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39. INT: [FLASHBACK: JULY 14]
THE HALL:
THE LIBRARY:
UNCLE (VO)
Interloping, am I? ALDOUS freezes, then spins around. Faces us in CU. ALDOUS Uncle! Looming over seated ALDOUS, UNCLE is pregnant with thrilling tidings. ALDOUS tries to hide his alarm. ALDOUS No, Uncle, Sir. It's just that I didn't expect you. UNCLE I had a feeling you were hiding out at home. But why avoid that beautiful new corner office I gave you back at the HQ? ALDOUS Corner office? That makes one think of windows. Double exposure. A room with a view. What does "corner office" mean when you're eleven floors underground? UNCLE
A corner's a corner. Bury it, it's still a corner. Ask your co-workers. They
know it's a corner. They're jealous as Hell.
ALDOUS covers genuine apprehension by taking ironic, poetic tone. ALDOUS
Because it's all too — sinister. Why the sudden gift, I wondered? Then
I had a decisive vision. Of days of yore, when Kings of the May were battened and regaled. But alas,
only in preparation for the final rite.
UNCLE laughs sudden and loud. Chains on in ALDOUS' style, which is more truly UNCLE'S own. UNCLE So you think I'm going to dress you in a loin-cloth and send you out into the fields with a pretty young thing, only to come upon you verily as you cum, and alas, rend you asunder with a sharpened scythe, navel to neck, my lovely? Ha ha! ALDOUS To water the crops with my blood, why not? UNCLE O Aldous Tate, nephew mine, when will you understand that your blood — is my blood? ALDOUS stands, goes to MANTELPIECE. UNCLE joins him, takes urgent, confidential tone. UNCLE The Days of Yore are gone, and I must be stark, as are our times. As you know, there was a meeting scheduled for next week between Madame Peralta and several insurgent commandantes from San Federal and neighboring nations. A high-level decision was taken. Pre-empt the meeting at all costs. ALDOUS Kill the commanders before they could get to the capitol. UNCLE Yes. And not a difficult task, one would think, as the leaders were all gathered atop a certain Bald Mountain — meeting among themselves before confronting the Queen Bitch. That much we knew. By planting a homing device on a do-gooder US citizen who was determined to fuck a Commandante or some such, we found out what ought to have been the precise location of their camp. So we bombed the Hell out of the spot. But it turned out to be entirely void of Enemy or anyone else. Almost anyone. There was evidence that this particular US citizen had cooperated with the guerrillas and purposively led us astray. And there was also evidence that she — ALDOUS She? UNCLE — That she, was still nearby. A witness to our bungled attempt. So an infuriated Major — an Advisor, no less, took up a weapon and went after her. Before it was over, he was dead and she was gone. Fingerprint analysis of the murder weapon, an AK47, shows she dun it. No question. She murdered a Marine. ALDOUS Who is she? One of our home-grown terrorists? Is she wanted for anything else? UNCLE Oh, she's apparently in great demand. In Hollywood. She's an actress. A real cunt. Named Unicorn, or something. ALDOUS Una Horn? ALDOUS can't help but break up. UNCLE joins in. UNCLE
That's right. And Una's yours. However painful it may be, I want you to
— tail her. And to have her favorite producer, a Jew, of course — is it
Friedmann? — do a certain TV series. He's easy. Vulnerable via the nasal apertures. I've got a
director in mind for the show, too. He's old-line Hollywood. Has never consented to do
television. Too low-brow, and so on. But he's vulnerable via — well, a different
aperture. Agent Tweed researched this one. Says our director's hooked up with a young Special FX
man. Very special, I'm sure. And our director is married! To a Hollywood hostess. Tweed says
wifey's laying a Negro gaffer. Ooo la la! But our director's still dead-set on staying in the
closet. So, you see, I'm quite certain he'll do TV for us.
ALDOUS About this uh, decoy business. You're actually considering sending this Miss Horn back to San Federal? UNCLE No, my boy. And that is the point. Miss Horn returns to the USA tomorrow, and here she'll stay — in the palm of our hand. Then, we bring Madame Peralta to the USA! A grand publicity tour culminating in a Motor — I'll give you all the details at the proper time. Meanwhile, you must get as close to Miss Horn as you can. Tail her, as I said. Make her talk. By any means necessary. ALDOUS Are you invoking Eros or Thanatos? UNCLE shrugs. UNCLE
Depends on whether she succeeded in fucking a Commandante.
ALDOUS is deeply stung, does best to hide it. Reference to youthful days of rage is challenge and blackmail at once. UNCLE reads his nephew's face and smiles. FADE THROUGH TO: 40. INT: MORNING — 94/5
UNCLE smiles the same smile. An idea twinkles in his eye. "PROTESTER" AGENT waits for answer to query posed in Scene 38. A burly guy, he is eager to get into fray. "PROTESTER" ADVISOR As I said, Sir, should we put those demonstrators behind barriers — or behind bars? UNCLE
Neither. We haven't been out–hamleted yet. Let's wait.
UNCLE'S wily genius is at work. DEMONSTRATORS CHANT "DOWN WITH
PERALTA!" (OFF)
CUT TO: 41. EXT: MORNING — 93/5
UNA, wearing a long OVERCOAT, watches the melee. Suddenly, she starts up. Could it be him? In profile, a LATINO MAN, near UNA on sidelines, strikingly resembles AMILCAR. Until he turns around. JERK wears "VIVA BIANCA" BUTTON. He puckers up, sends UNA a kiss. UNA turns away, closes her eyes. [UNA was not assigned to Combat Unit. Instead, AMILCAR entrusted her with organization of back-up action. UNA knows nothing of Safehouse, assumes AMILCAR and Combat Unit are somewhere on Avenue.) FADE TO BLACK; HOLD TO: |
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