Terrorist Hunter
_____________________________________________________________
a short screenplay by Christopher Lund
March 31 2001
CUT TO:
EFFECT:
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY; MULTIPLE DIP TO BLACK SEGMENTS WITH
INCREASING SPEED OF SHOT & DIPS. CIRCUITRY INCREASES WITH
COMPLEXITY WITH EACH DIP.
DIP TO WHITE:
INT. LAB
Man working on sophisticated equipment and oscilloscope.
DIP TO BLACK:
INT. CAFETERIA
Lab man #1 and lab man #2 in a cafeteria chow line talking
shop.
LAB MAN #2
(Inquisitively)
So tell me about it!
LAB MAN #1
Oh yea, yea. Just a sec.
Speaking to the cafeteria worker.
LAB MAN #1 (CONTÕD)
Does that have meat in it?
CAFETERIA WORKER
no I donÕt think so, I donÕt know.
Cafeteria worker turns to shout to someone off screen.
CAFETERIA WORKER (CONTÕD)
Hey Marge does the special have any meat
in it?
MARGE (O.S.)
Yea I think that itÕs got ham!
LAB MAN #1
(disgruntled)
Ham? No thanks then. IÕll take some of
that
Lab man #2 pointing to the special
LAB MAN #2
IÕll take some of that, I donÕt know how
you do it. It seems so limiting.
LAB MAN #1
What?
LAB MAN #2
A veggie
LAB MAN #1
(shrugging)
Just donÕt want to
LAB MAN #2
Weird, its just weird.
LAB MAN #1
(a bit Perturbed)
What ever.
CUT TO:
INT. CAFETERIA - MOMENTS LATER
Lab man #2 & Lab man #1 sitting down to a table in middle of
room to eat.
LAB MAN #2
well?
LAB MAN #1
well what? Oh! Oh yea... its sensitive.
LAB MAN #2
(Inquisitively)
How sensitive?
CUT TO:
INT. CAFETERIA - CONTINUOUS
BOTH MEN SEATED WITH VIEW OF LAB MAN #1 & OVER HIS SHOULDER
ANOTHER MAN DRINKING COFFEE AND DOING SOME READING.
LAB MAN #1
Real sensitive. YouÕve heard of a
microphone picking up a mouse fart at a
thousand yards?
Coffee man Lifts head and turns to hear.
LAB MAN #2
yea?
CUT TO:
INT. CAFETERIA - CONTINUOUS
coffee man over the shoulder shot mildly listening in.
LAB MAN #1
well... at a thousand yards you can tell
that the mouse is going to fart.
Coffee man now at full attention turn ear to listen in fully.
LAB MAN #2
what? How the hell is that?
CUT TO:
INT. CAFETERIA - CONTINUOUS
OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT OF LAB MAN #2 LOOKING AT LAB MAN #1
AND COFFEE MAN
LAB MAN #1
it picks up the modulation of the EM
field created by the nervous system.
LAB MAN #2
what about interference from other
biologicals? Let alone from electronic
equipment and what ever else.
LAB MAN #1
first off by its nature it is highly
directional and second it would be a
matter of a computer system that is
powerful enough to filter out any of the
garbage. ThatÕs just a matter of time.
LAB MAN #2
(excitedly)
Damn... ThatÕs phenomenal!
LAB MAN #1
well it still needs a lot of work and its
a bit big to be practical right now.
LAB MAN #2
(mouth full)
Yea... so what!..
FADE OUT:
FADE IN:
INT. CAFETERIA - LATER
Both men getting up, done with lunch
LAB MAN #1
IÕll be right back IÕve got to go to the
Leu
(in a smart ass tone)
LAB MAN #2
yea OK, IÕll wait at your lab I want to
see it!
(emphatically)
CUT TO:
INT. CAFETERIA - CONTINUOUS
Coffee man waiting a few moments writing down some notes with
the two lab men walking away in the background. He gets up.
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY - MOMENTS LATER
At entrance of bathroom, coffee man stands outside on the
ready for something. Door starts to open and coffee man
starts into bathroom, the two men come face to face.
COFEE MAN
Oh! Excuse me
(chuckling)
LAB MAN #1
oh yea... no excuse me
(a bit more apologetic)
Coffee man doing a quick study of face and name badge of lab
man #1. Lab man #1 not discerning of coffee man at all. The
two separate. Coffee mans gaze follows lab man #1 briefly
and enters bathroom.
DIP TO BLACK:
INT. LABORATORY - MOMENTS LATER
Lab man #1 showing off equipment
LAB MAN #1
This is the sensor here.
LAB MAN #2
Its not that big!
LAB MAN #1
well no but this is the support circuitry
lab man #1 pointing to his lab table
LAB MAN #1 (CONTÕD)
and thatÕs not any of the filtering
technology, nor is there any
sophisticated recognition yet.
LAB MAN #2
whoa, oh OK. But hey miniaturization
comes, thatÕs what I am for
(chuckling)
CAMERA PANS TO CIRCUITRY
DIP TO WHITE:
CLOSE UP OF COMPLICATED MESS OF CIRCUITRY
FATE TO:
SHOT OF AN INTEGRATED CIRCUIT.
PAN OUT:
SHOT OF ANOTHER CIRCUIT BOARD.
PAN OUT:
A SERIES OF CIRCUIT TO CHIP PANS AND FADES.
DIP TO BLACK:
FINAL IC PANS TO CIRCUIT PANS TO SHOW A VERY INTEGRATED
VERSION OF SENSOR SHOWN EARLIER & CONTINUES TO PAN OUT.
FADE TO:
HOUSING & CONTINUES TO PAN OUT FROM HOUSING NEXT TO A CAMERA
LENS. PANNING CONTINUES TO SHOW A SATELLITE IN SPACE.
CAMERA THEN PANS AROUND SATELLITE TO SHOW VIEW OF EARTH.
FADE TO BLACK.
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDEWALK CAFE
A Couple eating lunch
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDEWALK CAFE
TOP VIEW OF COUPLE
FADE TO:
INT. CONTROL ROOM - UNKNOWN
CAMERA PANS FROM VIEW OF SIDEWALK INTO VIEW OF MONITOR
SHOWING SIDEWALK AND CONTINUES TO PAN OUT TO VIEW OF MULTIPLE
MONITORS AT A STATION EACH MONITOR HAS A DIFFERENT SCREEN ALL
DEALING WITH THE SAME ITEM. CAMERA CONTINUES TO PAN OUT
UNTIL VIEW SHOWS A YOUNG HIP LOOKING GUY AT THE STATION AND
IN THE BACKGROUND IS A CONTROL ROOM WITH A NUMBER OF STATIONS
JUST LIKE IN MAIN VIEW.
First monitor shows couple at sidewalk cafe with cross hairs
on man.
Second monitor shows wave form of great complication
ÒfilteringÓ flashes and wave form reduces in complexity.
ÒRecognitionÓ flashes and green bar pops on at bottom of
screen. Screen then cuts to ÒsearchingÓ then to another
scene entirely. This continues in quick succession. Russ
looks very board.
TERRANCE
(Terrance is also young and
hip)
Hey man
no response from Russ
TERRANCE
Hey man... hey
(In a smart ass tone)
RUSS
yea what?
(obviously annoyed)
TERRANCE
Just installed a new recognition
algorithm, check it out.
RUSS
what?
(smartly)
TERRANCE
check it ouuuuuut!
(insistently under his breath)
RUSS
Yea yea OK!
Both watch terranceÕs terminals as they flip through
different scenes.
CUT TO:
LIVE ACTION OF DIFFERENT SCENES AND A SERIES OF SCENE CUTS
CUT TO:
INT. OFFICE - DAY
Miscellaneous boss and secretary passionately undressing each
other on a desk.
CUT TO:
INT. CONTROL ROOM - UNKNOWN
OVER THE SHOULDER SHOT OF THE TWO YOUNG MEN TO TERRANCEÕS
TERMINAL
one terminal showing the top of an office building and
another showing a waveform and another next to the waveform
showing static.
Waveform terminal showing ÒfilteringÓ then ÒrecognitionÓ
red bar pops up at bottom of screen.
RUSS
Oh shit!
TERRANCE
hold on!! Hold... watch
IÕve been working on this for months
(laughing)
Òwhat the hellÓ look from Russ
TERRANCE (CONTÕD)
Dude! Just watch the M-pic
both attentions are turned toward the third screen. A fuzzy
image begins to clear, a close up view of a large mans sweaty
face in pain/ecstacy.
RUSS
Ewe, what the hell?
TERRANCE
Oh damn! Hold on, just got to adjust the
P.O.V.
RUSS
What the hell are we looking at?
TERRANCE
What the hell do you think!
At that moment the screen changes to that of the secretary
not quite getting so much out of the current engagement.
RUSS
(laughing)
Holy shit! shit! Whoa!
TERRANCE
the schedule says its an office building
in Denver CO at 2700 Champa, hmmmm fourth
floor
RUSS
(interest now piqued)
Oooh some boss dude cheating on his wife
I bet!
TERRANCE
(laughing)
We should tell his wife!
Both guys crack up laughing loud enough to catch the
attention of some of the other Terminal-people in the room.
At that moment the coffee Man walks in holding a steaming cup
of coffee. Older looking than before with wrinkles and hair
of gray.
RUSS
Oh shit!
(under his breath)
TERRANCE
(looking up)
Oh shit!
terrance hits a key on his keyboard and the system switches
view and resumes scanning.
Both guys look at each other with Cheshire grins on their
faces. At that moment a warning pops up on RussÕs terminal
RUSS
oh shit! oh shit! hey you better not have
put that onto my system!
TERRANCE
No! Hell no! I just finished it. You want
it?
RUSS
later!
Attention now averted back to his own terminal ÒACTIVITYÓ in
red with a red bar at the bottom of the waveform terminal.
a picture comes through of a bomb diagram.
CUT TO:
INT. HOME OFFICE - DAY
a man sits in a nice chair at a nice desk writing in a
notebook. A bunch of technical diagrams and such are strewn
about the office. One piece of paper notes ÒPresidential
itineraryÓ. Another of the White house grounds. Photographs
of the president, white house, and many of the presidential
helicopter.
WOMAN (O.S.)
The Harrolds just called and want to know
if we can go out to dinner with them
tonight?
MAN
(speaking loudly and agitated)
... No, IÕve got to much to do.
WOMAN
But... yea fine, what ever!
Man continues to work diligently.
CUT TO:
INT. CONTROL ROOM - UNKNOWN
terminal shows list of ÒhotÓ words popping up next to Òhigh
threatÓ as well as human vitals such as blood pressure, heart
rate etc.
RUSS
sir - yo sir! We got a live one and it
looks hot!
Coffee Man heads over to RussÕs station
COFEE MAN
Yea Russ whatÕs the status?
RUSS
(being technical and to the
point)
Current status: presidential
assassination via detonation of an
explosive device.
H.T. 7
COFEE MAN
Seven! As soon as it hits eight notify
the authorities to go on standby!
RUSS
some serious shit is rolling through this
guys head!
COFEE MAN
who do we have here?
RUSS
hold on, Ill punch up the schedule
hitting some keys brings up a new window of statistics.
RUSS (CONTÕD)
sir we have the address of a Christopher
Vernon.
COFEE MAN
Stats Russ!
RUSS
Occupation: systems analyst
age: 43
Marital status: married
2.4 children
Coffee gives Russ a sharp Look
RUSS (CONTÕD)
yes sir
(taken back by the look)
2 children sir
ooh DUI 3 months ago
COFEE MAN
Looks like we got ourselves a possible.
I want whatever else we can dig up on
this guy ASAP!
The two guys look at each other with irritated looks on their
faces.
TERRANCE
SOP
(standard Operation Procedure)
RUSS
(chuckles)
Sir H.T. of 8 sending notification now.
DIP TO BLACK:
INT. CONTROL ROOM - LATER
Russ looking tired.
COFEE MAN
Status!?
RUSS
Holding at an 8+ sir.
Another man breaks into the room running.
RUNNER
We have his dossier sir!
COFEE MAN
give it here!
New man does so
Coffee man starts to flip through...
COFEE MAN (CONTÕD)
Hmmm... he was just fired about 5 weeks
ago, and has had attitude problems for
about a year now, at a job he had held
for ten. Looks as if he was up for a
promotion just then but was passed over
for someone else. Classic! Looks like
we have a profile match... just wait un-
RUSS
sir H.T. just jumped to a 9.1, we got a
hot one here. Sir he has Schematics of
the white house, the itinerary of the
president, Oh my god this totally planned
out! 9.3 sir!
COFEE MAN
Wait until 9.5
RUSS
Yes sir! Sir 9.6 sir
COFEE MAN
Go! Send the Go ahead!
Russ hitting a red button placard between himself and
terrance
RUSS
Sent sir Go Code away!
DIP TO WHITE:
INT. HOME KITCHEN
woman cleaning up in kitchen and something flashes past the
kitchen window, she looks up with a puzzled look on her face.
Looking around suspiciously simultaneously the back door 7
front door bust in.
CUT TO:
INT. HOME OFFICE - NIGHT
man heres commotion and looks up with a puzzled look on his
face
WOMAN (O.S.)
(screams)
man now startled gets up and opens a desk drawer and gets a
hand gun. Just as he turns toward the door it is busted open
by a man in armor. Writing man sees this and draws gun but to
slow. Armored man fires his automatic weapon and kills
writing man. Bullets fly into wall and window behind the
writing man. Paperwork is shot up and flies around office.
DIP TO WHITE:
INT. HOME OFFICE
WIND BLOWING DRAPES IN SLOW MOTION
DIP TO WHITE:
INT. HOME OFFICE
WIND BLOWING PAPERWORK AROUND IN SLOW MOTION
DIP TO WHITE:
CLOSE-UP OF BLOODY MAN WITH PAPERS FLAPPING IN WIND STUCK
AGAINST HIM AND IN BLOOD. NEXT TO HIS HEAD A PAPER READS
TERRORIST HUNTER
A NOVEL BY
CHRISTOPHER VERNON
MAY 18 2017
FADE TO WHITE:
END:
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