Bulletproof Unc
The let out at a high school graduation. The sun is high above, beating down.
In our frame: A white family poses together on the front lawn of the school, smiling ear to ear. They’re huddled around a medium-height, slender, blonde-haired boy at the center, wearing a gradutaion cap. We don’t know the young boy’s name, so for the sake of it we’ll call him “Cody.”
“CODY”
Hold on, Mom. He’s saying we need to get in closer.
“CODY”’S MOM
Honey, I’m as close as I can get. You tell your father over on that side to move in.
“CODY”
Mom!!! One of you do something! I don’t care who.
We pull back and the screen of a smartphone floats into view, as the family squeezes in tighter while maintaining big smiles. A pair of melanated hands hold the device. It’s pressing the shutter over and over. Like, a lot.
“CODY” (continued)
Sir, can you take one like this?
With one arm draped around a younger girl who looks just like him, “Cody” gestures a rectangle turning on its side. He wants a landscape photo.
We hear a voice close to us, deep and full of bass:
THE VOICE
Mmmmhmmm.
The family keeps posing. More shutter presses.
“CODY”
Sir, thank you so much. You’re the best.
THE VOICE
No problem.
We flip around to the source of the voice and are introduced to Clint, a 60-some year old-looking black man with salt and pepper hair. He wears tinted shades, a knitted polo with the top button undone, wide pleated slacks, down to a pair of hardbottoms. There’s a bluetooth piece in his ear and he’s got a little glisten going from the heat. No problem though, as there’s a white towel draped over his shoulder.
Around him in all directions are hundreds of people: families celebrating the achievement of young kids headed off to college in a matter of months.
A black woman (she looks about Clint’s age) dressed to the nines, scoots past him and smiles at him. He nods back at her with a calm reassurance. She joins her family, a group of 6, as they also gather around a young girl to take pictures. It’s a very structured exercise.
Another black family nearby is a bit more animated. They mess with the young man in the center of it all, pushing him around and pulling on the tassle hanging off hsi graduation cap. He’s giggling at all the attention.
FAMILY MEMBER #1
HEll yeah, young boul!!
FAMILY MEMBER #2
College bound!! I see you!
FAMILY MEMBER #3
(To Clint)
Ay, Gerald! Come over here!
This is one of the older men in this family, he’s tapping Clint on the shoulder.
Clint just looks at him. The man realizes his mistake:
FAMILY MEMBER #3 (continued)
Oh shit, my fault brotha. Ha-ha! I thought you was someone else. B-but congrats to you brotha!
CLINT
No problem… Brotha.
Back close on Clint: he’s very very focused. He surveys around the graduation. He’s looking for something.
We move to a large dark room. It’s a gynasium and all the lights are off. Slowly, we reveal to behind the bleachers: a group of masked men are huddled around a canvas sheet with a pile of automatic weapons laid out. There are 4 of these henchmen in total and they pick up the weapons, trying them on for size, aiming them in preparation.
Back outside. While surveying, Clint senses something behind him. He turns around and catches a glimpse of “Cody” running up to him, bubbly and full of energy.
“CODY”
My mom wanted me to tell you thanks. She’s been worried about my grades for this last semester and so she’s all strung out today, so I apologize for her behavior. Do you want me to return the favor and take a picture of you with your family?
Off in the distance, we see “Cody”’s mom with a stern look on her face, nudging “Cody” to keep going.
CLINT
I’m not with them. I’m not with nobody.
“CODY”
Well, how about I take a picture for just you? You could have it for your scrapbook. You know, some fit pics. You’re dressed nicely and it’s a sunny day.
CLINT
Young man. I’m busy right now.
“CODY”
You don’t look busy.
Clint doesn’t respond. “Cody” takes the smartphone out and points the lens on a full body photo of Clint.
“CODY” (continued)
Here. I got you.
Clint snatches the phone with lightning quick reflexes, locks it and puts it in Cody’s shirt chest pocket, with the rear lens facing inwards.
CLINT
Please don’t do that.
“CODY”
Oh. Sheesh.
“Cody” is visibly rejected. Clint watches him.
CLINT
I’m looking for someone.
“Cody” perks back up.
“CODY”
Oh! Who are you looking for? I know every single person in our graduating classes name by heart. I also feel like i’ve been to most of their houses before. I actually came second in the student government elections. I got what amounts to the popular vote, and the teacher’s said I had some of the best speeches they’d ever heard. I feel like if I spent more time on the actual campaign materials I would have—
CLINT
It’s not a student.
“CODY”
Oh. Well. I’ll look, too.
Cody stands next to Clint and crosses his arms, mimicking the stoic side to side gaze. Clint sighs.
CLINT
What’s your name, young man?
“CODY”
I’m Kody, with a K.
CLINT
Ah, of course. Well, Kody. I need a favor real quick.
KODY
What you need, big dawg?
CLINT
I need you to go up to that limo right there and ask them to move. You see the way they’re parked in front of the walkway, right at the curb. Tell them they gotta move bout 20 feet so that the students have a place to step off. It’s a hazard right now. Can you do that?
KODY
That’s Mayor Brighton’s limo.
CLINT
I know that, young man.
KODY
Uh, okay. Bet. Say less.
CLINT
Thank you.
We stay with Clint as he watches Kody jog over to the limo and knock on the passenger’s side window. The driver doesn’t budge. Kody starts gesturing with his hands and pointing at the student body. Clint’s eyes shift to the crowd.
CLOSE UP SHOTS OF INDIVIDUAL FACES IN THE CROWD:
-An older black man, in his late 70s at least, is waiting patiently. He coughs and takes a second to compose himself.
WHIP PAN TO:
-A white lady is standing by a group of students smiling with her hands clasped together. Teacher perhaps?
WHIP PAN TO:
-A man in his late 30s, white with eastern-euro features, wearing a dapper suit and some sunglasses is watching Kody’s conversation with the limo intensely.
Clint makes a beeline for the man. The man spots him and jogs off. Clint not about to run though, so he stops and surveys the crowd again. More graduation-ready faces until: Another euro-looking sunglassed gentleman about 20 feet away saw the first man start running, but he didn’t see Clint. He starts fleeing too but he’s hustling right by us.
Clint sticks his leg out and the man trips, his face heading straight for the floor. WIth a balletic grace, Clint reaches down, lets the towel from his shoulder fall onto his forearm and catches the man by the chest before hitting the ground like his whole being is a tray of food or some shit.
CLINT
Whoops! I gotcha!
Clint takes his thumb and index finger and firmly pinches the small dipped area about four finger-widths above where the man’s achilles is located: the man dozes off immediately. Clint brings him back up to a standing position and drapes his arm around him.
CLINT
(with full teeth showing)
Aw man!! So good to see you!
Clint laughs hysterically while maintaining the the unconscious man’s upright posture, pretending to be catching up with an old friend for all the onlookers. He clearly strong as shit.
Clint limps the man over to a nearby bench and pretends to hold a conversation, but slips his hand into the mans inner chest pocket and waistband. He finds a wallet and a pistol. He tucks the pistol in his pants and grabs the wallet, looking through it while continuing to survey the crowd.
He pulls out the man's ID. It’s a HAWAII Driver’s License and it says: VLADIMIR JONES, DOB: 06/03/1981. Clint sucks his teeth. This man don’t look a day older than 25.
CLINT
(to himself)
This fake as hell.
Clint surveys the crowd for more Vladimir Joneses. What’s really going on here?
MORE TIGHT WHIP PANS to people in the graduation crowd: No, not him. No, not her. Not her either.
Whip pan to over by the curb, The limo is finally moving, and Kody is gesturing like a traffic cop.
KODY
You got another foot! Keep coming!
Continuing Clint’s POV: The graduation crowd seems to part and give way to a young black girl in a pale pink dress and high heels. This is ZARAH. She has a 1000-watt smile and a whole group of people are crowded around her including an older black man with a really presidential looking suit and his own crowd of people around him. This is Mayor Darnell Brighton, her father. Like a perfect mirror, parents swarm him while students magnetize around her. Just as quickly as they were revealed in the crowd from this tight angle, the bodies move together and close Clint’s vantage point on the two of them.
KODY
(startling the POV)
“Who’s your friend?”
CLINT
(Pointing to Vlad)
Who? This guy? Oh, I don’t know who he is.
Somewhere nearby, but isolated. A close up of the first “Vladimir Jones” that Clint spotted, running away from the graduation but talking into an earpiece.
FIRST VLAD
It’s time to go. Now.
Back in the auditorium. We follow the nose of an automatic weapon through the darkness. We swing around to a follow shot of the masked man holding the gun and reveal the group of three other masked and armed men behind him. They FLING OPEN an exit door and walk into a flood of sunlight.
We track behind them as they move in a makeshift military formation, checkpointing at available corners and giving hand signals. The camera swoops UP and we see them located on the same small campus as the large graduation crowd, only a couple hundred feet away, bending around buildings en route to where everyone is.
Back at the bench. Kody sits sandwiched between Clint and the slumped dude.
KODY
(pointing)
So that right there is Jemere. He’s got a crazy high vert. No D1 scholarships but got recruited to like a D3 military school type thing. Which doesn’t really count but I think he could make an impact if given minutes.
Clint just nods. Then, just on the other side of the crowd: pure commotion. Womanly screams and a loud blanketed murmur. The energy completely shifts. Clint can’t see anything, so he stands up and sees black automatic rifles pointed above the crowd, but so does everyone else. The whole crowd begins RUNNING in pandemonium. Parents, grandparents, students, teachers sprint in the direction of the parking lot. Clint heads straight for the commotion but can’t break through as the wave of people pushes him back.
The crowd dissipates. Clint steps into the cleared courtyard. There are two black male bodyguards, also in suits, on the ground rubbing their heads, presumably with the mayor. There’s a cluster of unused zipties on the ground near them. The mayor himself is in the middle of the courtyard, on his knees with his palms facing the sky.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
They took my baby!!! Noooo!!!
The two husky bodyguards stand up and pick the mayor up, as he continues sobbing loudly. Clint offers a hand, but they swat it away.
BODYGUARD 1
Where the fuck was you, Clint?
Clint stands by and watches as they carry the hysterical Mayor off, his legs dangling, not touching the floor once. As they reach the curb:
BODYGUARD 1
Yo!! Where the fuckin limo go??
BODYGUARD 2
I don’t know!!! It was supposed to be right here!
BODYGUARD 1
Oh! There it go! Why the fuck did he move!?
MAYOR BRIGHTON
My baaaaaby!!!!!!
They toss the mayor into the backseat of the limo and it speeds off. Clint turns on a dime and heads for the parking lot. He approaches a busted, maroon town car with woodgrain side paneling. He gets in.
Clint immediately fires up the engine and the A/C, then wipes his brow with the towel. His passenger door opens and Kody slides into the passenger’s seat.
KODY
That was SO crazy.
CLINT
What the hell you doing, man?
KODY
I’m coming with you.
Kody gets comfy in the passenger and starts putting on his seatbelt.
CLINT
Hell no, man. Your parents probably looking for you, I’m not about to be responsible for some little white boy. Not with all this.
KODY
Oh, they’ll be fine. I’ll text my mom and tell her I met up with friends. Besides, you left this.
Kody pulls the pistol out of his pocket. Clint, surprised, furrows his brow then checks his pockets.
CLINT
You little muhfu—How’d you get that?
KODY
I kinda… just… take things sometimes. It’s a weird habit of mine.
(beat)
Plus, it’s not a real gun anyway so I figured you were just pretending.
CLINT
What?
KODY
You didn’t know it wasn’t real?
Kody brandishes the gun in the light and it doesnt take a reflection. It’s heavy and solid, but it’s clear now it’s an articulate prop. Clint takes a deep sigh.
CLINT
Yeah, well. I, uh. I took it off the guy on the bench.
KODY
See! I knew you were like secret service or something. No family, no pictures. ULTRA smooth with it. Mayor Brighton hired you, didn’t he?
Clint doesn’t answer. He takes the towel off his shoulder, uncorks the bluetooth from his ear, and tucks both neatly in the middle console. Kody keeps going.
KODY (continued)
Ooooh, shit! This is some high-level political kidnapping shit—uh, stuff, isn’t it? And you know what, Zarah was really mean to me one time. She told me she didn’t vote for me to my face. So I hope she’s okay and all, but—I could help you! Seriously. I know enough about the school, the ins and outs. If you really want my help to figure out what’s going on here, I’m the perfect guy for the j—Wait. You really couldn’t tell this wasn’t a real gun? Haha! It’s so fake.
Clint puts the car in drive.
CLINT
I’ve never used one before. I’ve never had to.
KODY
Whoaaaa. That’s fucking badass, man!! But why?
Clint takes a long look at the young man, then presses the pedal.
CLINT
Long story.
The town car speeds off.
Street level on a city block, about 20 minutes later. Clint’s car parks in front of a super modest city row home storefront that says “HOPE CAMERA BROKERAGE” on the signage.
Inside the Camera shop. Clint enters through the front door, ringing a bell on his way in. We see all around us: vintage film cameras of every kind. Metal construction, plastic construction, every different format. No digital tho. The black man behind the register, bald headed and even older than Clint, is turning a screwdriver into the internals of a Canon, wearing some pretty intense glasses to see his progress. He stops to look up at who walked in.
RON
Alright, Clint.
CLINT
How you doin, Ron.
KODY
(immediately)
What’s good, Ron. Cool shop you got.
Kody reaches out for the dap. Ron, very slowly, obliges.
RON
(chuckling)
Thank you, young man.
Clint and Kody scoot past the shop into a long creaky hallway, with a flight of stairs at the end. They mozy up them and Clint slides a key into a the door of an apartment labeled 4L.
Inside Clint’s apartment. We could say it’s not too shabby, but lowkey it’s pretty shabby. There’s not much to see, no pictures or anything, though there’s a single martial arts wooden dummy in the far corner of the room. Next to it, leaned against the wall is a Casio electric keyboard, looks like it hasn’t been used in a while. There are worn clothes peppered throughout the room, and most of them sit on top of the sparing furniture: namely the couch that’s plopped in front of a single 50” TV. A 4-foot high media storage tower, full of DVDs, sits upright next to it. We smash into a close up of its contents: 20-30 different copies of The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3. Whoa. Some of the DVD sleeves are in Español, some of them are in French. But there is not a single other movie in Clint’s collection other than this franchise.
KODY
Cool place, bruh!
Kody plops down at the modest 4-person dining table, the only place to really sit, tossing his graduation cap onto it.
KODY (continued)
Phew! Detective work is hard.
Clint hangs up his towel on a coat rack and goes to the kitchen. He opens the fridge and takes out a half-full liter of orange juice and drinks straight from it.
KODY
Can I take my phone out?
CLINT
If you remember to never train the lens on me. Ever. Then, yes.
(beat)
Thank you for asking.
KODY
Yeah.
(beat)
… Look! Someone, someone got footage of the incident earlier today. I’m looking at it right now on stories. It’s shaky… but…
Clints body turns to Kody. He hesitates a moment.
CLINT
Yeah, lemme see that.
Clint stands over Kody’s shoulder and they watch the phone together.
IN the phone:
Shaky footage by someone on the other side of the courtyard where all the students and families were gathered. Someone was taking a video of the wider crowd when we see the black automatic rifles emerge in the deep background. The crowd starts to scream and disperse frantically. The footage holds on the masked men as they emerge.
CLINT
Hold on, stop it right there.
Kody holds his index finger down on the screen. It pauses.
CLINT
No, no, go back.
Kody swipes back a couple seconds.
CLINT
Now stop it.
It pauses again on a clear view of one of the masked men holding the automatic rifle above his head demonstratively. Through the eye opening in his mask we can see he’s a white man. Stocky build, about 6 foot.
CLINT
Can you like, zoom in?
Kody pinches. We go in close to the man.
CLINT
Look, he’s not even holding the trigger, there isn’t even a hole for him to put his finger through. Those guns are fake, too, man.
The gun looks just like the one he took off Vlad.
KODY
Wow! Something’s up!
CLINT
Sure is.
KODY
We could’ve beat them boys up!
CLINT
Let it play.
Kody releases his finger. The scene plays out sloppily as the camerperson starts running while filming, but we see the kidnapping: The masked men make a beeline for Zarah, grab her and tie her arms behind her back with a zip tie. We see one of them throw the cluster of zip ties on the ground and hurredly rush in the direction they came from while carrying her over their shoulder. It’s an eerie sight, they came for her specifically, grabbed her and left.
KODY
(under his breath)
Ugh. Sloppy, if you ask me.
Clint looks bewildered at this opinionated little white boy. He’s right tho.
CLINT
Yeah. Mayor’s daughter. Big ransom. Dropping the zipties. Huh. You would think they would be more careful with such a high profile target.
KODY
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
CLINT
… the hell you asking me for?
KODY
No, it’s like a saying we have.
CLINT
Huh?
KODY
Like, when someone says something lowkey philosophical you just go ‘Is a hot dog a sandwich?’ and then that’s it.
CLINT
What’s the answer?
KODY
Oh, I don’t know. It depends. It’s like a question that has no answer. Some of the other kids say “type shit” but me—and my friends—we didn’t think that sounded appropriate so we, all of us, we just say “is a hot dog a sandwich?”
Clint stares at the white boy for a prolonged moment.
KODY (continued)
Ok ok, I made it up. It’s just my thing right now. But I think it could catch on.
CLINT
Huh.
Clint looks back at the phone, as the video has looped back to the kidnapping part again.
CLINT (continued)
Poor girl.
KODY
Where were the Mayor’s bodyguards when this was happening? I don’t see them.
CLINT
I don’t know. But I was supposed to be with them. The Mayor told me that something might go down. He pulled me aside and told me to stay alert, to make sure that nothing would happen to him and his family. He seemed paranoid.
(beat)
I could have done something.
KODY
No way, man! You were doing your job! You didn’t know this was going to happen. At least we know now that they’re fake. We can go find them, and then tell the Mayor what’s up.
CLINT
I don’t know about that. This was my first time doing this. He hired me as a freelancer. I think he probably won’t want to hear from me again.
KODY
Aw come on. Look at these frauds, this is a big development. We gotta let the mayor know!
Clint with another long look at Kody.
CLINT
Yeah. Huh.
(beat)
I guess I could go to his office. Huh.
KODY
Aw yes!
Clint puts the orange juice away and prepares to leave.
CLINT
You stay here. Don’t got much in the fridge but… I got stuff to watch if you want. I’ll be back soon.
KODY
What! Oh nah!! I’m coming with.
Kody stands up, tucks his graduation cap under his arm and stands by the door. Clint opens his mouth to talk, but elects against it.
Clint’s car pulls up to the the office of the mayor.
Clint and Kody walks in through a door to a modest office. It’s one of those earlier offices, the one before the mayor’s, where a secretary might typically be. But, we only see the two bodyguards from before. The talkative one, his name is Dell. He’s a big, rotund bald-headed mf with tiny eyes. A tad unkempt in the face, but the important detail is that he’s got about 6 inches and 90 pounds on Clint.
DELL
Oh wow. The hell you doin here, CLINT.
Dell said “Clint” with some real force behind it. Clint doesn’t take the bait.
CLINT
I have some news. For the mayor. About his daughter.
DELL
He’s not seeing people right now. He’s… processing.
CLINT
Man, let me through. It’s some stuff y’all gonna wanna hear, too.
DELL
Yeah, like what, CLINT?
CLINT
Boy, don’t play with me. I need to see Mayor Brighton.
Dell steps close to Clint’s face. A long stare between the two men. Clint holds his position. Dell relents.
DELL
Go ahead in.
The inside of the mayor’s office is more ornate than expected. He clearly decked it out with gold trims and furniture to make it feel more luxurious than your typical political place of work.
CLINT
Mayor Brighton.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
Ay! There he is. What can I do for you? Cliff, was it?
CLINT
It’s Clint.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
Oh, aight. Clint. What you need, brotha?
CLINT
Well, I’m here to report back, Mayor Brighton. I have some updates.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
Uh, about what? And who is this?
CLINT
This is Kody. A student at Zarah’s school. He’s helping me with the investigation.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
Investigation.
The Mayor nods from behind his desk, takes a long pause to look at the two visitors. He stands up and walks around to the front of the desk. His face is more concerned.
MAYOR BRIGHTON (continued)
Right. Of course. I’m worried sick, I ain’t gonna lie. Please, tell me what you know.
CLINT
Kody.
Kody steps up and shows the Mayor the looping video of the incident. The Mayor watches the video intently.
KODY
So, if you look here, you;ll see that the men that took your daughter are armed, but these guns are fake.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
How do you know?
Kody pulls the fake gun out of his pocket and brandishes it up in the air. The mayor doesn’t flinch at the sight of it. Clint gently pulls Kody’s arm down, becuase the gun is pointed right at Clint as he holds it up.
CLINT
You see, I took this off of one of the sunglassed men that were snooping around the graduation. He tried to run, but I got to him first.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
Wow. Huh.
CLINT
I also got his ID. And I ain’t never, in all my life, seen nobody named Vladimir Jones. And I been around a long time. A real long time, uh ha. It was real fishy to me, Mayor Brighton.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
Huh. Is that right?
KODY
Spooky stuff, sir!
MAYOR BRIGHTON
So they take my daugher, and fake all of it without any real muscle? So they must not want to hurt her? So she gotta be safe, right?
CLINT
That’s what we’re thinking. They probably want money and some notoriety, but it’s not like they can do anything, Mayor Brighton. They don’t want to.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
You know…
(beat)
This exactly why I hired you, brotha. I saw what you did last week when you went down there and pulled that homeless gentleman’s head out of the sewer, and I’m thinking: Man, we need some new blood. Some new ideas and new energy. Them dickheads outside my door just going through the motions. You know what. I want you to follow this trail for me. You said they was white guys?
CLINT
That’s right.
MAYOR BRIGHTON
I’ll let you in on a secret. We been having some real issues with the I-talian mafia here in town lately. We go way back, before I was in office. And they hate that I’m up in office and won’t do everything they ask. Shit, if it was up to me they’d alll be locked up.
Clint leans in.
CLINT
So you think they’re sending a message?
MAYOR BRIGHTON
Clint, right? Yeah, Clint. I think they trying to send a message. I want you to do something for me, Clint. Can you follow a lead for me? The mafia supply house is over there on Front and Wynton Sts. Right on the corner. It’s sometimes where they get shipments for various things. Don’t ask me how I know. But I want you to go over there and check it out. You don’t have to tell them the Mayor sent you. In fact, don’t. But if I know them well enough, I want you to ask for a “Carmichael”: it’ll get their attention. Say that you have a message for Carmichael when you get there. That name is of great importance to them and they’ll take any chance to listen. But don’t deliver that message unless you get to a Carmichael? I mean it Clint, don’t tell it to anyone else, even if they press your ass. Assert yourself and tell them what’s what.
CLINT
Front and… Wynton streets. Carmichael. Ok I got it. And about your daughter, sir?
MAYOR
Ah, well. Just tell them you know what they’re up to. And if they don’t return “the package” to a safe secure location in the next 24 hours then it’s gon’ be a real problem. But don’t forget the message for Carmichael. Can you do that for me?
CLINT
Yes, I can.
MAYOR
You guys say they won’t hurt anyone, well, test that. Push their buttons. And don’t let them lie to you. We got the footage right here.
The mayor steps even closer.
MAYOR (continued)
I mean it, Clint. I need some real muscle on this. Show them who’s who.
The mayor walks away.
CLINT
I’m on it, sir. That’s no problem. But what’s the message?
The mayor turns back again and leans in close to Clint’s ear and whispers something inaudible. He steps back, staring at Clint.
MAYOR
That’s only for Carmichael, you hear?
CLINT
I got it.
MAYOR
And you, you attend my daughter’s school, yes?
KODY
Formerly, sir. Headed to Georgetown in the fall!
MAYOR
Ah. Well, I know some people at Georgetown. I thank you for your help with this, and I’ll make sure to put in my recommendation for you. Clint, see to it that this young man gets back home safely. I think you can handle it from here.
(toward the door)
Ay, Dell! Come escort these fine gentlemen out.
The door opens and Dell pokes his head in, smiling all crooked and whatnot. Clint shakes the Mayor’s hand before leaving. Kody looks back as he walks out.
Clint and Kody cruising through the city in the town car. It’s pretty quiet. Finally, Clint looks over to his makeshift partner.
CLINT
What's a good place for me to drop you off?
KODY
Damn. I was hoping you wouldn’t say that.
CLINT
You heard the mayor. The rest of this is grown up business.
KODY
You believed all that?
CLINT
Believe what?
KODY
Uh, I don’t know. Nevermind.
CLINT
Lemme know where I can drop you.
KODY
I did a project once where I had to map out the routes of our subway system and track the movements that the different buses take, but I geotagged myself and took screenshots of my movements while investigating and organized it so that the dropped pins looked exactly like our school’s mascot.
CLINT
Uh huh.
A long pause. Clint gives him a look like ‘and?’
KODY
I’m good here. I can find my way home.
Clint pulls over.
CLINT
I appreciate you, young man.
Kody nods, then exits the vehicle. Clint reaches in the middle console and pulls out the towel and bluetooth headset.
We’re close on the street signs at the intersection of Front and Wynton streets. Clint steps out of the vehicle and we track with him across the street until he arrives at the warehouse. He knocks on the door three times. It has one of those slots that slides open and a sliver of a white face with green eyes and dark sideburns, wearing wired earbuds, peers through.
CLINT
I have a message.
DOORMAN
Aight. Big deal. Fuck off.
The opening slides closed. Clint knocks again. This time with a friendlier 808 pattern.
CLINT
I have a message, I said.
The opening slides open.
DOORMAN
Me too. It’s the same one as before. Fuck off.
CLINT
It’s for Carmichael.
The opening stays open and the eyes squint at Clint. The opening slides closed and the door unlocks, then opens. The man standing on the other side of it has slicked back hair and a medium build, and he’s wearing a white t-shirt with Nike Tech pack sweats and white forces with black socks. He’s no more than 22. Clint enters the building. The man pats him down, looking under the towel draped over Clint’s shoulder.
DOORMAN
Go that way.
The man points to a long hallway. Clint goes down it.
We’re in a large warehouse room, and there are boxes piled high to the ceiling. Boxes of what, we can’t say from this far away. We’re right with Clint as he enters, he’s surveying the room. From the shadows emerge about 11 different white men, with 60-70% of them having the same slick back hairdo and the rest with more modern cuts. Some old, some young. But it’s clear who’s in charge when one of them, somewhere in his late 30s, steps forward. This is Alfie, and he’s looking at his phone screen.
ALFIE
I got a text here. It says you got a message. But not just any message. Care to explain?
CLINT
Well, I’m here for a very specific reason. I have a message for Carmichael.
ALFIE
No, I know that. But you can’t just say that and not explain.
CLINT
I was sent here to deliver it to him directly.
ALFIE
This fuckin guy, man.
Alfie steps closer. Clint doesn’t move.
ALFIE
Aight, one more time. Do… you… care… to… explain.
CLINT
I’m here to talk to Carmichael. He’s the one I wanna deliver a message to. Can you go get him?
ALFIE
Ohhh shit. Here we go. Did I fuckin order a funny guy from Amazon Delivery service? Is that who you are? Or are you the delivery guy? I didn’t know you fucks hired workers this old.
CLINT
Look, man. It’s from somebody of great importance. I think we both know who I’m talking about. If you could just tell Carmichael to return the package, this will all get resolved. You don’t want to make him mad.
ALFIE
You talking about my fuckin’ dead cousin Carmichael? The one who got killed? That’s who you talking about?? You fuckin’ with me?
Alfie unholsters his gun from his belt and holds it at his side.
CLINT
I’m talking about the Mayor’s daughter.
ALFIE
Man, fuck the Mayor’s daughter.
CLINT
Hey, hey. Hold on now. Watch your mouth.
ALFIE
No, fuck you. You’re not about to just come in here and mention my cousin by name, and—you know what—
Alfie points the gun at Clint.
CLINT
Look, I don’t want no trouble.
ALFIE
Well, I don’t give a fuck. You got some.
We’re close on a smartphone screen, there’s a navigation app up with the destination set for Front and Wynton sts. Behind the phone, the world zooms fast around it. We pull out wider and it’s Kody, wearing a helmet and moving fast on a rideshare electric scooter.
Back in the warehouse.
CLINT
Take a deep breath, man. Let’s talk. You have her somewhere and I just need you to confirm with me that you’re going to return her. That’s all. I think at this point, there ain’t going to be no ransom money. No none of that.
ALFIE
Take a deep breath? How about you take a deep bullet. You got until the count of 3 to tell me what this fuckin’ message is and who sent you or I unload into your fuckin’ chest.
Clint steps forward towards Alfie, his eyes squinting. He’s looking at the gun that Alfie is holding. It’s pretty shiny.
CLINT
Listen, I need you to release the mayor’s daughter right now.
ALFIE
Hey, asshole. Since you don’t listen.
Alfie shoots a bullet at Clint’s feet. Clint doesn’t flinch, but he looks shocked.
ALFIE (continued)
One.
CLINT
Uhhh… okay, okay. Huh.
Clint takes a moment to think to himself, putting his hand on his chin.
CLINT
I think we need to take a step back here.
Alfie takes a step forward.
ALFIE
No, I think we’re just fine. Two.
A knock on the warehouse front door. The opening slides open:
DOORMAN
What?
KODY
I’ve got a delivery.
DOORMAN
I don’t take deliveries.
KODY
Well, this is the address they gave me.
DOORMAN
Who gave you?
KODY
(gesturing to his phone)
It says it right here.
CLINT
Listen: I was sent by the mayor to investigate his daughter’s kidnapping. I have reason to believe that you and those gentleman behind you were at a graduation earlier. If you are keeping her here, then please release her now.
ALFIE
I know fuckall about that.
CLINT
(pensive)
Huh. He said you might say that. But.. the rest of this isn’t quite going as planned.
ALFIE
You’re cooked, brother. You stepped into the wrong spot today.
CLINT
Well, here. I guess I can just tell you the message.
ALFIE
You better do something, motherfucker.
CLINT
(reciting)
Operation Butter Knife is about to melt.
The other 11 men all pull out their handguns simultaneously upon hearing Clint utter these words.
ALFIE
What the fuck did you just say?
DOORMAN
Lemme see that.
The doorman reaches a hand out of the opening and Kody hands his phone over, but then drops it before the doorman can grab it.
KODY
Oh shit.
Kody drops down low, too low for the Doorman to see him through the opening.
DOORMAN
What the fuck, man?
KODY
(from below)
Ah, frick man! Sorry! It’s stuck down here.
The doorman opens the door. Kody pops right back up.
KODY
Phew. Found it!
He hands the phone over to the doorman, face down. Then, close up in Kody’s left hand we see he’s holding a remote shutter button.
CLINT
No?
ALFIE
You disrespect the name of the great Carmichael Sbarro and talk out loud about our secret initiative. Who tf you think you are?
… Three, fucko!
Back at the door. We hear a loud GUNSHOT by the door to the warehouse, and the doorman’s attention immediately shifts to the hallway. The doorman looks back at Kody and then Kody punches the shit outta him, right in his chin. He falls down right in the lobby and his wired earbuds go flying. He out cold.
KODY
Ooooh, shit!
Kody immediately reaches for his hand, throbbing in pain. He takes his phone back and enters the building, running towards the sound of the gunshot lol.
Close on Alfie’s smoking gun. We flip around to Clint, and… he’s just standing there. There’s a bullet casing on the ground by his feet.
Alfie is stunned. He unloads another 3 shots. Nothing doing. Clint is unphased.
Clint lets off a deep sigh. The other men surrounding Alfie step back, as they don’t understand what’s happening.
We’re with the POV of Kody, he’s just entered the same room. He sees Clint standing in front of this group of men, all with guns at their sides. He hides behind a stack of boxes.
CLINT
Alright now.
ALFIE
What the fuck is going on here?
Alfie looks down at his gun, to make sure it’s not shooting blanks. He fires another one at the ground, and it connects.
ALFIE (continued)
Hey! All of yous fuckin’ guys! Shoot this motherfucker!!
The whole squad of men raises their guns at Clint, and they unload the clip. Gunshots ring off.
Over by the boxes, Kody is petrified. He ducks down and covers his ears.
The gunshots stop. The smoke clears. And you guessed it, not a scratch on Clint.
CLINT
Are y’all finished or are y’all done?
The whole room is stunned.
Clint takes the bluetooth piece out of his ear. Upon a closer look, it’s not a plastic bluetooth headset at all, it’s a dark, ancient metallic black earring-like thing with carvings in the side of it. He tightens his fist around it, takes a deep breath and slides it in his pocket. He flings the towel off his shoulder and tucks it into the waistband of his pants.
The men look on, confused.
We hear a familiar tune float in: It’s the opening notes to Future’s “Draco” instrumental.
Clint lowers into a fighting stance. His knees are working just fine.
He goes to work.
He engages henchmen #1. Open hand chop to the neck, that’s light work. He falls to the ground holding his shit. Henchmen #2, we got kicks for him. Left foot to the face, then a right foot to the chest, he goes flying back. Henchmen #3 tries to get ahead of his fate, and ambush Clint from the back with a choking maneuver. Clint flips him over onto his back and two-pieces him downward in the chest. Now he coughing up blood.
#4, 5 and 6 all take the approach of using the guns again. They unload on Clint but it doesn’t remotely stop his fluid martial arts movements. He fixes them right up. #7 heads for the exit while this is all happening. Smart man. #8 through 11 are all routine “we think we can take you” guys, but they have no choice fr. So Clint lets them get into fighting stances. They engage Clint and he blocks their punches as they come from all sides, and he kicks one away and then another and then another until there’s one left. He kind of a big dude, about 6’4” and ugly as hell. Doesn’t really matter. Clint punches him in the ribs then folds that into an elbow strike to the jaw, he goes down to his knees and Clint knees him in the face.
The instrumental goes off.
Clint stands a few feet from Alfie.
From behind the boxes, Kody looks on, stunned.
ALFIE
Ay look man, I don’t want any trouble. We got a misunderstanding going.
CLINT
Oh, now you don’t want no trouble. And I agree, something is very much misunderstood.
Clint chops the gun out of Alfie’s hand, 3-pieces Alfie in the gut, and he falls to his knees. Alfie grabs at Clint and Clint swiftly breaks 3 of his fingers, then pulls his shoulder joint out of place. He screams in agony. Clint grabs Alfie by the ear. He pinches down on a nerve ending.
ALFIE
Ah!!!
CLINT
(calm)
What is the Butter knife project?
ALFIE
Come on, man. You can go. We won’t say shit to anybody, just get outta here.
Clint pinches harder.
ALFIE
Ahhh! What the fuck! I thought you knew what it was!
CLINT
Remind me.
ALFIE
We got some shipments coming in from a far away place. Important product.
CLINT
Where?
ALFIE
From Georgia.
CLINT
What’s so crazy about that?
ALFIE
Like, the country Georgia.
CLINT
Oh. Huh. And what’s so special about the cargo?
ALFIE
Beats me.
Clint pinches harder.
ALFIE (continued)
Ah! Okay, it’s weapons. You know, military grade airborne stuff. You must’ve heard about the war going on, no?
CLINT
Only vaguely. Who are the two teams again?
Alfie looks up at Clint, bracing for another pinch. It doesn’t come.
ALFIE
You’re caught up in some shit, man. I don’t think you understand what you’re asking about. They’re gonna come looking for you. Whoever sent you here with that message wanted you fried and fertilized.
Clint goes for the pinch.
ALFIE
Fuck!! Ok. It’s between our side and their side. The Russians, man. They’re gonna pay for the bodies they took from us. Let’s just say that.
Clint lets go. Alfie takes his deep breath, finally.
Clint wipes the back of his right hand on the towel hanging from his waistband. He backhand slaps the shit out of Alfie, knocking him out. Clint holds the follow through for a couple seconds.
The room is silent.
CLINT
God damnit.
Clint makes his way toward the exit. A shadowy figure lunges at him.
KODY
(with glee)
Hey!
Clint jumps up, startled.
CLINT
Good lord, boy. You scared the shit out of me. How did you get in…
Clint doesn’t even keep asking, as he sees Kody’s excitement is on the verge of—
KODY
Oh my fuckign god, bro!!! Are you serious!!? You’re a fucki—frickin demon, bro! That was the CRAZIEST thing I’ve ever seen. BROOOOO. How did you—?
Kody pokes at Clint’s shoulder, Clint swats him away.
CLINT
We gotta get out of here. I don’t know what you overheard but… somebody’s lying. And I don’t think it’s these fools.
We pan back to the warehouse floor, Italian bodies strewn everywhere.
KODY
Is a hot dog a sandwich?
Clint stares at the boy for a few seconds.
CLINT
I don’t like being lied to. Something dangerous is about to go down in this city.
Another long stare at Cody, who’s just smiling eagerly at Clint while holding his hand, now a bright red color.
CLINT
Let’s go, young man.
The two of them walk out of the warehouse, together.
