAN (to Jennifer) Jen, really, is this necessary?

Jennifer does not seem to pay attention. The other man has started speaking again.

CLERK My boss, he goes by Fang Shu. Jennifer appears appeased by this answer. She throws him back onto his chair.

She leans down and opens her bag. She procures 3 copies of the SAME martial arts movie, Ip Man, and hands them to the still trembling clerk.

JENNIFER Then Iâ€&#x;d like to sell these DVDs please.

The clerk stares at the cover for a few seconds. As if remembering some protocol, he gets up from his seat.

51 CLERK Ah, the register out here is broken, let me finish this transaction in the back.

The clerk scurries to the back room, out of sight. Jennifer and Nolan wait outside.

NOLAN What was all that? You came to intimidate a pawnshop clerk just to sell some old DVDs? Jennifer stares intently at the closed back room door.

JENNIFER Iâ€&#x;ll explain it all when we get back to my apartment.

Nolan crosses his arms and pouts. He does not appreciate being brushed off.

NOLAN Now, wait a sec, I deserve— The door to the back room opens again, and the clerk now seems less nervous. He even has a hue of awe in his eyes when he hands Jennifer a small amount of cash and a receipt.

CLERK Here you go Miss, nice doing business with you.

Jennifer glances at the receipt and smiles.

JENNIFER Thank you. I believe that this is very good compensation. I might even come back again to do business.

She turns and walks out the door, stuffing the receipt and bills into her bag. Nolan follows her out.

EXT-CHINATOWN STREETS-DAY Nolan and Jennifer walk briskly down the streets of Chinatown, heading back to her apartment.

52 NOLAN Now will you tell me what the hell was going on in there?

Jennifer keeps on walking, cutting into an alleyway.

JENNIFER No, not until we are in a secure location. If you would just hurry up, we can probably cut through here to the next street, and be at my place in a couple more blocks.

She turns around to see if he is in agreement. But now Nolan is distracted by something behind her. She whirls around, revealing: A group of grizzly, middle-aged men toting some various bludgeoning tools and a couple of guns.

No words are exchanged.

The two groups stand across from each other, staring.

Jennifer and Nolan‟s hands hover over their firearms.

A few men on the other side casually swing their weapons.

The lead man, wielding a large pipe, steps forward. He CRACKS his neck.

All chaos ensues. Jennifer and Nolan quickly shoot the few men carrying guns, with only a bullet grazing Jennifer‟s right arm.

They are quickly overwhelmed in the melee fight, receiving a few smiting blows before shooting some of the heavyweights.

They ditch the guns and grapple with the other opposition.

Nolan manages to wrench the pipe out of the lead man‟s grasp, and knocks the other man out cold with it.

Jennifer uses her hand-to-hand skills, breaking one man‟s nose.

She brings another to the ground breaks his neck with a squelch.

She then receives a kick in kidney from another man. Nolan

53 turns around and clubs him with the pipe.

Before we know it, Jennifer and Nolan stand amidst a mound of dead or unconscious men. They pick up their guns and shoot the ones still breathing. They can‟t leave any survivors.

They survey the damage. No one likes the looks of it.

BLOOD is all over the ground. On Nolan‟s pipe. On Jennifer‟s hands. On their shoes. Seeping through her shirt.

They gather themselves up and limp down the alleyway.

INT-JENNIFER‟S APARTMENT-NIGHT Jennifer lies on a couch stripped down to her bare essentials, bandaged and bruised. Nolan sits next to her on the ground, in just an undershirt and boxers. He is also heavily bruised.

Nolan works at removing the bullet in Jennifer‟s arm, using a field kit. He has a couple bags of ice on his leg as he works.

NOLAN I wonder where those unfortunate gangsters came from.

Jennifer takes a sharp gasp. Nolan immediately removes his tweezers from her wound.

JENNIFER More painkillers please!

Nolan glances at the bottle.

NOLAN One more‟s the limit.

JENNIFER Give it to me then!

He shakes out one pill. Jennifer takes and swallows it dry.

Nolan continues to work on her wound.

JENNIFER I‟ll try to answer that question as soon as that bullet comes out.

54 She winces again. Nolan smiles, victorious! A bloody bullet is squeezed in between his tweezers.

NOLAN Well, here it is. What of it?

He begins to put more disinfectant on the wound and bandages it.

JENNIFER Rinse it off and hopefully my guess won‟t be correct.

Nolan shrugs and takes the ice off his leg. A swollen gash lies beneath. He takes it over to the sink and washes it off. He is surprised.

He walks back to the couch and puts the bullet on the coffee table.

He goes to his blazer, now grimy and bloodstained, and retrieves the other bullet from the house. He puts it on the coffee table.

THEY ARE THE SAME. NOLAN Was that your guess?

Jennifer nods. She puts her head back and sighs.

JENNIFER Well, this will be something to ask my contact tomorrow.

NOLAN Wait, when did you arrange a meeting?

A thought occurs to him.

NOLAN The pawnshop?

Jennifer nods again and procures the receipt she received from the pawnshop.

JENNIFER Yup, it‟s printed on the receipt. It‟s the way I always used to arrange meetings with him. The same DVDs too.

55 Nolan takes the receipt and absorbs the information.

NOLAN A noodle house tomorrow night?

Jennifer closes her eyes.

JENNIFER Yup. Now, I don‟t know about you, but I plan on sleeping off these injuries until then.

Nolan nods. He grabs a pillow from the armchair. He lays it on the ground.

Jennifer throws him a blanket.

They nod off.

INT-NOODLE HOUSE-NIGHT Jennifer and Nolan sit at a table in the restaurant, reading the menu.

It‟s a happening scene, every table is full. It‟s an ordinary noodle house.

A young man, around Jennifer‟s age, walks into the noodle house. Jennifer notices and waves at him, like an old friend. He walks over to the table and takes a seat. It is FANG SHU. JENNIFER Nice of you to show up, Fang Shu. Fang Shu looks around nervously. He quickly orders a cup of tea and noodles.

FANG SHU (whispering) Don‟t use my name so loudly! We‟re in a public place!

His order arrives. He takes a swig of his tea and seems to relax.

FANG SHU So, why did you decide to contact me after 2 years?

56 (pointing at Nolan) And who is this guy?

NOLAN Hey, I‟ll tell you— JENNIFER (to Nolan) Let me do the talking here. (to Fang Shu) I had some complications. But this meeting is about that. And today.

She pulls up her sleeves and shows him her injuries.

JENNIFER Did you sell any weapons to some gangsters recently? We were jumped by some in the streets yesterday.

Fang Shu examines her injuries.

FANG SHU When you say gangsters you mean some middle aged Korean men? Then yes.

This catches both Jennifer and Nolan‟s attention.

NOLAN Korean men?

Jennifer glances at him quickly. She was supposed to be the one talking. However, this question occurs to her too, so she says nothing.

FANG SHU Yeah, Korean men. They came a little less than a week ago. It wasn‟t out of the ordinary. For the past few years North Koreans have been upping their exports of arms and men to the area.

Jennifer and Nolan absorb this information. Something occurs to Fang Shu. FANG SHU But wait, you said these men attacked you yesterday?

57 NOLAN Yeah. Why? Fang Shu seems to get really paranoid.

FANG SHU They must have known I have helped the CIA. They know you two are spies. We are all in danger.

He makes a move to leave. Nolan stops him.

NOLAN Not so fast, we aren‟t done with you.

Fang Shu‟s panic increases.

FANG SHU No, don‟t you understand? They probably know about this meeting too! They‟ll kill us all!

JENNIFER We may still need you. If you‟ll feel safer, you can stay in our apartment.

He begins to nod. However, he starts twitching, then collapses on the floor. He starts CONVULSING, eyes BULGING, FOAMING AT THE MOUTH, and GAGGING. Then he is still. Dead.

Poisoned.

Jennifer and Nolan glance at his food. They look at each other.

The whole restaurant is looking at them. At the dead man on the floor.

Before anyone can do anything, Jennifer and Nolan sprint out the door. Chaos ensues behind them.

INT-JENNIFER‟S APARTMENT-NIGHT The duo bursts through the door. Nolan starts packing up.

Jennifer stands to the side, dialing a number on her phone.

JENNIFER Bill, you awake?

58 BILL (OS) (grumpily) I am now. What do you want at this time of night?

JENNIFER A Korean gang ambushed us two days ago, and now my correspondent is dead. I think we were set up.

BILL (OS) Yes, I think you were too. Abort mission.

Jennifer freezes.

JENNIFER What? I‟m sure if we could just tail one of the assailants— BILL (OS) No. Just abort mission.

JENNIFER But why? My captors could be the same people who attacked us!

BILL (OS) I know that! And that is why you can‟t continue!

JENNIFER Huh? BILL (OS) Your husband is suspected to be a North Korean defector. He‟s probably the one giving them so much information.

JENNIFER What?! Why didn‟t you tell me earlier?!

You said he was abducted!

BILL (OS) It was staged like that. But more and more of our operations concerning North Korea were compromised after his disappearance.

59 JENNIFER But we‟re not sure! Let me go after them and find out the truth!

BILL (OS) This precisely why I can‟t let you go.

You‟re too emotionally involved. I‟ll assign— JENNIFER I will not stand down. I am going— BILL (OS) If you go then I‟ll have to remove you from your post!

Jennifer removes the phone from her ear and THROWS it across the room until it hits the wall.

She walks over and STOMPS on it until it is in pieces.

Nolan finishes packing, like nothing happened. They look at each other. Nods.

They pick up the bags and rush out the door.

EXT-APARTMENT COMPLEX-NIGHT Jennifer and Nolan walk quickly on the sidewalk, glancing at the parked cars. Jennifer stops at a fast black one.

She opens up one of the bags and takes out a LOCK PICKING SET. She sets to work unlocking the car.

The door pops open. She presses a button on the car door and the rest of the doors unlock. They throw the rest of their bags in the back seat and hop in.

INT-CAR-NIGHT Jennifer drives, Nolan is in shotgun. They speed on the highway, passing the sign for SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. JENNIFER Nolan, why are you coming with me? It is probably a suicide mission.

They keep staring straight ahead. No eye contact. At all.

60 NOLAN I didn‟t think it was right for the agency to be hiding something so personal from you. I thought it was admirable that you stood up for yourself.

Jennifer looks over now. Nolan stares straight ahead.

JENNIFER But you‟re giving up your prized job! I know how much you love it!

Nolan looks over now. They stare straight at each other.

She has to break eye contact though, swerving away from a car on the road.

NOLAN You were the one in love with your job!

I think it‟s amazing you quit, just like that!

He snaps his fingers.

NOLAN That, and I wanted you all to myself.

Jennifer laughs.

JENNIFER You know, we still have to find Ryan before anything, right?

NOLAN Yeah, I know.

EXT-SOUTH KOREAN HARBOR-DAY Jennifer is speaking to a Korean fisherman in Korean. Nolan paces around the docks. She walks away, sighing in frustration.

JENNIFER No one will let us borrow or buy their boat.

NOLAN Can‟t we just rent one?

We see a rental kiosk far in the distance.

61 JENNIFER Nope. Those boats are too flashy. We need one with speed and practicality.

Those would be the ones here.

They look at each other.

NOLAN I guess Iâ€&#x;ll go get the bags.

JENNIFER Yup. Meet me at that boat over there.

She points at a blue motor boat, rigged up for deep sea fishing.

NOLAN Got it.

He runs off screen. Jennifer trots over to the boat. The owner of said boat also walks over. They argue in KOREAN, subtitled in ENGLISH. FISHERMAN Hey, I already told you that you could not have my boat!

JENNIFER Well, Iâ€&#x;m not here asking for permission this time.

She punches the fisherman in the face.

He tries to fight back, but Jennifer incapacitates him.

She searches his body and finds the keys.

She jumps into the boat and starts the engine.

Jennifer preps the boat for sailing.

Nolan runs over with the bags and jumps in. They speed off.

By then a large group of angry Korean fisherman have accumulated on the docks. They yell angry remarks as the boat disappears over the horizon.

EXT-MOTORBOAT-DAY Jennifer captains the motorboat while Nolan scans the sea with binoculars.

62 JENNIFER We‟ll be sailing into North Korean waters soon. You might want to prep the guns.

Nolan spots something with the binoculars.

NOLAN Yeah, we‟ll definitely be needing the guns.

He turns around and starts loading them up. Ahead of them, FOUR BOATS wait for them.

JENNIFER Wow, they really guard their borders well.

They continue sailing straight in their direction. Nolan is still putting together and loading a weapon.

JENNIFER We‟re coming up on them. Ready?

He tosses her a couple of pistols. We still do not see what weapon Nolan is wielding.

NOLAN Ready.

JENNIFER You know you‟ll only be able to get one shot off with that. We‟ll get too close soon.

Nolan takes aim in the scope of his weapon. He gets a boat in his crosshairs.

NOLAN Yeah, I know.

We finally see that he has been carrying a ROCKET LAUNCHER. He squeezes the trigger.

The missile hits one of the boats, causing it to EXPLODE. The other boats zoom away evasively, but then move back onto the attack. They raise their guns.

JENNIFER Get down!

63 Their boat is sprayed by machine gun fire. No one is hit.

Jennifer steers their boat closer to one of the others. It is manned with members of the North Korean military.

Nolan drops the rocket launcher and grabs a machine gun. He loads it.

Nolan gets up and JUMPS into the other boat, and kills all the sailors with the machine gun.

He takes control of the boat and stops it.

Meanwhile, Jennifer drives her boat towards a different enemy vessel.

She raises one of her guns and fires a couple of rounds into the windshield of the other ship. It causes no apparent damage.

JENNIFER (murmuring to herself) Damn. Bullet proof.

She swerves the boat the opposite direction, causing the other boat to steer away.

Jennifer now has an opening to the side of the boat. She takes aim and fires, each shot hitting a sailor. All of the sailors on that ship are dead.

One enemy ship remains.

Nolan takes the controls of the boat he is on, and steers it at full speed towards the remaining boat.

He ducks from enemy fire. He peeks up and sees that the ship is about to hit the other.

Just then, Jennifer‟s boat appears alongside him.

Nolan grins and quickly jumps back into Jennifer‟s boat.

Jennifer sharply turns the boat away from the others to a safe distance.

Nolan‟s boat hits the other North Korean vessel, causing another explosion.

They continue to sail towards North Korea.

64 INT-CAR-DAY Jen drives once again, and Nolan examines a map next to her. This is evidently another stolen car, with a group of Japanese anime bobble heads taking up the dashboard.

JENNIFER So, where are we headed to?

Nolan looks up from his map.

NOLAN I don‟t know. Obviously from those sailors‟ attire, the North Korean military is out to get us. If your family is still innocent, where do you think they would be?

JENNIFER I don‟t know, but we need a place to start. Like my old prison.

Nolan is startled by this.

NOLAN You actually want to go back there?

I‟ve never been, but from your descriptions it does not seem like a place you‟d go voluntarily.

JENNIFER Well, it‟s the only place that I know of to start at.

NOLAN Do you know where it is?

JENNIFER Yeah. On the outskirts of Pyongyang.

NOLAN Well, as long as you‟re okay going there.

JENNIFER I‟m going to have to face it at some point.

They continue driving.

65 EXT-PRISON COMPOUND-NIGHT Jennifer and Nolan drive on the road towards the prison compound. It looms in the distance. Jennifer takes a deep, calming breath. Nolan loads their weapons.

NOLAN Are you sure you‟re okay with this.

Jennifer looks up, breaking her calming meditation.

JENNIFER I don‟t need to be okay with it. My family is the one that need to be okay.

She takes a gun from Nolan and drives up towards the guard checkpoint. The sentry at the gate steps out heavily armed.

He inquires in KOREAN, subtitled in ENGLISH. SENTRY Halt! State your business!

Jennifer rolls down her window and leans her head out.

JENNIFER Oh, sir, could you help? I seem to have taken the wrong turn somewhere earlier and...

The MUZZLE OF A GUN appears behind Jennifer‟s shoulder. It fires, shooting the sentry in the head. He crumples to the ground, dead.

Jennifer gets out of the car and goes into the sentry‟s booth. She presses the button opening the gate.

On her way back to the car, she rifles through the sentry‟s clothing. Along with a couple more guns and ammunition, she takes his ID AND ACCESS CARD. She gets back into the car and drives closer to the compound building.

Once they get close enough, Jennifer turns off the car engine. She and Nolan take out their duffle bags once again.

Jennifer and Nolan don night vision goggles and bullet proof vest over their black clothing. They harness some more weapons on their person.

66 Jennifer takes a big breath, taking in the horrors of her former prison.

The building itself seems renovated with cinderblocks in some places, no doubt because of the fire earlier.

They approach a side door, silently slashing the throats of the guards with knives.

Jennifer takes out the access card she pocketed earlier, and slides it through the scanner.

The door buzzes open, and they charge in.

INT-PRISON COMPOUND-NIGHT Jennifer and Nolan run through the hallways of the compound, freeing every prisoner that they pass by.

They leave chaos behind, them hoping to slow down their inevitable pursuers.

Nolan guns down a few more guards ahead of them.

NOLAN So where exactly are we going in here?

Jennifer kicks open another door to a cell. Some ragged looking children run out.

JENNIFER (disgusted) How could they imprison children like this?

They continue rushing down the hall.

JENNIFER To answer your question, weâ€&#x;re headed to the main computer terminal located in the wardenâ€&#x;s office. If there is any useful information in this hellhole, it would be there.

They run down another hallway, spraying a large group of soldiers with their guns. A few shots are fired back.

Nolan runs in and snaps their necks with Jennifer providing cover fire.

67 JENNIFER I‟ve been to that room once, when I first arrived.

Nolan shoots some guards trying to sneak up behind her.

NOLAN And? They break off running again.

JENNIFER If memory serves me, the barracks are placed strategically in front of it.

NOLAN Damn.

They stop outside a door labeled “Barracks.”

NOLAN I guess this is it.

Jennifer nods. They quickly reload their weapons. Nolan kicks open the door.

INT-BARRACKS-NIGHT They run into a large, spacious room, with lockers lining the walls and single beds lying in rows across the room.

The soldiers lying in these beds bolt awake at the entrance of Jennifer and Nolan.

As some scramble to get their guns, other, burlier men go in for some melee fighting.

Jennifer and Nolan try to these men off with gunfire, but there are so many men in this room it is impossible. They are overwhelmed.

The knives come back out again. With a knife in each hand, Jennifer and Nolan fight off the initial men on top of them.

After catching their breath and regaining their footing, all of the men that had ran to get their guns now have them. Their aim is trained on both of them.

Jennifer and Nolan THROW THEIR KNIVES at the men, and roll for cover behind overturned beds as the surviving soldiers

68 open fire.

They take their extra firepower and unload it on the remaining soldiers, killing all of them.

It is a MASSACRE. BODIES are strewn EVERYWHERE. BLOOD is smeared on the sheets of the beds and on Jennifer and Nolan.

The pair gasp for air. The next door looms before them.

Nolan kicks it down.

INT-WARDEN‟S OFFICE-NIGHT This room is starkly clean compared to the remains of the last one. A desk sits in the middle of the room, with the valuable computer sitting on top.

The swivel chair at the desk is EMPTY. They walk in further. The door behind them slams and a gun is cocked. Jennifer‟s former interrogator stands behind them, his gun pointed at the back of Nolan‟s head.

JENNIFER I‟m surprised they let you keep your job as warden after my escape.

Her former interrogator, henceforth known as WARDEN barks with laughter. Nolan simply stands there, a little on edge with the gun still pointed at his head.

NOLAN (to Jennifer) Why didn‟t you mention that your former TORTURER was the warden of this place?

Jennifer ignores him. The warden stops laughing.

WARDEN Why have you come back here, little spy? Hungering for revenge?

Jennifer raises her gun.

JENNIFER Nope. I came back looking for my husband and son.

At this the warden breaks out in more laughter. He does not

69 stop laughing. Jennifer gets impatient.

JENNIFER Stop laughing! You know where they are!

The warden gasps for air.

WARDEN I‟m not going to tell you, but I wish I would still be alive to see your face when you find out!

Jennifer‟s temper snaps. She shoots the warden in the head, DEAD. Nolan is finally able to relax, but he is still uptight.

NOLAN That was a little risky, don‟t you think? He could have shot me in the head if he actually wanted to kill me!

Jennifer‟s attention has now shifted to the computer. She navigates her way through the personnel database.

JENNIFER Sorry about that. My temper snapped.

Maybe Bill was right. I‟m too emotionally involved to make correct judgments on this mission.

Nolan walks over to the computer, peeking on the screen.

NOLAN It‟s alright. It‟s not like he did kill me!

Something on the screen drains all of the emotion out of Jennifer. She stands completely still, eyes wide, voice barely audible.

JENNIFER I found him.

We see the computer screen fully now. It has Ryan Wei listed as the assistant head of security at a nuclear weapons distribution factory.

Jennifer starts tearing up. She sits there like a stone.

70 NOLAN C‟mon, Jen, we‟ve got to go.

Jennifer continues to sit there.

We hear some shouts from outside. Nolan does too. He grabs Jennifer by the arm and runs out the door with her.

INT-CAR-NIGHT It‟s late at night, pitch black except for the headlights of the car. Nolan is driving now, with Jennifer huddled in the passenger seat. They both look extremely exhausted.

Nolan pulls over to the side of the road and kills the engine. The only light is the one inside above the armrest.

NOLAN We‟re so far out in the middle of nowhere I don‟t think anyone will run into us.

Jennifer numbly nods. Nolan hops into the back seat, stretching out.

JENNIFER I just can‟t believe my husband is a defector. Bill was right all along.

NOLAN Well, maybe he was forced into it.

JENNIFER That sounds a little weak.

NOLAN Well, it‟s not like I actually know!

His head now peeps out from in between the two front seats!

NOLAN I‟m just trying to think of a reason why your husband would go all evil on us!

Jennifer kisses him on the cheek, but says nothing. Nolan sits still, slightly shocked. He‟s always been the one making the advances.

71 NOLAN I thought you said nothing until we find your husband.

Jennifer grins.

JENNIFER Well, that‟s all you‟re going to get.

I‟m a little hurt that my husband is working at a North Korean nuclear plant without telling me. But, I figure I should let him explain himself before I do anything else.

NOLAN Amen to that!

They both yawn.

NOLAN Okay, I‟m absolutely delirious now. I‟m going to sleep.

He lies down on the bench of the backseat. Jennifer reclines her chair.

JENNIFER Fine. Let‟s drive to the factory tomorrow. I looked on the map, it‟s a day‟s drive anyway.

Nolan grunts his agreement. Jennifer turns off the light and drifts to sleep.

EXT-NUCLEAR DISTRIBUTION FACTORY-DUSK Nolan sits in the passenger seat of the car. Jennifer is picking up the ID ACCESS BADGE of the dead gate guard, using the same routine as before.

They arrive near the building. Jennifer and Nolan step out of the car and strap on similar looking equipment to the night before. This time though they are also wearing BACKPACKS, and as Nolan fills his, we see they are filled with EXPLOSIVE CHARGES. This side door has no entrance, so they simply kick it down and run inside.

72 INT-NUCLEAR DISTRIBUTION FACTORY-NIGHT Nolan drops his backpack and runs on ahead, shooting anybody that gets in his way.

Jennifer stays behind, taking Nolan‟s backpack and planting the explosive charges on all of the support beams. Once detonated, the roof will bury all the nuclear material.

She continues doing this until she meets up with Nolan, who is waiting outside the aptly labeled “Security Office.”

Jennifer takes a deep breath and nods. Nolan kicks down the door again.

INT-SECURITY OFFICE-NIGHT An unknown Korean man, probably the head of security judging by his badges and uniform sits at his desk while a uniformed RYAN WEI watches the security monitors.

Without any words spoken, Jennifer shoots the other man a couple of times in the chest. Nolan has his gun trained on Ryan.

Ryan slowly raises his weapon, aimed at Jennifer. At seeing this Jennifer is stunned by emotion, and simply stands there. She is clearly stunned.

Nolan shoots Ryan‟s hand while he isn‟t looking, knocking the gun out of his hand.

Reawakened by the gunshot, Jennifer takes out some handcuffs from her backpack and cuffs Ryan.

She then pulls out some cloth and gags him. Nolan comes to secure him.

Jennifer then moves to the computer on the head of security‟s desk. She takes out her laptop from her backpack and connects the two computers with a cable. She is downloading all of the intel from the computer.

While she is waiting for it to complete, Jennifer stares daggers into Ryan.

Ryan stares at the ground.

Nolan watches the monitors, looking at his handiwork. All of the factory personnel are dead.

73 Jennifer‟s laptop beeps its completion, and she quickly packs it away.

As Jennifer leads the way out, Nolan walks with Ryan in tow.

As they walk out the door, Jennifer plants one last charge.

This one has a TIMER. It is set for 120 seconds. They leave and head into the car.

INT-CAR-NIGHT Nolan drives away, fast. Jennifer sits in the backseat with Ryan, who is still bound.

The factory is now a little far away, 2 minutes away at high speed. It crumbles to the ground.

Nolan continues to drive fast and straight, while Jennifer scans through her newfound information. Ryan sits passively.

NOLAN So, what‟s the plan?

Jennifer frowns, slightly frustrated.

JENNIFER There‟s nothing in here that even mentions Sam. So, I guess we‟ll need to question Ryan.

NOLAN Okay. Well, we‟re getting closer to the city. We can check into a motel and question him there. Maybe even get to sleep in a bed!

He continues driving.

INT-MOTEL ROOM-NIGHT Ryan is now not only bound and gagged, but also tied to a chair. He sits in the middle of the motel room.

The rest of the room is pretty standard. The curtains are drawn firmly closed, and only a few lights are on.

Jennifer sits on a chair opposite Ryan, while Nolan sits on the bed, reloading weapons.

74 JENNIFER (to Ryan) Okay, I‟m going to take the gag off.

Ryan nods. He doesn‟t look like he has anything sinister planned. Jennifer gets up and unties the gag. She throws it away.

JENNIFER So, do you want to explain this whole situation?

Ryan looks down immediately. He is obviously ashamed.

RYAN I am a double-agent working for North Korea.

He continues to stare at the floor. Jennifer gets up and SMACKS him across the face. Tears stream down her face.

JENNIFER Do you know what happened the last time I was tied to a chair? My interrogator picked it up and threw me and the chair across the room! You‟re lucky I‟m not a cold hearted North Korean bastard!

Nolan keeps busy with the guns in the background. He wants to give them some privacy.

Ryan is crying too. He clenches the arms of the chair, all of his muscles are tensed.

RYAN I‟m sorry, Jen. Really I am. I never meant for any of this to happen. When I first met you on that cruise ship, it was never my intention to exploit you.

EXT-CRUISE SHIP-DAY (FLASHBACK) A 6-years-younger Jennifer sits at the poolside bar of the ship. She chats lively with the bartender. A BRIEFCASE sits on the stool next to her.

A younger Ryan comes down from the command deck of the vessel. He is decked out in full uniform. He stops by the bar.

75 RYAN Hey, can I get a mojito?

BARTENDER Sure thing captain!

Jennifer looks over.

JENNIFER Captain?

The sight of Jennifer immediately attracts him to her.

RYAN Why yes, that would be me.

His drink comes. Jennifer sips her margarita.

JENNIFER Well, I do have to say that you take great care of your ship.

RYAN Why...Thank you.

She smiles and glances at her watch.

JENNIFER I have to go now? Maybe I‟ll see you later? Cabin 134.

She picks up her briefcase and walks away.

Ryan sits there smiling as if in a daydream.

INT-MOTEL ROOM-NIGHT Back to the present. Both of them relive how they first met.

RYAN I had completely fallen for you. I didn‟t have any intention of doing that. You see I was really shipping arms to Cuba.

INT-CRUISE SHIP-DAY (FLASHBACK) Ryan sits at his captain‟s desk. He is talking on a phone, glancing at some papers. His empty mojito glass sits on the tabletop.

76 RYAN Yes, the shipment is going as planned.

INT-MOTEL ROOM-NIGHT Jennifer sits there, stung by the reality.

JENNIFER But I wasn‟t just there on a cruise.

EXT-CRUISE SHIP-DAY (FLASHBACK) Jennifer continues walking, and stops at the entrance to the spa. She DROPS HER BRIEFCASE near the door, and goes in, arranging a massage. The camera follows her inside.

She comes back out and the briefcase is GONE. In its place was a backpack. She takes it.

INT-MOTEL ROOM-NIGHT JENNIFER I was in a simple drop off and pick up mission. The cruise ship just so happened to be the drop point.

Ryan looks up at her.

RYAN I really did love you, Jennifer. It wasn‟t until that we had Sam did my boss find out that you were CIA. He forced me to spy on you. To compromise CIA operations. Then the order came to pack up. I staged foul-play. It wasn‟t until I arrived here did I find out that they had you.

Jennifer is openly crying now.

JENNIFER And why didn‟t you do anything once you found out?! You just left me there!

Ryan flinches at this.

RYAN I had to do what they said. Or they would‟ve done something to Sam.

77 Jennifer perks up.

JENNIFER Where is he?

RYAN He should be at a care center near the facility I was working at. It‟s a 24 hour center, all of the employees kids go there.

Jennifer wilts. She had probably killed all of those children‟s parents. Guilt. Lots of guilt.

While Jennifer is distracted by this realization, the door to the room is broken down, and a group of highly trained Korean soldiers open fire.

Jennifer dives and flips over the coffee table, using it as a barricade. Nolan rolls behind the bed.

The gunfire is relentless. Nolan fires back. Jennifer is helpless. She doesn‟t have a gun on her.

Nolan shoots a soldier who is right in front of the table.

He falls over, dropping his weapon into Jennifer‟s lap.

Jennifer seizes the gun, and opens fire on the remaining soldiers.

After the long firefight, all of the soldiers are dead.

Jennifer gets up and surveys the room.

The curtains are now just tatters of cloth, and the windows shattered.

The upholstery of the bed leaks out all over the place, and all of the lights are shattered.

The walls are full of bullet holes, as is the ground.

Jennifer then takes a sharp gasp, and starts choking on tears.

Ryan‟s body, still tied to the chair, lies on the ground in front of the splintered remains of the coffee table. It is RIDDLED WITH BULLETS. She checks for his pulse, DEAD. Nolan comes over and puts and arm around Jennifer, bringing her back into the present. They quickly gather their stuff

78 and run out the door.

Jennifer takes one last look at Ryan‟s mangled corpse.

INT-CAR-DAY Jennifer is driving, though clearly distraught. She is driving at high speeds yet hysterically sobbing at the same time. Not a good combination.

NOLAN Jen, you can‟t go on like this. Pull over.

Jennifer refuses and tries to press on. Nolan leans across and sits on top of her, bringing the car to the side of the road. He moves back to his side of the car.

NOLAN You‟re in no condition to save Sam, let alone drive!

Jennifer continues to sniffel.

JENNIFER This is, once again, all my fault...

Nolan leans over and hugs her close.

NOLAN Let it all out...

Jennifer pulls away.

JENNIFER I am so stupid, so blind! How could I not realize that a North Korean spy lived with me? Slept with me?! Not to mention that because of my stupidity I‟ve probably condemned my son!

Jennifer leans against the window, defeated.

NOLAN It‟s not your fault, Jen. We were all surprised.

He goes over to her seat to comfort her. Instead he is met by ravenous kissing.

79 NOLAN Whoa, whoa, whoa! What is going on now?!

He pushes her away, clearly surprised.

JENNIFER I told you that I wouldn‟t do anything until I found out about Ryan. Well, Ryan‟s a goddamn traitor and is dead.

So, now you get what you want.

She lunges at him, but he dodges.

NOLAN I don‟t want you this way! Not under these conditions, I mean. I do still want you, but not in your desperation.

I want to be serious. You need to be more rational.

Jennifer shrinks back.

JENNIFER Okay, I guess that does make sense.

NOLAN And you should let me drive. You need to pull yourself together and get some rest. Lie down in the back.

She nods. They get out of the car and switch seats. The car drives on.

EXT-CARE FACILITY-DAY Jen walks over and sits in the shotgun of the car, binoculars trained on the windows of the care facility. She is more composed, and ready for action. Nolan sits back for a quick cat nap.

Jennifer continues to scan the facility. She sees many children, but none of them Sam. Her mouth tightens, worry etched across her face.

Jennifer spies the teacher of the group. She tracks her, for quite some time.

The kids go out for recess, and the teacher gives a

80 relieved breath and head back in. This is Jennifer‟s chance.

Jennifer walks out of the car and through the front door of the building.

INT-CARE FACILITY-DAY The teacher sits at her desk, on the computer. Jennifer walks up behind her and pins her head against the desk. Jen interrogates her speaking in KOREAN and subtitled in ENGLISH. JENNIFER Are you the regular teacher here?

The teacher is rightfully fearful for her life.

TEACHER Yes, I normally work here.

Jennifer fishes out a picture of Sam from her pocket.

JENNIFER Is this boy one of your charges?

The teacher stares at the picture long and hard.

TEACHER Yes, Sam stays here regularly.

Jennifer stuffs the picture back into her pocket.

JENNIFER Where is he now? I didn‟t see him earlier.

The teacher continues to struggle. Jennifer raises a gun to her head.

JENNIFER Tell me now, or I‟ll blow your brains out and then find the answer somewhere else in your files.

The teacher stops trying to escape.

TEACHER Some men came late last night and took him away. To the detention center near Nampho. I don‟t know why.

81 Jennifer does know why, though. She is about to pull the trigger on the teacher, knowing full well that she could betray them to the authorities once she left. But then she sees all the children. If she kills the teacher, theyâ€&#x;ll be left to fend for themselves. And the military already knows that sheâ€&#x;s here, if they have Sam. She puts the gun away.

JENNIFER Thank you for your cooperation.

She leaves. From this view we can see Jennifer hop back into the car and drive away.

EXT-MOTOR BOAT-DAY Nolan and Jennifer sail on the previous boat that they had stolen. Jennifer, of course, is the one driving.

As they approach, the detention center comes into view, a virtual castle all alone on a cliff.

JENNIFER You know, Nolan, once all this is over, we could make a pretty kickass couple.

Nolan grins, throwing some gloves on.

NOLAN You got that right.

Jennifer continues to sail the boat closer to the cliff.

She is forced to stop a little far out.

JENNIFER This is the closest I can get.

Nolan leans over the side of the boat, staring at the jagged rocks in the water.

NOLAN Then how do you suggest we get to the building?

Jennifer tosses the anchor over the side of the boat.

JENNIFER The same way we were planning on. Just instead of scaling the side of a cliff, we also have to jump on some slippery, jagged rocks.

82 She puts all of her gear on.

NOLAN ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS?!

Jennifer stands on the side of the boat.

JENNIFER Damn right I am!

She jumps and lands safely on a rock.

She continues to jump, miraculously not slipping, falling in, or getting impaled.

She turns around and Nolan is still standing in the boat.

JENNIFER Come on! Otherwise itâ€&#x;ll get dark before we can clear the cliffâ€&#x;s face!

Nolan nods stiffly. He gets up on the side of the boat and jumps.

He lands awkwardly on one of the jagged rocks. After recovering himself he jumps again. This time he clears it.

Both of them continue jumping until they reach the cliff face.

They jump onto the face and start climbing. It is an arduous task. Some would say insurmountable. Impossible.

Nevertheless, they eventually haul themselves to the top.

EXT-DETENTION CENTER-DUSK Nolan and Jennifer lay at the edge of the cliff, gasping for breath.

JENNIFER See, I told you we could do it.

Nolan rifles through his bag and takes out a water bottle.

He drains it.

JENNIFER Good idea.

She takes a bottle out too. As she sips from it, Nolan removes the gloves.

83 NOLAN Glad I brought these. Extra grip!

He throws them back into the bag.

Jennifer takes out her laptop and looks at the building schematics.

JENNIFER Sam is supposed to be held near the top, on the 6th floor. That means we need to scale the side of this building.

Nolan looks up.

NOLAN Damn. How‟re we going to manage that?

Jennifer puts her laptop back in her pack. She takes out what looks to be a HARPOON GUN. JENNIFER With this.

She fires it, the harpoon hitting the top of the building.

After a few testing yanks on the rope, she starts to scale the wall.

NOLAN Why didn‟t we use that thing on the cliff? That would have been so much easier!

Jennifer is already halfway up the side of the building.

JENNIFER We only have so many harpoons!

Nolan nods. It‟s not like normal people carry too many spare harpoons.

He waits for Jennifer to make it to the top of the building until he starts to climb.

As he nears the top, gunfire can be heard. He waits for it to subside.

When he finally does reach the rooftop, and few dead guards

84 lie at the door down.

JENNIFER Come on. We have to hurry!

They break down the door and rush through.

INT-DETENTION CENTER-NIGHT The inside of this facility is so much more modern than the one that Jennifer was housed in. The walls are metal, the lights giving off a sickly fluorescent shine.

Instead of breaking down the door of each cell, they can now simply press buttons. Chaos ensues once again!

They rush through each hallway, releasing every prisoner and killing every guard along the way.

They run down a stairwell to the 6th floor.

They follow the same routine, until they come up to the last door of the hall.

JENNIFER This must be Sam‟s cell.

JENNIFER Let‟s do it.

Nolan pushes the button on the side of the door. They raise their weapons.

INT-SAM‟S CELL-NIGHT Sam is bound to a chair, with LT. PARK holding a gun to his head. Beside Lt. Park is a mysterious man in a trench coat, holding a pistol.

JENNIFER Lt. Park?! I thought I saw the last of you when I was shot two years ago.

Lt. Park smiles.

LT. PARK Ah, so you remember me! Splendid. Well, I‟d like to introduce to you my boss, Kim Sung, head of the nuclear weaponry division.

85 KIM SUNG A pleasure to finally meet you, Jennifer Wei. Although this is not the way I would have planned it.

JENNIFER And what was your original plan? To not need to have my son tied to a chair with a gun to his head?

KIM SUNG Precisely. You see, the original plan was to turn you to our cause after we had captured you. Your knowledge of nuclear and computer technology would be an invaluable asset to our development of nuclear weapons.

Jennifer spits on the ground.

JENNIFER Like I would join your despicable group. What kind of people kidnap families if they want them to join them?

Lt. Park sighs.

LT. PARK That was not the plan. You were meant to come quietly with us at the cafĂŠ.

However, when the firing broke out, my men went a little overboard and shot you nearly to death. Your recovery took a long time, and those injuries probably spawned anger.

JENNIFER Probably? Of course they did?! And did you think the torture was going to turn me too?

LT. PARK Usually it does. Apparently youâ€&#x;re made of harder stuff.

KIM SUNG Enough talking! We still want you on

86 our side. However, if you don‟t join us, then having you dead would be the next best thing. And with you dead, we certainly won‟t need the boy.

Lt. Park nudge‟s Sam‟s head with the gun.

JENNIFER Don‟t you touch him!

KIM SUNG So, Jennifer Wei this is the offer.

Join us, and your partner and son will live. Refuse, and everyone you care about dies.

Jennifer stands still, torn. Nolan stands behind her, having not said anything during the whole standoff.

Then everything seems to happen at once. Jennifer shoots Lt. Park, Kim Sung shoots Jennifer, Nolan shoots Kim Sung, and Lt. Park shoots Sam. Kim Sung is shot dead, and so is Lt. Park. Jennifer is shot in the lung, and is coughing up blood. Lt. Park misfired and hit Sam in the leg. Nolan is unscathed.

He quickly hoists both of them up, one on each shoulder, and runs out.

EXT-MOTORBOAT-NIGHT Jennifer is patched up, lying on the deck of the boat. Sam is sitting on the side, his leg being wrapped by Nolan. He then covers himself in a blanket.

Once everyone is set, Nolan drives the boat away.

SAM Mom, are you okay?

Jennifer steals a glance at her son.

JENNIFER I‟m a little worse for wear, but I should make it. How are you, honey?

SAM My leg hurts, but that‟s it. And I‟m a little thirsty. But Mom, where‟s Dad?

87 Jennifer looks intently at Sam. JENNIFER I know this might be hard for you Sam, but your father is dead.

Sam sheds no tears. He stares right back at Jennifer.

SAM Somehow I knew that would happen.

He canâ€&#x;t hold back the tears anymore. Jennifer scoots over to embrace him.

Sam eventually falls asleep. Nolan sets the boat to autopilot.

NOLAN This ship is set on a crash course to South Korea. Hopefully weâ€&#x;ll get you to a hospital by morning.

Jennifer cuddles into him. He bends down and kisses her forehead.

They sail onwards, into the night.

FADE OUT. THE END