I Am The Night (Whole screenplay)

I Am The Night.1

Scene 12

(There are no sounds to the screams, to the horror, to the destruction that is being handed out; citizen to fellow human. Bodies on the streets, the police shooting wildly at anyone who come near them, darkness falls over the cities of the world as it nears its end. Cars, buildings and roads are destroyed, streets wiped off the face of earth and anything breakable is or will be broken and smashed into tiny smithereens by people, who in their last seconds of freedom and civilisation decide to take others. Planes dropping out of skies and into the distance, soldiers raping and pillaging……those who are trying to escape, find it blocked; their bid to get away from the madness that has engulfed their surroundings.3

As the camera floats over the streets of a small urban area of Washington DC, alight with fire and chaos it then drops into the living room of one house. The house in question is burnt out and crumbling, we see three dead bodies slumped. One, of a girl, is against a wall with massive lacerations, another is on a sofa, which is slowly igniting and the last one, the head is leaning on the table in front of he/she…..blood dripping through the wooden floorboards. Then as we follow the drips of blood, from the head it’s leaving all the way to the floor that it seeps under, cue the song that starts playing *Birth of a penguin parts 1 & 2 – Danny Elfman*4

We follow the blood as it trickles downwards, underneath the floor boards and into the foundations. From there we go up a little bit and look into a pipe and follow the length of this cobwebbed Victorian era lead piping downwards and more so, as if the viewer is holding the camera and filming their drop. Eventually we come to the large underground sewer system. Here, we witness a youth splashing about in the less-than-clean water in the pitch dark with a torch in one hand and a bundle of something in the other. The bundle lets out a loud gurgle, so we can assume it’s a baby she’s holding. The splashes and the odd stopping on her travels to try and remember the directions to take plus the occasional loud noise from above does little to reassure her of what she is doing. Still she perseveres and the camera starts to follow her more intently, we don’t see what she looks like, we see her shadow on the circular tunnel like sewer walls and we see she is wearing tight jeans, a hoody and a cap. It’s so dark that none of us can make out the colour, at this point the vision is one of black and luminous white (the torch and the shadows it gives off). 5

As another loud noise makes an impact, a rumbling sensation that echoes through the sewers, beating the walls, we hear the baby cry a little and she tries to hush the bundle back to sleep. What she is doing with the baby, who she is and where she is going remains a mystery to the viewer, it is up to them to decide now or make their judgements later on. The music will obviously start picking up a little, the tempo becomes more serious and as it becomes more fluent and aggressive we see her, jumping from a ledge to another to avoid a watery death for her and the baby, many, many storeys down below. The camera also cuts away from her and though we still hear her trying to reassure the young baby, possibly newly-born we follow some rats making their runs in a different part of the sewer system, slowly we see a bend in the sewers and it leads to a junction and we catch sight of the girl and the baby going right with a bright light seemingly beckoning them on from that direction. We hear more crescendos of thundering noise and rumbles and as we close in, inch by inch on the girl we discover she is now only knee depth in the water and that she must be close to her destination as the water level starts dropping dramatically. The last we see of them is actually when the camera view goes black and all we hear is the baby gurgling and voices of many people muttering about all sorts of stuff in different languages.6

It is when the music is about to stop that we see the title of the script appear in a bright green colour, which then fades away as the narrator starts.)7

Narrator: The year was 2031…..nuclear war had destroyed the world and anyone that survived met a designated place. New York City. From the ruins of earth and New York, survivors lived in the sewer system, going up into the light and the land of death to create a new city, a place for humankind to live, to be the last bastion of it’s evolutional self. The new city; Metropolis, was built upon the old New York City as a whole. Subways are no longer used after the knife crime and the criminal gangs that came to dominate this beautiful but ultimately grim city are in power. Corruption and death are commonalities; cloning is being pushed through the legal processes and Metropolis, as a bustling city itself, is the size of ten London’s. Hundreds of millions of people reside here, trying to rebuild something out of the dust and disaster. They are never knowing what to expect: another day alive, or one in a box……This is Metropolis, 2050.8

(Then the screen opens up again and we see a child, in the underground sewers looking directly at us. No expression on his face, possibly five years old just looking straight at the camera and the viewers, we see his grotty face, his grotty small body. The mal-nutritioned young boy who his eyes we focus on. Besides him is noise, people crowding around him and electrical buzzing can be heard, but he ignores it all. We hear three paramedics that are surrounding him, covered in frightening shadows; he lets them do what they need to do to him. We catch a glimpse of a robotic hand being passed from one to the other and then the camera darkens again.)9

Scene 210

(At University during a History lesson, the main character; John Michael Creed, now nineteen years of age is sitting in his plastic and cheap chair, biting his pencil and balancing his thoughts on the subject and the ones on the girl nearby: Jilly Darwin. He occasionally looks at her while she’s writing notes down, scribbling furiously and taking a real interest….while he isn’t really. John is one of those students who is clever and knows what he’s talking about, however when it comes to work and school, he’s a bit shy on the more boring side of educational learning. Behind him and in front of him, to all sides of him….people are working, putting their opinions across and generally being what he would call ‘teachers toads’ however unfair that could be. Jilly, can do no wrong though. He’s known her for years……11

At this point, we see a flashback of them both as kids, maybe ten or twelve years of age. Jilly at the time has long blonde hair flowing in the lame wind. The street is dusty, deserted and in ruins. No building is standing, more like crumpled silhouettes making shadows of a reminder of the past. The city is obviously in the middle of being rebuilt into Metropolis. This scene is in black and white, making the surroundings grim and deathly. The street is long, doesn’t stop. Makes one feel that it doesn’t stop because it wasn’t a street in a first place- the destruction made it so. 12

Jilly is laughing, cuddling something in her hands as she runs towards this derelict section of the land they are trying to prosper on. They, the kids do not understand that life can be taken in an instance when carelessness and curiosity become mixed up with the mindset of a young person. She’s shouting at someone; John. He can’t be bothered to run and walks towards her, his shoulders all forward and his face dirty. His hair is matted, near jet black. His clothes have holes in them and his shirt is ripped. He stops and shouts to her, he saw something. A sign! People have been to this area before, they realised it wasn’t for the ordinary human who had no knowledge in exploring potentially radioactive sectors. He keeps pointing, he knows she’ll see his reactions first rather than make him shout. He can’t. He’s never spoken to someone before in his life. He gurgled, cried, screamed, but never knew how to communicate properly.13

His big blue eyes look at her, freezing in on Jilly as she keeps walking back, cuddling whatever it was in her hands. She’s playing a game with him, taken something off him to get his attention and then ran off with it to make him play with her. She senses he won’t walk nearer and she looks at him, face slightly screwed up in disappointment.)14

Jilly: If you don’t come here John, You won’t get your paper! (She dangles it at him, he stands there.) Oh come on John! (Her voice getting more high pitched and whiney) John! Just play a game with me will ya?? (She turns around and runs off, ignoring the sign which reads in bold black ‘NO GO AREA. POTENTIAL RADIOACTIVE RISK.’)15

(He keeps pointing frantically. John was obviously told when he was a lot younger what that sign meant and why it’s implemented in places. She still carries on into the street, he wants to scream at her….she’s doing something terribly wrong and he wants to get her parents but doesn’t know where they are, let alone how far away they are from the base. He keeps waving his pointing finger at the sign but she keeps giggling and takes no notice of him as she skips backwards, rather slowly, almost teasing him to go across and get her or even catch up with her and play in this ‘new and exciting’ playground of adult fun.)16

Jilly: COME ON JOHN! (She giggles again, her smile as wide as the half moon, her small teeth glistening and so white. She urges him on again.) COME ON JOHN! 17

(He still doesn’t move and with good reason too. Amongst the sticks, stones, cobbles, marble and other broken pieces of debris, she steps among he spots something.)18

Jilly: John? (She says timidly, sussing something’s up finally.)19

(Before she can realise, a huge lump of a brick wall, hanging onto the doomed structure of a building for many years collapses and hurtles downwards towards her. The dust springs to life and as she looks up, almost in slow motion her mouth opens in astonishment; in a pre-death welcoming of surprise and wonder. With hardly anytime to react, she crouches waiting. The brick wall, a large hulking mass with it’s shadow engulfing her small body comes towards her at a rapid speed and as it makes her way to her, John is there. 20

In an instant, he has somehow travelled fifty or so metres in a matter of a nanosecond and he pushes her to the side falling away from her. She bumps onto the floor heavily and starts moaning out loud, her legs and arms are cut. However, John is nowhere to be seen.)21

Teacher: Erm….John, you there? (Clicks his finger at John, who immediately sits back up and stops looking into space.)22

John: Um, yeah sir. (He tries to smile a little) Why wouldn’t I be? (He shrugs and quickly turns and looks at Jilly, who in turn looks back and smiles, possibly because she’s trying not to laugh at him being a twerp.)23

Teacher: Ok then John. Tell me about the starting ideology behind the Supreme Courts of Metropolis and what they stand for and their beliefs. You should…..and it’s a hint John….have this all written down. (His eyebrows raised a little, knowing full well that John will try and cuff it.)24

(The holographic writing board hovers next to John, where, with a holographic pen, is expected to write the answers or so he believes, onto the board in front of the class. They all look and stare, most with amusement.)25

John: (Stands up next to board with pen in hand) well um….that’s a real good question sir! I think I should ask the audience for some ‘teasers’ don’t you think? (He smiles confidently)26

Teacher: (Frowning in disbelief) No John. The class won’t give the answers away. You’ve got this ALL written down, so use your notes. 27

John: Ok…… (He looks at Jilly, who once again, is looking straight at him. Her blonde hair, more of a dirty blonde colour now then it used to be is tied back. She’s wearing a tight fitting white t-shirt with some writing on it, possibly about left wing politics. Dark black tight fitting jeans hug her hips and her legs very well, showing off a good figure which by no means is perfect, but close to. She keeps smiling at him as a bit of sweat runs down his forehead and finds his predicament quite funny.)28

John: Well, sir……Um…..29

Teacher: (Staring at John over the top of his thin rimmed glasses) you weren’t listening were you John?30

John: No.31

Teacher: Why do you even bother turning up John? (Sniggling from the back of the class can be heard and Jilly takes a deep breath and bows her head down so she doesn’t look at the humiliating experience.) Sometimes I really do wonder John.32

John: Ok. (Turning slightly red and agitated.) Can I sit down now? 33

(The teacher says nothing and John takes it as a sign to sit down and avoid eye contact with anyone in the room, except Jilly who he glances at quickly every now and then but this time gets no response. She seems embarrassed for him. Then his nightmare is overturned when the bell rings and everyone starts getting up and bustling out of the classroom as quickly as possible, hoping to get some reprieve from school learning.)34

Teacher: John. (He said sternly and John walks to the teachers’ desk.) I don’t know why you bother John. Tell me…..what did you write in that lesson? (As John is about to answer he is interrupted.) I’ll tell you John…..nothing. That lesson will have answers and theories important for the exams that will be coming up in less than three weeks and all you can be bothered to do is turn up, make eye contact with a blonde girl and mess about! (Getting angrier but remaining very calm.) You waste of space John. GO.35

(John, refusing to look at the teacher walks off rather defeated and sorry for himself about the whole experience. He opens the door slowly and walks out, holding his books in one hand, grappling with a door in another as he makes his way through the corridor. Electronic lockers, by voice procedure open every few seconds at the extremely busy university/college that he attends. People running about everywhere, faces of every different kind and bags containing texts and stationary barging into anyone who gets in their way.)36

John: (Mumbling) John Creed.37

(Locker door opens. Inside are various sports teams banners and pictures of people regarded as great heroes of his modern society. The triumphant Statue of Liberty, which stood firm through the nuclear war and chaos afterwards, is pictured in his locker, in Central Park. It was moved there to showcase the worlds new beginning of liberty and freedom.)38

John: Freedom and liberty….. (He mutters to himself and as he shuffles some books back into his locker, Jilly comes along and taps him on the shoulder. He doesn’t look at her, but rather, carries on doing what it is and talks to her.)39

Jilly: So, how are we after what happened? (She says teasingly.)40

John: A little…. (Shrugs) you know….41

Jilly: It’s always happening to people John. You’ve lost interest in a subject that no longer excites you.42

John: I like history. I mean, I know what he’s saying and stuff, in THAT dull and monotonous voice of his. It’s kind of hard to focus on him and his ideological nonsense. Like listening to some cheesy boy band who declare their love for some woman, in every single song they sing. (He smiles a little.)43

Jilly: Well, ok…..so who are you focusing on then? 44

John: It doesn’t matter Jill. Just drop it yeah? (He says it in a harsh tone, with meaning behind it, like something deep inside is bothering him.)45

Jilly: Ok. Fair enough. (She steps backwards and John slowly turns and faces her, both looking at each other in a deep way.) Why have you always been so harsh on me John? I’ve never understood. (She flicks her long blonde hair out of the way.)46

John: I don’t Jill. What happened, happened. Just a pity our families can’t sort out the differences. 47

Jilly: Obviously Kelly still hates me, even from when I was a kid. 48

John: (Defending Kelly he stands firm and moves his head away slightly.) Maybe some people like to hear the word ‘sorry’. 49

Jilly: (Slightly aggravated at the bringing up of such a sensitive topic within the confines of their friendship raises her eyebrows and a catty look about her face forms when she’s angry.) Yeah well I’ve said it a million times John. I’m not gonna’ keep saying it.50

John: Defiant are we or just stubborn?51

(She is about to start arguing with him when he interrupts her slow-building rant and pent up frustration with him.)52

No, don’t worry about what I’ve said. I’m sorry Jilly. What was done was done. It was an accident. It doesn’t affect me anymore anyway.53

Jilly: (Said meekly) I know. I’m happy for you babe. 54

John: It’s out of my system . (He then turns around and closes his locker and then focuses on Jilly again.) Both what happened and the radiation. So don’t worry a sweat. 55

(John then strokes her chin really gently and she smiles, looking up towards him. She focuses in his eyes, looking and staring into those cold green eyes of his. They invite love, they invite mystery and they invite trouble she thought. Jilly knows she can’t, it’s forbidden.)56

Jilly: So um…I gotta’ go now. (She says really quietly, looking past his shoulder and smiling slightly.)57

John: Oh ok, well erm…same here. I got to go work the store again ya’ know?58

Jilly: Yeah sure. (She starts walking away a little and then stops.) Look John, there’s a show being held at the Metropolis Zoo. It’s a charity and because dad works on behalf of them, you know….he’s a true geek when it comes to animals and fossils dating pre-2031 I was wondering if you would accompany me to it. (She shakes a little in her hands, hardly noticeable and hunches her shoulders forward as she feels nervous and uncomfortable.) 59

John: Yeah I’d love to go. (A non-plus expression on his face)60

Jilly: Would you? (Shock)61

John: (Grinning) yeah why not? Is your dad going to be there though?62

Jilly: Oh don’t worry about him! (Laughs in an over-reacting manner, one of nervousness overtaking the sensibilities of the mind.) No, he’ll be well far away from where we’ll be. (Regains composure) anyway, I’ll phone ya’ (making hand phone signal) and tell you about the arrangements and stuff. 63

(She starts walking off hurriedly, almost skipping, but making sure she keeps a calm decorum about herself as John looks on.64

Then we, the camera see them as small kids again.)65

Jilly: John? (Moaning and with a few tears in her eyes, she gets up. Covering her elbow with one hand she snivels and looks around. The dust of the debris is still around, bustling all around shapes and sizes it can attach itself to.) John?? (She calls again. Though this time she is more frightened than anything.) John??66

(Silence except the whistle of the wind.)67

*Artibeus- Hans Zimmer*68

Jilly: John…….?? (She wanders forward about ten metres and stops. She see’s a dark hole in the ground and puts the pieces together slowly. Her face drops dramatically and she peers down there, looking still.) John……I’m gonna’ get our mums and my dad! (She says with a lump in her throat she starts shouting for the parents as she runs towards the way that they had come from, the direction from which she led John.)69

(The camera goes black again and we can assume we’ve travelled into the tunnel, a ragged and sharp black hole in the ground that John must have fallen down when he pushed Jilly out of the way of the falling wall structure. We can feel the motion ourselves of the drop onto the cave/tunnel floor, the traverse is over ten feet and the feet should tingle. Silence for at least ten seconds and a brief pause makes for an intended unsettling feeling. The camera moves forward slightly and a small light can be seen. The camera focuses on the light, aiming onto it; we zoom in carefully and see that it’s a hand, surrounded by radiation. We see dead insects lying around the dirt of the tunnel. Mud everywhere, the hand covered in it but still the small bright light is next to the hand, the tip of the thumb is the apex for the light, as it lingers off it. 70

We see a general darkness surround the hand, but then something happens. We hear a murmuring, a slight grumble of childish mannerisms and we discover that in the blackened area of the screen is where the small, dumb John lies. Possibly frightened, possibly not actually conscious enough to know what is going on around him, we still focus on the light. The viewer should feel a pang of frustration at not being able to see the matted black hair and cute face of John, a vulnerable child if there was ever one. The hand is coming more into focus now. We see the light, keep looking at it. The camera wants the audience/the viewer to look at this bright, coloured green sparkle that is hovering above the thumb of John. It seems to be attracting particles, maybe dust particles but green specks can be seen slowly being drawn towards the light. The screen is covered in them after twenty seconds. The music still sombre enough to make anyone realise something is about to happen here and it will change John’s life forever, that he will never be the same ever again. We see the hand twitch, as the light becomes bigger and obviously starts having some sort of influence on John. The dust particles start clouding around his hand and wrist and start slowly seeping in, contaminating him. The tunnel slowly lights up with John sitting up, checking himself over. We see no green stuff near him, we think we’ve gone mad. We haven’t.71

For as soon as he touches his wrist and hand, we realise he’s going to be in trouble any minute. He touches his left hand with his right, pressing into his wrist area, checking that the robotic limb is still working ok. He plays around with it for a minute, pretending to grasp things and moving the tips of his fingers. The robotic hand, so advanced in technology was given to him earlier on when he was five, its more than just a prosthetic limb, it doesn’t feel like its fake and it reacts as fluently as any other limb attached to someone through sensors, veins and blood that pump around in the robotic limb. He’s dirty, covered in a dark looking material and as he keeps playing about with his hand he feels a strange sensation. A tingling vibrating sensation that leaps into his body. The contamination has begun! We see him shake as we witness the shudders ripple through his arms, into his small chest, up into his head and spreading all over his body. We switch to his back and see luminous green sparkles wrap themselves around his spine and then sink in aggressively, making him arch in pain. He lets out a horrifying gasp and his fingers are outstretched and as he tries to control his body the camera delves into his skin goes underneath and we watch the blood cells of his body getting wiped out and smothered by these strange green speckles. They take over his robot hand and wrist, they twist themselves into his body, making him arch again and hold his head with his right hand violently. We see him shake, twist himself mercilessly and spasm, his knees smashing against the ground, his feet twitching and his eyes-wide open. We look again into his body and see that layers of the green pecks have formed within his skin, contaminating the blood flow, his blood cells, his heart and major organs and then as we take a step back and see John in this pain. Everything stops and he passes out.72

When he wakes up next he’s cradled by a tearful Kelly, who by then is a little older than she was when we first witnessed her at the beginning with John as a small baby. He means the world to her, a reminder of hope. She pines on this boy. She holds him tightly. At this point, her anger towards the small girl, Jilly is also a sign of weakness. She depends on this young boy more than he probably depends on her and it shows. She has unconditional love for him, whilst he being a boy, just wants attention and reassurance. In Kelly also being angry with Jilly, it shows that she is still immature and vulnerable herself. Kelly at this moment in time is still a teenager.)73

Kelly: (Crying for John, who lays in her arms exhausted and passed out from radiation poisoning.) Oh my god……what has your daughter done?? (Spitting anger at Jilly’s parents.) 74

Jilly’s Dad: She’s a little girl, just like he’s a boy! They are supposed to explore Kelly!75

Jilly’s Mum: We’re so sorry! (Crying and kneeling next to Kelly) We’ve got the specialists coming here as soon as possible Kelly. 76

Kelly: (Crying even more.) He’s gonna’ die isn’t he! (She rests her head against his cheek.)77

Jilly’s Mum: No! He won’t! (Rubbing Kelly’s back, trying to assure her) He won’t!78

Scene 379

(We cut to John at the shop he works at. A part-time employee and badly paid, he still enjoys what he does. It’s a hover board and gadget shop which he helps runs four afternoons a week. It helps give him a distraction and he can play with ideas in his head, think about the day and try to improve on the next. John is surprisingly a man who would rather think then act upon anything, a reluctance to get involved in anything that could put him in dangerous places and situations. Metropolis is an easy place to get killed and to make enemies. A high murder rate and so many criminals run free that one wonders how desperate humanity must be to still want to stick in one clustered area with so much decadence and grime. The shop owner; Rafa a Spaniard who speaks very fluent English and is rather intelligent loves fixing and modifying gadgets, happy in his life, the bloated, braid haired mid 30’s wannabe-entrepreneur is a symbol of Metropolis himself. He waddles around, greedy but a fair man, likeable but also reputedly unscrupulous and a failed experiment of ‘the dream’. 80

He makes his way through the shop. No one is in yet, hasn’t been for a few hours and it’s reaching 10pm at night. Out of the shop window smog and dirt and many other forms of pollution can be seen as well as the constant barrage of the pod noises and the loud music played on the streets by gangs who would rather stab you then actually take your money. John is playing around with a hover board that is just new in. These trendy things are the latest thing to have. Easy travel, no pollution and variable to the extent that pods are. Very expensive though. He fiddles with a green one, with blue lightning striking the front and the underside of the board, the outline is black and from a few metres away would be very distinct. He smiles at himself and his temptation of wanting one.)81

John: (Smiling cheekily, looking at the hover board, sat on a chair next to the counter.) So how much?82

Rafa: How much to what John? How much is the hover board? How much to cost you entry to Vaudevilles? How much for a life? Given or taken? (Sighs)83

(Rafa waddles to the window of the shop and looks out. He see’s many things but we don’t. The outside world is blurred for the viewer.)84

John: What’s wrong Rafa?85

Rafa: (His face gently pressed against the window looking out.) The world my friend. The world had given me an opportunity and I failed to grasp it. Only those ruthless enough in life, can take what they stole to their deaths my friend. Yes, (he looks still) they surely can.86

John: (Smiling) what are you on about Rafa? Sometimes you come out with this stuff and it freaks me out you know??87

Rafa: (Laughs quietly) Yes John, I’m just trying to remember the days before I made mistakes. The days when this place was a new-born, like a baby. When it was innocent. When….people had a choice in life.88

John: (Looking at Rafa) what do you mean?89

Rafa: This place John, (He holds his arms up and goes 90 degrees) needs someone who will stand up to the men in grey suits who get protection money….for what exactly? We need someone who will stand up to the mobs, who will shine a light in the faces of innocence and take us on a journey of redemption. This place John, this city my friend….needs someone who will save us all. 90

(John looks at him speechless with what he’s coming out with.)91

John: Pfft, well um…..how much is the hover board again?92

Rafa: (Shakes his head) you don’t understand. It’s ok. (He walks away into the back area of the shop.) I’ll be fixing something in the back ok??93

John: No problem Rafa. (Shakes his head and laughs a little.)94

(Still no one comes into the shop. Time starts to fly by and all John does is sit there. He doesn’t think about getting his homework out and start writing up the essay for university. He just wants the world to pass him by. He hears Rafa fixing something; it’s making loud noises like metal scraping itself against metal. He grimaces at the noise, but still carries on staring at the shop door, hoping someone will come in. Communication to end his boredom.95

Then, whilst typing on the store computer wildly, to look at the latest Metropolis news his left arm starts quivering. He feels it gently rocking itself. John stops and sees his arm is twitching a little more violently. He keeps looking, in part amazement, because the only other time this ever happened was years ago. His fingers start tapping to themselves and he quickly grabs hold of his hand and squeezes the wrist, trying to cut off the blood momentarily between the prosthetic limb and his arm. It doesn’t work. Panicking slightly he sticks his hand in a pocket in his jeans and still feels the vibrations the hand is inviting on him.)96

John: (Shaking) Jesus…..what’s going on?? 97

Rafa: You ok out there? (Shouting from the back.)98

John: Yeah, listen….can I go now?99

Rafa: Sure thing dude, see ya!100

(John stumbles out of the shop having bumped into shelves violently, wrecking displays and falling onto the floor twice. He holds onto the shop door, trying to push himself off it desperately. He feels so weak, the shudders have spread now and he can see that people are looking at him.101

Across the road is a small roundabout for the pod-cars. On it though is a gang of youths, all dressed alike in leather, with dark denim and exotically coloured hair. One of the youths is holding a radio from a few years back and they are all cheering the pods as they go past, insulting the timid police as they drive past, knowing they lost this area a long time ago. One of the youths keeps watching John as he stumbles and every now and again, limps away from the shop very slowly. He needs to get home, or get somewhere so he can find out what’s wrong. The youth whispers to another of the gang and soon four or five are watching him like eagles, ready for prey. 102

John feels eyes watching him, his dark hair is getting in the way of his vision, but he’s struggling for air as it is, so it doesn’t matter to him. He spots a dark alleyway, motions towards it and the gang are starting to get up slowly from the flowerbed wall they were sitting on. One of them spits on the floor and then rubs it into the ground with his dirty worn out shoe and clicks his fingers. They are ready.)103

Random: You ok buddy?? (A man comes up to John and tries to huddle him to a bench.)104

John: Yeah...I’m (coughing up green bile) I’m fine!105

(John carries on stumbling and stumbling. The man tries to get to him again.)106

Random: Buddy…you are far from… (As he looks over John, he is horrified when John looks at him aggressively, almost trying to warn him away. His eyes are glowing green, his mouth is drooling the green bile and his temples have visible veins in them, almost wanting to pop out. He waves him away and his warning has served the helpful passer-by well. The passer-by is freaked out and aghast, he walks away very quickly, looking intensely at John as he holds himself up against the brick wall corner of the alleyway.)107

John: Oh…my god. What’s happening to me? (He clutches his shaking chest, he can feel his heart wanting to burst out and he slaps his hand across it so it’ll stay in. He crashes into some bins, knocking the smelling rubbish onto the floor and gripping onto the walls for dear life.108

The five gang members are slowly stalking out John like Lions to a Gazelle. He can see them following him; he drops his glasses, broken. He doesn’t, he can’t and he is unable to pick them up. Cats make screeching and hissing noises at him as slowly, he starts to get closer to the dirty puddle ridden ground. He starts crawling, his knuckles seem to be bursting out of his hands, and his face is wet with sweat, foaming at the mouth with the green bile. The camera is focusing on him; as he see’s the shadows follow him, they come even closer. He rests himself upon a pile of pallets and turns around slowly, confronting the youths.)109

John: What…what is it you want? (He gasps for breath) I saw you following me! 110

Youth: We want your credits, cards, phone and clothes. Give. (Holds a gun up) Now.111

(The youths surround him and as he looks around he see’s no viable exit, the only one being where he came from. They look menacing, all possibly about eighteen years old, some maybe two years younger. Streaks of black paint running across their faces, like a tribal war paint, the dark denims on, the leather jackets with rips and tears in them and the angry, young faces. The violence and ruthlessness can be seen in their faces. The camera shows this briefly, the eyes, like a ring of fire in them, give off that they are indeed serious.)112

John: (Ignoring what they said, possibly because of the state he is in.) He-lp…me, please!113

Youth: Help you?? (His face contorted, he bends down to John’s level and looks him square in the eyes.) Help you?? 114

John: (He points his finger in the direction they have just come from.) G-O…please!115

Youth gang: (Laugh)116

Youth: No, you have the wrong idea. You… (Raises his gun at Johns head) Help us…117

John: I can’t… (He knows what is going to happen; he kneels looking up at the pistol pointing right between his eyes.)118

Youth: Oh…you can, believe me, you can and you will. (They start laughing. Then as he turns away slightly he rushes the gun at John’s hand and shoots it off.)119

John: (Screaming in agony) D-arghh! Pfft! Arghh! (He starts crying, coughing up the bile and also fumbling with his other hand for the one just shot off. Blood is leaking all over the dirty cobbled floor as the wound just gushes open and his eyes widen in shock and disbelief. He then gets held straight back on his knees again.)120

Youth: Give… (Shoots other hand off mercilessly) the stuff we wanted, then (John is flailing about, no hands, even the prosthetic is lying on the floor, mutilated and unworkable now. The fingertips and the hand on his normal one are useless; hardly anything resembles his limbs anymore.) THEN….I wouldn’t have to do this! (The youths start laughing as he lets off four rounds into the chest of John, who arcs back in a deathly position, his body now ridiculously spewing blood….more rounds are shot off in the abdomen as the screaming becomes unbearable. Passer-bys can hear but shuffle on slowly, the noises with them forever, they know.)121

The Credits now huh? (He waves the pistol in front of the death-stricken face of John, who can no longer speak. He is covered in blood, wretching it out along with the green bile. He spits and goofs constantly, his brow wet with cold sweat and his lips turning more blue and purple every second. His eyes stare into the eyes of his killer and his accomplices and then he slumps. His head lolls onto his shoulder and the two holding him, throw his body back onto the floor like a rag doll who has been savaged by dogs. The camera still focuses on John as they leave, spitting at him and satisfied with their stolen goods they are soon nowhere to be seen. *Eptesicus- Hans Zimmer*122

As the music starts to play, the camera closes in on the slumped and mutilated body. John lays there, slumped, the blood being washed down a drain from the heavy thunder and rain. His body parts that were shot off have gone cold, layered in different places of the alleyway; he lays there, lifeless, dead. Rats trundle past the body but not before sniffing at it and then trotting off. The lower class of people who live in Metropolis just walk past. Tramps and petty criminals search the body for anything else more valuable and the ordinary citizen turns a blind eye to the visible body of a young adult lying in the middle of an alleyway.) 123

Scene 4124

*Eptesicus- Hans Zimmer*125

(He just lays there, the rain pouring on his face. Soaking him, his dark long black hair is pushed back against the ground by the amount of rain. Hours pass by, till it’s about 4 in the morning, then his eyes start twitching. Violent shudders reverberate across his body, his mangled self. One of his eyes twitches violently and opens; it’s green! The whole eye is green! The camera is focused on his face, stained and crusted with the foam and blood. His other eye flitters manically as well, gradually opening and that too is green. His eyes are an illuminating green colour, no white in them. Then, to the horror of the viewers, while he is still half-dead, his heart is not beating, he is still not moving, but the skin on his forehead starts disintegrating slowly, replaced with the same kind of green colour that’s in his eyes. His hair has gone; his scalp now a glowing illuminated bright green. The skin on his face starts to go as well; gradually his lips change to green and the camera slowly follows the cracks in his skin, all over his body we can witness running cracks with the radiation forming and replacing his skin. His chest, his legs, his feet, his arms all turn green. A glowing sensation around him forms, but the most shocking thing we see is that the black liquid that replaces his blood, seals up his wounds. The bullets within him start to pop out really slowly, like as in a rewind of the bullets trajectory they pop out and fly a few metres away into the rubbish that hugs the alleyway walls. We see them land in the heaps smoking, the radiation burning them. His wounds start healing rapidly now and as the camera moves to his arms, we see them regenerating. What looks like a small stump forming slowly starts to resemble a hand. We keep watching, surely fascinated as his right hand spouts out fingers and the distinction of them. The Left one however spurts some liquid which circulates within the prosthetic limb and ignites life into it. He’ll need to get a new one though, as fingers are missing from the brutal attack.126

Then, as we watch the rain soak him, we notice that it creates a smouldering effect, with steam being let off. The camera zooms in a little more, studying tiny movements in his body, the clothes melted off, completely consumed in green radioactive layers of skin. His eyes start to move side to side, they blink and then they blink again. He sits up really slowly, looking at his transformation, aghast maybe. We see a tear from his left eye, burning into his cheek, the smoke being let off. We hear heavy breathing; we see a burnt mark from where his body laid as we watch him stagger upwards onto his feet. He looks at his hands and follows the path of his veins and notices distinct differences in the way his body is shaped, let alone the new muscles he has gained. Then we see sadness across his face, the first real impression we’ve seen since he morphed into this figure of green, this frighteningly looking creature- a human who is different, the radiation didn’t go. It was there all the time, holding onto the human body that had hosted it. All those medical experts got it wrong, so badly wrong. The treatments he got and the therapies he had didn’t get rid of it at all, it just laid in his body, strengthened itself, sleeping until it needed to burst out. 127

John’s face screws up in pain and anger, his face contorted. His eyebrows are non-existent, the only way it can be told if he is frowning or not is by the skin, albeit radioactive that was underneath, like anyone else’s. More tears start to trickle out slowly, the burning sensation in his face is again letting off steam. The marks of tears then disappear slowly and get replaced by a new layer of skin. He looks down at his naked self, he see’s no definition in his feet, there are no toes, all the gaps closed together. John leans against a wall, collapsing against it through the tragic emotions he feels right now.)128

John: No…no…no…no…no…no…NO!!! (He starts saying it in disbelief and then cries it out, screaming.) Why? Why me? (He thumps his fist against the wall. Then he drags himself rather slowly into a rubbish bin and scuffles through it. Fighting the rubbish in anger, he finds a mirror.) What…do…I look like?? (He says it in mixed horror and anguish as the mirror reflects what we have seen him transform into. He smashes it violently, the glass shards bouncing off the brick wall and flying off in different directions. He shakes himself off rapidly, noticing the burn marks all over his body by the rain, which like his tears, are quickly regenerated again.)129

John: I need…130

Kelly: Wake up… (She says it really softly)131

John: Huh?? (He sits up instantly, shocked and baffled. It feels like only minutes ago that he was in an alleyway half-dead. But there he is, lying in his bed, at their home. He covers his body, maybe thinking that for some reason he’s still green. That he will expose what is now a terrible secret. He just sits up, looking at her through blurry eyes, and we hear him sniff a few times, through his view, the camera looking through his eyes we see Kelly sitting on the end of his bed and twiddling a little with the green duvet. She looks beautiful, possibly 34/35. Brown eyes, thick lips, a darkened tanned look, brown hair that curls as it gets longer. Her face is something to behold in a way of beauty. She’s wearing a police uniform. The white blouse, with a black tie all neatly ironed out along with the black trousers with a crease down the middle of each leg. Her belt has a holster on it along with a pocket for the mobile and an attachment for the truncheon. She holds her black jacket which on the back, with a white stripe across the middle says emblazoned in yellow ‘MPD’ or ‘Metropolis Police Department’.)132

Kelly: You ok? (She looks at him.)133

John: Umm… (Looking around at his surroundings) yeah I think so.134

Kelly: You got home late honey. I’ve covered for you don’t worry. I phoned college and told them you’re ill. (As she speaks John tries to but he only opens his mouth and can’t get a word in.) Just don’t do it again ok? This place isn’t a barn, so yeah, you know…135

John: Hu-argh, my god what a headache I have. Kelly, I swear now that I wasn’t out or anything. I just must of finished work late that’s all.136

Kelly: Don’t lie to me! (She points her finger at him.) Rafa phoned me at midnight last night and told me you went off from work early. So where were you then?137

John: I was just, ya’ know? (Shrugging his shoulders, not really knowing what to say)138

Kelly: Well, I’m not impressed Johnny. 139

John: (Mock sneering.) Neither am I! 140

Kelly: Listen, I don’t want you out late at all now for the rest of the month ok? Oh and whatever happens, do your homework yeah? (Looking serious) Your teacher person rang me after school and said about you and his classes…141

John: I just get bored that’s all! (Yawns) I can’t help it if he’s a boring old man!142

Kelly: Just do it ok!! (Gets up and leaves, leaving the door open and opens the sliding front door open.) Have a good day Johnny! (She shouts as she makes the start of her journey to go to work.)143

John: Ok, love ya’! (Scratches his head and relieved that she didn’t notice what happened to him, let alone his prosthetic hand.144

He gets up slowly and the song *No one knows- Queens Of The Stone Age* starts playing as he observes himself in a mirror to check he is all fully human. What shocks him more though is that he has a ripped body!) Where’s that come from John-boy? (He checks himself out, slowly getting used to it by making poses and feeling his newly developed six pack.) I certainly didn’t get that from eating pizza four times a week, nor did those biceps come from a gym. (He looks at his arms, chiselled, veins showing from the top of his shoulder running to his wrist on his right side, he gets annoyed by the mangled sight of his prosthetic hand and puts it to one side. Not only that, but how does he explain he no longer needs glasses anymore? His vision is perfect seemingly the powers bestowed upon him as a young child have come to fruition.)145

(We then follow him as he walks into the kitchen, yawning and adjusting his boxer shorts. John then starts making himself some cereal only to realise he’s melting the bowl with his hand.)146

John: For heavens sake! (He says angrily as a tap melts in his hand as he goes to get himself a drink.) Is nothing touchable here? (As he gets angry, his hand lights up and a green fireball appears just above it, causing another expletive and shock) Woah! What the?? This is getting too much; I’m having a damn shower. Breakfast is called off today. (Even in the shower he finds he has some problems he needs to deal with. Firstly the water just steams off his skin, even if it is the normal human-type. Then he also has to contend with the fact that as he went to turn it off in frustration at not having a productive wash he accidentally sent a fireball through the wall in the bathroom and it travelled and went through four other walls that got in the way.) Ah, that’s bad.147

Rafa: So what you are saying to me my friend is that somehow your hand just got a hole in it? (Not entirely convinced here.)148

John: Well, yeah! That’s the one! (Puts on a smile and clicks his fingers in Rafa finally saying it.)149

Rafa: I would say what I really think at the moment, however I won’t. (Johns face drops.)150

John: Well, the hole was created by me falling over very badly and somehow impaling it on a very sharp object that was on the floor! (On the other side of the counter of Rafa’s shop.) Come on Rafa, just help me fix the hand ok? (Almost begging)151

Rafa: (Raised eyebrows) only because you are a friend. I consider you an employee and a good friend Mr John. Please don’t lie to me; I am not stupid like you may think I am. I come from Spain, I lived in Madrid and believe me, there was some bloody liars over there, in Europe in general my amigo! Bloody liars! (Slams hand on table, making John jump) Er…yes (Regaining composure) just don’t lie to me ok? Mrs Kelly won’t be pleased if she found out you have, what you say ‘a retarded hand problem’ yes?152

John: (Looks at Rafa and wonders why he has to put up with him.) Yes, can we just sort out my ‘retarded hand problem’ yeah?153

Rafa: What do we need to fix it then?154

John: Well, you’ve got most of the materials already Rafa. A bit of short circuiting wouldn’t do any harm and…155

Rafa: (Interrupts him) the skin? Where do we get that from John?156

John: Ah, yes. Good point, trust me here yeah? (Making it up as he goes along.)157

Rafa: I’m all ears…158

John: You get a knife and slice some off me. 159

Rafa: I do what? (Horrified) you want me to do what with a knife? What was that? I heard something about your skin and a knife. 160

John: (Clearing throat and trying to look serious.) Yes Rafa, you (points at him) cut some skin off me and we’ll put it on my limb yeah? (Waves limb about to show Rafa.)161

Rafa: Whereabouts are we talking?162

John: Trust me on this, anywhere. 163

Rafa: What? Even…164

John: No! Not there!165

*Gimme Shelter- The Rolling Stones*166

(The camera screen opens up again with the sizzling noises made in the back and slight anguished pains coming from the back of the shop as Rafa gets some skin off John. Then we see both of them fixing his limb with an assortment of fuses and wires and metal layers being put into it. When it’s finally done, John re-connects the blood system into his limb and they high-five each other with John kissing Rafa on the forehead, to which he looks shocked and backs off very quickly! Then Rafa notices something. Then the song ends.)167

Rafa: (Pointing) what is that green thing on your hand Mr John?168

John: (Nervously he looks down and see’s a green fireball in his hand again.) That is a radioactive fireball Rafa. It’s another reason why I need my left hand so much, because it can’t conjure these up. (He nods to the fireball) They are kinda’ dangerous as well, like, I threw one earlier and it went through a rooms easily, (Rafa looks astonished) what? It was an accident!169

Rafa: So…you are still radioactive?170

John: Yes, very.171

Rafa: You can make things like that just appear?172

John: No, for some reason it just happens. I need to control them otherwise it could happen in the wrong place at the wrong time. You know?173

Rafa: (Looking sweaty and rather freaked out) I seriously am considering whether or not to start a travelling circus with you my main freak attraction Mr John…however, I do indeed have something to help you.174

John: You do? (Brightens up.)175

Rafa: Hold just there. (The porky middle aged Spaniard runs into the back and after some rummaging, minutes later he appears with a glove.) Here…try this.176

John: (Doesn’t know where to put himself.) It’s a glove Rafa. This fireball here, will burn through that glove in nanoseconds. This stuff is all over me Rafa, anytime I could turn into some big green mass and start accidentally blowing stuff up. I’m a nuclear disaster; call me a by-product of the third world war. I’m a freak, one of the only people to survive radiation poisoning of this magnitude. I can melt things like taps and showers with a finger. For god’s sake Rafa, the only thing I do know is that I can control the times of when I can go to the toilet. Anything else at the moment is a risk and that glove won’t last at all. 177

(A stunned silence as Rafa tries to take that all in. They both look away from each other, John realising he said too much and Rafa not quite knowing what to say next.)178

Rafa: I think you should try it on, you know? (He hands the glove over to John.)179

John: Yeah. (John gets the glove and puts it on, expecting the fireball to melt it in no time. Instead, the glove has extinguished it and stayed intact.) Wow. What…what…what material is this??180

Rafa: It’s illegal that’s all my friend.181

Scene 5182

(Flashback: The camera invites us into the architecturally decadent and gothic looking Metropolis Incarceration Centre way back in 2042. The place smells of grot and grime, the weeds of the walls spreading to cover the brick and mortar that it was built with. The prison itself is astonishingly big, possibly six or so miles long and maybe more in width. It was built five years before the flashback when crime and depraved acts deemed wholly inappropriate by the judges of the government and senior police of the new city decided to act upon the constant criminal activity. Though it did act as a deterrent along with harsh sentences, corruption and bribery has made sure the real kingpins of the world stay free and sentences are often halved by the dubious parole system put in place. Criminal activity in Metropolis is still amazingly high, so high that as John found out, no one is safe.183

The inside of the prison is practically made up of many floors of cells, the traditional looking barred effect. No windows since they learnt that people may try to escape from them and normally it’s up to five prisoners per cell, with the long corridors of cells and inmates almost endless. They mix murderers with burglars, petty thieves with gangsters. There is no separation system except for the deeply insane. They have their own ward, their own sector. People in there are kept in there for a reason and will stay until their lives are over. An approximate guess of 2.5 million prisoners is give or take, but that’s the closest number you’re likely to get, from guesses and government run organisations. As we follow the camera to ‘Floor 13’ we see blood-stains on the floor, all crusted and dry, the red has turned violet colour and we hear prisoners talking, wardens keeping order and walking around making sure nothing is going on. The camera only focuses on the noises, the wardens feet are the only thing we can see, apart from the floor. It’s almost as if we are crawling with a camera on us. Then we stop, the camera turns left and looks up, focusing on two people in a cell.184

We meet two men. One is a middle aged man, greying hair, bald at the crown with a grey moustache and a stomach that grows, even in prison. His clothes, just like all other prisoners is the same. Orange jumpsuits with a choice of white or black vest on underneath the jumpsuits are shoddily made with stitches coming undone all the time. He is sitting on a bed watching proceedings, which to him, are much more entertaining then what has happened so far the last couple of years he’s been in prison. Boredom is the biggest killer in the Incarceration Centre. 185

The other man is dressed smartly. A black suit, with coat-tails, a white shirt on underneath with a red tie and black trousers that are loosely fitted but very smart anyway, the outfit looks cheap and probably was, supplied by the prison supply section it’s a dead certainty that the suit and all the things that came with it were from a charity shop down the road. His hair is slickly gelled so a parting runs down the left hand side of his head. His dark grungy blonde-brown hair is of a medium length and combed behind the ears. Not a single hair is out of place and the man is a perfectionist in every sense. His shaven skin has broken out in a few isolated spots and a rash at the bottom of his neck. His charming eyes are dark grey, with a pointy but average sized nose and his lips are rather thin. He stands at about 5’11 but possibly looks taller due to the shoes he is wearing at the moment. His name is Victor Redding, most likely mid thirties. He’s obsessively packing and unpacking his suitcase, tearing clothes out and then after a few seconds satisfaction having packed everything he then puts it all back together.)186

Prisoner: Man, why don’t you just stop going over the damn stuff in your bag?187

Victor: I just… (He looks around to the prisoner who is lying on his bunk bed) need to ok? I’m not coming back here so I need to make sure everything’s packed and ok.188

Prisoner: Well…that’s what they all say. (He laughs and shakes his head.)189

Victor: What do you mean by that? 190

Prisoner: Just that most people, born a criminal, always a criminal that’s all.191

Victor: Well I’ve got to stay clear you know? (Looking at himself in the mirror again.) My family haven’t seen me for a long time. 192

Prisoner: We all know why as well.193

Victor: Yes we do. My family are excited just as I am, it’s been hard on us all and I need to fit into a city I hear everyday, but has passed me by without blinking. I need to fit in and seize my second chance at life. (He turns and smiles.)194

Prisoner: You really think you’ll be staying out o’ here don’t you! (He slaps his hand across his knee and laughs) I’ll tell you, the boys in cells 1 and 5 are betting on how long before you end up back here.195

Victor: The one who bets ‘never’ is the guy who’ll win then right? I’ve learnt my lessons.196

Prisoner: Gonna’ get a job are we? (Almost sneering)197

Victor: Hopefully.198

Prisoner: What like mob enforcer like last time? 199

Victor: (Turns around slightly disgruntled with a comb in his hand.) No. I’m legit now remember? I’ll work hard for hardly any money if I have to. If it’s the choice of murder and lots of credits or work hard and hardly a credit to my name, then I’ll be choosing the latter any day. (Clicks his finger) FACT.200

Prisoner: Ok, if you say so Vic. 201

Victor: Why are you always so negative? I wonder. (He carries on combing his hair, looking at himself and brushing himself down all the time.)202

Prisoner: Be careful of the outside world that’s all. It might not be what you want it to be. (He rolls over and starts sleeping. His comment makes Victor think, he stops for a little bit and looks in the mirror at himself, wondering what exactly lies ahead.)203

Victor: Believe me my friend (He says quietly, maybe to himself or to the mirror) the world changes and so does everything that is within it.204

(A tap on the bars of the cell grab his attention. He turns around and see’s his wardens, who’ll escort him out of the prison and literally shove him out to the big wide world without a goodbye. The warden who made the tapping nods at him and smiles meekly his baton in his hand occasionally tapping the bars with it. The other warden is standing there just looking at Victor, making him feel ill at ease and almost as if he is looking just straight through him.205

The electronic cell opens up and as one keeps an eye on the sleeping prisoner in the bunk bed, another warden steps forward and almost marches to Victor Redding. He takes a step back, unsure of the moment and unsure of what is going to happen. The warden then searches his suitcase rather pathetically, shoves it into Victor’s chest and walks back out of the electronic cell standing and waiting for Victor.)206

Warden #1: Ok now, time to leave Vic.207

Victor: Yes, yes it is. (He seems sad at leaving. He walks out of the cell and the bars go up again and connect together. Then the old prisoner turns around and with his smile shows his yellow teeth.)208

Prisoner: I bet ten credits by the way! (Chuckles loudly to himself)209

(Victor looks at him, expressionless and he can’t be bothered to respond. One warden practically grabs him by the arm and tries to push him forward, but stops just short of doing so.210

He starts walking a little faster, only because the eyes that focus on him from the other cells are leering and full of hate, anger and jealousy mixed in with sprinklings of sorrow. He looks a little each way but is afraid of people’s reactions, so instead he concentrates on the back of the head of the leading warden who walks very fast and the gangway is full of passing wardens who look at Victor and then look back on. One less maybe?211

The gangway is clanging; the metal vibrations can be heard from five minutes away. He looks up and within the dingy and dark prison; he spots people with automatics on the balcony overlooking any misdemeanours by prisoners but none would anyway, so the job is said to be worthless. They near the end, where the security gate towards the lift is and where the gate guard is situated. Every gate is guarded, all of them with different keys fitted, so it’s a new key everytime.212

The warden with a thin moustache turns around and stops Victor right next to the gate guard.)213

Warden #2: Would you like to go to the men’s Redding? (He points to the right hand side where the toilets are.)214

Victor: Good idea. I want to look smart and perfect for the wife back home.215

Warden#2: Let’s go then. (He signals the other warden follows as well, as they make their way into the tile walled lavatories. Not exactly clean but more likely black, nonetheless Victor goes to a urinal.)216

Warden#2: Woah there Vic, got something for ya’.217

Victor: (Turns around as he was about to go to the toilet.) Oh yes? What is it Warden?218

Warden#2: Your family Vic… (long pause, then a sick smile appears across his face) are dead Victor. DEAD.219

Victor: (Taken aback.) What?220

Warden#1: Here, let this cool you down grass! (The warden appears so quickly and fast that Victor has no time to react as a bucket of acid is unleashed upon him. We watch in slow motion the acid jump out of the bucket and fly into Victor, full frontal and all over his arms and body. The camera looks at him as he stumbles backwards in pain, crashing into the urinals, holding his face with both hands uncontrollably and clutching his face in a desperate bid to be able to open his eyes.)221

Victor: ARGHHHHH!!!!MY GOD!! HU-URGHHHH!!!! (He falls to his knees and starts shaking, about 90% of his body is covered in acid which is burning his skin so badly that he could die from the shock. One of the wardens kicks him in the face, his steel capped boots crashing into his hands and sending Victor backwards, whom is still tearing at his face, trying to rip the skin off as it burns so badly and goes through the skin into the blood system. He huddles into a corner and itching his face and feeling the acid burn his clothes onto his body makes him scream even more.) OH MY GOD! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE????? (He starts breathing heavily, rocking his head backwards and forwards.)222

Warden#1: This my friend is for the Pachino gang. You know the ones you grassed for a shorter sentence!?! (He spits on Victor) Boss Mario says hi!223

(The second warden walks up calmly and gets a lighter out.)224

Warden#2: We promise this won’t hurt. 225

(He gets the lighter, flicks it alight and drops it on the floor, right next to the trace of acid that leads up to Victor.)226

Victor: NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! (He says in a begging manner as the flame rushes towards him and engulfs his flammable body, setting him on fire and leaving him in a mess of disgusting proportions. We can hear his blood-curdling scream as the camera catches the full sight of him on fire, the flames picking him off inch by inch, scarring him like the acid but hundreds times worse. The wardens look at each other and satisfied their job has been done they calmly walk out of the toilet area, never to be seen again.)227

Scene 6228

(The screen opens up again to a room where many people are sat down. The tables are a dark wooden colour; hardly able to be seen in a cellar where light is a luxury. On the chairs are the top dogs of the underworld criminal gangs and riff-raff of Metropolis. The chairs seem to be in their hundreds, everywhere it seems, someone is sitting down, thankfully, the cellar is rather large and more like an underground conference room. The dank and stinky room has aggravated many, who wonder why they are here in the first place. Their bodyguards eye each other closely, staring at each others movements. Most of these gangs have been at war with each other for some time, so to sit in the same room; even if it is only a dark one at that is nothing short of a miracle. The floor is marble, as are the stairs which go off to the side, so it’s quite hard to see anyone coming down them. 229

Some of the gang leaders and mob bosses are wondering why they are here in the first place. They heard the rumour, they heard the calling. Word had gotten to the streets that their employees operate on; the word was that something is going to happen and it’s going to be big, that they all need to converge at this designated place and talk about it. So they came, most reluctantly, as criminal gangs these days aren’t bothered about turf wars so much anymore. They’re more bothered about the certain law enforcer who is making their lives and very existence unbearable. They heard this something had to do with that. So with baited breath and interest, they all came...one after the after, like black sheep walking in blind to shadows that didn’t show themselves. They are nervous, this could all be a trap, but most doubted that. Some took some teams of mob enforcers with them and put them out and about, on call if needed. 230

The lantern that lights the stairway is rocking slightly; the draft from the wind is shaking it. The flame flickers very slowly, then dramatically regenerates itself and carries on.)231

Mob boss#1: Whoever it is (looks at Rolex gold watch) is late. I ain’t too impressed ya’ know?? (He speaks to another and he nods in agreement.) I thought you’d agree with me.232

(Then, suddenly, we hear a noise from upstairs. It’s a slow painful noise and the camera focuses on it, squaring up to the entrance of the stairs, looking around and we see the leaders of the criminal fraternity all silent, awaiting this meeting they were called to. We hear one foot step, then another. We then hear another foot step, followed by one more and then silence.233

A click can be heard, a subtle noise of a weapon and a bullet is realised from the pistol into the lantern, breaking it and the light dies alongside the shards of glass that cover the entrance. We hear alarmed murmurings from the gang leaders and their bodyguards, some are getting ready to cock their weapons and others are calming down their dubious employers. We then sit there in darkness awaiting something but not sure what. The anticipation is raw and heavy with dread and curiosity filling the air.234

Another footstep followed by heavy breathing. Then a clunk on the floor, we hear metal spin a few times on the cellar floor. Heavy breathing again as another foot step is taken.)235

Voice: Put your weapons away. That was mine.236

(He or she then gets to the bottom of the staircase and turns quietly. The camera is following the shadow in the darkness, we can hardly make out the frame of whoever this is, let alone recognise him/her. He leans against a table, propping against it for added support. Heavy breathing again, a sniff and then silence.)237

Mob boss#1: Lateness is something we do not tolerate. 238

Voice: Punctuality should not judge a man.239

Mob boss#1: Not showing up on time shows disrespect. Tell me, are you disrespecting every gang leader in here?240

Voice: I have a limp. Sometimes it takes me longer that’s all. If you want an apology, get out of here now… and never come back.241

(He clears his throat. The camera can see him a little clearer, but his hands are covered in gloves and his face is covered by a loose hoodie jumper that he is wearing. The front row of gangsters try to, futile in many ways, try to see what he looks like. We are looking at him from behind, he seems perfectly normal.)242

Three years ago, people like him wouldn’t be causing the trouble they’re causing now. They have become an inconvenience yes? I guess they have. It’s why you are all here. You want the heat off you right?243

(Slight shuffling and whispers can be heard.)244

Mob boss#1: Yes we do, you’re right there. (Twitching his moustache) How would you solve us our problem though?245

(More gangsters lean forward hoping to catch a word of what he says.)246

Voice: The moon is darkening, the shadows are blending and the night is mine.247

Mob boss#1: What are you going on about? (Raised eyebrows and in a preposterous tone of voice.) Make sense now.248

Voice: First, you pay me lots of money. (Points to the table and taps it fervently, his whole body shaking. His hunchback shoulder looking stance, with them slumped forward gives the impression of him being nervous.)249

Mob boss#1: How much? 250

Mob boss#2: How do we know that whatever job we are paying you for…that you will complete and not fail?251

(Other mob bosses and leaders start nodding and shaking their heads in agreement, some are getting quite rowdy in their agreeing. It slightly unsettles the weird man we see from behind. Not in a good way either. He clears his throat even more.)252

Voice: You pay me how much you think the job is worth paying… Then… (He carries on regardless of the interruption.) You give me men. I want men to help me. I don’t care how many. They will probably die anyway.253

Mob boss#1: Never in my life have I come across someone with such nerve. You impress me; however you still haven’t answered our questions. 254

Voice: I won’t fail. I can’t fail. Do any of you know what happened to Boss Mario? (His breathing gets heavier, we see him wipe his face under the thick hoody. 255

They all sit there, in a silence. Wondering what he is going to do or say next.)256

I’ll tell you then shall I? I walked into his home and killed him. Not just him though. I killed his mother, his seven sons, his young daughter, his wife and his ten bodyguards. (Heavy breathing.) But I saved the best till last because if you can’t recognise his body in the morning, it’s all thanks to a little thing called ‘revenge’. Just a little bit of acid… (We hear anger in his voice a little, violent shaking) and a little of this! (Holds up a lighter.)257

(Silence again. Stunned silence from the crowd. They give off a sense of shock, while some give off a sense of dread.)258

You wonder what kind of maniac you’re talking to? 259

Mob boss#1: (His voice trembling.) You killed Mario? You killed a respected man? A made man? (His voice still trembling.) Do you know what you have done? Do you know that we are all made men?260

Voice: Shut up. He wasn’t respected, cos’ I never respected him! (Slams his hand on the table) I know what I’ve done, I know the rules. (Breathing heavily again.) Don’t ever ask me questions like that again. 261

I feel some of you aren’t convinced, possibly thinking I’m exaggerating? Would I be exaggerating if I was to tell you I became the nightmare of his before I dropped the lighter onto the acid? Well let me tell you what I’m gonna’ do. I’m gonna’ take back this city for you lot. For a price, you decide that, I don’t care how much, just make it good. The young Captain of the police will be killed. I will systematically turn this town into a rubble and fuck me…I’m gonna’ enjoy it. 262

(A silence across the room yet again.)263

So who is with me then?264

Mob boss#3: Who the hell do you think you are? 265

Voice: I am the night…I am… (Takes his hoody off and everyone peers for a look, but soon, it’s a look of fright and disgust. They don’t know where to turn, where to go. What to do. It’s frightening; it’s something they’ve never seen before. The camera denies us a clear look of his face, but we see his hair, which is in tufts; some at the front, other clusters of hair to the side and the back.) I am…Jack In A Box…and I’m gonna’ give this place a party. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!266

Scene 7267

(Flashback: The camera invites us to follow the long winding road to the insanity wing. All sorts of loose and unsavoury characters live in this rotting place. The smell is putrid, the walls covered in brown mould, the jail bars are rusty and leaks drip onto the floor. A certain someone, sitting on a wooden bench, accommodated next to his bed is staring at the water dripping onto the floor, creating the smallest of puddles possible. His eyes just look; as if they are staring at something else, staring right through that puddle, as if they are thinking about something else entirely different. His shoulders twitch a little, left one first and then the right one and they repeat themselves every so often. It makes him stretch his jaw out a little, trying to make it click. He does all this whilst still staring at that damned puddle. Amazing concentration from a man that has been doing this sort of thing for years, maybe the puddle is annoying him.268

We can only see his shoes at the moment, still no clear look at whom this person is nor whom they look like. We see that he is wearing a straitjacket, because of the white clothing on his shoulders. We look back down at his feet again, this nervous tapping that they make. A warden walks by, it catches his attention. The feet tapping goes silent, his focus on the warden is utmost. The warden looks at him, casually gripping his baton but not unsheathing it. He looks this person in the eyes and see’s a maniacal look, where everything means nothing to him, this anarchical view of the world that brings down civilisations and destroys people’s lives, for his was destroyed long ago. The warden withdraws; he keeps looking to his left as he walks on.)269

JIAB: Am I something to behold Mr Warden? (He mutters as the warden walks off. The Warden promptly comes back.) 270

Warden: What was that wacko? (He laughs to himself.)271

JIAB: You see me, am I something to behold? Is that why you look…at me? (He gestures at himself as best as he can whilst his arms are restricted by the straitjacket. The camera now follows up to his face. What we see is shocking. Here is a man who has been altered by the acid that was thrown on him, let alone that fact he was set alight as well. His left eye is closed shut; he has long, curly orange/black hair which looks greasy. It hangs above his shoulders, twirled naturally. He has boils all over his face and arms mainly, but some also on his body. These boils were a natural reaction of the burns he got and the acid that took his skin off, burning into his system and infecting his blood. His right eye bulges out a little and looks maddening, a pinpointed pupil. His nose is only noticeable by two holes that were once his nostrils existing just above his mouth. His actual nose was burnt right off at the time. The right ear is intact while the other is a small burnt off mound and closed up. The left eyebrow is singed and pulled back a little causing a look of tight, dry skin. The mouth is partially closed, skin formed over the top of part of it while he was recovering years and so that means he can only speak out of the corner of his mouth, but he’s done so well at it that it doesn’t affect him or others when they hear him. 272

A scar that is so deep that it weeps blood runs between the corner of his mouth to the side of his chin, while dry stagnant skin powder covers his face and arms. Not a very good job has been done of it though with patchiness and blackened parts suggesting his most prominent and difficult to hide scars. His white face is visible to the warden in a darkened cell.)273

Warden: Just stop tapping your feet and sleep or something.274

JIAB: (Looks saddened.) Won’t one not even put some more powder on me??275

Warden: Is it that time already? (He looks at his watch. As the prison is afraid he might harm himself due to his insanity they, the wardens are tasked with putting the powder on his face. The warden pulls some latex gloves on and starts to unlock the cell door. A slight smile on JIAB’s face appears.) Ok, let’s get this over and done with.276

(The warden enters the cell and with a torch lights the place up a bit more. He reaches for the powder, on a rotting and three-legged table and advances towards JIAB whom is still sitting down. The warden looks at JIAB and with mixed emotions bends his legs a little till he is at the same height as JIAB. He starts shaking the powder out of the tube and rubbing it in gently to his face, creating a white virginal appearance of a man.)277

JIAB: My arms? (He asks as he puts his head back while the warden applies some more to his chin and neck.)278

Warden: What? They’re in the jacket. (He dismisses such a suggestion, but as he does so it’s his final one. JIAB flicks a pen-knife open in his hand and stabs through the material creating a rip. It happens all so quickly, that the warden is taken by complete surprise. His stomach is knifed as JIAB thrusts it upwards, creating a hole in the clothing for his arm to get out of. The warden gurgles still bent over JIAB, blood dribbling out of his mouth and seeping through his uniform. Calmly pushed to one side JIAB gets up and knifes a hole in the other arm of his straitjacket. Both of his hands now free as he limps a little to the cell door. He puts his finger up against the ID machine but it refuses him access, saying it does not know his ID. He looks around and thinks.)279

JIAB: Ah, clever me! (He walks towards the dead warden, and throws his pen-knife in the air, catching it with his other hand. As he does so, he bends down and swiftly but quite jaggedly cuts off the index finger of the wardens’ left hand. It looks almost as if he is grimacing as he holds the finger up but then he, grotesquely kisses it with his lips.) My key to freedom huh? He he he! (Presses finger against the machine. The camera focuses on his face as it is identifying the dead warden’s print. Eventually the cell door opens and a sick grin appears on his face. He gently walks out, smelling dank air.280

The camera opens up again in a CCTV positioning, at the corner of a wall where we watch JIAB just getting out of a lift. He starts skipping slowly, laughing sadistically and howling his glee, not caring if he grabs the other warden’s attention. He then stops and looks up at the camera, peering at us as he treads through puddles from the leaks. A wave and then more skipping and jumping as he tosses his rag-tag straitjacket about whilst it’s still on him. We see moments later from another CCTV camera position two bodies of dead wardens lying about as he laughs uncontrollably whilst he jumps in the puddles, flicking himself with the water, his powder coming off on some parts of him. 281

Another flick to a CCTV camera, this time at the reception area where we see JIAB creep up behind a warden sitting down and having a snack to eat. It’s his last one as JIAB sticks his knife into the mans throat and then slams his head onto the control panel, shutting down all cameras and opening the front gate up: his bid for freedom. His laugh echoes.)282

Jilly: Hey John! (She runs to him as he crosses the University park to the front entrance. It’s a sunny day and that means most people are wearing their summer clothes out, you’d be lucky to find a girl in a suit! She’s wearing a floral dress all in one which goes down to around her knees. The bright flowers and white background make her look perky and stunning. He looks on, slightly amazed as she bounces towards him smiling.) How you been? You were ill the last few days weren’t you?!? What did you have? 283

John: Woah there! All these questions! (They both laugh and she keeps smiling. She’s in love with him, but afraid to say anything, but whether or not the feeling is mutual we don’t know. 284

Birds swoop down on the path before them as she tugs at him continuously, in a really hyper mood and people are lazing on the grass or reading the newspaper on a park bench, what happens on most campuses when its nice and hot and the ice cream flows, along with the water fights.)285

Jilly: So, you ok?286

John: I’m fine! What’s with all the caring and stuff?287

Jilly: Just want to know that’s all! Don’t want my ball partner (Nudges him in the ribs and laughs) being ill and not coming do I!288

John: Hey, it’s all cool. You don’t see me for a few days and you go mad for me. Half the time we argue! 289

Jilly: I should stop making it so obvious shouldn’t I? (She looks down at her feet.)290

John: I know what you mean Jill; you don’t have to say anything. It’s real nice and everything but you know…291

Jill: I suppose I do yeah. Your ‘mum’ wouldn’t let me anywhere near you. (She says it as if she is spitting something rotten out of her mouth.)292

John: She’s my sister Jill. I don’t have a mum, not like you. (As she realises what she’s said he puts his hand up to stop her apologising. They walk through the corridor, towards the cafeteria.)293

Jilly: Can I say? There’s something different about you ya’ know? (John stops and looks at her, wondering what she’s going to say to him.) I’m trying, I’m just trying to figure it out and I can’t. I mean, do you normally only wear one of those gloves? (She nods to the fingerless glove he’s wearing on his right. He shuffles backwards a little.) You look bigger John. You been weightlifting or something? (Her eyebrows rose, possibly not believing she just said something like that when it comes to him.) No, I just don’t know. (Just then she spots some of her friends hanging around near one of their lockers and turns to him.) Anyway, got to go and chat about the latest and all that. Take care John. (She leans in to kiss John on the cheek, but he moves suddenly and quite dramatically, bouncing onto some lockers.) Oh…It was only the cheek I was after! (She laughs to save herself from embarrassment and his face goes bright red.)294

John: What’s the matter with me? (He says to himself as he walks on, nodding towards Jilly and her group of friends. He hears one of them say ‘Look how big he is’ in an amazed tone, mixed in with the ‘I want that body’ voice that some teenage girls get when they see ripped bodied guys nearby. He opens the cafeteria double doors and all around is the legions of students like him, eating, fighting, gossiping, staring, throwing food and other objects and queuing. His biggest dislike about the cafeteria was the queue never seemed to end. He quietly joined it, whilst some people he noticed, whilst not necessarily looking about, knew they were staring at him. It was true, he had got significantly bigger in muscle and his shoulders had broadened a bit. His shirts were tighter fitting then they used to be and he wasn’t wearing the glasses anymore. He looked attractive all of a sudden to many of the girls in the cafeteria. As he moved up in the queue the camera focuses on him, flitting on his widening smile of self-satisfaction and the girls that are talking about him and can’t stop looking.) *Start Me Up- The Rolling Stones*295

Oh I’m liking this.296

(As he turns around moments later, he starts walking down the aisles between the benches and chairs full of students. He keeps walking down, balancing his lunch tray and nodding at girls looking at him and then giggling, his smile not wearing off for a second. He starts to swagger a little, winking at some of the ‘lucky ladies’ and decides to sit with some very pretty looking girls who offer him a seat. To many, the geeky skinny boy has had a miraculous transformation.)297

Jilly: Did you just see that girls? (Sitting a few tables away, her gob smacked face is soon replaced with one of jealousy and brewing hatred of men.) Did you lot just see them girls making eye sex with him? (They all nod and carry on eating.) Then, he started winking and bulging those flipping bicep thingies at them! What makes it worse is they were all swooning for him! 298

Girl: He’s not your boyfriend Jill. (She carries on eating her sandwich with Jilly’s face looking like thunder and biting her lips.)299

Bully: Hey pint-size! (He shoves John in the back, his face narrowly meeting his spaghetti bolognaise. The girls he sits with look in with mixed horror and glee. It’s an ex-boyfriend of one of theirs.)300

John: (Gets up and stands toe-to-toe with the huge guy, twice the size of him anyhow.) What was that for?301

Bully: That’s my girlfriend there. (He points at the pretty brunette, who was sitting opposite John.)302

John: Well that’s nice for you. If you wanted to sit next to her you could have asked me to budge up rather than try and give my face a spaghetti makeover. (He doesn’t back down.)303

Brunette: I’m not! He’s my ex… a dick! (She says it with hatred for him. The Bully blocks it out and glares straight at John, who stands firm.)304

Bully: So what were you doing messing with my girl?305

John: I was having lunch with them that’s all. You jealous or something? (He looks around and smiles and catches the look of Jilly, who has stopped eating and looks horrified at the event unfolding.)306

Jilly: Oh god girls…why does he do this to… (We hear a thumping noise and immediately she stops eating again. She doesn’t look but by the gasping by the crowd we guess that John was smacked in the face pretty hard and put on the floor.) I knew that would happen… (She turns around and goes to see what’s happening. Amazingly though, John isn’t on the floor, he’s still standing and the bully/thug is nursing his hand rolling around on the floor in tears.)307

John: Punch me again I dare you. (He says to the bully who looks at him from the floor. As he turns around to sit back down again he see’s a bunch of the bully’s friends running up to him and covering the fallen guy.)308

Bully friend: You take out my friend huh? (He strides towards John with his fist clenched and his teeth gritted. John pushes him away and he goes flying, smashing into a trolley of food that was going by, tumbling over the top of it and getting covered in the leftovers on the trolley. The crowd start laughing and John looks serious, whilst the brunette is suitably impressed and Jilly is still looking on.)309

Brunette: My gosh…you wanna’ be my boy? (She flusters in amazement and gushes)310

John: No thanks. (He walks off and leaves the cafeteria and the trail of destruction that he made with just one hand two guys who tried to push him about.)311

Jilly: Wait up John! (She gets up and dashes off to find him, but it’s too late. He ran out of the university campus horrified at what he had done to two people, even though they probably deserved it, it still doesn’t mean he should have done what he did.)312

John: Christ! Jesus! Christ! (He says to himself as he runs down the pathway of the campus park pushing people out of the way at first and then blatantly overtaking them. To his shock and to many he doesn’t even realise he’s going faster then most pods that are driving about and soon he realises that apart from a dosage of significant strength that he gained from his transformation, that speed and agility have also been improved. He stops running when he reaches a desolate and deserted district of Metropolis some hours later. 313

Its night and he sits on top of a rooftop of a crumbling old building from the pre-war years. He looks into the night sky, it seems darker to him then it did the previous night. The camera closes up on him, showing him looking at the sky and twiddling about with a bit of grass in his mouth, catching his breath and finding peace from all the chaos that has engulfed him the last couple of days.)314

Rafa: Ah, thought you might be around here Mr John! (John swivels around and finds Rafa sitting next to him having a smoke.)315

John: You should quit you know. Get cancer and all that. (He says quietly.)316

Rafa: I should? Cancer these days can be cured. We’re not in the old pre-war years. (He puts out one and lights up another.)317

John: Anyway, how did you know I’d be here?318

Rafa: It’s where you’re little accident happened all those years ago isn’t. That’s how I know Mr John. I know a lot more about you than you think. (He smiles, puffing away.)319

John: See that hole Rafa? (Points at a large hole in the ground about 25 metres away from where they are on the rooftop.) 320

Rafa: Yeah? (Peers to have a look)321

John: That’s the baby I fell down. I’ll never forget that day. Never. (Tears start forming up in his eyes.)322

Rafa: You regret what happened? (Looks at John)323

John: Sometimes I wonder whether I should have been that stupid.324

Rafa: Stupid? Stupid?? (He says it louder) Stupid??? John, you are not stupid! (John looks up at him.) You saved a young girls life! You put your own before god and came away alive!325

John: (The tears start burning into his skin.) But look what I’ve become! I’m a freak! I can’t do anything now without some consequences…326

Rafa: I know, I heard. Jilly told me about what happened. (He pauses as he takes a big puff.) She loves you John. 327

John: I know she does. 328

Rafa: Then do something about it. She doesn’t care that you might have something wrong with you! Probably the only girl I know that wouldn’t care if you didn’t have a head! (He laughs to himself.)329

John: What about Kelly?330

Rafa: Kelly is not your mother. She can never be your mother, no matter how hard she tries, or wants to be. She needs to let you go and spread your wings…and your seeds. (They both laugh a little.) She won’t like it, but she’ll put up with it. Don’t be afraid of what people will think of you John! She is an over-protective sibling who cares too much for you. 331

John: I suppose you’re right… (Flicks grass in the air to the ground.) 332

Rafa: Here, you heard about that man that escaped from the Incarceration Prison District?333

John: (Looks at Rafa weird.) Why are you changing the subject Rafa?334

Rafa: These powers of yours Mr John were given to you for a reason. Use them.335

John: (Jokingly laughs.) Oh no way! No way! I’m not doing some vigilante stuff here with you Rafa. No way! That’s pretty illegal!336

Rafa: So is the glove Mr John. (Nods at the glove)337

John: It’s still a ‘no.’338

Rafa: (Getting serious.) I don’t think you understand Mr John. 339

John: Understand what? I’m not doing that vigilante type thing. I just want a quiet life.340

Rafa: This man killed his way through an escape. 341

John: So?342

Rafa: We’re talking about twenty wardens got it.343

John: Why are you telling me all this Rafa? I’m still saying no.344

Rafa: Tell that to the families.345

John: The police will get him.346

Rafa: No they won’t John! Half of them are corrupt and the other half are too afraid to arrest someone important in case their friend has to kill them for ruining a good payday! This city is crumbling beneath our very feet! You can fix it! You can be something that the city needs! It’s dirty, it’s rotten! It needs cleaning up!347

John: No. End of. (He walks away before an exasperated Rafa.)348

Rafa: You gonna’ walk away from everything in life John? You gonna’ disown your powers? How will you do all that? How will you get away with doing all of that? Ask yourself John… ‘why do I have these?’349

(John turns around and looks at Rafa, straight in the eyes and see’s something in them. The scene blackens out before we open up again.)350

Scene 8351

John: Ok… just out of pure interest. (He feels he needs to explain to himself.) Lets just see what I can do. (He takes his glove off and sticks it in his jean pocket. The camera shows the most beautiful view of the world he lives in. John is standing on top of the Statue of Liberty in Central Park, District 1 ‘The old New York.’ He looks around and see’s a 24 hour city, brimming, neon lights flashing from close up and afar. Decadence on his doorstep, people talking to each other, people getting arrested, people sleeping and eating, just doing what they normally do. The Statue towers above anything in ‘The Old New York’ now a breeding ground for poverty and criminals. He senses it would be good to see what he can do in this place, when it’s all quiet. The Sun is rising.)352

Right! (He feels a fireball form up from his palm and it engulfs his hand, becoming one with it. He doesn’t feel any pain, it feels normal to him. He spots a building nearby, maybe 50 metres away, a long jump. He eyes it up and takes a few steps back and confidently turns around to confront it.) *Spiderman theme- Danny Elfman*353

I hope I make it. (He starts running towards the edge of the Statue of Liberty and then gracefully he leaps, feeling the air brush against him, as it seems he’s in mid-air forever and ever till he realises one thing. He isn’t going to make it.) Oh god no!! (Screaming as he plummets down really quickly he puts one hand over his eyes as he prepares for the inevitable and the other stretched out in front and to his amazement and the viewers, a huge green concentration of a beam flies out of his hand and starts smashing through the pavement down below. It’s so powerful it starts to slow his freefall down and he lands on one knee a bit awkwardly. Looking around to see if anyone witnessed what he had just done he brushes himself off.354

He’s determined to see what else he can do, just for his own purposes. The camera opens up with him standing before some glass bottles put atop a brick wall. He starts aiming at them with green bolts of fireballs, realising that as soon as one is thrown at an object, another one replaces it. Soon he starts knocking them down, getting the target first time.355

Next the camera opens up to him confronting his past demons. The hole in the ground that he fatefully fell into. He looks into it and see’s its pitch black, so John leaps down there with bated breath. As he hits the dirty, muddy ground a couple of metres down below, he can see the green specks of radiation floating about, becoming attracted to his body. They start to mould into his skin and he doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t feel afraid anymore, because he knows that it can’t hurt him anymore. In a weird way, he feels as if the green particles floating about in the air, all around him are actually a part of him. A part of his DNA makeup. He closes his eyes and his hand lights up again as he feels relaxed, confident and maybe finally happy with his powers. The specks in their millions floating about around him in a big circle, encompassing him and attaching themselves to John, who just stands there, letting it all happen. He breathes it in, he tastes it, holds them in his hands, rubs them across his skin. They can’t do him any harm; they can’t do what they did to him when he was so young and vulnerable. He is exactly like those radioactive particles that are attracted to him; strangely he feels invulnerable.356

Captain Kryzios: Today, I have called this rather impromptu press conference so that we can catch a very dangerous criminal. (He’s standing atop of a stage, his stand has multiple microphones on it and behind him is a big screen TV, which he points to and shows JIAB’s face when he was in prison.) This man is Victor Redding, mid thirties, medium height; his natural hair colour is unknown as is the colour of his skin. What we do know though is he is very much a man that was involved in the mafia of Metropolis. In fact he was one of the original underground criminals that were caught and thrown into jail. 357

Reporter#1: (Specs, blonde hair, red lips, wearing a business suit with a skirt.) Captain!358

Captain Kryzios: Yes?359

Reporter#1: How did he escape? We thought the Incarceration facility was somewhere that criminals couldn’t get away from? How many others have escaped then? (She says all this within a plethora of noise from other reporters who are desperate to get their questions across.)360

Captain Kryzios: This man killed many wardens that night. (He says darkly, bows his head a little further down to the microphone.) I don’t think anyone could have stopped him even if they wanted to. He showed no remorse in what can be described as savage, brutal murders of some of our finest citizens in the law enforcement arm of Metropolis. 361

(A stunned silence before a reporter puts her hand up and asks a question, amongst the small talk, the flashes of cameras and the television crews all present.)362

Reporter#2: Is there going to be a reward on this mans head? 363

Captain Kryzios: No. We would advise all citizens to stay well clear and if they do find him, to contact the local police district as soon as possible. We don’t want vigilantes on our streets, next question.364

Reporter#3: Talking of the law enforcement departments like you mentioned earlier, what are the latest figures on crime and the seemingly huge rise in the old New York district?365

Captain Kryzios: Figures haven’t been released yet and that’s not why I called the press conference. (Smiling)366

Reporter#4: Is Victor Redding part of a criminal gang? Could he be taking shelter with, for instance… (Shrugs shoulders) Boss Mario?367

Captain Kryzios: Redding only cares about escaping at the moment. Any criminal gang that is found or known to shelter him will be dealt with in the harshest manner possible. As for Boss Mario, we haven’t heard any crime activity from him or his gang for the last couple of weeks now.368

On that note, are there anymore questions on the escaped prisoner? (He looks around and see’s a hand float up.) Yes?369

Reporter#5: What about the alleged sighting of a bright green shape around the Statue of Liberty?370

Captain Kryzios: (Laughs) I’m no expert on UFO’s… on that note, have a good day. (He steps off the platform and with his many senior police officers, they walk down the aisle which is straight down the middle of the conference meeting, with many cameras flashing and lots of mumbling in the background. Nick Kryzios is of Greek heritage and a dark tanned man with the black hair and rather thick eyebrows to go with it. His height is one of about 5’11, in his mid-thirties, wearing the dark blue ceremonial uniform of a Captain. He alone is responsible for the police force of Metropolis and has ruthlessly climbed the career ladder from the lowest rung to the very highest in a very short manner of years. As they get out of range of the press he swipes his hat off and ruffles his receding hair line a little.)371

Glad they didn’t ask about the corruption scandal.372

Lieutenant: I think we all are Captain.373

Captain Kryzios: Its one thing that many of the officers in our police force are turning a blind eye to organised crime, its another that they are being paid for it and some even taking part in the crimes.374

Lieutenant: What will you do about it?375

Captain Kryzios: There’s not much I can do Lieutenant. No matter how much highly spoken of I am by the press or the people, I am just a human who is chief of a corrupt, rotting law enforcement agency. 376

Lieutenant: By doing nothing, you’ll be openly encouraging people to take bungs.377

Captain Kryzios: The guys on the ground Lieutenant, (he stops and turns around pointing his finger a little and getting rather passionate.) do not get enough credits in the first place. That is why they turn to the bung that is why we, the guardians of the law are becoming overshadowed by those who wish to flesh this city with their immoral ways!378

(From a distance away, on top of a skyscraper JIAB looks over at the whole city, putting his pair of binoculars away and standing on the edge of the building. He leans next to a gold statue of a Lion roaring, its mane beautifully sculpted and from far away it may as well look real. Some bits of rust and mould are visible as one gets closer. We see the back of JIAB standing next to the Lion, overlooking the city, its bright lights and the dark ground, along with the smog contrast with the beauty of it. He takes a heavy breath and sighs.)379

JIAB: So that’s him then huh? (Talking to himself or the Lion?) My target! (He strokes the statue mane.)380

We shall see if I’m as easy to pull back in as they think. (A rather large flick knife is pulled out and the blade shows.) We shall see indeed… (Husky with a quiet voice.) We shall see.381

Scene 9382

(The camera opens up to a marble-arched bank with credit signs on the windows and the gothic monolithic architecture suggesting it’s grandiose and the profits it probably makes. It’s on the corner of a busy street with many people walking in and others naturally walking past it to somewhere else. A big park lays opposite to the bank and as it’s another sunny day loads of people are enjoying the weather while they can. Pods are seen flashing by, beeping at each other and people waving their fists and shouting about the congestion at each other. So much is happening on this one street that no one notices the odd looking man also known as Jack-in-a-Box stroll towards the said bank with eight cronies, all dressed in black suits with white ties apart from him. Wearing a grey overcoat in the weather, with black gloves on and a filthy white silk shirt on with tiny rips in it along with the pinstripe trousers.)383

JIAB: Ladies, Gentlemen… (The main entrance double door made out of wood is smashed open.) Girls…Boys, this is a bank robbery! (Amongst the screams we can see him laughing out loud as he wipes his curly fringe coloured hair to one side of his face) Don’t put up a fight (He shoots a security guard who was fumbling for his pistol, which then makes more people scream.) Get down on your fronts and you will not die! Hehehehehehehe!384

(His cronies start taking over the bank as he stands there in the middle standing tall amongst those cowering on the floor. He smiles, a huge grin on his face, opening up the cut from the corner of his lip to his chin once again. The patchy white powder on his face is glistening and some has dried up and come off because of the heat. He turns around and see’s one of his gang members fill a security guard up with bullets before he slumps down the flight of marble stairs. JIAB’s shoes clip-clop on the marble surface of the bank and he looks down at the Persian rug on the floor that customers stand on in the queue. He then looks up again.) 385

Anyone else wanna’ be a hero?386

(He walks up to a cowering teenage boy who is sobbing uncontrollably.)387

Come on, surely someone is gonna’ take me on? 388

(He puts the gun away and pushes the sobbing teenager onto the floor.)389

Ok… maybe not!390

(He looks around and spots the massive circular steel and titanium safe. A smile runs across the horribly scarred face of his and he walks ever so slowly towards it as more gunfire can be heard from the floor above them. Two of his thugs keep an eye on the hostages and another is seen sprinting past him towards the busted double doors to keep an eye out for the police. He gets to the safe and finds a dead security guard slumped up against the wall, his blood spatter all across it. Two of his men are there desperately trying to break into it with the blowtorches, TNT, safe decoding electronic devices and just sheer brute force.)391

JIAB: So this is the honey trap? (He says slowly, looking up at it and then down taking in its size and fiddling with his fingers.) Boys… how’s the work going? 392

Thug#1: This thing is gonna’ be difficult to break into. We don’t know the code and no matter how far we drill into it or anything, without the code, we aren’t going to have the credits boss.393

(Sparks and drilling noises come from the equipment as JIAB looks on. He turns around and clicks his fingers.)394

JIAB: Surely, in our time of technology and whiz-kidderry, (he slips his gun out again and juggles with it in both hands) surely, surely, surely, surely… someone who works here (He emphasises the last couple of words and a few people gasp when they see the gun in his hand as he looks over at the cashiers) must know the safe code hmmm? Shall we see? (The look of terror in the cashiers and accountants faces is unimaginable as he walks ever so slowly towards them, menace in his eyes and glee in what he’s saying.)395

You boy! (He points at a youngish looking accountant whose hands are held up high behind the bullet proof windows of the cashpoints. He looks a bit shaken and as a thug kicks the door down and drags him at gunpoint outside of the office and onto the floor in front of JIAB, whom then starts laughing like a madman.) 396

Tell me, young man, you good soul! Tell me! (He slaps the cheek of the accountant playfully) Come on dear boy!397

Accountant: How would I know?398

JIAB: WRONG ANSWER ARSEWIPE! (He shouts aggressively and puts his scary and scarred face up against the accountants.) Hehehehehee…399

Accountant: I wouldn’t know. 400

JIAB: (Whispering into the accountant’s ear as he grabs his collar) Oh but you would, oh but you do hmmm?401

Accountant: I… (He starts mumbling and flapping and as he does so JIAB aims the pistol right up against his forehead.)402

JIAB: Even if it’s made up you can pretend it isn’t can’t you? (He says innocently, dropping the gun from the forehead of the terrified accountant, pouting.) We can pretend that I don’t know that you’re making one big fat stinking white pure lie! CAN’T WE? (The Accountant starts blubbering again.) Do you know why dear boy? (Whispers again into his ear) Its luck! Life is one big fat straw out of many in a rusty old gold pot! HA! 403

Accountant: Ok…404

JIAB: So you will tell me a lie?405

Accountant: Um, yeah? (He looks unsure of himself.)406

JIAB: Good! Give me the ‘code’ then brother! (He does the quotes signal with his hands as he says the word ‘code’.)407

Accountant: 5…1…7…5… (He grabs onto JIAB’s leg for balance as he carries on blubbering away.)408

JIAB: Boys? Did you get that? (He signals to the two thugs at the other end at the safe. Laughing away at himself he stands there waiting patiently as they start typing it in. They look at each other confused and start typing it in again. Nothing happens. One of them turns around. The hostages look around and seem amazed at the action that’s going on.)409

Thug#2: Wrong code boss!410

(JIAB swivels around and looks at the young accountant, smiling slightly out of the corner of his mouth and rubbing the other end as well, the skin that the overlap on his other side is irritating and he scratches it as he ponders.)411

JIAB: God, I hate liars. (He starts walking away and as he does he whips around and with precise aim shoots the accountant, execution style, almost unrepentantly and coldly. The lifeless body falls back on itself, what remains of his head is dashed across the marble floor.) Oh dear! Looks like someone is gonna’ need a new dress! (He says laughing out loud as he points his gun at a middle aged woman who is sobbing loudly amongst the gasps and outcries. Her dress is covered in his brains. He swiftly removes her from the equation by shooting her several times rather wildly.) Screamers! Liars! Anything else here!?!412

(He looks at the other five horrified accountants and looks at three of his thugs. He smiles out of the corner of his mouth and they draw out their machine guns. On his third count they unleash a torrid spray of armour piercing rounds through the windows into the accountants, whose bodies flail in different directions, flapping and twitching with every hit. The noise stops, everyone is still. Some are sobbing a little but aren’t making any loud noises because of his violent and random tendencies. His thugs reload and scarper in different directions. He doesn’t even need to say but they know he wants the bank manager.413

Outside the bank, people have realised what is happening and pandemonium is striking the street and nearby ones. Traffic is at a standstill as people start running about like headless chickens and the camera see’s a women contact the police.)414

JIAB: Joy at last! (The bank manager is shoved in front of him.) So you must be the sole employee of this bank then yes? (The bank manager looks around and his mouth opens a little when he see’s what happened to the others and the dead security guards. However he stands firm. His wavy cropped ginger hair, the specs he wears are taken off as he rubs them on his shirt and he calmly looks JIAB in the eyes.)415

Bank Manager: Who do you think you are?416

JIAB: Don’t try and be a psychologist! I’ve had three before! (He pulls out his gun again and aims it at the bank manager.) You’re ginger, that knocks five seconds off the time I’m giving you to give me the code! (A perverted smile comes across one side of his face.)417

Bank Manager: I don’t have it on me.418

JIAB: Ten seconds…419

Bank manager: It’s upstairs in my office…420

JIAB: Eight seconds…421

Bank manager: You think I carry that information on me everywhere?422

JIAB: Time is running out! HOO-HOO! (He giggles to himself.)423

(Just then, amongst the panic and strife outside the street the bank is on, Kelly Creed so happens to be the nearest officer to the scene. She starts seeing all this panic and opens up her armband, which has a radio/intercom on it that she can speak into. She starts jogging very slowly towards the bank from the left.)424

Kelly: This is officer Creed, finance district, suspected disturbance coming from Metropolis bank on Parkway road. Over. (She says on her intercom.)425

Intercom operator: Hello, this is 5321. Take care and proceed with caution. 426

(As the intercom message comes through, two loud shots are heard and they ring through the bank and the street it’s adjacent to. More panic and screaming. The camera follows Kelly as she reaches the crime scene and takes cover in a corner, outside the bank, near to the double doors.)427

Kelly: (To intercom operator.) Ok, two loud bangs. Sounds like gunshots. Suspected bank robbery. I need back up, get me back up! (She peers around the corner and can’t see anything.)428

JIAB: Am I killing too many people today? (He asks one of the thugs as the bank manager lies on the marble floor in a slump, blood trickling out of him, just like his life.)429

Thug#3: No boss! 430

JIAB: Get the transport ready chap. We’re making an exit! (He walks towards the thugs at the safe who’ve been waiting patiently. He grabs one of their kit bags and throws them each a bundle of highly explosive TNT. They look at him clueless.) Boys! We’re gonna’ blow ourselves a hole! HAHAHAHAHAHA! (They start sticking the bundles of TNT out of the kitbags around the safe walls. Another thug gets his machine gun and aims it at the glass ceiling, making a gaping hole.) 431

Dear citizens! A dead hostage is never as useful as a live hostage, so I’m sparing you all! Count yourself lucky that you have proper jobs and that you did as I said! Now, hand me over your jewellery, fine watches, fake earrings and more importantly, your cold, loving credits. All of it. NOW! (He pumps another bullet into the air. A thug starts collecting it all in a bowler hat given to him by JIAB.)432

Thug#2: Boss! Sirens! (We can then hear sirens screeching from a distance. *Stuck in the middle- Steel wheelers* starts playing as we see JIAB’s face light up like a total maniac, revelling in the chaos he wields. The song is supposed to be ironic from the point of view of the scene, which has been very serious and dark.433

We then hear the distant sound of a gunship coming to their rescue. Their getaway transport obviously.)434

JIAB: (Sniffs the air) Mmmm, the sweet smell of destruction… Heheheh! (He walks towards the front of the bank, along with the other thugs who join him and he gets out his detonator.) Now everyone, hope you all have ear protection! (Gasps and screams as he presses the button and the TNT lets rip and blows apart the bank wall which the huge safe was connected to, we switch to Kelly who see’s a rush of smoke and dust come out of the bank doors and more screaming and panicking.)435

YES! YES! YES! There is a god! (He proclaims as he walks towards the safe which is no longer protected by the wall, which has disappeared into rubble and dust. The massive safe, which is a circular room unto itself, is untouched though. No marks on it.436

I would just like to remind all of you that though I’ve let you all live; it doesn’t mean it was my intention! Let’s show Metropolis how Jack-in-a-Box does things here! (His thugs start slapping TNT bundles all around the bank as horrified and crying people look on, some are shouting to be spared but JIAB has gone way beyond that now.)437

Thug#1: Boss! It’s here! (The camera as well as JIAB looks up and we see the armed helicopter/gunship hovering above the bank, one of the men on it drops numerous amounts of chains down which clank onto the marble floor.)438

JIAB: Three minutes! (* Stuck in the middle- Steel wheelers* ends.)439

(Elsewhere though, Kelly has crept into the bank and at the front entrance, just before the double doors which are inside after a hundred metres or so, she sneaks up on a thug and pistol-whips him. He falls down in a crumpled heap and she carries on creeping up into the bank, towards the busted double doors. 440

The thugs start hurriedly connecting the chains and wrapping them around the sphere like safe. JIAB turns around and as he’s about to ask how many cops are outside he’s confronted by Kelly.)441

JIAB: Huh?442

Kelly: Put it down Redding! (She says with a hissing authority.)443

JIAB: If… you say so… (As he’s about to drop his gun and hold his hands up, a security guard that was upstairs and wasn’t killed comes bounding down with a double barrel.)444

Security guard: Who do you guys think you are huh? (Two thugs look around and get blown away as he pumps the lead into them.) Do you guys know who you’re messing with? (Marching towards JIAB as the thugs start cowering, from the shots he aims at them, JIAB slips and scarpers behind the side of a nearby table.) Huh? Who do you lot think you are? (Kelly is distracted and as she realises where he’s gone, she see’s a gun pointed straight at her.)445