Épisode Le Prophète S02E01 - The Dead Zone Saison 2

Johnny et Bruce se sont rendus à une conférence pour les élections. Stillson fait son discours. Sarah est aussi présente, elle supporte son mari qui va aussi se présenter. Stillson termine son discours et remercie l’assemblée. Il rejoint Sarah qui est assez froide avec lui. Ils discutent ensemble puis Stillson continue son tour de salle. Il demande à son bras droit de se renseigner sur Sarah.

***


Le shérif arrive devant Sarah, il doit passer pour son discours. Il est assez nerveux et Sarah essaie de le rassurer et elle lui donne des conseils. Mais le téléphone du shérif sonne et il répond. Il y a eu un enlèvement d’un petit garçon et il doit partir…

***

Dans le bureau du révérend Purdy, il est au téléphone et parle du fameux garçon. Quand il raccroche, il demande à une personne de joindre Johnny Smith…

Générique

Chez Johnny, Bruce le suit. Il essaie de le convaincre de sortir à quatre avec lui et en couple. Et surtout de reprendre contact avec Dana… Johnny ne veut pas sortir, pour le moment. Cela énerve Bruce, car il pense que c’est depuis la vision de l’apocalypse qui ne le fait plus rien faire et ne plus rappeler Dana. Il trouve qu’il a changé depuis sa vision. Johnny nie. Le téléphone fixe sonne, c’est le révérend Purdy qui a besoin de lui.

***

Johnny et le révérend Purdy arrivent en hélicoptère à la maison du garçon qui a été enlevé. Le shérif est déjà sur place, ainsi que les journalistes et Dana. Des journalistes posent des questions dès qu’ils arrivent mais le révérend Purdy refuse de répondre pour le moment.

***

Dans la maison, le révérend Purdy explique à Johnny la vie du père de l’enfant pendant que Johnny explore le bureau où ils attendent. Le père arrive et s’excuse. La femme est au lit, elle se repose et elle est très choquée de la disparition de son fils. Les présentations se font et le père ne croit pas aux pouvoirs de Johnny.

***


Ils se dirigent vers la pièce de l’enlèvement. La fenêtre a été découpée. Il touche la vitre et le lieu mais Johnny n’a aucune vision.

***

Johnny et le révérend Purdy sortent d’un taxi chez Johnny. Johnny n’a eu aucune vision. Le révérend le rassure, l’essentiel est qu’il ait essayé.

***


Johnny rentre et le téléphone sonne. C’est un inconnu, au début on ne voit pas qui c’est mais petit à petit on comprend que c’est le kidnappeur et on voit son visage puis la pièce dans laquelle il se trouve. Il y a des articles découpés dans la pièce au sujet de Johnny et sa famille et des objets religieux également. Le kidnappeur dit à Johnny qu’il lui a laissé un message dans la maison du garçon et il est un peu en colère car Johnny n’a rien trouvé. Ils discutent un moment puis l’homme raccroche.

***

Chez les Bannerman, le soir, Johnny frappe à la porte. C’est Sarah qui ouvre et Johnny veut parler au shérif. Il lui parle de l’appel et surtout du message adressé à lui.

***


Dans la voiture, ils continuent à en discuter et ils parlent des visions de Johnny. Sur les lieux de l’enlèvement, Johnny touche à tout dans la chambre du petit. Le père pose des questions sur l’appel du kidnappeur, il n’est pas très content, car il est toujours sceptique quant aux pouvoirs de Johnny. Le père ne comprend pas pourquoi le kidnappeur ne veut pas d’argent et pourquoi il a appelé Johnny et pas lui. Il ne veut pas de Johnny dans sa maison ni pour l’enquête et il le fait comprendre aux policiers et au shérif. Walt défend Johnny mais l’homme ne veut rien entendre.
Johnny n’entend pas l’homme car il observe et touche à tout dans la maison…

***

Dans le bureau de la femme, Johnny explore. Le père arrive, en colère, il ne veut pas que Johnny rentre dans le bureau. Walt touche à l’épaule Johnny et Johnny a une vision. Puis il voit le tableau de Marie et Jésus et il le touche. Il a alors une vision très violente avec le kidnappeur et l’enfant. Il soulève le tableau et il y a une lettre dessous pour Johnny…

***

Au commissariat, la femme qui était avec eux dans la maison a la lettre à la main. Johnny veut toucher la lettre mais la femme ne veut pas ; le shérif la convint. Johnny touche alors et n’a pas de vision et dit que ce n’est pas les empreintes du kidnappeur qui sont dessus. Il en est sûr. Le téléphone sonne, c’est un appel de Bruce pour Johnny. Lorsque Johnny touche le téléphone, il voit que ce n’est pas Bruce au téléphone alors la police intercepte l’appel. C’est le kidnappeur qui lui parle de la feuille et de l’enfant. Il parle aussi de la vie de Johnny, de Junior, de Sarah… Il lui dit de se dépêcher de le retrouver puis il raccroche.

***

Le matin, le shérif vient chercher Johnny chez lui. Ils ont retrouvé là où la lettre a été photocopiée. Mais le kidnappeur a payé avec une carte volée donc ils se rendent chez la personne qui a été volée.

***

Dans la maison, c’est une femme qui s’était fait voler sa carte. Elle ne sait pas comment et où on lui a volée. Mais elle pense que c’est dans un restaurant. Pendant que les policiers l’interrogent, Johnny touche à la maison et observe les pièces. Lorsque qu’il touche la porte d’une chambre, il a une vision d’une femme battant son fils. Le téléphone sonne, la femme va répondre. Johnny rejoint le shérif et lui dit que le kidnappeur a vécu dans cette maison quand il était enfant. Au téléphone, il s’agit de l’homme, toujours pour Johnny. Il lui demande comment il trouve la maison, il veut que Johnny sache sa vie… Johnny lui propose un rendez-vous et l’homme répond « plus tard » et raccroche.

***

Johnny explique que l’homme était ici il n’y a pas longtemps et qu’il a vu les travaux. Il voit un pinceau et le touche. Il a une vision de trois mots peints sur le mur ; « la fournaise » en référence à la religion. Johnny demande à la femme si il y a quelqu’un d’autre dans la maison. Elle répond que non et Johnny explique qu’il faut partir. Ils sortent de la maison et la maison explose.

***

Devant la maison du petit garçon, Johnny fait une interview aux cotés du révérend Purdy. Devant les caméras, en direct, il parle au kidnappeur et lui demande de le rencontrer et d’arrêter tout cela…
On voit le kidnappeur dans sa pièce en train de regarder le journal et Johnny qui lui parle.
Johnny sort des caméras et le révérend Purdy prend la parole devant les caméras.
Le kidnappeur éteint sa télé.

***

Dana et Bruce sont un peu éloignés, et ils ne comprennent pas les questions des journalistes qui sont un peu contre Johnny.

***

Dans la maison, le père du garçon reçoit un coup de téléphone, c’est pour Johnny. L’homme est déçu et en colère que Johnny ait parlé aux journalistes. Il lui parle aussi de Dana qui se sert de lui, comme toutes les femmes.
Pendant ce temps, une équipe de police prend d’assaut un bâtiment. Et quand ils ouvrent, il n’ y a plus personne.
L’homme, toujours au téléphone, n’est pas content, puis il dit à Johnny « J’espère qu’on se verra bientôt » et il raccroche. Il était sur un téléphone public et il s’en va.

***

Johnny arrive à l’immeuble où était le kidnappeur et que les policiers ont pris d’assaut. La police tourne pour retrouver l’enfant. Le petit n’était pas dans la pièce avec le kidnappeur. Le shérif explique à Johnny la vie de l’homme et ce qu’ils ont trouvé dans la pièce.
Ils découvrent qu’il y avait plein d’articles sur Johnny et sa vie et même des photos. Johnny ne comprend pas ce que veut le kidnappeur.
Il y a un message pour Johnny. Johnny a une vision de l’homme pointant des fusils sur des policiers et il se fait tuer. L’enfant est à coté, dans une autre pièce, caché, et inconscient.
Johnny sort de sa vision et ment aux policiers en disant qu’il n’a pas eu de visions.

***

Sur les lieux de sa vision, Johnny est seul et il ouvre la porte. Il explore les lieux. Il descend, il y a une porte avec un code. Il la touche et il a une vision du code. Il ouvre la porte et l’enfant se trouve là, inconscient. Il essaie de le ranimer mais l’enfant est faible et Johnny doit l’amener à l’hôpital. L’homme arrive avec des fusils à la main. Il lui dit que les policiers vont arriver, Johnny lui répond qu’il ne leur a rien dit mais l’homme lui répond que lui, les a appelé.
Ils discutent tous les deux, l’homme voit en Johnny un prophète et Johnny n’est pas d’accord. Ils ont une discussion sur la religion, le sauveur et le méchant… L’homme fait une prière, vide les chargeurs de ses fusils et s’en va. Il sort en brandissant les armes et les policiers le mitraillent. Il meurt.
Peu après, Johnny sort de l’immeuble avec le petit garçon dans les bras. On entend le prochain journal télévisé parler du sauvetage du garçon grâce à Johnny.

 

amesoeur

[RECAP]

(We establish the introduction of Greg Stillson, the sexual liaison between Johnny and Sarah, Purdy's recruitment of Johnny and of course, ending with Armageddon.)

 

FAN MAN (V.O.): There's no doubt in my mind that Johnny Smith is the real thing…

 

 

[CLOSE-UP - FAN MAN]

(The nerdy Johnny expert from "Unreasonable Doubt" shot with melodramatic lighting a la a quickie segment on a sci fi 'reality' magazine show…)

 

FAN MAN (V.O.): …perhaps even the next link in the chain of human evolution.

 

(Dark and suspenseful music emphasizes the statement and leads us into the transition as we cut to :)

 

 

[LOW BUDGET DOCUMENTARY STYLE FOOTAGE]

(Cleaves Mills establishing shot in sepia… push into a yearbook to see a school shot of Johnny Smith… close-ups of a lone pair of ice skates on the ice… the narrator is a familiar voice (i.e. Jonathan Frakes or Peter Graves)…)

 

NARRATOR (TV): Cleaves Mills, Maine. The young son of Vera and Herbert Smith was an 'A' student… popular… and a heckuva ice skater. But it was a skating accident on the neighborhood ice pond that led to the first chapter in the saga of Johnny Smith…

 

 

[CLOSE-UP ON A 40ISH FAT GUY]

(The image slightly pixilated as we begin a slow pull back.)

 

FAT GUY: He was out cold on the ice. I heard him say "Just leave it there." I didn't know what it meant. I had to go over to pick up my hockey stick when I fell through the ice. (Laughs, shakes his head) I should have left it there… like Johnny said, you know?

 

(We now understand that this is on television… and as we continue the show, we see it being watched in a quick montage of locations --  A gym exercisers on machines with headphones on watching… -- A bowling alley on a set over by the snack bar… -- An electronics store on multiple sets… customers studying the set… On the TV screen: more photos of Johnny, growing up (Breakfast Club age and beyond)… the school he went to… newspaper clippings about hockey heroics, science fair awards…)

 

NARRATOR (TV): Johnny overcame some adolescent problems at school to become a leader among his fellow students. And in his junior year at Cleaves Mills High, he won the Penobscot County science fair with his incredible fiddler crab farm exhibit…

 

 

[INT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE – NIGHT]

(Finding another TV set on… and Dana Bright sitting on a desk watching, a reporter's notebook in her hand. A scruffy biker type, handcuffed to a nearby chair, watches as well. A couple of deputies move about in the b.g. Dana looks at the TV set evenly, with some hurt in her eyes… she talks aloud to herself…)

 

DANA: The fiddler crab farm… he never told me about the fiddler crab farm… how could he keep that from me?

 

BIKER: You know the guy?

 

(Dana turns to him, having briefly forgotten he was there. Here she is, a Friday night, having a conversation with a manacled dirt bag. She smiles to herself, turns back to the set.)

 

DANA: I used to.

 

(Used to? What's that all about?)

 

NARRATOR (TV): And all through high school, there was a girl… a pretty dark haired girl named Sarah…

 

(Dana's eyes narrow…)

 

 

[INT. BANNERMAN HOUSE – CONTINUOUS]

(Close on Johnny Junior…)

 

JOHNNY JR.: Hey, Mom. It's you!

 

(Finding him in front of a TV set… in the background, we see the trappings of a campaign for Walt's re-election, banners, buttons, signs… Sarah moves to the set and it's one of those horrible moments when there is no right thing to do - she can't turn off the set, that would be too weird, and too suspicious… but her son is watching this stuff too… and she doesn't know what he might be thinking. She settles on standing and watching next to JJ, an uncomfortable smile on her face, biting her lower lip… arms folded around her middle in protective body language… The documentary now shows Johnny and Sarah through the ages together… as kids, her yearbook picture in high school, dressed for the prom, eighties clothes at a disco party…)

 

NARRATOR (TV): Sarah Bracknell was literally the girl next door… the class musician who organized the school talent shows… friends say they were inseparable… except for a brief time in ninth grade after Johnny reportedly got fresh with her at a local movie theater as they watched "Return of the Jedi"…

 

SARAH: (uncomfortable, re: pictures) Where did they get all this… stuff…?

 

(Finding Walt's arm moving around her shoulder to see he's walked over to join his family… his touch cuts like a knife… she glances at him and smiles, embarrassed for them all… their eyes turn back to the TV set…)

 

 

[INT. BRUCE'S APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS]

(The TV set is on here now too.)

 

NARRATOR (TV) (CONT'D): But the fight didn't last long and the young couple soon were seen holding hands together again… it would take a tragic turn of events to rip those hands apart…

 

(The picture shows stock footage of lightning and rain and a subjective view through windshield wipers… grim music presages what's going to happen…)

 

BRUCE'S DATE (O.S.): What's he really like?

 

(Moving back to see Bruce's apartment for the first time, modest, comfortable with eastern cultural touches… finding Bruce on the couch with a very affectionate girl snuggling up against him… in fact, we may be surprised to see that it's the same volunteer girl Katie we saw screwing Greg Stillson… and we might wonder if she's here as a true date or as some kind of spy…)

 

BRUCE: (shakes his head at all this) I'll tell you what he's not. He's not the next link in the evolutionary chain. He's… just a guy. Just Johnny Smith.

 

(He watches the TV set with disdain, worried about Johnny…)

 

KATIE: I'd like to meet him sometime. You think he might, you know…

 

BRUCE: (teasing) Touch you? What man wouldn't?

 

KATIE: (smiles) I'm serious.

 

BRUCE: (beat, grim) Johnny isn't telling fortunes these days.

 

('Not telling fortunes these days'? What the hell that is all about…)

 

NARRATOR (TV): June 5, 1995… Route 6… Johnny Smith leaves Sarah and is on his way to the video store in the near-by township of Lagrange. A truck driver named Gus Bell is on Route 6 that night as well... he has been driving all day…

 

(The set pushes in on a family snapshot of the truck driver…)

 

NARRATOR (TV): …and is having trouble staying awake…

 

 

[INT. STILLSON'S CAMPAIGN BUS - THE TV]

(The TV is on there too… now showing news footage of the aftermath of the accident… the car being towed back up in the road as we saw in Destiny… Purdy's interview starts voice over and then cuts to on camera…)

 

PURDY (TV): I was the one who had to tell his mother… I rushed Vera to the hospital… Sarah, Johnny's fiancée, was there… Vera and Sarah cried in each other's arms… (Beat, a tear forms) And then of course, the doctor came out and told us the news… that… that Johnny was in a coma…

 

(Finding Greg Stillson and Sonny Elliman watching as they work on a campaign speech…)

 

STILLSON: That is one odd couple: Gene Purdy and his freak of nature…

 

SONNY: That freak of nature is going around asking questions about you.

 

(Stillson reacts…)

 

STILLSON: Questions. What kind of questions?

 

SONNY: The wrong kind.

 

(As Stillson wonders why Johnny Smith would be investigating him…)

 

NARRATOR (TV): The doctors said he would never regain consciousness… and Johnny Smith's long night's journey lasted six years…

 

 

[OMITTED]

[INT. SMITH HOUSE - LIVING ROOM – CONTINUOUS]

(Another TV is on, but this time the couch is empty. No one's watching.)

 

NARRATOR (TV): Meanwhile the world kept spinning… his mother would pass away… Sarah would marry the county sheriff Walter T. Bannerman and have a child… and then the impossible happened…

 

ELAINE (TV): I was about to give him his sponge bath like I did every morning… except this time, he suddenly

grabbed my arm and yelled 'Something's wrong!"…

 

(Photos of the house on fire and the rescue of the little girl appear on the documentary… Camera scopes the unfinished chess game on Johnny's coffee table, next to an unfinished meal, then moves on, finding a door we've never seen before, a stairway leading down.)

 

ELAINE TV (TV, O.S.): He said my house was on fire… and my little girl… (Emotional beat) I owe her life to him… I thank God for Johnny Smith…

 

NARRATOR (TV, O.S.): But that was only the beginning…

 

(The sound fades as we descend into…)

 

 

[INT. SMITH HOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS)]

(Old furniture and clutter dating back fifty years has been augmented by several new computer boxes. ADSL cable snakes to a flat screen monitor, on which Johnny is studying an old newspaper story about Stillson with the headline, "Improprieties Alleged in Shady Pines Deal." The story spits out of a printer, and Johnny takes it to a big bulletin board. About a third is covered with material on Stillson; less on Purdy. Alone in the center: an aerial shot of the Washington Monument. Johnny eyes the board for a beat as he sifts through a box of brightly colored plastic push pins. He chooses a red one, then tacks the printout to the board as the sound of the TV show fades up, taking us to our final stop :)

 

 

[INT. A SMALL DARK ROOM - CLOSE ON A PORTABLE B&W TV/VCR]

(Plugged into an AC jack. On the screen, reporters chase after Johnny in the aftermath of the "Quality of Life" episode…)

 

NARRATOR (TV): As he performed one amazing feat after another, his reputation grew… and so did the number of his detractors…

 

(The TV sits on a workbench beside a mess of electronic components. A man is putting items in a backpack. At first, we don't see his face, just his gloved hands and the items: glass cutters, a roll of duct tape, a stun gun. But as he checks the charge on this last item before zipping the bag… we can see his face is covered with a sheer stocking type mask… On the TV, real-life psychic debunker, James Randi, appears…)

 

JAMES RANDI (TV): Johnny Smith is no different than any of the other charlatans who hoodwink and take advantage of people. I've publicly challenged him to prove his powers and haven't heard back. I'm not surprised.

 

NARRATOR (TV): Coming up: Johnny Smith predicts a deadly fire at a high school graduation party… and some pay the price for not believing…

 

(A title card with a dramatic picture of Johnny holds the frame for a beat… the man's gloved fingertip brushes Johnny's face, then turns off the set. We hear a metal door open and close, as the room rocks slightly, and we realize this little workshop is in the back of a van. Then all is quiet.)

 

 

END OF TEASER

 

 

ACT ONE

 

 

[INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYM - DAY - AN ELECTRONIC SCOREBOARD]

(Displays "Meet the Candidates Day" as balloons float by. Tilt down to find a familiar small-town event underway: part campaign rally, part Fourth of July picnic. Camera sketches the scene: giggling little girls painting flags on each other's cheeks… a trio of wizened WWII vets, in full VFW regalia, parlaying with two Vietnam vets in faded fatigue jackets… a high school guy flirting with a pretty volunteer… a hefty man toting a plate loaded with fried chicken. Over which, we hear :)

 

STILLSON (LOUD SPEAKER): Washington has become a town of shell games and spin doctors who shoot off fireworks but don't ever get anything done. We need action. We need more jobs. We need better education. We need a system of justice that will not fail the people. We need God back in the pledge of allegiance.

 

(A huge cheer erupts… finding Greg Stillson at a podium…)

 

STILLSON: We've got to put the country back in the hands of the people. In plain Maine speaking, it's time to take out the trash.

 

(Sarah is standing near the stage holding a clipboard, a "Bannerman for Sheriff" button on her blouse… she watches Stillson, carefully listening… and she reacts to the overwhelming enthusiasm of the crowd… turns and notices in his dark coat, standing at the back of the crowd, studying the candidate… his eyes meet hers briefly… but Sarah deliberately breaks eye contact without acknowledgement, there's a definite chill between them, and she turns back to the speech…)

 

STILLSON: I love this country. I trust the God-fearing people of this country.

 

STILLSON (CONT'D): We know the principles on which this country was founded and we're sick and tired of those principles being violated by the guys with the hundred dollar haircuts in Washington… who don't fear God… who don't fear anyone…

 

(More cheers… and finding Bruce moving up behind Johnny…)

 

STILLSON (CONT'D): Well, they better fear Greg Stillson because the day of reckoning is near… Greg Stillson is coming to Washington.

 

(As Stillson continues…)

 

BRUCE: How did I know I was gonna find you here?

 

(Johnny looks around…)

 

JOHNNY: Hey, Bruce.

 

STILLSON: You and me, we own this country. It belongs to us. It's time to take it back! My name is Greg Stillson and I hope you'll send me to Congress.

 

(The cheers swell and Stillson waves and takes it in for a moment… he does not see Johnny.)

 

BRUCE: You understand you're turning into a regular stalker?

 

(Johnny just watches Stillson taking his bows…)

 

BRUCE: You're giving up your life for this thing.

 

JOHNNY: This 'thing' has a fairly high priority, don't you think?

 

BRUCE: I just don't like what it's doing to you.

 

JOHNNY: (quietly) I'm fine.

 

BOY: Johnny… catch!

 

(Johnny turns to see a boy about thirteen passing him a basketball… he catches it in mid-turn…)

 

BOY: Our team's playing Brewer tomorrow. Can you tell who's gonna win?

 

(Johnny grins at the kid, rubs the basketball like a crystal ball… takes a beat…)

 

JOHNNY: No. And I wouldn't tell you if I could.

 

(Then passes it back…)

 

JOHNNY: Good luck.

 

BOY: (smiles) Thanks, Johnny.

 

(Johnny smiles… but Bruce studies him seriously… Johnny looks at him, holds a poker face to hide whatever it is he's feeling…)

 

BRUCE: (pointed) Yeah. You're fine.

 

(Stillson is moving off the stage… shaking some hands of his entourage… including Katie, the volunteer girl we saw with Bruce… they're telling him what a great speech it was, they love you, Greg, great going. Stillson has heard all that before from these people so he naturally turns to someone he hasn't heard it from before - the attractive young woman with the Bannerman button…)

 

STILLSON: What'd you think?

 

SARAH: (smiles) Great response from the crowd.

 

STILLSON: (smiles) That's not what I asked; come on, let's hear it…

 

(Easily and straightforward… she holds his eyes without fear… this is a straight-talking Maine woman, friendly but clear :)

 

SARAH: I think this routine plays well for maybe a month or two and then you're in trouble if you don't come up with some real issues to hang your hat on. I know these people, they're my neighbors… they'll cheer for apple pie and the American flag in your speeches… but they won't vote for you come election day unless you really have something to say… and so far you don't.

 

(Stillson is a good enough politician to maintain his smile…)

 

STILLSON: Ouch.

 

(Stillson's entourage is offended, try to move their candidate out of this embarrassing situation…)

 

SONNY: Come on, Greg…

 

(But he shrugs them off…)

 

STILLSON: Bannerman?

 

SARAH: Sheriff Walt. Want a button?

 

STILLSON: You bet. He must be some candidate.

 

SARAH: Yeah. He is. And he's my husband.

 

(Got it, Stillson says to himself.)

 

STILLSON: See you on the campaign trail.

 

(Now he lets them move him away… he looks very seriously at Sonny on the move…)

 

STILLSON: Find out more about her.

 

SONNY: Greg, she's the sheriff's wife… this is one broad you don't give your hotel key to…

 

STILLSON: Find out more about her.

 

(As Greg shakes a few hands, then a new hand grasps his and Stillson looks up to see it belongs to Johnny…)

 

STILLSON: (reacts) We meet again. (Looks at their hands connected) How's my future look these days?

 

JOHNNY: Not always so easy to tell.

 

(Stillson breaks the handshake…)

 

STILLSON: (blowing him off) Well, you just keep looking and be sure to tell me if you see anything interesting.

 

(Pats him patronizingly on his shoulder… moves away… and we may begin to realize that we haven't seen any visions from Johnny… Johnny glances at the hand that just shook hands with Stillson, then casually flexes it once… The volunteer girl Katie looks over and sees Bruce moving over to Johnny and smiles at him… Bruce waves… Walt joining her… nervous…)

 

WALT: God, I wish I had the gift of gab like that guy, Stillson, huh…?

 

SARAH: You just go up there and be Walt Bannerman - they know you, they respect you… some… (Leaning in to give him a quick kiss) …even love you. Remember the civilian hotline, expanded drug counseling… and eye contact, remember to make eye…

 

(Walt's cell phone rings… he answers it…)

 

WALT: Bannerman. (Reacts) What?! When…

 

(Sarah reacts with concern…)

 

WALT: Tell them I'll be there in twenty minutes. Better get the FBI in on this… (Hangs up)

 

SARAH: FBI?

 

WALT: Somebody broke into the Markoff estate last night and took their little boy. I've got to go.

 

(As he leaves, off Sarah's reaction…)

 

 

[INT. PURDY'S OFFICE – DAY]

(He's on his phone as an aide stands by.)

 

PURDY: Yes, Governor, I know the family well… I'm taking the helicopter up there now, they live up in the north county away from just about everything… we can only pray that the boy is all right… (Beat) Of course. …I'm going to do everything I can to help. I'll call you as soon as I know anything…

 

(He hangs up. Turns to the aide. Grim…)

 

PURDY: Find Johnny Smith.

 

 

[INT. SMITH HOUSE – DAY]

(As Bruce and Johnny enter…)

 

BRUCE: A double date - it's something new. Two guys, two girls, you eat food sometimes, maybe see a movie… that's short for moving pictures… (Johnny just shakes his head, deep in thought) Come on, as a favor to me… Katie wants to meet you… and I know a redheaded reporter who's wondering why she hasn't heard from you for awhile…

 

JOHNNY: Not right now…

 

BRUCE: Not right now… there is no 'right now' for you, man… you're always wrapped up in this Chicken Little thing…

 

JOHNNY: Chicken Little.

 

BRUCE: 'The sky is falling?' And we all know what happened to Chicken Little.

 

JOHNNY: What happened to Chicken Little?

 

(The phone rings. Johnny moves toward it.)

 

BRUCE: I don't exactly remember but I think he met a Colonel… whatever it was, it wasn't good.

 

(Johnny picks up the phone.)

 

JOHNNY: Hello.

 

PURDY (PHONE): Johnny… I need you…

 

(Off Johnny's reaction…)

 

 

[A HELICOPTER DESCENDING - DAY - EXT. MARKOFF ESTATE]

(And as it comes down, we reveal the incredible estate - a small group of reporters and photographers have started to arrive at the scene… there are several police officers and cars visible as well… Purdy is the first one out of the chopper, ducking down below the rotors, followed by Johnny… and this almost feels like newsreel-style footage… Purdy shakes hands with a couple of public relations persons who work for the Markoffs… Purdy intros Johnny in a scene we cannot hear due to the rotor blades noise… Johnny looks tight somehow, some uncertainty in his eyes… They move toward the house… Finding Walt observing as Johnny approaches…)

 

WALT: I'm glad you're here.

 

(Johnny just nods and follows the lead of the family reps toward the house… as he passes the reporters waiting outside, start snapping his picture, turning video cameras in his direction and calling his name, Johnny, Johnny, over here… as he glances over, he sees – Dana among them… she throws him a half-grin of hello which he returns… and we can sense he's uncomfortable…)

 

 

[INT. MARKOFF HOUSE - LIBRARY – DAY]

(One man's tasteful shrine to himself, and to capital. There's a goodly number of books, but what catches the eye are some celebrity photos -- Arthur Markoff posing with President Reagan, with Ted Turner (or Alan Greenspan, or one or both Bushes) -- and a framed Fortune magazine cover photo of Markoff with the title: "The Lion of Wall Street." There may be other icons of capitalism: an antique stock ticker, for example. On a desk, a slick management philosophy book with another picture of Markoff on the cover sits next to a framed picture of Markoff posing with his family: his wife and young Christopher, six…)

 

PURDY (O.S.): He's been called the 'CEO of the New Millennium.' One of the few, I might add, who managed to survive the recent Wall Street scandals relatively unscathed.

 

(Finding Purdy admiring one of the displays…)

 

PURDY: Most people have no idea what a philanthropist Arthur is… and that's the way he wants it. He's always been an extremely private man. That's why he moved his family up here.

 

(Purdy sighs and tries to maintain his composure… the door opens… and Arthur enters… moving to him…)

 

PURDY: Arthur…!

 

ARTHUR: I'm sorry to keep you waiting… I was with my wife…

 

(Purdy embraces him, holds him… Arthur (40s) is tall and slender. He's normally a brusque man, used to getting his way and unused to personal suffering. Right now he's almost numb…)

 

PURDY: How is Connie holding up?

 

(And no one really knows what to say in a moment like this, even Purdy… it's surreal… a child has been taken, how can we be here talking…? Arthur looks over Purdy's shoulder at Johnny… who nods to him…)

 

ARTHUR: They have her sedated. (Moving to Johnny) I'm Arthur Markoff.

 

JOHNNY: John Smith, sir.

 

(Markoff shakes his hand… looks at him evenly… a hint of skepticism in his eyes…)

 

PURDY: This is the young man I spoke to you about.

 

MARKOFF: Yes. My wife will be pleased when I tell her you've come. She believes in some… things… that I don't necessarily agree with her about. But at a time like this…

 

PURDY: Of course…

 

MARKOFF: She saw something about you on television last night… she says you've helped the police before…

 

JOHNNY: I've tried, sir. I can't say it always…

 

PURDY: I've seen Johnny do some remarkable things, Arthur. I truly believe he's doing God's work.

 

MARKOFF: (evenly, to Purdy) What kind of God allows a child to be taken from his family?

 

(That effectively ends the conversation…)

 

MARKOFF: (after a beat) I'll show you where he broke into the house.

 

 

[INT. HALLWAY/STAIRS AS NEEDED]

(Markoff leading the way past police officials… including Walt who is talking to a black woman in a business suit with an FBI ID clipped to her breast pocket: This is Special Agent goddard, a veteran with wary eyes and a deadpan manner.)

 

MARKOFF: The police say the alarm system was disabled… obviously whoever did this knew what they were doing… we haven't received a ransom note or any other form of communication from the kidnappers yet…

 

(As they move out the back door…)

 

GODDARD: A little early in the process to be bringing in the lunatic fringe, isn't it…

 

WALT: Watch and learn.

 

(The FBI agent cocks an eyebrow and follows Walt outside…)

 

 

[EXT. MARKOFF HOUSE – DAY]

(And the following sequence is done without dialogue… Johnny crouches by a cracked circle of glass that was cut out of a nearby sliding glass door. There's an expectant hush broken only by the clicking of camera shutters. Here he is again, the one and only Johnny Smith, front and center, and the whole world is watching… and there's something in there we haven't seen before… you might almost call it fear… but fear of what? Johnny hesitates a beat, then touches the glass. More furious clicks. Watching… Walt, Goddard, Dana, Purdy, Markoff… all watching… Johnny who moves to the door itself, the edges of the cut-out bearing the remnants of fingerprint dust. He touches that, then the door handle. And we may expect to ramp in, see a flash, anything, this is the Dead Zone after all, isn't it… But we don't… instead we begin a slow pull back… and dissolve to wider angle… and dissolve to a wider angle still as Johnny gets smaller and smaller in our frame… as Johnny moves to examine the soft ground and reaches out to touch it… And our pull back is so wide now that we can barely even see Johnny Smith any more…)

 

 

[EXT. SMITH HOUSE – NIGHT]

(The Purdy limo pulls into Johnny's driveway… and Johnny gets out… From inside the limo…)

 

PURDY: You tried - that's all anyone can ask of you. We'll write a release reminding everyone that your gift doesn't always work. It will be a footnote to the coverage. Nothing to be worried about.

 

(But Purdy's words can't mask a basic disappointment and a touch of personal embarrassment…)

 

PURDY: We'll talk tomorrow.

 

(He signals the driver to leave… and Johnny closes the door… stands there a beat as the car exits…)

 

 

[INT. SMITH HOUSE – NIGHT]

(The phone is ringing as he enters the dark house… he doesn't stop to turn on the lights… Johnny picks up the phone…)

 

JOHNNY: Hello?

 

 

[INT. INDUSTRIAL SPACE – NIGHT]

(ECU on a phone and a man's mouth… the voice is warm and compassionate, even friendly, reaching out for a personal connection… an intimacy…)

 

KIDNAPPER: Johnny?

 

JOHNNY: Yes?

 

KIDNAPPER: Are you all right? What happened out there?

 

JOHNNY: Who is this?

 

KIDNAPPER: You looked… lost… it was on all the TV stations… it must have been terribly humiliating. I hope I haven't been wrong about you, Johnny… because if I'm wrong there really isn't any hope for the boy.

 

(Johnny's eyes narrow… a beat…)

 

JOHNNY: Is he all right?

 

KIDNAPPER: For now. But his fate is entirely in your hands, Johnny.

 

JOHNNY: I'm not sure what you mean…

 

KIDNAPPER: You don't seem to be sure of anything today. (Sighs) Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, whoops, Johnny, whoops, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny, Johnny… truth is I've been worried about you lately…

 

JOHNNY: About me…

 

KIDNAPPER: (beat) This Purdy character you've recently hooked up with. A televangelist, Johnny. Please.

 

JOHNNY: He's just handling my mail.

 

KIDNAPPER: Ha! Public relations. Fair enough the demands on your time must be overwhelming. And here I am making even more demands. But I believe in you, Johnny and there is so little left to believe in. We've become numb to the corruption that surrounds us.

 

KIDNAPPER (CONT'D): The wicked prosper as they flaunt their Versace suits, leverage their buyouts, augment their breasts and drink plain water that sells for two dollars a bottle. I mean, really, if you can't believe in Martha Stewart, what's left? (Beat) We have turned our backs on God, Johnny. And every now and then, God throws his hands up and decides it's time to remind everyone what's important. "Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers…"

 

(And that sounds like he's about to murder the child…)

 

JOHNNY: If you'll just tell me what you want…

 

KIDNAPPER: I want you to be you, Johnny. (Beat) I left you a message at the house… a message you should have been able to find…

 

JOHNNY: A message…?

 

KIDNAPPER: That will help you to find Christopher.

 

JOHNNY: You want me to find him.

 

KIDNAPPER: I'm praying you will, Johnny.

 

JOHNNY: Can I talk to him?

 

KIDNAPPER: He's not here.

 

JOHNNY: I need to know that he's still alive.

 

KIDNAPPER: (suddenly angry) You should know that. Why don't you know that?

 

(Johnny doesn't speak…)

 

KIDNAPPER: This has been a disappointing first meeting, Johnny. 'You have been weighed in the balances and found wanting.'

 

(There's a click as the kidnapper hangs up and as Johnny reacts…)

 

 

END OF ACT ONE

 

 

ACT TWO

 

 

[INT. BANNERMAN HOUSE – NIGHT]

(Sarah opens the door to find Johnny standing there… wet from the drizzling rain… there is a tension that always underlines their scenes together now…)

 

SARAH: Johnny.

 

JOHNNY: I'm sorry to bother you, Sarah. They told me Walt stopped home for supper…

 

(Leading him in…)

 

SARAH: We just sat down.

 

 

[INT. DINING ROOM – CONTINUOUS]

(As Sarah and Johnny enter… campaign stuff scattered around, Walt and little Johnny are at the table eating… she sits and begins to eat… and perhaps it's just a bit odd that Sarah doesn't invite Johnny to join them…)

 

WALT: (mouth full) Hey.

 

JOHNNY: Hi. Hey, Johnny.

 

(The kid looks up at him, not at all pleased to see this man, who once 'held hands with his mother', in his house. Doesn't reply to Johnny's greeting.)

 

SARAH: (to little Johnny) Stop playing with your pasta and put some in your mouth.

 

(And we can feel as Johnny stands and they sit at the family table, how separated he is.)

 

WALT: (still chewing) You want something to eat?

 

JOHNNY: Thanks. No. I… need to go back out to the Markoff place. I heard from the guy.

 

(Walt reacts, rises without hesitation. As Sarah's eyes narrow…)

 

 

[INT. WALT'S PATROL CAR – NIGHT]

(Windshield wipers flapping. Walt driving.)

 

WALT: Message. What kind of message.

 

JOHNNY: I don't know. He said I should have been able to find it. As if this were all some kind of test… for me… (Beat) And if I don't pass it…

 

WALT: You'll pass it.

 

JOHNNY: Walt, I haven't had a vision in weeks.

 

(Walt reacts…)

 

WALT: What happened? You hit your head again or…?

 

JOHNNY: They just stopped… after one last vision…

 

WALT: Maybe it just means, you know, you're recovering, getting back to normal…

 

JOHNNY: Yeah. Normal. Whatever that is.

 

WALT: It could be a good thing. In any other circumstances.

 

(Johnny stares at the windshield wipers and says a little prayer…)

 

JOHNNY: I never asked for this. I never wanted this. And if it never comes again, I won't miss it. (Beat) But I need it tonight. One last time. If that's all it is. Or that boy is going to die. Because of me.

 

 

[EXT. MARKOFF HOUSE – NIGHT]

(Thunder rumbles as the rain comes down harder… several police cars remain parked in front of the estate… reporters huddle in media vehicles to stay warm… it now has all the markings of a major crime scene…)

 

 

[INT. MARKOFF HOUSE – NIGHT]

(The storm building outside. Moving with Arthur Markoff, Agent Goddard and Walt and Johnny… Johnny is doing his thing, touching things randomly, trying to get some reading… Markoff, who didn't believe much in Johnny to start with, now is beginning to be extremely dubious about him… this may be one "ER" type steadicam shot… that starts in Christopher's bedroom and then moves into halls and other rooms…)

 

MARKOFF: He didn't ask for money? I don't understand… kidnappers want money…

 

WALT: Apparently not this one.

 

MARKOFF: This… this doesn't make any sense to me. Why did he call you?

 

JOHNNY: I wish I knew the answer to that, sir.

 

(Their eyes meet for a moment before Johnny, failing to get any visions, takes one last look at the room…)

 

JOHNNY: I'm sorry; I just don't sense anything here.

 

(Thunder rumbles outside. Johnny moves out of the bedroom into the hall… and this is just insanity to Markoff…)

 

MARKOFF: (to Goddard) May I… I speak to you?

 

(Johnny is moving down the hall in the background as we hang back with Goddard, Walt and Markoff…)

 

MARKOFF: (sotto, but seething) I want this man out of my house…

 

WALT: Mr. Markoff…

 

MARKOFF: Did you believe him?

 

WALT: Why would he make up something like…? (This implied)

 

MARKOFF: …I can think of several reasons… the least of which is self-promotion… the worst of which is that he's involved in the kidnapping himself…

 

GODDARD: We're covering that possibility, Mr. Markoff…

 

(Walt gives her a look… you've got to be kidding…)

 

MARKOFF: Kidnappers demand ransom money. That's how it works. The idea that someone would use my son to… to… get some so-called psychic's attention…

 

WALT: I can vouch for Johnny Smith.

 

MARKOFF: I think he's dangerous. And I don't want him here.

 

(In the background, Johnny has been touching walls and pictures… not getting anything… has moved into a den now… as we continue our shot as we follow Walt who leads Markoff and Goddard take us into this room… This is Mrs. Markoff's private study… although we don't need to know this explicitly, she's an editor of books, some spiritual and new age in nature… and although it is handsomely decorated and neat, there are some manuscripts on a desk… and what's more important is the decor - artwork, knick-knacks and such - reflects her interests including… a large painting - or perhaps a huge avante garde poster of a Madonna art exhibition at a museum - the key is the Mother and Child context… for the moment, we only notice it in the background… Johnny is already exploring the room when the others come in… Markoff getting more agitated…)

 

MARKOFF: (impatient, to Johnny) This is my wife's study… there is no evidence the kidnappers came anywhere near this part of the house…

 

WALT: John… maybe we should call it a…

 

(Walt puts his hand on Johnny's shoulder, everything freezes… it's Walt's touch that breaks through the ice… and as Johnny feels the jolt… We begin a 360 move around them… moving quite fast, this doesn't last long… maybe even going around twice in a dizzying effect… and somehow Sarah and Little Johnny are there for an instant as we pan by them ('Mother and Child') during our 360 spin… and come to rest on… Thunder crashes outside. Our score is a collision of voices… perhaps recalling the monolith sound of 2001… Johnny studies the painting… moves slowly closer to it… the

voices growing louder as he approaches… Reactions as Walt, Goddard and Markoff sense he is experiencing something powerful… as he reaches out to touch it. And as he makes contact… The painting, the face of a masked man, his mouth opening in a silent scream, pushes out of the canvas, like Hans Solo's tortured features jutting out of the carbonate…)

 

 

[PULLING BACK NOW TO FIND JOHNNY]

(Pulling a gloved hand away from the painting, until we reveal him standing there as the kidnapper with a stocking mask over his face in a split reality -- Walt et al incongruously watching this with modest curiosity… and the voices are almost deafening now as we ramp to Johnny's face… as Johnny's mouth opens under the mask in a silent scream…)

 

 

[FLASH: NIGHT - GLOVED HANDS DISABLE AN ALARM SYSTEM]

[PUSH TO JOHNNY AS KIDNAPPER]

[FLASH: NIGHT - THE SAME HANDS USE A GLASS CUTTER TO CUT]

[CONTINUE PUSH TO JOHNNY AS KIDNAPPER]

 

(… and he drops to his knees almost as though he is praying…)

 

 

[FLASH: FOOTSTEPS IN THE DARK HOUSE]

[CONTINUE PUSH TO JOHNNY AS KIDNAPPER TO ECU]

(As he tilts his head back and looks to God to help him…)

 

 

[FLASH: POV SHOT - A CHILD SLEEPING]

(This is Christopher. His eyes suddenly open and look at us with alarm. And with that, the vision and voices abruptly end as we find…)

 

 

[JOHNNY]

(He’s in his own clothes kneeling in front of the Madonna and Child… the others look at him with wonder… but Markoff's patience has ended…)

 

MARKOFF: No more. This is over.

 

(He's prepared to throw Johnny out himself if he has to… and he moves toward Johnny… but as he does, Johnny rises and grabs the poster and lifts it off the wall… Behind it, taped to the wall is a white piece of paper… A classic "cut-out-letter" ransom note… only this one's apparently been scanned and then turned into a color printout. It consists of a single sentence: Yea though I walk… through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.)

 

 

[INT. SHERIFF'S OFFICE - NIGHT - CLOSE ON THE SAME NOTE]

(Night activity at the station house. This is the headquarters for the investigation so there's a lot going on in the background. Phones ringing, mug shots on computers and so forth. We're seeing the same paper under a UV light held by a pair of latex-gloved hands. An FBI technician is working with meticulous care. A fingerprint shows up.)

 

GODDARD (O.S.): Gotcha. We'll send this down to Clarksburg and run it through the national data base…

 

(Moving back to find Goddard, Johnny and Walt observing…)

 

JOHNNY: May I? (Touch it)

 

GODDARD: What?

 

JOHNNY: If I could just touch it…

 

GODDARD: This is FBI procedure now, Mr. Smith… we don't touch evidence… if he's in the system, we'll have an i-d in two hours.

 

JOHNNY: Walt…

 

WALT: Let him touch it. If he's in Johnny's system, we could have an i-d in two seconds. Don't forget we have a kid at risk out there.

 

(Goddard looks at them both and frowns, capitulates, to Johnny…)

 

GODDARD: Left edge, that's it.

 

(Johnny reaches out and touches the edge… we might get a brief glow from the letter a la the bible in "Enigma"…)

 

JOHNNY: The fingerprints aren't his. He never touched the page.

 

GODDARD: He had to touch the page.

 

(Johnny just shakes his head.)

 

JOHNNY: He knew it would be too easy for me. He even scanned the original note, then e-mailed the file to a copy store and had them print it up. That way he wouldn't have physical contact with it during the printing process.

 

GODDARD: He had to touch the page because he had to stick it on the goddamned wall.

 

(Deputy Roscoe calls over from a desk.)

 

ROSCOE: Bruce Lewis on four for Mr. Smith. He says it's important.

 

(Walt presses the button to get the right extension for Johnny and hands him the phone but the moment he touches it, Johnny reacts. Covers the mouth piece.)

 

JOHNNY: It's not Bruce.

 

(Walt reacts and moves into action to trace the call…)

 

JOHNNY: Hello.

 

 

[INT. INDUSTRIAL SPACE – NIGHT]

(Close on the kidnapper's mouth, perhaps a little looser than the last time.)

 

KIDNAPPER: So, Johnny you seem to be back on your game.

 

KIDNAPPER (CONT'D): Have you figured out how I put the paper on the wall without touching it?

 

JOHNNY: You had Christopher do it.

 

KIDNAPPER: You are back on your game. Congratulations. He was really quite brave last night, under the most difficult of circumstances. But he's starting to get a little worried. Now that the air is running out.

 

JOHNNY: If you want me to find him, then you need to give more information…

 

KIDNAPPER: You have everything you need to find him, Johnny. You're just not seeing it yet but you will. Say hello to Walt, I assume he's tracing the call… but since I'm forwarding this through a phone bank, I imagine we have some time to talk. I think it's swell that you and Walt and Sarah can all be friends… and they even named their boy after you… it is their boy, isn't it, Johnny because I've wondered about that… I've looked at the dates and they don't exactly work out…

 

(Johnny and Walt exchange a serious glance…)

 

JOHNNY: Listen to me, carefully. I promise you if you go anywhere near Johnny Bannerman…

 

KIDNAPPER: Johnny Bannerman. The sound of it. How do you live with that?

 

JOHNNY: (repeating) If you go anywhere near him…

 

KIDNAPPER: Don't you think I could have done that? It would have been so easy. (Beat) But I would never do that to you.

 

KIDNAPPER (CONT'D): I just want you to know that I know. And that I care. You don't have to live with that secret alone. You can share it with me now. (Beat) Hurry, Johnny. I was serious when I said that Chrissy's air is running out.

 

(There's a click and he's gone. Off Johnny's reaction…)

 

 

END OF ACT TWO

 

 

ACT THREE

 

 

[EXT. CLEAVES MILLS - MORNING - ESTABLISHING]

[EXT. SMITH HOUSE - DAY - JOHNNY]

(Johnny is picking up his morning paper as Walt drives up in the patrol car…)

 

WALT: Come on… we've got a lead from the copy shop…

 

(Johnny gets in the patrol car…)

 

 

[INT. PATROL CAR - CONTINUOUS – MOVING]

 

WALT: You were right. As usual. The message was e-mailed to the shop with instructions to mail to a post office box. E-mail and P.O. box both belong to a Mr. Nebuchadnezzar… that's from the bible, right?

 

JOHNNY: (acknowledges, mind working) Babylonian King. Sent Daniel into the Lions Den…

 

WALT: And his three pals into the fiery furnace where the angel protected them, am I right? What were their names?

 

(Johnny's mind is working, trying to piece these clues together… he just shakes his head at Walt's question, not remembering…)

 

WALT: Anyway, Mr. Nebuchadnezzar paid for the transaction with a stolen credit card… we know who it was stolen from…

 

 

[EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE - DAY – ESTABLISHING]

(A one-story home that's being remodeled. Walt's patrol car and an FBI sedan are parked outside.)

 

 

[INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE – DAY]

(Mrs. Cahill, 35, a wife and mother… leads Johnny, Goddard and Walt inside… walls have been stripped of paint to show original brick and plaster. The furniture's covered with sheets, giving everything a ghostly appearance… this is still a house that people are living in, however, so the remodeling should be limited…)

 

MRS. CAHILL: I'm sorry for the mess… this has been going on for months now…

 

WALT: Mrs. Cahill, do you have any idea where you might have been when your credit card was stolen…

 

MRS. CAHILL: I thought I'd left it at a restaurant… but they couldn't find it when I called…

 

(As the interview continues… we move in on Johnny… and the house itself is giving him a feeling… we may focus on his feet for a moment if we really need to establish a physical connection… and we may reprise the cascading voices we heard when Johnny looked at the Madonna painting…)

 

GODDARD: What was the name of that restaurant?

 

(Johnny moves away from the others… almost as though drawn by the voices…)

 

MRS. CAHILL (O.S.): The Italian Kitchen. Out on Route Fifteen.

 

GODDARD (O.S.): We'll run a check on all the employees…

 

MRS. CAHILL (O.S.): You really believe someone there might have been involved in this terrible kidnapping…?

 

WALT (O.S.): All we know is that your credit card is involved…

 

MRS. CAHILL (O.S.): How awful…

 

(The sound of the conversation has faded as Johnny has moved further away… and the cascading voices increase… Johnny comes to a door that's closed… reaches out and touches it…)

 

 

[A JOHNNY FLASH - A BELT BEING RAISED]

 

KIDNAPPER'S MOM (O.S.): O God we most heartily thank Thee…

 

 

[RESUME JOHNNY]

(Johnny reacts, turning the handle…)

 

 

[ANOTHER FLASH - A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY'S HAND]

(Chained to a bedpost…)

 

KIDNAPPER'S MOM (O.S.): …and ask for thy forgiveness for the sins of this child…

 

 

[RESUME JOHNNY]

(Johnny is opening the door… to reveal… The voices stop. Johnny reacts.)

 

 

[ANGLE WITH WALT AND THE OTHERS]

(As Johnny returns… the phone is ringing…)

 

MRS. CAHILL: …probably about ten o'clock when we left. (Re: phone) Excuse me.

 

(She moves a short distance away to get the phone.)

 

JOHNNY: He used to live here. In this house.

 

(Goddard and Walt react.)

 

MRS. CAHILL: (to phone) Hello, yes?

 

JOHNNY (CONT'D): When he was a child. With his mother.

 

MRS. CAHILL: (to phone) Yes. Yes. He's here.

 

(Walt looks to her expecting the call to be for him but she turns to Johnny with a curious look on her face…)

 

MRS. CAHILL: It's for you.

 

(Johnny exchanges a look with Walt… takes the phone…)

 

JOHNNY: This is John Smith.

 

 

[INT. INDUSTRIAL SPACE – KIDNAPPER]

(Just a little wider each time.)

 

KIDNAPPER: You'll always be Johnny to me. So what do you think, of the house I mean.

 

JOHNNY: I know it used to be yours.

 

KIDNAPPER: Can you believe what those people are doing to my house… I think they want to live in an old Pottery Barn catalogue full of plaids, ducks and pineapples…

 

JOHNNY: I've seen what happened to you when you were child here…

 

KIDNAPPER: Well, of course, that's why I've brought you there, Johnny. I want you to know. I want you to know me.

 

JOHNNY: Then meet me somewhere. Let's talk.

 

KIDNAPPER: Soon, Johnny. You're very close now. Just a hop, skip, jump away. Unless you stumble. (Beat) Dear God, I hate that house.

 

(Click; he hangs up. End Intercut. Johnny's gaze moves around the house looking for some clue…)

 

JOHNNY: He's been here. And not long ago.

 

MRS. CAHILL: In my house?

 

JOHNNY: He's seen the renovations.

 

WALT: Maybe that's when he took the credit card -- when he was here.

 

(And now through the partly knocked-down wall, Johnny sees something odd: a wall in the adjoining room that's been freshly painted white, beckoning like a blank canvas. Johnny approaches, and finds a can of paint, the sides spattered bright red, on the floor beside it. A red-encrusted brush lies on the can. He picks it up and we turn 180 degrees as he becomes…)

 

 

[A WORKMAN IN COVERALLS – VISION]

(His face obscured by a dust mask. In a split reality, Walt, Goddard and the woman observe. Johnny/Kidnapper raises a roller brush… Pas Johnny/Kidnapper as he moves in reverse motion using a power roller brush to unpaint the wall, (Walt, Goddard and the woman are not in shot). And as the white comes off, three strange names painted in red are revealed beneath it: SHADRACH… MESHACH… ABEDNEGO. The vision ends but as we cut back to…)

 

 

[JOHNNY - REAL TIME]

(He's staring at the blank wall, still holding the brush…)

 

JOHNNY: Shadrach, Mesach, Abednego…

 

WALT: (recalling the early conversation) Right. The fiery furnace.

 

(But why the hell are you bringing that up now, his eyes ask. Johnny turns to Walt, Goddard and the woman - and sees the trio of them waiting for him to explain… a frightening realization dawning…)

 

JOHNNY: Is anyone else in the house?

 

MRS. CAHILL: (baffled) No…

 

JOHNNY: (calm but urgent) We have to leave. We have to leave now.

 

(They're confused but he urges them to move… and they do just as…)

 

 

[NEW ANGLE - SLOW MOTION - AS THREE INCENDIARY DEVICES DETONATE]

(In rapid succession… all around them… and indeed, they are in the fiery furnace… as they run for their lives outside…)

 

 

[EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE - CONTINUOUS - SLOW MOTION]

(They run out, helping the poor woman who is losing her home… moving safely away from the house just as it erupts in flames and explodes in a million pieces…)

 

 

[EXT. MARKOFF ESTATE - DAY - A NEWS CONFERENCE]

(An outdoor, quickly organized conference… the reporters and photographers stand pretty much where they were standing when we first saw them at the top of the show, though there are more of them now… there's a news coverage quality to this footage… as though we're one of the stations covering this story… Purdy, Arthur Markoff and Agent Goddard stand behind Johnny at a podium… looking like a man unused to being on television…)

 

JOHNNY: I'm not really comfortable with all this… I've never spoken in a public forum like this before… but today, I have no choice. Because I need to make an appeal to the kidnapper of Christopher Markoff…

 

 

[INT. INDUSTRIAL SPACE – DAY]

(TV tuned to the press conference…)

 

JOHNNY: (beat, to the camera) …an appeal that it's time to let the boy go. There has been enough pain and suffering for everyone involved in this including you…

 

(Unhappy, the kidnapper rises, crosses the room (so we can see it clearly) and turns off the set. He paces…)

 

 

[RESUME NEWS CONFERENCE]

 

JOHNNY: I don't believe you really want to hurt Christopher. Not after what you went through yourself when you were his age. I'm willing to meet you anywhere you wish… whenever you say… to arrange for the boy's release.

 

(That's the end of his statement… the reporters hands fly up with questions… Johnny… Johnny… are you sure the boy is still alive… can you describe the kidnapper's voice to us? And finally…)

 

REPORTER: Do you feel responsible for this, Johnny?

 

PURDY: (interceding) Johnny didn't kidnap this boy. But he is trying to get him back, and at considerable risk to his own safety.

 

(Moving to pull an uncomfortable Johnny away from the podium but the reporter won't drop it…)

 

REPORTER: This guy is obviously obsessed with you… maybe he took the boy because he wanted to get your attention…

 

(Johnny has wondered about this already of course but it wounds anyway and it's painful being up here in front of all these reporters to start with…)

 

REPORTER: Do you blame Johnny Smith, Mr. Markoff?

 

(Markoff just ignores the question, turns toward the house. The reporters pile on Johnny… with questions like "How does that make you feel?" "Why can't you see where the boy is right now?" "Why do you think the kidnapper is so interested in you?" "Can you explain how your powers work?" The camera moves to the back of the pack to see Dana watching with sad eyes as the wolves attack… Bruce moves up beside her… concerned…)

 

BRUCE: A month ago, he was their hero. Now they can't wait to tear him down.

 

DANA: He's still their hero. You should see how they treat their enemies. (Beat, considering his arrival) What brings you to the wars?

 

BRUCE: (shrugs, the question is also the answer) The wars.

 

(He watches Johnny being escorted by Purdy toward the house, reporters still yelling…)

 

BRUCE: You know someday they really are gonna try to destroy him.

 

DANA: And you want to be there. To fight the good fight.

 

BRUCE: My daddy taught me it's all we can do in this life.

 

DANA: Call me if you ever need reinforcements.

 

Bruce looks at Dana and they smile, understanding they both care about Johnny a great deal...

BRUCE: I will.

 

 

[INT. MARKOFF HOUSE – CONTINUOUS]

(As Purdy and Johnny enter… the phone is ringing… FBI and local officers are present… but Walt and Goddard are not there. Markoff glances at Johnny, answers the phone.)

 

MARKOFF: Hello.

 

(His face is grim as he nods to Johnny, it's him...)

 

MARKOFF: Yes. He's right here.

 

(…and hands off the phone. Johnny takes a beat and considers what his role in the scenario is because, although we don't know it yet, that's what this... a plan that is going exactly as they expected it to…)

 

JOHNNY: Hello?

 

 

[CLOSEUP ON THE KIDNAPPER]

(Close enough so we can't see the background of the room he's in.)

 

KIDNAPPER: You talk to me on television? On television? You've… you've turned this into another reality show… Big Brother Forty-Seven…

 

JOHNNY: You made it clear his air was running out and…

 

KIDNAPPER: This was Purdy's idea, wasn't it…?

 

JOHNNY: No, it was mine…

 

KIDNAPPER: Well, it was a bad one. I am offended. And disappointed in you. All those reporters -- locusts… with the "hair of women and the teeth of lions." That Dana Bright is using you… just like the others… to advance her career…

 

(And if we wonder why Johnny is just silently listening to this, now we see why…)

 

 

[EXT. URBAN AREA – DAY]

(Walt and Goddard leading the way for an FBI swat team… they're approaching a commercial building in an urban area…)

 

 

[RESUME JOHNNY/KIDNAPPER INTERCUT]

 

KIDNAPPER: This was between you and me, Johnny. I was lending you a helping hand every step of the way… every clue that you'd need to find me…

 

 

[EXT. URBAN AREA - DAY – CONTINUOUS]

(The swat team rushes into the commercial building…)

 

 

[RESUME JOHNNY/KIDNAPPER INTERCUT]

 

KIDNAPPER: By now, I expected you and Walt to have traced the real estate records from the house… found out my name… figured out where you might find me…

 

 

[INT. KIDNAPPER'S BUILDING]

(A quick cut of the swat team heading up a stairwell, moving into a hallway, Walt moving with them…)

 

KIDNAPPER: (beat) You might have even tried something unexpected and totally out-of character to divert my attention while a swat team moved into position outside...

 

 

[OMITTED]

[INT. KIDNAPPER'S BUILDING – CONTINUOUS]

(On Walt's signal, two swat cops use a small battering ram to bust down a door…)

 

 

[RESUME JOHNNY/KIDNAPPER INTERCUT]

 

KIDNAPPER: (smiles) Now, that would have been very very clever of you.

 

 

[INT. KIDNAPPER'S BUILDING – CONTINUOUS]

(As the swat team charges in… and finds it abandoned. Goddard shakes her head.)

 

 

[RESUME KIDNAPPER]

 

KIDNAPPER: Hope to see you soon, Johnny.

 

(We stay with him to hang up the phone to reveal that he's been talking to Johnny from an isolated phone booth in a locale tbd. As he hangs up and walks away…)

 

 

[JOHNNY]

(He reacts as we…)

 

 

END OF ACT THREE

 

 

ACT FOUR

 

 

[EXT. KIDNAPPER'S BUILDING – DAY]

(As Johnny walks toward the structure, police search teams are searching the surrounding area for a body or a place where the boy might be hidden… they have dogs sniffing the ground, dumpsters… Johnny moves :)

 

 

[INT. KIDNAPPER'S BUILDING – CONTINUOUS]

(Johnny enters as now we see more of this commercial space, filled with partly assembled computers and other technogear common to start-up companies, as well as a mattress, hot plate, and scattered clothes. The room's being worked by the CSI:Bangor division… Goddard and detectives dusting for fingerprints and taking pictures… Walt turns and sees Johnny…)

 

WALT: We don't think the kid has been here…

 

(Johnny's eyes move across the room… They come to a photograph of the kidnapper with an elderly woman, his mother… she smiles sweetly, he's more even-faced… it's the first time, Johnny has seen his face…)

 

WALT: Francis Ritter… Single, no criminal record, college graduate, goes to church every Sunday. Ran a start-up technology company out of this building for a couple of years… went Chapter Eleven a few months ago. He was forced to sell off all his assets to one of his potential rivals, a company with a celebrated C-E-O named guess who?

 

JOHNNY: Arthur Markoff.

 

(Walt nods. Johnny's attention is drawn to a wall lined with cork and covered with photos and clippings. Johnny reacts as he comes face to face with another man's obsession. An obsession with Johnny Smith. And then something innocuous that's even more disturbing: a box of brightly colored push pins, the same kind he uses on his own basement 'Armageddon Board.' Johnny picks out a red one, holds it up for a long troubled beat...)

 

GODDARD: (glancing over) I'd say you've definitely got a friend.

 

WALT: He's been stalking you for a while.

 

JOHNNY: But why me? What does he want from me?

 

WALT: Maybe he's had visions of his own. Crazy ones. God talking to him, you know? Look at this -- I think it's another message meant for you…

 

(He points to another letter with the same cut-out letters as the one at the Markoff house. Only this one's an original, no computer printout. It reads: And the fourth looks like a son of the gods As we reprise the colliding voices in our score, the sound slowly rising…)

 

WALT: I called Purdy. It's a quote from the Book of Daniel. After the fiery furnace, Nebchanezzer says : (reading notes,

standard police drone) "Look. I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."

 

(Johnny reaches out and touches the edge of the page as he did before… and as he does… ramp to his face and…)

 

 

[A JOHNNY FLASH A CHIPPED STONE FRIEZE DEPICTS PAWING LIONS]

[JOHNNY]

(He reacts…)

 

 

[ANOTHER FLASH - SWAT TEAM GUNS - SLO MOVING LIKE AN ARMY ACROSS THE SCREEN…]

[THE LETTER EXTREME CLOSE-UP AND THE FOURTH]

[ANOTHER FLASH - DOORS TO AN OLD BANK BURSTING IN - AS SWAT OFFICERS CHARGE THROUGH - SLOW MOTION]

[THE LETTER EXTREME CLOSE-UP LOOKS LIKE]

[ANOTHER FLASH - PUSH IN TO AN UNCONSCIOUS CHRISTOPHER LYING IN A DARK BANK VAULT]

(And now the Kidnapper, his back to us, drags him out…)

 

 

[THE LETTER EXTREME CLOSE-UP A SON]

[ANOTHER FLASH - THE KIDNAPPER FIRING AN ASSAULT WEAPON FROM THE VAULT TOWARD THE SWAT TEAM]

(…and the semi-conscious boy sits slumped against the vault door, exposed to danger…)

 

 

[JOHNNY – ECU]

[ANOTHER FLASH - EXTREME SLOW MOTION AS A HAIL OF BULLETS]

(Fills the bank in all directions… smoke, fire, hellish… death… and as the smoke clears the Kidnapper and the boy are both lying on the floor, apparently dead…)

 

 

[THE LETTER EXTREME CLOSE UP]

(Of the gods. The cascading voices rise… and then end abruptly as the sequence ends…)

 

 

[RESUME JOHNNY, WALT AND CSI TEAM]

(They’re going about their business… Walt studies Johnny…)

 

WALT: Anything?

 

(Johnny knows if he tells about his vision, it will lead to the devastating events he just witnessed.)

 

JOHNNY: Nothing. I can't see anything. The visions… just aren't working like they used to anymore.

 

(He seems defeated.)

 

WALT: Still on the fritz, huh. Hey, why don't you take a break. Get some rest. We'll do some old fashioned police work here, maybe something will turn up... if it does, we'll let you know, okay?

 

JOHNNY: Yeah… okay.

 

(He exits…)

 

 

[EXT. ABANDONED BANK BUILDING - CRUMBLING FRIEZE WITH THE RAMPANT LIONS – DAY]

(In a neighborhood going through Urban Renewal. As we tilt down to find Johnny arriving in his jeep… Looks up at the lions. He crosses to the entrance… where we can see a street number, 77… and tries the front doors. They open with a squeak…)

 

 

[INT. ABANDONED BANK - DAY – WIDE]

(As Johnny enters. Thin shafts of sunlight pierce the gloom from tall draped windows, highlighting worn carpet. The teller windows look like a ghost town facade. trying to get accustomed to the darkness… he seems to be alone but we cut away to: as he tentatively moves into the room, past some abandoned office chairs, an old bank calendar for 1995 on a wall next to a "Teller of the Month" photo. He approaches a stairwell, starts down… Johnny peers into two empty open vaults, before coming to a third, the door locked. It's the vault he glimpsed in his vision. He tries the handle… locked… Johnny touches the combination lock, and has a vision.)

 

 

[THE VAULT DOOR - PAST – VISION]

(A bespectacled bank manager spins the combination lock as a Security Guard waits… and Johnny watches. That damn "game" has ruined more weekends than I can count, Homer. You ever see me pick up a golf club again, I want you to take it from me and use it to beat me senseless. Understood? as the bank manager goes through the combination, Johnny peering over his shoulder…)

 

 

[RESUME – JOHNNY]

(Matching the numbers on the same…)

 

JOHNNY: (muttering) Twenty-nine, Thirty-six, Twelve…

 

(He dials the combination, turns the handle and pulls. The heavy door opens with a hiss of inrushing air.)

 

 

[INT. VAULT]

(A dark, narrow space. Johnny digs a small FLASHLIGHT out of his pocket, moves inside…)

 

 

[ANGLE FAVORING JOHNNY'S POV - HIS FLASHLIGHT BEAM FINDS THE BOY]

(Still and pale as he saw in his vision.)

 

 

[JOHNNY]

(quickly crouches by him, checks his pulse with his fingers, then presses an ear to his chest… lays him flat on his back and urgently starts CPR… opening the boy's mouth, pinching his nose closed, and leaning down to give him two quick mouth-to-mouth breaths. Checks him again, and then a third breath. The boy gasps and starts to breath shallowly. A little color returns to his cheeks but he remains unconscious.)

 

KIDNAPPER (O.S.): "… And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived."

 

(Johnny turns to see the Kidnapper standing in the doorway, an automatic pistol held loosely in one hand, an assault rifle slung over his shoulder. We know his name now, so we'll use it. A tear of happiness rolls down his cheek…)

 

JOHNNY: We've got to get him to a hospital.

 

FRANCIS: The police will be here soon. They'll take him.

 

JOHNNY: I didn't tell the police where to come.

 

FRANCIS: I know. I did. I left a subtle clue behind -- Walt'll figure it out before too long. I just wanted to have some time together. Just you and me. Before we all go our separate ways.

 

(That sounds chilling. Johnny studies him.)

 

JOHNNY: Why'd you do this, Francis?

 

FRANCIS: My mother always called me Francis... after 'Francis Albert' …Sinatra, you know? Can't tell you how many black eyes it got me as a kid.

 

(Trying to force him to engage him in a negotiation…)

 

JOHNNY: Why are we here, Francis?

 

(Francis studies Johnny with awe… damn, he's here… this couldn't be more perfect…)

 

FRANCIS: We put our trust in false gods, bowed down before new golden idols. We have broken our contract with God just like the people did in ancient Judah…

 

JOHNNY: And when they did, God sent Nebuchadnezzar to punish them.

 

FRANCIS: But God also sent Daniel, Johnny. He also sent the prophet.

 

(There, he's put it right on the table. It couldn't be clearer. He smiles to Johnny: you can see it now, can't you?)

 

JOHNNY: I can't speak for you but I'm no Daniel…

 

FRANCIS: Sure, you are. You proved it…

 

JOHNNY: No.

 

FRANCIS: You did... the fiery furnace, you're here… "And the knowledgeable will be radiant like the bright expanse of sky… and those who lead the many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever…"

 

JOHNNY: (overlapping) I'm not a prophet, Francis.

 

(Francis studies him unhappily a beat then… laughs…)

 

FRANCIS: I can't believe you don't see it! Even now!

 

JOHNNY: I'm just a man who recovered from a coma.

 

FRANCIS: The fire at Cathy's Steakhouse.

 

JOHNNY: I had a psychic vision. That's all.

 

(Francis considers Johnny incredulously: why doesn't he get it? Then shrugs, whatever…)

 

FRANCIS: That's okay, I'm sure enough for both of us. (Beat) It's refreshing to encounter a modest messenger from God for a change. They always seem to talk in declarative sentences in the scriptures. With exclamation points. A very wise man once told me never to use exclamation points. They oversell your point.

 

JOHNNY: (re: the boy) Francis, his pulse is weak…

 

FRANCIS: (nods) And you have to save him. See you're making my point for me. Without exclamation points. (Beat) We all want to be saved, Johnny. Sometimes, it's from ourselves.

 

(He looks at Johnny with nothing short of worship…)

 

FRANCIS: "Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." (Beat)

 

(As Nebuchanezzar did to Daniel, Francis falls prostrate before him to pay him honor… literally praying to him:)

 

FRANCIS (CONT'D): They comfort me, Johnny.

 

(He rises)

 

FRANCIS: (beat) You were a teacher once…?

 

JOHNNY: Yes.

 

FRANCIS: Be a teacher again. As Daniel was. Teach them...and maybe they'll save themselves. (Beat, with love) Bear your responsibilities lightly, Johnny, and your shoulders will not be bowed.

 

(And ironically this is exactly the message Johnny's been needing to hear, only it hasn't come from Bruce, or Purdy, but from this strange and tortured man. An amplified voice breaks the moment.)

 

WALT (LOUD SPEAKER): Francis Ritter. This is Sheriff Bannerman. If you have any weapons, put them down and come outside. You won't be harmed.

 

(Francis barely reacts… and then he stuffs the pistol into his belt and unslings the assault rifle. Is he about to kill them?)

 

JOHNNY: (pleading) Francis…

 

FRANCIS: Did you know that at the end of his days, Nebuchadnezzar rejected God and went mad… was driven from other men and lived like an animal. All as Daniel prophesied.

 

JOHNNY: Yes.

 

FRANCIS: But he also prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar need only lift his eyes to heaven again to be delivered into the light. (Beat) Try to understand, Johnny. The Lord works in mysterious ways.

 

(He then suddenly ejects the magazine from his rifle, along with the chambered round, and walks out, still holding the rifle, before Johnny can even think to stop him.)

 

 

[WIDE OVERHEAD SHOT - IN THE BANK]

(As he walks up the stairs, then toward the front…)

 

FRANCIS: "And I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever. (opens the door letting a flood of light in) And the glory of my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned to me."

 

(He exits, leaving the door open, pointing the gun… we hear the firing begin…)

 

 

[ON JOHNNY IN THE VAULT]

(As the firing continues… and then stops… and Johnny knows it is over… In the ensuing silence, Johnny gathers up Christopher in his arms, and heads outside…)

 

 

[INT. BANK – WIDE]

Johnny moves slowly, carrying the boy in his arms... as we hear future news coverage, overlapping…

 

TV REPORTER (V.O.): Another remarkable chapter in the saga of the man from Cleaves Mills…

 

TV REPORTER#2 (V.O.): ...the boy was reunited with his parents after a local psychic named John Smith…

 

TV ANNOUNCER (V.O.): "…an encore presentation tonight at eight on the Sci Fi Channel: the remarkable story of Johnny Smith who…"

 

(Johnny stands a beat at the Spielbergian light flooding through the open front door, smoke from the gunfire bathing him… sirens, etc. outside… and he looks every bit like he's standing in a cloud… as we…)

 

 

END OF ACT FOUR

 

 

THE END