The White Room Script

THE WHITE  ROOM

The script for the Motion Picture by Bill Drummond, Jimmy Cauty and Bill Butt.

Copyright 1990 KLF Communications

7th June 1990 DRAFT DATED: 27th June 1990

INTRODUCTION/TREATMENT

The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu are an ancient underground organisation (or disorganisation) at       least as old as the Illuminati. They represent the primeval power of Chaos.

In 1987, Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, using the alias' Kingboy D and Rockman Rock, started to work together. They called themselves The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMS). Obviously, they had no connection with the real Justified Ancients of       Mu Mu. Or so they thought.

Drummond's and Cauty's ambitions were more temporal than cosmic. They just wanted to create records/ art/films without other people telling them how it       should be done. But within days of their first record being released, they began to receive messages from unknown sources. They were being warned. They were being threatened. They were being welcomed.

In mid-1988, using another alias, The Timelords, Drummond and Cauty had a freak international number one hit record, 'Doctor'n The Tardis'. They were players on the world stage. Along with the offers coming into their solicitor's office from people wanting licensing deals, soundtrack deals and in- flight entertainment deals, came a contract of a       more bizarre nature. A contract with an       organization or individuals unknown. This was not like the earlier mail they had received. The wording was standard music business legal-speak, but the terms discussed and the rights required and granted were of a far stranger kind. Their solicitor advised them not to sign. They of course did sign, and set about fulfilling their side of       the bargain.

In the first term of the contract, Drummond and Cauty were required to make an artistic impression of the journey to, and arrival at, a place called 'The White Room'. The renumeration they were to       receive on completion of this work of art was access to the 'real' White Room and the next term of the contract. After dismissing the idea of an       art show (both Drummond and Cauty have backgrounds        in painting), they decided a road movie was the thing. This had always figured in their vague plans for the future. They had money coming in       from all over the place for their Timelords record they could front the money. And when the film was finished they could tour it as a performance piece in clubs and raves. It could easilv re-coup. Or       so they thought.

They contacted their associate Bill Butt, a film director. He assembled his crew; most of them had just returned from working on the latest Indiana Jones feature in Spain. Six weeks later they were back in the Sierra Nevada and filming began. Things started to go wrong immediately. Weather, locations, business deals; all turned out to be not as expected. Of course, this is normal - 'par for the course' - but this seemed extreme; almost as if       the gods were against them.

In a manner of speaking they were. If not the gods, then some very powerful mortal forces. Drummond, Cauty and Butt were totally unaware that surrounding their simple road movie was a plot of       global proportions. They later learned that the making of their film was directly responsible for two deaths, one life wrecked forever, and immeasurable repercussions on national governments through the activities of arms dealers and tell- tale secretaries.

Drummond and Cauty finished their film. Despite near bankruptcy, everybody was paid. It was deemed a success. It was big screen, if only 47 minutes long.

In June 1989 Drummond and Cauty, now as the 'KLF', were feted as the heroes of the summer 'raves' (acid house parties), with their anthem 'What Time is Love.

In July '89 on a Monday evening, they had just finished playing live at the London club Heaven. Taking a breather outside, they stumbled into 'Cardboard City' and were accosted by a young down- and-out called Micky McElwee. Unknown to Drummond and Cauty, Micky was a casualty of their film. Over a meal in a greasy spoon, he revealed to them his knowledge of the whole plot, and his part in       it.

What Micky McElwee told them that night was the most shit-scaring thing that either of them had ever heard. It would have been more comfortable to       believe that this character had made the whole thing up; that he was some sort of demented JAMS fan that had finally hit Skid Row on the arse-end of Thatcherism. But they couldn't quite convince themselves.

Although they had completed their interpretation of       the journey and fulfilled their side of the contract, they had seen no response. Was this the pay-off? Was Micky's account of the events surrounding the making of their road movie the 'real' White Room? If so, Drummond and Cauty believed that to understand the next term of the contract they would have to make the film of the 'real' White Room, of which their road movie was but one strand - an 'inner' film.

The 'outer' film tells the story that Drummond and Cauty were blissfully unaware of; international intrigue, secret societies, sexual double-dealing, conspiracy and murder. It shows Micky's downfall, through initial fascination to an eventual fatal obsession with the events surrounding the original road movie.

The 'third strand' charts the confusion, desperation and the zenarchy of Drummond and Cauty as they accept a contract they can never hope to       understand, and then face the consequences.

These three strands will intertwine to tell one simple story; the story of men out of their depth.

They told a leading British actor the story and asked him if he was interested in playing Micky. He       was. The schedule and budget were put together. They need one million pounds. They have six months to raise the cash. Can they do it?

Accept the zenarchy and read the script.

THE OUTER FILM

1. EXT. "HEAVEN" CLUB. NIGHT                          1.

At about 3 A.M. CAUTY and DRUMMOND leave Heaven (the club, not the after life). They plan just to        take a stroll around the block get some fresh air before venturing back into the 'Mental Mental Mentalness' of Heaven on a Monday night and their post performance party.

As they leave they nod in acknowledgement to the POSSE of BOUNCERS guarding the entrance of the club. We notice ONE dial a number on his portable phone. His eyes are fixed on CAUTY and DRUMMOND as       he listens and waits for a receiver somewhere to be        picked up.

2. EXT. BACK STREET. NIGHT. 2.

Heaven is in a back street behind Charing Cross Station. So is Cardboard City, the infamous home, of many of London's DOWN-AND-OUTS.

There are a couple of small fires burning. Hands held out seeking warmth. Bottles of Strongbow smashed. The under-belly of society. Anybody who spends any time in London knows what these people look like. Our description is not needed.

DRUMMOND and CAUTY stroll past, trying not to       notice. Attempting to keep their guilt trips in       check.

A FIGURE shuffles out of the shadows and into the path of DRUMMOND. A pair of pale blue eyes stare out of a grimy, weary face. The face stops a foot or so from DRUMMOND's, he can smell the alcohol breath. The down-and-out stench. DRUMMOND freezes.

MICKY Are you Kingboy D?

DRUMMOND nods. Expecting a knire in his guts. CAUTY glances 'round. He knows they should make a       run for it.

MICKY (Cont) Think you're clever don't you? You and your little games. All that White Room shit. Did you ever finish that fuckin' film of yours? Resolve the meaning of the dead eagle? The thing with your type is           you could never make it to The White Room in a thousand years. You've got no idea of what The White Room is and you've got no           idea of who the fuck I am and how I            know what I know.

The voice is pure hatred. By now DRUMMOND has taken in that the voice and its face belongs to a       slim lad who must be in his late twenties. In       different circumstances the face would be good looking, the eyes still have sparkle.

DRUMMOND still says nothing and he still does not move. The YOUNG MAN laughed. Instant mood change.

MICKY (Cont) The name is Michael McElwee. If           you two buy me a meal I could tell you things that could rearrange your life.

DRUMMOND It's after 3 A.M. Nowhere's open now.

A feeble excuse from DRUMMOND.

MICKY I thought you two dealt with Eternity. There is always somewhere open. Or at least I know of somewhere that doesn't close till after five.

DRUMMOND turns to CAUTY. CAUTY shrugs his shoulders.

3. INT. CAFE. NIGHT. 3.

A grimy, greasy, strip lighting lit cafe. A neon fly catcher buzzes. Wings burn. Stained mugs of       tea. TAXI DRIVERS on the all night shift, eating mountains of mash, pork chops and boiled cabbage.

CAUTY smokes a fag. Stares out of the window at       the passing night.

DRUMMOND sips his tea.

YOUNG MAN tucks in.

MICKY You can call me Micky. Do I have to call you Kingboy D?                   DRUMMOND Nobody ever did.

MICKY gives a cool knowing smile.

MICKY We've all got a story to tell and this is mine.

FLASHBACK: THE OUTER FILM

4. INT. BAR ITALIA. DAY. 4.

Sometime late Autumn 1989. A very different MICKY McELWEE inside the Bar Italia off Old Compton Street, Soho. A poster of Rocky Marciano on the wall. A.C. Milan on the video; the incompre- hensible commentary blares out for the spell-bound initiated. MICKY in a sharp Italian suit. Shoes and shirt to match. Hair trimmed every second Monday at Mario's. He sips his espresso. He knows he looks the part although he cannot speak a word of Italian. London Irish. Second generation.

His cellnet phone rings. He picks it up from the bar top. Listens.

MICKY (into phone) Yeh okay ... What? ... Now? ...

He switches it off. Picks up his keys, his foil and visor. Checks his tie in the mirror. Nods to       the WAITER and is off.

5. EXT. THAMES EMBANKMENT. DAY. 5.

MICKY in Alfa Romeo. Driving along the Thames Embankment. Dials number on car phone.

MICKY (into phone) Mum it's me. If Eddy is looking for me tell him I'm up West on some business ... Yeh, same to you mum.

Returns receiver. Checks rear view mirror. Pushes hair back. Slips on a pair of shades.

6. EXT. COWBOY TOWN. DAY. 6.

High noon. MICKY in his street clothes. Going through the motions. We've seen the films. We       know the shots. There is SOMEBODY else not clearly identifiable.

CUT BACK TO:

7. EXT. KING'S ROAD. CHELSEA. DAY. 7.

MICKY in his car.

He dials another number.

MICKY Jane? ... Yeh it's Micky. Look I           can't make it tonight. I got some business to do ... Yeh I know. I'll call you soon. We can see it           some other time. I said I'm sorry ... I did.

Replaces receiver. A wry smile in the rear view mirror. King's Road. Checks out a COUPLE of GIRLS on the pavement. Almost grins. Checks his Rolex. He feels comfortable and confident with his affectations. Visor and foil on the passenger seat.

8. EXT. HOLLAND PARK. STREET. DAY. 8.

Tree-lined road. Large detached houses with wrought iron gates. St Johns Wood? Holland Park? Who knows? Automatic gates slide open. Micky's       Alfa Romeo drives in. Parks at the front beside a       dark blue Rolls Royce.

9. INT. HOLLAND PARK HOUSE. DAY. 9.

Rich colours, art on walls. Flower arrangements in       corners. It is not a home. It is not unlike one of those very discreet, upmarket hotels where no       amount of money spent on the interior decoration of        the place can disguise the fact that it is a place of business and not a place of life and love. (The       Halcyon Hotel maybe)

The sound of late twentieth-century business can be       heard. The purring of Fax machines. The clicking of word processors.

MICKY would like to feel at ease in this world, but MICKY rarely feels at ease in any world.

10.    EXT. COWBOY TOWN. DAY. 10.

MICKY checks his gun. He is, of course, cool and confident. The other FIGURE advances.

11.    INT. HOLLAND PARK HOUSE. DAY. 11.

Back in the house. MICKY confidently strides through the hall and then up what was once a family staircase and into a fair sized office.

12.    INT. AQUA'S OFFICE. DAY. 12.

AQUA, a young lady (late twenties) stands casually by the window, dropping a slice of lime into a       tumbler of mineral water. She is pure Enqlish class, as county as a Range Rover full of       labradors. Cashmere sweater, Burberry skirt, court shoes. She takes a long time to acknowledge MICKY's presence. She watches the bubbles in the mineral water. When she does it is with the warmest and sweetest smile.

AQUA And what the fuck do you want?

Delivered in the kind of accent that takes generations of practice ordering game keepers about. MICKY is nonplussed. He is used to rude indifferent secretaries. Especially this one, but surely this is going too far. This has to be       breaking all the rules. At this point MICKY knows two things: One - that "AQUA SCUTUM" (we never do       get to learn her real name) knows exactly why he is        being ushered here, even though he has not got a        clue. Two - in every circumstance the most important thing to do is to keep some element of       cool, whatever it takes. So MICKY just stares at       her as hard as he can, with the sweetest smile that he can manage.

AQUA (Cont) Well you'd better go in and see him.

With that AQUA flips the intercom and says in her clipped, super-efficient voice:

AQUA (Cont) Mr McElwee is here to see you Mr           Silverman.

Just flipping the switch so that MR SILVERMAN does not catch her final word.

AQUA (Cont) Or is it Dangerman.

As she looks up to smile at MICKY, Silverman's       office door opens. With her eyes, AQUA tells MICKY to go in, and that the way she behaves in the outer office is their little secret.

13.    EXT. COWBOY TOWN. DAY. 13.

They face up. The beads of sweat show on MICKY's       face. Slowly from the feet up the other FIGURE is       revealed just as we get to his face.

CUT TO:

14. INT. SILVERMAN'S OFFICE. DAY. 14.

Large, warm, comfortable. Recognisable Impressionist paintings hang on the wall. Expensive Eau de Cologne wafts in the air. Large Presidential-like desk, empty except for blotting paper mat, envelope knife, mounted fountain pen and framed family photo. It is all expensively bland, except for the huge stuffed eagle that takes pride of place, mounted on a stand in the middle of the room.

SILVERMAN rises from the seat behind his desk. Closes the book he has been reading, 'The Golden Bough', hard back edition.

He steps around the desk. Arms stretched out to       welcome MICKY as if he was a visiting head of        State. His face is sun tanned, open, smiling.

Gold Shalom bracelet on wrist open-necked shirt, Star of David on chain nestling on his chest.

SILVERMAN Micky, it's good to meet you after all this time. Aqua has told me so           much about you.

Everything about SILVERMAN appears to be warm, easy going, confident and casual. It is a part he plays very well. The ruthless power lurking beneath the surface is implied by his overt calm.

15. INT. SILVERMAN'S OFFICE. DAY. 15.

MICKY smiles back. SILVERMAN indicates they take seats in the lower level of his office. A low rectangular table covered in press cuttings.

SILVERMAN Have you ever read the music papers?

MICKY Pardon?

SILVERMAN Melody Maker, Sounds, N.M.E. that sort of thing?

MICKY No.

MICKY is looking around checking out the office. Although he has done a number of jobs for Silverman in the past, he has never actually met the man, or       seen the centre of his operations. Micky expected more obvious hi-tech, not so much of the laid-back casual.

SILVERMAN Good. Look, sorry I forgot to ask, do you want anything to drink?

MICKY Perrier.

SILVERMAN pulls a small silver hand bell from his pocket and rings it. AQUA appears moments later with the tumbler of bubbling Perrier, a slice of       lime floating amongst the ice cubes. MICKY and AQUA's eyes meet. MICKY gives his calculated winning smile. AQUA sticks out her tongue and screws up her nose in the coquettish way that only they know how. SILVERMAN is engrossed in the cuttings. AQUA returns to her office.

SILVERMAN A couple of years ago, two young men calling themselves Kingboy D           and Rockman Rock, started to put records out under the name of "The           Justified Ancients of Mu Mu". These music papers started to write about them. Rave reviews, acrimonious slanderous slatings, that sort of           thing. Then they changed their name to "The Timelords". Released one record. It was an international Number One. You may remember it.

SILVERMAN hits hand held video control. Screen fills with a five second burst of the Timelords' Top of the Pops performance.

MICKY Vaguely.

SILVERMAN I'm interested in these two men. I           can't go into the whys and wherefores, but what they get up to           is of the utmost importance to me. They are beginning to get involved with things way out of their depth.

THE THIRD STRAND

16. INT. TRANCENTRAL. KITCHEN. DAY. 16.

Trancentral, the spiritual home and technical epicentre of The JAMS.

BILL BUTT, CAUTY and DRUMMUND are sitting around the cluttered kitchen table. DRUMMOND sips tea from a mug with a broken handle. CAUTY smokes a fag and is staring out of a cracked window into the middle distance.

BILL BUTT Have you ever seen any Wim Wender's           films?

CAUTY and DRUMMOND shake their heads. CAUTY still looking into the middle distance, fag in hand.

CAUTY I've been telling people it's going to be like an ambient "Road Movie".

RESUME:

15. INT SILVERMAN'S OFFICE. DAY. 15.

MICKY puts up the odd press cutting, casually looks it over. Lets it drop. Picks up another. Sips his Perrier.

SILVERMAN They are planning on making a film in the Sierra Nevada region of       Spain. I want you out there. Very discreet. Watching every thing they do. Make notes. Take photos. But more important than that, I       want you to find out if there is        anybody else out there doing the same thing as you, and get photos of them as well. But whatever you do, do not be seen.

17. INT. SILVERMAN'S OFFICE. DAY. 17.

MICKY Money?

SILVERMAN Double whatever your going rate is.

MICKY Plus costs?

SILVERMAN Plus costs.

SILVERMAN has his warm welcoming smile on is face.

MICKY Okay.

SILVERMAN Aqua will give you all the details.

18. INT. AQUA'S OFFICE. DAY. 18.

MICKY and AQUA are alone. The door to Silverman's       office is closed. AQUA slides an envelope over her desk top. MICKY reaches out for it but AQUA keeps her hand on it. Eyes meet.

AQUA Tonight. Eight-thirty, in The American Bar. There are things I           have to tell you.

MICKY There are probably things I need to           know.

MICKY turns to leave. Then turns again as if he       has forgotten something.

MICKY (Cont) Can I make a call?

AQUA Please do. Anything else, Dangerman? MICKY ignores AQUA's pathetic attempts at humour. Picks up the phone and dials.

MICKY (into phone) Mum, it's me, Micky. Look, I'll be           home for tea about six o'clock. Any chance of fish fingers ...? No. I've got to be up west later, I'll stay at the flat ... Great. See you later.

He replaces receiver.

AQUA Fish fingers? That about sums you up.

MICKY ignores her. Turns and leaves.

19. INT. TRANCENTRAL. KITCHEN. DAY. 19.

BILL BUTT When we have shot all the "Road           Movie" stuff in Spain, should we            try and get the party scene done before Christmas?

DRUMMOND I still think we should film the party here on New Year's Eve, so           it fits in with the last track on            the "Who Killed The JAMS" L.P.

CAUTY still gazing out of the window, coolly blowing out smoke.

CAUTY No.

20. EXT. TOWER GARDENS. DAY. 20.

Two figures leaning against the wall looking over the Thames. Tower Gardens, by the Houses of       Parliament. They are AQUA and GERRARD HOPKINS. The light is fading fast. The day is closing. The trees are almost bare. The sky is streaked.

GERRARD is Aqua's social equal. Oundle, Sandhurst, officer in the Guards. His present employers might be "Smiley's People". He takes himself seriously. He takes life seriously. Six foot one. Straight back. Short dark hair. Navy blue blazer. Style strictly Jermyn Street without the need for pretensions. AQUA Whatever went on between us died a           long time ago, and you know it. Yes, we had some fun, but you're           not the only one. Don't fool yourself.

GERRARD I suppose that jumped up little Irish navvy will be the next on           your list.

AQUA Well I think he's sweet.

GERRARD You wouldn't dare. Look, forget all this. I didn't ask for this meeting so we could debate your conquests. Frankly, it disgusts me           the way you behave.

AQUA That wasn't the impression I got six months ago.

GERRARD ignores her.

GERRARD It appears that Silverman thinks he's onto something with these two Justified Ancients of Mu Mu people. You need to keep me informed of any further information that comes in           about them, or what your sweet little Micky is up to.

AQUA Look! I've had enough of all this playing at spies for Her Majesty's           government. That thrill seems to           have gone as well, it all just appears to be seedy.

GERRARD Your country.

AQUA Fuck my country. That is the last reason why anybody gets involved with what you do. It's sick minds that are the motivation. That, and boredom, and bad sex. And now you and the Russians aren't sniffing each others arses, you have to find some other threat to society. I           suppose your department are finally going to close down Silverman's           arms deals.

GERRARD Silverman's deals are not a threat to us. Quite the contrary. Thanks to your information we've had advance warning of every tin pot dictator's aspirations and every revolutionary's dreams before a           shot is fired.

AQUA So what's the fascination? Your people can't seriously be           interested in the JAMS and their silly film.

GERRARD Drummond and Cauty call themselves "The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu". They for some foolish reason, just use the name for their foolish pop group. The real Justified Ancients of Mu Mu are an extremist secret organisation who have been in           existence for some time. We believe them to be extremely dangerous. Their aim is to bring about the downfall of organised society. A           return to Chaos.

AQUA clearly thinks GERRARD is off his trolley. AQUA Really?

GERRARD Yes, this is a complete impossibility. But in attempting to do this, they have brought about horrific episodes in the history of           mankind. Until now they have never shown themselves. We believe they have made contact with Drummond and Cauty. So does Silverman. He           might know more than us. I really need your help on this.

AQUA You really need help. But not from me.

She leaves.

21. INT. SAVOY. AMERICAN BAR. NIGHT. 21.

MICKY sitting on bar stool. Glass of Perrier in       hand. His foil and visor next to him. He picks up       peanuts from the dish on the bar top in front of        him. AQUA breezes in like it's home.

AQUA So did mummy make fish fingers just like her little boy loves them? Plenty of ketchup?

MICKY looks up at her with a tired 'fuck off" look       in his eyes.

MICKY Tomato sauce.

AQUA sits down and starts talking with a serious, no role-playing games, voice. No flirting. No       small talk. Does not bother to order a drink.

AQUA Look Micky, I feel there are some things you should know. This isn't           just one of those regular jobs that you do for Silverman; you being the messenger boy, delivering his little parcels to luggage lock-ups in Panama, or pick up payments in           Kinshasa hotel rooms. This job is           not to do with his regular business at all. It is to do with something else altogether.

MICKY I guessed that much.

He does not look up at Aqua. His eyes are firmly fixed on his glass of Perrier water. He is trying to fish out the slice of lemon with a toothpick.

AQUA I have been working or Silverman for eight years now. For the first three, I had no idea what his real trade was. I just kept his diary, booked his flights, wrapped up his wife's birthday presents. All I           knew was that he made a vast amount of money. Of which he spent very little. When needed he could be           very tough, even ruthless. He           never made a pass at me. He's not my type of man. I respected him. Not his trade, the man. But over the last three years I have watched the paranoia grow behind the confident casual mask. He has to           deal with some very unsavoury characters, some dodgy countries. None of that ever bothered him. He           was the best. He knew it. They knew it. He always delivered the goods. His word was his bond and all that kind of stuff. It was after his mother died things began to change. He couldn't make his mother's funeral, he was off making some deal with a breakaway Palestinian group. Then he started to talk about conspiracy, the real power behind the despots and freedom fighters he did business with. Who was pulling the strings? He started to read strange books. Disappearing for days into the library at the British Museum. I           don't know where those two Justified Ancients of Mu Mu weirdos fit into all this. He has had their phones tapped and from somewhere he gets copies of all mail going in and out of their solicitors office. He believes they have entered some bizarre contract with an organisation calling itself Eternity. This film they are about to make has got something to do with the contract. I don't know why I'm telling you any of this. I don't know why he           ever let me know. I suppose he has to talk to someone about it.

MICKY I thought he was married.

AQUA They don't talk about the past. She doesn't know what business he is           in. She doesn't even have any idea of the wealth he has created for himself. They just live in the same Finchley house they have since they were married, with all the outward trappings of a safe secure orthodox life.

MICKY looks up from his drink for the first time. MICKY Why are you telling me all this? It's just a job. A well paid job. His problems are for him to sort out. We all had tough times as a           kid. Well, maybe you didn't.

Checks Rolex.

MICKY (Cont) I'll be late for my fencing class.

AQUA Okay, okay. Dangerman. I know you can handle anything, but you will be careful this time, won't you? There's something strange about the way Silverman's become obsessed with this JAMS thing. And he's not the only one, there's government interest. And that can be           dangerous. I want to see you back in one piece. I think I've got a           packet of fish fingers somewhere in            the freezer.

MICKY grins at AQUA. Leaves a tenner on the bar top. Picks up his foil and visor.

MICKY I'll take care, promise. Oh yeh. The eagle, what's that about?

AQUA It was a gift from a satisfied client. The irony is that he was only in power for less than a month before there was another coup; they never found his body.

22. INT. SILVERMAN'S OFFICE. NIGHT. 22.

SILVERMAN sitting alone at his desk. The sky is       dark outside. A man lost in thought. A man who spent all his young man years striving and wining. All to blot out the past. Succeed at any cost.

His Star of David chain in his hand like worry beads.

A framed photo of a pre-war mid-European Jewish family on his desk. He has a dictaphone in left hand. He squeezes the button. He dictates. SILVERMAN (into dictaphone) Silver Diaries. Volume 23, day 57. Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, A.K.A. Kingboy D and Rockman Rock, A.K.A. The Justified Ancients of Mu           Mu, A.K.A. The JAMS, A.K.A. The Timelords, A.K.A. The K.L.F. Plan to sign their contract with "Eternity" tonight. They hope to           put the first term of their contract into motion by making a           film of their journey to the White Room. If the contract is for real, there are others going to be out there wanting to stop them. I need to know who originated it and who will be watching. Tomorrow I fly to Poland, to visit my father and brother; they died on this day forty-five years ago.

He picks up the framed photo of his family and leaves.

THE THIRD STRAND

23. INT. TRANCENTRAL. KITCHEN. NIGHT. 23.

DRUMMOND is taking a boiling kettle from the stove. He fills the teapot with the broken lid. CAUTY is       at the kitchen table "building" a joint. BILL BUTT is reading over his shooting scripts.

DRUMMOND I don't know.

BILL BUTT Either we start the film tonight or           not at all.

DRUMMOND Jimmy do you think we should do it?

CAUTY Yes.

CAUTY then lights his joint and DRUMMOND pours the tea.

THE OUTER FILM

24. EXT. COWBOY TOWN. DAY. 24.

CLOSE ON unknown figure; as the face is revealed we       see it is GERRARD. He is smiling a cold confident smile. MICKY hesitates. GERRARD reacts. The shot rings out. Micky's gun is still in the holster.

25. INT. SAVOY. AMERICAN BAR. NIGHT. 25.

AQUA is dialling a number in one of the hotel's       tasteful wooden payphone kiosks. We do not see her close up.

THE THIRD STRAND

26. INT. TRANCENTRAL. KITCHEN. NIGHT. 26.

The THREE of them sit saying nothing, sipping their tea. The silence is broken.

BILL BUTT

Okay. Let's start the film now.

NOTE: SCENES A - R FORM THE INNER FILM

A. INT. TRANCENTRAL. TOP FLOOR. NIGHT. A.

What was once a bedroom, largish, walls stripped of       wallpaper, almost derelict. A strange looking austere lady with extremely long dark straight hair and black rimmed glasses. She is the ASSISTANT, The JAMS' ASSISTANT. She is sitting at a desk in       the middle of this room.

JAMS related paperwork is scattered across the desk top. She picks up a ringing phone. Listens. Returns the receiver, gathers papers from the desk. Makes to leave.

Trancentral is a large Victorian town house, somewhere South of the river. Much of the insides have been ripped out. From it's walls hang ancient motorbikes and the relics of deconsecrated churches. Grand pianos stand up-ended. Wires hang loose, carrying live currents to retired traffic lights that are forever on go. There are dark recesses and gaping holes. There are nailed-up cellar doors and there are full size statues of       Queen Boudicca.

No adjective would be rich enough to describe Trancentral, so we will stick to 'interesting' and leave the rest to your imagination.

Trancentral is also the home and creation of Jimmy and Cressida Cauty.

Two floors below, The JAMS are having a party. The ASSISTANT makes her way down the flights of stairs. The noise of the party below grows louder as she descends. COUPLES canoodle in landing corners. INDIVIDUALS lost in trance. Bevies of JAPANESE GIRLS scurry tittering by. And the music booms.

On the ground floor the party rages. Lights, smoke, drugs, drink, HOMOSEXuALS, dancing GIRLS, cool BLACKS and leering LOUTS all heave together.

The ground floor is split on two levels. On a       large platform are the controls; turntables, mixing desks, studio outboard gear, and laser lights.

KINGBOY is lying on the floor underneath the mixing desk (attempting to unravel the Universe?), ROCKMAN mans the controls.

The ASSISTANT descends down the open staircase into the party. The CROWD parts as she glides through towards the platform. It is only now that we       become aware of her extreme height. Six foot two inches in her stockinged soles. Impressive. She exudes a strange serene beauty.

Rising to the platform, she pulls KINGBOY up and out of his trance. Whispers in his ear. Next she indicates to ROCKMAN that it is time to go. She then leads the two of them down into and across the dance floor, towards the front door.

B. EXT. TRANCENTRAL. STREET. NIGHT. B.

We see the large front door of Trancentral open. Smoke and white light billow and shaft their way to       freedom. The silhouettes of KINGBOY and ROCKMAN breathe in the night air. They then descend the thirteen railway sleepers that have replaced the long since crumbled Victorian steps. They leave behind the silhouette of the ASSISTANT. Her legs are the longest you will have ever seen.

Trancentral is the last on a block of similar large terraced houses. The front gardens lack depth, room only for a privet hedge gone to seed. Parked on the street outside we see for the first time The JAMS' infamous companion. A rusting hulk of a car. A '68 Ford Galaxy. A U.S. cop car, that has long since retired from active service. At       some point in the seventies it had been shipped over to the U.K. to appear as an extra in many of       the Hollywood financed movies that were made in and around the London studios. So, not only a veteran of hoodlum chases on the Lower East Side, it can be       spotted making cameo appearances in all the Superman films. The JAMS bought it the previous Autumn for u230. They've since spent the best part of u5,000 to keep it roadworthy. It was even used to front their Timelords record 'Doctor'n The Tardis', appearing on numerous national TV shows, conducting interviews, holding forth and generally being unbelieved.

The hows and whys of the immediate above are irrelevant here. At this point in its career it is       once again just a means of transport for KINGBOY and ROCKMAN. It is now known by all as the Jamsmobile.

As ROCKMAN and KINGBOY descend the steps and make their way to the car, we see for the first time how the pair are dressed. ROCKMAN in his parka, jeans, work boots, fur hat and shades. KINGBOY in full length battered black leather coat, jeans and climbing boots.

They open the Jamsmobile front doors and climb in. The interior light is on. On the back seat is a       figure sitting and waiting; we can just make out the face. It is that of DAVID FRANRS, their legal adviser. His moustache is trim, his face serious. He is clutching a sheaf of papers.

FRANKS As your solicitor I have to advise you not to sign this agreement.

KINGBOY takes the sheaf of papers. Signs it. Hands it to ROCKMAN. He also signs. ROCKMAN hands it       back. FRANKS is resigned to accepting the folly of       his clients.

We see FRANKS climb out of the car. The engine splutters and rumbles into life. They are off. Leaving all behind. Family, friends, fortune and failure, for an unknown future and an unassailable quest.

C. EXT. LONDON STREETS. NIGHT. C.

The Jamsmobile speeds through London's nightscapes. Along the Victoria embankment with its daisy chains of light bulbs. Over Tower Bridge and down the white lit underpasses. Past the Mother of       Parliaments and down the Mall.

It is during these SHOTS that the CREDITS for the Inner Film roll by.

The car disappears from sight, underneath Hyde.Park Corner. The underpass that takes you from Knightsbridge into ...

D. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. D.

A sun-bleached landscape. A rolling terrain.

No trees. No life. Wide wide skies.

The JAMS are now out there in the big world.

The JAMS just drive and drive and drive. The landscapes roll by. A train thunders across the plain. Roads head straight for horizons. Heat shimmers. This advert country. The colours are all ochres and burnt siennas. CLOSE UPS or wheels on the road. Ever turning. ROCKMAN at the wheel. KINGBOY scanning horizons. Serious, determined expressions. An A to Z of London sits prominently on the dashboard.

THE OUTER FILM

27. EXT/INT. GRANADA/AIRPORT. DAY. 27.

Cliched SHOTS of MICKY arriving. Shades on. Tough exterior. Italian suit. Italian shoes. Hires car, buys map. Drinks black coffee in busy street cafe. Marble floors. Plenty of stainless steel. KIDS going by on mopeds. Well turned-out WOMEN on       parade. MICKY checks them out. A GIRL with MATE checks MICKY out.

This is MICKY's life. This is where he feels he       really exists. Where he can really operate; where no-one knows who he is, where he's from, what he's       doing or where he's going. Where he becomes the man of all his childhood fantasies. The stranger in town. All those films he has watched and re- watched. 'The High Plains Drifter', 'Dirty Harry' MICKY daydreams. Images drift past his conscious- ness. No teachers screaming for homework. No       priests screaming for guilt trips. No Girlfriend pleading for understanding. No father leaving home when he was six. No mother crying alone in bed at       night. No shitty London with down-and-out drunken Irishmen. And of which one is his father, screaming inside his head.

And no screaming at his mother on Christmas morning for the bike that Santa didn't bring, knowing that his mother could never afford it.

Just a marble top bar, a second cup of black coffee. A big blue sky and a hired S.E.A.T.       waiting outside.

MICKY makes a call from the cafe's payphone.

MICKY (into phone) Mum it's me, Micky. Look, are you alright? I'm going to be away for a few days on a job ... You know I           can't tell you where I am ... Yes mum, I will ... Look mum, if Jane calls tell her I'm sorry and I'll           call her when I get back.

28. EXT. SPANISH SUBURBIA. DAY. 28.

MICKY drives through the crumbling urban develop- ments. The half-built high rises. The dead dogs in the gutter. The OLD WOMEN bent double, dressed in black. The graveyards inspiring Sunday supplement photographers. The political graffiti. Epic hoardings on stilts welcoming us all to a life out of reach of the shanty towns below. Wrecked cars. KIDS playing. Hungry dogs barking.

29. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. 29.

The urban landscape breaks apart. Orchards of       orange trees. Groves of olives. Breadfruit plantations. Petrol stations. Shopping malls. Derelict land.

MEN with pack mules make their way to tend fields that have been taken generations of love and care always just to bring forth the next years crop.

It's as if twenty centuries are rolled into one simultaneous blur rushing by Micky's car windows. He doesn't take notice of any of this, it is       irrelevant to MICKY.

TEENAGE GIRL on bike. Shopping in basket. Wind blows her skirt. Brown thigh. That is relevant to       MICKY.

At one point MICKY pulls the car off the road and up a small track. He climbs out. It's quiet and deserted; a distant tractor grinds. He opens the boot. A package has been gaffer taped to the inside of the boot lid. He tears off the gaffer tape and removes the package. It's wrapped in a       worn oil skin. He slams the boot. Returns to the driving seat. Carefully lays the package on the passenger seat. Starts the engine.

He drives on into the hinterlands. Across ancient bridges, bridging dry river beds. Pine trees. MEN ploughing fields. Up through pure white washed villages. WOMEN scrubbing doorsteps. Bed linen hanging from verandahs.

30. EXT. SPANISH BAR. DAY. 30.

He stops at a bar. OLD MEN. Lined brown faces. Glasses of brandy. Tumblers of water chasers. He       asks a question in English. Shows them photos. They shrug. Their coarse gluttural replies would remain unintelligible to even the most fluent of       linguists. MICKY frustrated, wants to move on, but the OLD MEN, enlivened by the novelty of an       'exotic' stranger in their bar insist that he        drinks a brandy or two with them.

One of those pointless non-conversations that you have with foreigners develops.

OLD MAN ONE Yanqui si?

MICKY shrugs.

OLD MAN TWO Aleman?

MICKY No English.

OLD MAN ONE Si. Si. Ingles. Des Londres.

OLD MAN TWO Londinense. MICKY grins. Unsure of the situation but not wanting to appear rude. He has more respect for these MEN than the scum that make up the population of London. Glasses are raised. Another round is       poured by the now jovial INN-KEEPER. Something, anything to inspire a few more pesetas making their way to his till.

ONE of the OLD MEN lurches into some tale. If it       could be translatable we would learn how his sister and her newly betrothed had moved to London in 1951 and he has never seen her since.

31. EXT. GYPSY TOWN. SPAIN. DAY. 31.

The Jamsmobile. Much more driving through this land. Gypsy cave town. Empty roads. Single track railway line. Wind in the wires. Prickly pears defending whatever water they can draw from the parched earth.

High clouds. Distance.

32. INT. JAMSMOBILE. (TRAVELLING) DAY. 32.

BILL BUTT on the back seat. CAUTY driving, DRUMMOND with the maps and compasses.

BILL BUTT You do realise if all we have is           you two driving this car all over the place, some people might think it is a bit boring. You have to           hold the viewers attention. To           draw them into a film there has to            be dramatic tension. You can't           just have a film with two people driving around with nothing happening, and at the end they supposedly arrive at some White Room.

CAUTY It's supposed to be a "Road Movie". That's what people expect. It's           what we want to make.

BILL BUTT But even "Road Movies" have all those bits where they sit around and talk about the meaning of life.

CAUTY Those are always the boring bits.

THE OUTER FILM

33. INT. SPANISH BAR. DAY. 33.

MICKY. Another village. Another bar. Almost the same OLD MEN. MICKY asks the same questions. He       shows his photos. The MEN look at the photos. Study them. Talk amongst themselves. Then grins appear on their faces. Recognition. They have something to tell him. They can help. At last he       feels that maybe he is getting somewhere. ONE of       the OLD MEN shouts something at a YOUTH who is        sitting in the corner by an old juke box. The YOUTH jumps up. Presses buttons on the machine. He       gives it a kick. It rattles and cranks. A record drops. The arm shudders across. The needle drops. Out it blasts.

SONG Doctor Who, Hey Doctor Who! Doctor Who, In the Tardis! Doctor Who, Hey Doctor Who! Doctor Who, Doc, Doctor Who! Doctor Who, Doc, Doctor Who!

MICKY splits.

THE INNER FILM

E. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAWN. E.

The car. ROCKMAN and KINGB0Y drive on.

Dusk slides to dark. They drive on. Dark pales to       dawn.

They pull in at a dusty gas station. They fill up. They pull out. Dawn is breaking.

THE OUTER FILM

34. EXT. SPANISH GAS STATION. DAY. 34.

MICKY drives into the same gas station. On the seat beside him are the publicity shots of Rockman, Kingboy and the car. There is also the oilskin package.

35. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. 35.

He searches for a radio station somewhere down the dial. Spanish trumpets blare, then disappear into the static; Islamic Mullahs call the faithful to       prayer. The shipping forecast. All is well on the Dogger Bank. The Voice of America. More static. A       French station. Italian disco. The call sign of       the Albanian State Radio.

MICKY gives up. Swigs from his water bottle. Keeps his eyes on the road and his hand on the wheel.

Dry blistering mountains climb into the pale blue.

The road unfolds. He pulls up. Cuts the engine. Steps out.

36. EXT. COWBOY TOWN. SPAIN. DAY. 36.

He is in the centre of a classic cowboy town. Wooden raised sidewalks, buckled with the dry air. Saloon doors creak in the light breeze. Dust lifts around his feet. Brick-built bank. Wells Fargo office. Silence. He gazes from one monument of       Western myth to another. He walks down Main Street. The sun overhead. "High Noon". Nervous. Unsure. Unreal. He walks past the Sheriff's       office. The Lone Star Gazette editorial office. The blacksmith's. They are all there, present and correct.

MICKY opens the front door to a rather plain looking wooden building. A home on the range.

The open door reveals the dead landscape beyond.

The town is a two-dimensional cowboy movie set.

He picks up a crushed Coca-Cola can and throws it       as far as he can into the wilderness beyond.

He steps back into Main Street. Walks back. The dust from his path blows gently away in the breeze.

Silence. Nobody else in town. No more Westerns.

He sits on the steps of the small chapel. It was once painted a fresh white. The paint now blistering. He swigs water from his bottle. Watches an army of ants on the ground at the bottom of the steps. They have a highway. Thousands of       them. They work together. They are building their empire.

Dreams.

Childhood.

Clint.

THE INNER FILM

F. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. F.

The Jamsmobile. CLOSE UP of plastic Jesus on the dashboard. The JAMS are still rolling. They are off the roads now. Bumping down a dry canyon. They slow down, pull up by a date palm and some other oasis-like shrubs. KINGBOY unfolds map on       bonnet. Checks direction with ROCRMAN. Climb back in and they are off.

THE OUTER FILM

37. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. 37.

MICKY is also checking his map, in some lay-by on       the side of a road to nowhere.

He folds it up.

Puts his hands down the front of his trousers to       rearrange himself.

Checks the mirror. And is off. His face is dusty. Unshaven.

Down the road a-piece.

38. EXT. ROADSIDE/PAY-PHONE. SPAIN. DAY. 38.

He pumps in silver and makes his long distance call.

MICKY (into phone) Mum, it's me, Micky. Yeh, I'm           fine. But no fish fingers here, Mum. Just fish soup. Have you had the results yet ...? What did they say? What - nothing to worry about. That's great, Mum. Look Mum, if you feel any more pains, just get on the phone to that doctor of yours. If they don't do. anything, I'll pay to put you some- where where they will look after you ... Okay Mum, see you soon.

39. EXT. SKY. SPAIN. DAY. 39.

An eagle soars overhead.

40. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. 40.

MICKY drifts in and out of day dreams. He treats most of mankind with contempt. "They deserve their       lot because they accept their lot". Those that try to get between him and what he wants he hates. His Mother is different. She understands. She excuses.

The only motivation he recognises is "getting       ahead".

The Priests his Mother relies on, he sees through them. His hate for them is boundless. The people that call around from the Social Services he hates. The patronising way they speak down to you. Their beards. Their seventies spiel. Their roll your own fags. But the thing he hates most about them is       the way they never deliver and then always blame the Government.

MICKY is back in the car. Dusty long roads. He       remembers the eagle soaring free above the landscape in the clean air. We see Micky's car from above. As the CAMERA CLIMBS HIGHER and HIGHER we see how insignificant Micky's car becomes as we       soar over the plain dissected only by the rail tracks going their lonely way. From the car, now a       speck in the landscape, there is a flash.

The ground rushes up to meet us as we fall out of       control towards the rail tracks.

THE INNER FILM

G. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. G.

There is a glimpse of feathers; it could be a       broken wing.

The JAMS' car swings through the heat haze. It       approaches, dipping over and under the horizon. Again we see the feathers. This time SOMEONE is       walking along the tracks towards them.

Glimpses of road rush towards us. The CAMERA TILTS UP to see the Jamsmobile. A distant FIGURE walks toward the CAMERA, along the rail tracks': He is       carrying something big. As big as a man. The CAMERA SWOOPS from the blue sky to the road rushing past.

The FIGURE is getting closer. He begins to run. The thing he is carrying is taking shape. The Jamsmobile pulls away from the following CAMERA as       it rushes down the tree-lined road. Now the figure is clearly KINGBOY D; he is carrying a large bird of some kind. As he gets closer the shape of the broken wings and lolling head reveal it was once an       eagle. KINGBOY is now running out of breath. The wind breathes life into the long dead bird. the stiff wings flap and the feathers flutter. A blur pushes into the SCREEN. The CAMERA CHANGES FOCUS TO REVEAL ROCRMAN sitting in the car looking at the approaching pair. KINGBOY, now OUT OF FOCUS, loses his solid form and becomes one with the eagle. As       he gets closer the awesome size of the bird is        apparent. A limp wing brushes past the open window.

The road rushes under the CAMERA. White lines flashing. The CAMERA TILTS UP TO REVEAL a car, doors open, bonnet up, in the lay-by. More road, more JAMS car driving trying to escape the CAMERA. Again the CAMERA TILTS UP from the road. The same car in the lay-by, this time clearly the Jams- mobile. ROCKMAN Leaning into the engine. As we       SPEED PAST he hurls a huge spanner at the engine.

THE OUTER FILM

40A. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. 40A.

The screen fills with smoke. It has been escaping from Micky's engine compartment, filling the car with steam. MICKY gets out cursing everyone and everything.

Bonnet up. Radiator overheating. Rag over top, he       turns top. Steam. Hissing. What's left of the water in the radiator explodes out, scalding his hand and staining his now crumpled suit and shirt. MICKY is carrying no extra water in the car for emergencies like this. Pulls out the drinking water bottle. It's empty. He pisses into it. Then pours the lemon coloured contents into the radiator. Screws back on the lid and is off.

THE INNER FILM

41. EXT. SPANISH HILLSIDE. DAWN. 41.

A cold dawn. ROCKMAN and KINGBOY have spent another night in the open. The camp fire is       burning. Cans of baked beans. A blackened pan sizzles on the embers. ROCKMAN lights up, sleeping bag draped over his shoulders. Nothing is said. Nothing is ever said between these two. Nothing needs to be said. ROCKMAN takes an in-car mini-extinguisher and attempts to       put out the fire. Smoke billows up and fills the screen.

I. INT. WHITE ROOM. LIMBO. I.

The smoke clears. DAVID FRANKS is sitting at a       white table; he is studying the agreement. He       makes some notes. He becomes obscured by another cloud of smoke.

This scene takes place somewhere else unknown to       us. DAVID FRANKS is working on the contract. Studying the implications of each of the sub-clauses. He is intrigued. Actually, "intrigued" is too weak a word to use. He is also concerned for his clients.

J. EXT. SPANISH HILLSIDE. DAY. J.

The smoke clears. The fire is extinguished. The JAMS, back in their car, are off.

The day is up. The landscape is fuller, closer. There are trees, vegetation, agriculture. MEN tilling soil with horse-drawn plough.

Why have men always made journeys?

Do they ever arrive?

Questions not worth asking.

THE OUTER FILM

41. EXT. SPANISH LEVEL-CROSSING. DAY. 41.

MICKY in car waiting at a level-crossing. An       endless goods train moves by in front of him. He       is talking to himself. The confident hard exterior is beginning to take the strain.

We can hear the creaks.

We can see the cracks.

MICKY (to himself) Come on. Move you bastard.

The train trundles slowly but surely by. MICKY bangs his right hand palm-on the steering wheel. Frustration. Self doubt.

The train has passed. Moves on down the line. MICKY is off. The CAMERA PANS AROUND. We see the Jamsmobile. MICKY didn't see them and they, The JAMS, have no idea of the existence of anybody that might be trying to locate them.

42. EXT. CAMPSITE. DAY. 42.

MICKY pulls up at the spot that Kingboy and Rockman have spent the previous night. He kicks over the ashes. Picks up a half burnt piece of newspaper. It's a page from the N.M.E. He has got the scent.

43. EXT. FIELD/ROAD. DAY. 43.

He pulls up by a field. We see him talking to a       FARMER. It's the PEASANT that was tilling the soil that Kingboy and Rockman had passed earlier. MICKY is showing him his photos. The PEASANT points. Nods his head. MICKY runs back towarcs his car across the newly ploughed field. Things are moving.

44. INT. MICKY'S CAR. (TRAVELLING) DAY. 44.

MICKY driving with one hand. In the other he is       holding a chunk of water melon. He takes a deep bite. Juice runs down his neck, down inside his open shirt. A black pip is stuck to his cheek. Determination in his eyes. An almost demented grin grows on his face.

45. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. 45.       MICKY drives round an outcrop. A plain is       revealed. In the distance he can see it. A car. A US cop car. The Jamsmobile. He pulls up. Gets out binoculars. He has a look. Gets out map. checks grid references. Gets out note book. Makes notes. Checks his watch. Makes note of the time.

He scans the horizon for any other detail. A       sunlit glare in the distance, in the hills, on the opposite side of the plain. He checks through his binoculars. There is a car parked on a mountain dust track.

MICKY sets up a tripod with telescope. Looks. He       can see a YOUNG MAN dressed in survival gear. He       too has binoculars and is obviously watching KINGBOY and ROCKMAN at work.

The other "WATCHMAN" climbs back into his car and is off around the side of the far hill. A cloud of       dust settles. MICKY waits and watches, but sees no       more of him. "Is this it?" he thinks.

THE THIRD STRAND

46. EXT. SPANISH ROAD. DAY. 46.

DRUMMOND and CAUTY are strolling down a road back to their car. We see them from the back.

CAUTY Bill doesn't get it.

DRUMMOND Have you ever told him about why we           are making this film? The supposed contract with Eternity, all that stuff?

CAUTY No.

DRUMMOND Do you think we should?

CAUTY Why?

THE OUTER FILM

47. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. DAY. 47.

INTERCUTS:

MICKY spends the rest of the day keeping his distance, watching DRUMMOND, CAUTY and BUTT at       work.

The more he watches and the more he reads about their exploits, the more he is drawn towards them.

Here is a pair of individuals who seem to be       operating outside any of his narrow perceptions of        what motivates the human spirit. Let us add here that it is not so much that we think that DRUMMOND and CAUTY are such wonderful free-spirited types. It is just that things are changing within the psyche of MICKY, and it so happens he is focusing (sic) on the exploits of The JAMS. We can almost see this change taking place inside of him as he       seems to care less by the moment for his cool looking tough exterior.

Is he being pushed?

Or is he falling?

48. EXT. SPANISH HILL. EVENING. 48.

Later in the day. The sun is beginning to dip homeward. Melting into the western sky. MICKY is       stationed on a small hill; down below is a dried river bed. The JAMS are down there working with their film CREW. There is a pine wood on the opposite embankment. There is a rocky outcrop amongst the pines.

And there he is again. The same YOUNG MAN. MICKY watches him for some time. He too is watching the proceeds going on below in the river bed. He too is making notes. He has a rifle with a telescopic' lens mounted on tripod. This is no coincidence. Something is going on. MICKY checks his Rolex for the time, so he can keep his notes precise. MICKY is a perfectionist. MICKY is thorough. His Rolex has stopped. It won't rewind. It's broken.

MICKY takes it off and hurls it as far as he can. His shoes are well scuffed, his suit stained from the radiator incident and the water melon juice. His standards are slipping. His grip too?

He remembers what he should be doing. He has a       look through his tripod mounted telescope, trained on the other "watchman". MICKY freezes. He       himself is being watched. MICKY knows he has fucked up. His guard slipped during the incident with his Rolex.

49. EXT. ROADSIDE CALL BOX. SPAIN. NIGHT. 49.

Almost dark. MICKY pulls the car off the road. Jumps out to make call from roadside call box. He       dials number. Pumps in silver.

MICKY (into phone) Aqua, I need to speak to           Silverman.

50. INT. AQUA'S OFFICE. EVENING. 50.

INTERCUT to Aqua's office.

AQUA (into phone) Well hello, Dangerman, I was beginning to think we had lost you.

MICKY (V.O.) (thru phone) Enough of your crap talk. Put me           through to Silverman.

AQUA (into phone) I'm afraid he's away. Poland, we           think. We didn't know anything about it until he had gone. Should be back in a few days. I take all is going well.

MICKY hangs up. AQUA just smiles.

AQUA (Cont) Boys.

She returns to reading Pride and Prejudice.

She puts down her book. Picks up her phone. Dials. Concerned look on her face.

THE THIRD STRAND

51. INT. HOTEL. BAR. SPAIN. NIGHT. 51.

DRUMMOND, CAUTY and BUTT in their hotel bar after a       hard days filming.

BILL BUTT Have you ever thought that all this using supposed secret societies' names could be dangerous?

DRUMMOND Why would they bother with us?

CAUTY We've changed our name to The K.L.F. now anyway.

BILL BUTT Well what does K.L.F. stand for? CAUTY just smiles.

THE OUTER FILM

52. INT. HOTEL. MICKY'S ROOM. SPAIN. NIGHT. 52.

MICKY in his hotel room. A sacred heart picture "burns" on the wall. A crucifix on the dressing table. Micky is lying on a large heavy looking Spanish bed. It is a mid-price-range type hotel room. Ensuite bathroom but no direct phone line to       the outside world. It is the sort of place where you would at least not have to worry about finding a pubic hair in the bedlinen before you slept in       it.

A bottle of brandy is standing on the bedside cabinet. About a third of it has been drunk. He       takes a swig. Falls back on the bed. His jacket lies on the floor. Shirt buttons undone. By his side are the pile of JAMS promo photos and press cuttings. There is also the oil skin package.

Knock at the door.

MICKY Yeh!

GERRARD (O.S.) Michael McElwee?

MICKY looks stunned. He jumps up. Opens door. Standing outside is a smartly dressed MAN. Clean shaven. Straight backed. Short well trimmed hair.

MICKY Who're you?

MICKY knows very well who it is. The other "WATCHMAN". Though now he isn't dressed in the "survivalist" gear, but as a young English gent.

GERRARD Gerrard Hopkins. I meant to           introduce myself yesterday, but something came up. I feel I owe you an explanation.

MICKY's gut reaction is to beat the shit out of       this GERRARD HOPKINS.

MICKY Well start explaining.

GERRARD I think it would be better if I           came in, first.

The accent is public school. He reeks of the confidence that has been handed down through the generations since that fateful day when the Duke of       Normandy first landed on the Sussex coast.

GERRARD enters. Closing the door carefully behind him.

GERRARD (Cont) Relax man. I know you have been watching. You've been doing a good job.

It is that patronising tone the officer class uses when talking to one of the men.

GERRARD (Cont) Silverman asked me to come out and act as cover for you and, if it           looks like you need a hand, to step in.

MICKY Look, I don't know what you are talking about.

GERRARD It's alright, we are both on the same side.

MICKY If that's the case, it'll be the first time in a thousand years.

GERRARD gives a patronising smile at MICKY's quip.

GERRARD Come on.

MICKY restrains himself.

MICKY All you need to know about me is           that I work alone. Always have done. Always will do. And everyone that I work for knows that. That's all that I'm saying.

GERRARD Then I'll do the talking. Do you mind if I help myself?

GERRARD pours himself a glass of brandy. He takes a sip.

GERRARD (Cont) Not quite Napoleon, but it will do.

He proceeds.

GERRARD (Cont) Do you know what Silverman thinks these men we are watching are up           to?

Silence.

MICKY I thought you were going to give an           explanation about something, not start asking me questions.

GERRARD You're right. I'm sorry. Silverman believes these two Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty are being recruited by an organisation called The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu.

MICKY Oh yeah - who are they then?

GERRARD Imagine a very extreme version of           the Green Party, who believed that for every other form of life on           this earth to stand a chance, mankind had to be wiped out. Then imagine again an even more extreme version of that, who to achieve their ends didn't care if they dragged most of the other forms of           life into the abyss of extinction with them.

MICKY Do you mind if I take a piss while you carry on?

MICKY, BACK TO THE CAMERA. Seen relieving himself in the ensuite bathroom. Then checking his unshaven face. He is definitely looking the worse for wear. He returns to the bedroom, brandy bottle in hand. Waves the bottle at GERRARD, as if to       offer him a top up.

GERRARD I understood you were not a           drinking man.

MICKY flops back on the bed.

MICKY I'm not. You can continue.

GERRARD An organisation, or should I say disorganisation, like this does not have to be very large. It onIy needs to have a few members strategically situated to have considerable catastrophic effect. Most extremist organisations either of a right, left or religious bent are inspired, motivated to create a           more ideal world for mankind, or at            the very least their section of            mankind. Not so this lot.

GERRARD speaks with the smoothness and certainty of       a doorstep Evangelist straight out of Salt Lake City!

GERRARD (Cont) The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu are not interested in recruitment drives or openly promoting their cause. The fewer people involved the better. If they do draw new people in it is from the supposed free-thinking, free-wheeling but committed artists. Supposedly, this type of individual is beyond the petty constraints of the free market versus centralised economy debate, and their spirituality goes further than pep talk bible stories.

MICKY Who the fuck listens to artists?

GERRARD That's not the point. Just keep listening to what I have to say. For whatever reason, Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty were deemed ripe for recruitment into the real Justified Ancients of Mu Mu. Like all initiations into secret societies, the initiate is unaware that he is joining anything more than a club, a bit of fun. There are several stages that the initiate has to pass-through, and usually it is only by the time that he or she gets to the final level that they become aware of what they have become part of.

MICKY Masons?

GERRARD Yes. But Masons are just middle- aged, middle-class men trying to           pretend their lives have more meaning than they in fact have. This film these two are attempting to make is the first in the seven stages that nave to be passed through before they can become the real thing.

THE THIRD STRAND

53. INT. GROUP'S HOTEL ROOM. SPAIN. NIGHT. 53.

A hotel bedroom some miles away but at the same time as GERRARD is laying it on MICKY, DRUMMOND is       pacing up and down the room-on the phone talking to        DAVID FRANKS. CAUTY is lying on the bed.

DRUMMOND (into phone) You mean you're trying to tell me           that neither the T.V.T. deal or the Rough Trade International deal are going to happen? Do you realise the crap we will be in? Okay, okay. Look, I'll phone tomorrow to           see if there is any up-date. Yeah, the film's been going great.

DRUMMOND puts down the phone, turns to CAUTY, who is staring at the ceiling, blowing out smoke.

DRUMMOND (Cont) Do you want to be the one that tells Bill Butt that we won't have the cash in place to pay the crew when we get back to England?

The phone rings. DRUMMOND picks it up. Listens.

DRUMMOND (Cont) (into phone) Yeah, okay, we'll be down in a           minute.

He replaces receiver.

DRUMMOND (Cont) That was Butt. They are all ready for us to do the big bonfire scene.

THE OUTER FILM

54. INT. HOTEL. MICKY'S ROOM. SPAIN. NIGHT. 54.

Back in Micky's hotel room.

MICKY I might be half way through a           bottle of brandy but this all sounds like what used to be called a load of paranoid hippy shit.

GERRARD Almost correct. But this time it           is paranoid arms-dealer shit. I'm           not saying any of what I have been telling you is fact, it is only what Silverman believes.

MICKY So if you are working for Silverman, why are you telling me           all this? What's any of it got to           do with me?

GERRARD Like it or not you are involved. We all are.

MICKY WE ALL ARE? Get this straight, I'm           just out here doing a job.

GERRARD So am I. And part of my job is to           tell you this. You need to know. Have you ever thought about Silverman? Thought about what he           might suspect? Thought about what he might know? Thought about what he might fear?

MICKY What I think about Silverman is           irrelevant. The facts are that he           is successful and he pays well, and he knows that I do a good job.

GERRARD He is an arms dealer. He sells arms to anybody that can pay.

MICKY Look, business is business. We all sell something. Who are you to           start casting moral judgements? Not after what your type has done to the world.

GERRARD Forget the Paddy chip on your shoulder McElwee. You must have some insight into things. At least some imagination. A man like Silverman who will sell arms to           both Iranians and Iraqis, who will sell to both Contra and Sandinista. He gets to know people. He gets to           see a pattern in these small to            medium wars. That maybe these wars are not just about the liberation of a poor down-trodden people. That somewhere behind these pathetic struggles other forces are at play. He begins to sense that certain powers in both sides of whatever the conflict is are not only aware, but almost encouraging him to be           operating as an arms agent for both sides. Maybe, he reasons, these powers have more interest in the conflicts continuing than being resolved. That escalation is their prime motivation. He figures that maybe the real reason for these "Third World" wars (sic), is to try and drag the rest of the world into them. What do you think the Middle East is all about? It doesn't take much to interpret the history of           Europe as the continual struggle to            destroy all order and society. As           opposed to the accepted view of a            continuous struggle to bring about an ordered and stable society. Up           until the end of the second World War, Europe was all that mattered. If society could be crushed in           Europe, then the rest of the world would just crumble. But since the Second World War things have changed. It 's no longer possible to create large scale war in           Europe.

If you have not already guessed, GERRARD is getting quite carried away with his revelations. The madness of conviction can be seen peering out of       his eyes.

GERRARD (Cont) (unabated) Theoretically, a small scale Third World conflict can escalate into an all-out nuclear holocaust. That now is the true aim of the real Justified Ancients of Mu Mu. Silverman now knows this. He knows that all his family and most of his people were wiped out in an attempt to achieve this in the last war. He knows that between the wars his family had been involved in large scale banking, that they and other Jewish Banking families had unwittingly helped finance their own "final Solution". And now Silverman senses that he too is           probably a pawn in this final game. There is nothing he-can do but watch it all unfold.

MICKY I don't understand half of what you are talking about. What I do know is that a couple of miles down the road a pair of weirdos, who struck lucky by having a hit record, are now blowing their cash in the attempt to make a film. I've read all this shit these music papers have written about them, and I for one hope they get their film made. That they make it to their White Room. Maybe they did sign some bizarre contract with "Eternity"; maybe they just made it up, but at           least they are doing what they want to do. By no stretch of the imagination could they be of any use to anybody wanting to start World War Three. They might be           mad. But not as mad as you and your talk of all-out nuclear war.

MICKY takes another slug from his bottle of brandy. Succours some satisfaction from the volley he has just returned to Gerrard. But is still unclear, disturbed, even frightened as to what Gerrard's       motives in all this are.

Fact or fiction, MICKY knows that Gerrard is       serious about what's going on. He's already seen the rifle with the telescopic lens, and from the cut of Gerrard's blazer, guesses he is carrying some protection.

THE OUTER FILM

55. INT. AQUA'S BEDROOM. NIGHT. 55.

At the same hour AQUA is in her bedroom. She is       lifting out her hunting clothes from her wardrobe. Smoothing the black hunting coat down with the palm of her hand. She already has her white breeches and riding boots on. She ties her stock. Her white blouse is closely fitted. She obviously feels good about her body in these clothes. She slips the coat on. Picks up the riding whip and checks herself out in the full length mirror. She looks good. She looks the part.

RESUME:

54. INT. HOTEL. MICKY'S ROOM. NIGHT. 54.

MICKY So what's Aqua's role in all this?

GERRARD I was wondering when it would get round to her. Just take it from me           that she knows which side her bread is buttered on. How do you think I           found you? You'd be surprised at           what a girl would do for one, with a bit of persuasion.

MICKY's blood is reaching boiling point.

MICKY I don't care who you are, or who the fuck you know. Don't try to           tell me she stitched me up - and for you - You lying bastard.

GERRARD keeps his cool and his patronising tones.

GERRARD Michael, a word of advice. Don't           waste your time. You were never an           officer in the Guards. That definitely rules you out with our. Aqua. MICKY can restrain himself no longer. He lunges at       GERRARD. Lays a right hook on GERRARD's chin. But MICKY is the worse for wear, due to the three- quarters of the bottle of brandy. GERRARD quickly and professionally has him overpowered, without having to let fly any punches or losing his cool. He throws MICKY back on the bed.

GERRARD (Cont) A bit touchy on the subject of Miss Scutum, are we? It must be love. Poor Michael, it's a terrible thing, love that cannot be           reciprocated. We English and our petty class barriers. You would have thought we should have broken them down by now. But thank God we           have not. We can't have jumped-up gutter-snipes like you soiling our girls, can we?

MICKY crumpled on the bed. Sweaty and drunk. He       doesn't attempt to get up.

MICKY Just fuck off. Fuck off out of           here, with your ...

MICKY's words slur off. GERRARD opens the door to       go, he turns to MICKY.

GERRARD I have a job to do. I came here this evening to talk about my work. One way or another I've got to stop Drummond and Cauty. They may be           just a couple of lucky losers playing with mystery, but if they make their silly film, they could be lead on to other ideas. I           thought you were the right sort of            man to help me. Made of the right stuff. Obviously I was wrong.

GERRARD leaves the room and closes the door softly behind himself. MICKY, still on the bed, grabs the brandy bottle from the bedside cabinet and hurls it       at the now closed door. It smashes.

MICKY Fuckin' bastard.

The state that MICKY is now in renders him unable to articulate his emotions with any more clarity than using the above two words. He collapses back onto the bed. His eyes close.

THE INNER FILM

K. EXT. SPANISH COUNTRYSIDE. NIGHT. K.

A large campfire burns. The night sky hangs. ROCKMAN huddled in blankets. Flames dance in his shades.

The car is parked close by. Spread over the bonnet are the manuscripts, the papers, the maps. KINGBOY is attempting to unravel the contradictions. He is       seeking answers to the riddles.

ROCKMAN moves his gaze from the flames to the depth of darkness beyond. There are no stars. No pale moonlight. Just the crackle of the fire and the great unknown whispering in the distant void.

THE OUTER FILM RESUME:

55. INT. AQUA'S BEDROOM. NIGHT. 55.

Her beside phone rings. She picks it up. She listens.

AQUA (into phone) Yes ... Where? Gerrard you are the last person that I want to speak to           ... I don't think so ... You're           going to do what? Do you realise this is the real world, not some James Bond movie ... If you attempt to go ahead with this I'll make sure it's on the front page of           everybody's newspapers.

She replaces the receiver. She looks back into the mirror. Her face looks disturbed.

56. INT. FAMILY HOUSE. POLAND. EVENING. 56.

MONTAGE:

Somewhere in Poland in a small old family house. SILVERMAN is alone in a room, it looks as though it       has been untouched since tne fifties.

He is in semi-darkness. His pre-war picture of his family stands on the sideboard, lit by the burning Yahrzeit candle. It is the eve of Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement. Tradition decrees that the fate of all men is sealed on this day; those whose good deeds out-weigh their bad expect to enter into blessing; those whose bad-deeds out-weigh their good ones conclude that their lot will be       judgement. Sins can, however, be removed if the penitent sinner approaches God in prayer.

The whole day is supposed to be spent at the Synagogue in repentance and prayer.

On the eve of Yom Kippur a fowl is taken and solemnly swung three times round the head and the words "This fowl is my substitute and ransom, and       shall be killed that I may survive for a long and        peaceful life" in Hebrew.

We watch SILVERMAN hold a live chicken by the legs and slowly circle it around above his head while he       intones the above quote in Hebrew.

SILVERMAN is offering himself for judgement the next day will he spent in a small synagogue with some of the remnants of the Polish Jewish community.

It must be obvious to any of you that have any idea about Jewish customs; that we haven't a sodding clue about what goes on during their religious festivals, and that we are just quoting out of a       book, but it sounds like it would look good on the screen. We all like a bit of weird shit from time to time. Bit of drama. Bit of fake depth.

57. EXT. SPANISH HILLSIDE. DAWN. 57.

By now GERRARD has changed back into his survivalist kit; flak jacket, camouflage trousers, military black boots, black woollen hat. His face too has been blackened.

He is climbing a hill. Clambering over rocks. He       has a rucksack on his back. A professional. Below him can be seen the twinkling lights of a sleeping village. Across the rooftops on the far side of       the village rises another hill. On this can be       seen the silhouette of a grand Spanish Castle.

He finds himself a suitable "fox hole" as cover for the wait ahead. He needs to be ready for the job in hand.

He sets up camp.

He meticulously puts together a high velocity rifle. Checking all the parts as he goes. He       unrolls a telescopic lens. Cleans it. Fixes it in       place. Mounts rifle on tripod. Checks watch.

Unrolls khaki sleeping bag.

He awaits the dawn.

58. INT. HOTEL. MICKY'S ROOM. SPAIN. DAY. 58.

MICKY on his back, on his bed, asleep. Still fully clothed, sweaty and grubby. Mouth open. On his chest lies the oilskin package. He is clutching it       with both hands.

He dreams.

59. EXT. COWBOY TOWN. DAY. 59.

MICKY's DREAM:

A SMALL BOY. Not yet ten. Walks down a long, empty, dusty road. Dressed in cheap toy cowboy clothes. In one hand he is clutching a toy gun. In       the other he is dragging a large dead bird. It is       attached to a piece of twine that his left hand is        holding.

He walks into the centre of a deserted cowboy town.

The only sound we can hear is the faint lonely whistle of the wind in the telegraph wire. But then we begin to hear a small boy's voice. We       don't need to see the small boy on the screen's        lips move. It is as if we can hear what is going on in his head.

YOUNG MICKY (V.O.) "Daddy daddy, can you come home           now? Daddy daddy, please I'm sorry            daddy."

Then we hear a woman's voice. A County Donegal voice. Soft country Irish.

MICKY'S MOTHER (V.O.) "Michael, you come in now. Michael           you can get those Indians after            you've had your dinner. I've made            your favourite Michael, fish            fingers."

The SMALL BOY moves down the street. He halts in       front of one of the wooden houses. A dead bird is       nailed to the door. He opens the door. He steps inside only to find himself on the other side of a       cowboy town film set. We can see what he sees. The whole town is just two dimensional. It is all held up with props and braces.

He looks around.

we hear another voice. A GIRL's voice. It is the voice of privilege, of security, of walks with nanny, of safe summer lawns.

YOUNG AQUA (V.O.) "Gerrard come on. Let's play Kings           and Queens."

The SMALL BOY moves back towards the door that he       came through. He thinks that the voice is coming from the other side. He pulls the door open and he       steps back through.

Up until now in this dream sequence the CAMERA has shown our view of the SMALL BOY.

60. EXT. ENGLISH GARDEN. DAY. 60.

As the door opens the CAMERA becomes the SMALL BOY's P.O.V. We see through his eyes.

What he sees is a large tranquil English garden in       the late spring. It is the well-kept, full garden of an English village manor. Raspberry canes rich with fruit. Roses bloom. Herbaceous borders heave. A bee is happy with the goodness of God.

We see the back of a SMALL GIRL dressed in "small       girl" riding clothes. She is holding hands with a       similar aged BOY dressed in a prep school uniform; short trousers, cap, blazer with trim. The GIRL has a long blonde pony tail. The BOY short dark hair.

They are walking away from us along a neat grass path under a rose arch. The GIRL looks over her shoulder at us. Says nothing. They turn a corner and are now out of sight behind a tall beech hedge.

The SMALL BOY follows. We hear his voice.

YOUNG MICKY (V.O.) "Can I play."

He turns the corner. They are not there. What there are, are two small orthodox Jewish boys. Skull caps, glasses, pallid complexions strangely old-fashioned clothes.

The TWO BOYS are identical twins. ONE is standing holding a smoking gun. A Luger pistol. The OTHER is lying on the freshly cut grass. Dead.

Our LITTLE BOY moves past.

We hear the blast of a fox-hunt horn somewhere in       the distance. We can hear the howls of the hounds.

He turns another corner of the hedge.

DRUMMOND and CAUTY are sitting at a small garden table, in an alcove of a high, weathered garden wall. At either side of them are a pair of       alabaster Greek statues. These are also weathered and worn.

DRUMMOND is reading the N.M.E. The one with the Timelords on the cover.

CAUTY has a recording studio effects rack mounted on a plinth by his side. He is loading the AKIA S.       950 sampler.

A copy of the Exchange and Mart lies on the table.

These two do not notice the BOY.

He moves on.

There is a small green door, set in an orchard wall. Pear trees have been trained against the wall. There is silence. Almost. Just a few distant Summer garden sounds.

He opens the door.

61. EXT. COUNTRYSIDE. FOX HUNT. DAY. 61.

The hounds are howling. The horses thunder over the ditch. The HUNT MASTER is blowing his horn. The HUNT MASTER is bellowing orders.

YOUNG MICKY is amongst all of this. The scarlet coats flash past. The whips strike out. Hounds yelp. Their jaws hang open, tongues fly loose. Black riding boots. Spurs kick chestnut flanks. Bridles strain a bit. Horse lips yanked back. Giant yellow teeth. Nostrils flair.

Faces CLOSE UP. The county of the County. The extremes of passion. The ugliness. The pleasure. Sex and hate. Make up and muck. The Hunt in all its glory.

Our BOY is watching. We are watching. Awed. Overcome. Terrified. They ride on. Over ditch and hedge and far away chasing the scent to the end of the day. Some poor fox, his killing days done, will at last enter the fox's Valhalla, the great chicken coop in the sky.

The SMALL BOY is left standing in the rolling English countryside. It is bleak and winter. Wet and grey.

He walks on.

He comes across a body on the ground. The body is       that of a WOMAN dressed for the hunt. Her black coat is ripped and torn. Her face is hidden. She has been thrown by her horse. She is dead.

He walks on.

THE INNER FILM

L. EXT. SPANISH PLAIN AND CASTLE. DAWN                L.

Dawn is breaking across the Spanish plain. The car is parked by the side of an empty road.

KINGBOY stands by the car; a small mirror is       propped up on the roof. KINGBOY is straightening his tie. Turning down the collar of his shirt and giving his hair one last comb through.

We see that he is wearing a well cut expensive, hand-made shooting suit.

A complete transformation from the scruffy, rugged, leather coated indivioual we have seen up until now.

He picks up the manuscripts and strides down the road. Leaving ROCKMAN at the wheel of their car.

The night of preparation is over for Kingboy. This morning he has to make his presentation to the Powers. They will then pass judgement as to       whether he and Rockman can attempt the ascent to        The White Room.

He passes through the still sleeping village, oblivious to all but the task in front of him. He       climbs the rough-hewn stone steps.

Above him on top of the hill is the castle. It is       timeless. Unchanged by the centuries of fire, famine and pestilence, of religious persecution and Moorish tyranny.

KINGBOY climbs the hill.

Loose stones scrabble.

A few bits of dry scrubby grass.

Below, the tiled roofs of the village catch the early morning light.

KINGBOY enters the castle.

We don't see inside. The secrets are hidden.

But we know.

His soul is being searched.

His confessions being offered.

His case being pleaded.

The Five sit in judgement.

And finally his fate is sealed.

THE OUTER FILM

62. EXT. SPANISH HILLSIDE. DAY. 62.

We see GERRARD in his "fox hole". Rifle mounted on       tripod. He sips from his canteen. Cuts a chunk of       cheese with his Swiss army knife and breaks some dry bread.

The day has dawned.

We see across the village rooftops to the castle where Kingboy has already entered.

We see through Gerrard's telescopic lens. The rifle is trained on the castle wall that Kingboy was seen to disappear around.

GERRARD waits. Knowing what has to be done. He is       confident he can achieve it.

THE INNER FILM

M. EXT. SPANISH PLAIN AND CASTLE. DAY. M.

Time has passed. KINGBOY reappears around the corner of the castle wall.

THE OUTER FILM

RESUME:

62. EXT. SPANISH HILLSIDE. DAY. 62.

GERRARD attempts to get him in his sights.

THE INNER FILM

N. EXT. SPANISH PLAIN AND CASTLE. DAY. N.

KINGBOY is running, lurching down the hill leaping from rock to rock.

THE THIRD STRAND

63. EXT. CASTLE. DAY. 63.

We see BILL BUTT. Motorola in hand. The classic Director mid-take. On the edge. Bellowing instructions.

BILL BUTT Come on, Drummond. Move, you lanky bastard.

THE OUTER FILM

64. EXT. HILLSIDE/CASTLE. DAY. 64.

P.O.V.

We see through Gerrard's sights again. He just about has Drummond where he wants him. His finger is on the trigger. Steady and sure. Then we hear that sound all of us lads love to hear at a moment like this. The muffled sound of a pistol fitted with a silencer, delivering its message of under- cover death. One could stack-up the adjectives from here to the end of the script and that sound could never be completely described, never given full justice.

GERRARD has been shot in the back, just as he was about to pull the trigger on KINGBOY. Instead of       slumping to his death, he turns in his agony, pulling his rifle and tripod with him. He lifts the rifle as if to shoot at short range.

We then see from the position that GERRARD is in. Above is MICKY. His once white shirt hanging undone, only partly tucked into his ripped and oil- stained suit trousers. His Italian shoes now totally knackered. His arms are outstretched in       front of him clutching his-revolver, this time sporting a fat juicy silencer.

GERRARD Michael, you don't understand.

We are still looking up at MICKY. He pumps two more shots out through the nozzle of the silencer. We don't see Gerrard. We know he is dead.

MICKY I don't ever want to.

THE INNER FILM

O. EXT. SPANISH ROAD. DAY. O.

The Jamsmobile appears round a bend on a track on       the hillside below the castle. KINGBOY is-running towards it. He throws all their precious papers into the air in obvious celebration.

Judgement has been passed. It has been seen fit for them to head for the mountains and make their final ascent up to The White Room.

The door of the Jamsmobile swings open and KINGBOY leaps in. They are off and of course unaware of       the other infinitely more real drama unfolding not more than quarter of a mile away, where Drummond's       fate was almost sealed before his alter ego Kingboy had time to act out his sham celebration of       spiritual liberty.

They drive off through the day and into the evening landscape. Past the burning bush and on through the night.

THE OUTER FILM

65. EXT. COUTRYSIDE/FOX HUNT. DAY. 65.

Winter. A bleak grey afternoon in the English countryside. The fox-hunting season. The CAMERA comes in low over the stone walls. The pack of       hounds are agitated and confused. Bunched together sniffing and whining. The CAMERA PUSHES through to       the object of their attention. A thrown RIDER crumpled on the mud. A familiar black jacket. The dogs begin to howl.

The screen:

FADE TO BLACK:

THE INNER FILM

P. EXT. SPANISH MOUNTAIN ROADS. DAY. P.

KINGBOY still in his shooting suit, perched on a       rock. The pose, Rodin's "The Thinker".

The CAMERA PULLS BACK TO REVEAL ROCKMAN and the Jamsmobile. ROCRMAN is at work with a large brush and a bucket of white-wash. He splashes it on       until all of the car is gleaming white in the morning sunshine.

ROCKMAN throws away the brush and bucket. Yet again they are off.

The Jamsmobile now looking confident and pure. The rays of sunlight bounce off it back up into the. heavens.

The car glides up the mountain roads, ever higher. Far below are glimpses of the plain and the world forever left behind.

They drive on, up beyond the tree line. Patches of       snow. Onwards. More snow. They drive until -heir car can go no further. The car stuck in a snow drift.

KINGBOY and ROCKMAN climb out. Open boot. Arm themselves with ropes and ice axes. ROCKMAN is now dressed in a white arctic parka; the fur-lined hood is up, shades in place. KINGBOY is stil in       nothing more than the shooting suit, ropes clung over his shoulder. They set off for the summit, where they understand the White Room is to be found. The Jamsmobile is       left behind like a discarded cocoon empty of its chrysalis.

THE OUTER FILM

66. INT. AQUA'S OFFICE. DAY. 66.

MICKY back in London. Still dressed and looking like when we last met him finishing off GERRARD.

He enters Aqua's office. A bimbo TEMP is behind her desk.

MICKY Where's Aqua? I've come to see Silverman.

TEMP I'm afraid ...

Her voice is unsure.

TEMP (cont) Are - Were you an acquaintance of           Miss Scutum?

MICKY What do you mean, was I an           acquaintance of Miss Scutum? Where the fuck is she? Where is           Silverman?

TEMP I'm afraid she was involved in a           riding accident at the weekend. She died. Look, I'm sorry - were you a friend? I'm just a temp here. Look, I'm dreadfully sorry. I don't know what to say.

MICKY Well where the fuck is Silverman?

TEMP They don't know. He should have returned last week. They think he           is in Poland somewhere.

67. INT. SILVERMAN'S OFFICE. DAY. 67.

MICKY, demented by now, crashes into Silverman's       office. He starts to smash the place up. There is       no point in trying to describe what is going on in        his head. He is screaming every obscenity the censor will allow. Tears are streaming down his face. The TEMP is also screaming in the BACKGROUND. She grabs him in an attempt to stop him. He throws her aside. She runs out of the office.

He picks up the large stuffed Eagle that stands with outstretched wings on the plinth by       Silverman's desk, and hurls it at the window. At       the moment of impact, just as we see the glass begin to crash.

CUT TO: THE INNER FILM

Q. EXT. SPANISH MOUNTAINS. DAY. Q.

The purity of the virgin snow. Above in the blue, blue sky an Eagle soars. ROCKMAN and KINGBOY climb higher. They trudge onwards, upwards. The air is       getting thin. The sun is sinking homeward in the west. They must make it to the White Room before darkness falls. They have no food or blankets with them. They are risking everything. Sounds like that sodding song by Leo Sayer, "Moonlighting" - hope it isn't that crap when the film gets made.

The skies are huge, almost turquoise, fading into greens and purples streaked with orange and gold.

They stagger on. Each ridge fooling them that it       is their last.

Above what at last appears to finally be the summit, a satellite tracking station can be seen. Its giant dish is white, catching the full glow of       the ripening sun. Below the dish is a great white cube-shaped building. Is this the entrance to the White Room?

On, up, over and finally they are there. They let their ice axes drop. The last few steps. Their faces covered with exultation and wonderment.

They approach a pair of white double doors set in a       white wall. The doors swing open. They step inside.

R. INT. WHITE ROOM. LIMBO. R.

Whiteness is all around. They can see no walls or       corners of ceiling to wherever they are. They can hardly feel the ground. Unsure, they step through swirling mists, but safe in the knowledge that this is it. This is the White Room.

There is a distant ringing, almost as if down some endless corridor of empty offices a phone rings in       the last and most empty place of all. A phone that has been ringing forever. They step on. No longer cold. No longer hungry. The ringing gets louder. A phone IS ringing. A black phone is standing a-top a small Greek plinth. ROCKMAN picks it up. Listens. Hands it to KINGBOY. He listens. KINGBOY What?!

He hands it back to ROCKMAN who places the handset in it's cradle.

They have been given their instructions from the Ultimate Authority. They look at each other and accept the orders given.

They continue on through the womb-like whiteness.

Another Greek plinth comes into view. They approach. It is only three-foot-six or there- abouts high. On its top they find what the "Ultimate Authority" had told them to expect. A       pair of false moustaches. They follow the instructions they have been given.

Moustaches in place. They settle into their new affectations in moments. They leave the plinth behind, stepping further into the beckoning unknown.

They approach a table, set for dinner. There is a       vase of white lilies. Three white garden chairs. FRANKS is sitting at one of the chairs, eating a       meal. To the side of his plate is a legal document. It is The Contract that they had signed with Eternity before setting out on their journey.

FRANKS has encircled one of the clauses and made some notes in the margins. He says nothing to       KINGBOY and ROCKMAN, acknowledges their presence with a nod. They do likewise. His mouth is full. Using his knife, he points at the comments he has made. The CAMERA MOVES IN. We see the words LIBERATION LOOPHOLE, with an arrow pointing to the encircled clause. KINGBOY and ROCKMAN nod to each other. FRANKS returns to his meal, his duty to his clients complete.

The JAMS step on and finally disappear into the white swirling mists. The whole screen is filled with white. We watch the whiteness for some time. Then two large printed words FADE onto the screen:

THE BEGINNING

and so it is.

THE OUTER FILM

68. INT. CAEE. NIGHT. 68.

But that is not all. THE BEGINNING, FADES from the screen. The clouds begin to clear. We realise that it was only the steam from the boiling hot water urn in the all-night cabbies cafe. We have to return to the reality of this down-and-out, MICKY, who has been telling his story to CAUTY and DRUMMOND.

DRUMMOND What about your mother?

MICKY Cancer. She died.

69. EXT. CAFE. NIGHT. 69.

Outside it is beginning to rain. TWO INDIVIDUALS are approaching. ONE YOUNG and burly, in the uniform of a bouncer; he is clutching a portable phone in one hand and an umbrella in the other. We       saw him in the OPENING SHOT of the film. The umbrella is up and open, and sheltering a MIDDLE- AGED MAN. His head is bent against the elements.

As these TWO MEN move forward, the screen is       filled with the bowed head of the ELDER. The head lifts. The face is that of a MAN who has known and seen too much. It is the face of SILVERMAN.

The screen:

CUTS TO BLACK:

T H E  E N D

The CREDITS roll for about ten seconds.

CUT TO:

THE THIRD STRAND

70. INT. TRANCENTRAL. DAY. 70.

DRUMMOND, CAUTY and BILL BUTT sitting around the kitchen table at Trancentral. CAUTY is as usual, skinning up, DRUMMOND making yet another pot of       tea, BILL BUTT is still looking for the next thing to fret over.

BILL BUTT Look, even if what Micky McElwee has told you is not all crap, we           still can't use it.

DRUMMOND Why not?

BILL BUTT It's such a bad ending. You just can't get away with downer endings nowadays.

DRUMMOND looks across at CAUTY. CAUTY slowly looks up from rolling his joint.

CAUTY Just stick another ending after the downer one.

END CREDITS continue to roll.

T H E  E N D

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