Happy Friday, crime motherfuckers! It's time once again to take a trip to the dark side, where your most violent fantasies become sins of the flesh, right here, where the hardboiled action is non-stop, at the coolest crime joint in cyberspace ... at That Killing Feeling.
In Chapter 29 of NOWHERE GIRL, things really heat up when mysterious Feds raid the Hollywood Hills mansion and evacuate Cherry Nation and April Street, who escape just as the bomb is about to EXPLODE. Meanwhile rogue black ops spook Sledge Crafton reveals that CIA operative Lark Lemon is his mole, and then reveals his plans for Cherry and April ...
INT. HOLLYWOOD HILLS MANSION - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
The girls are GRABBED FROM BEHIND.
Saad has Cherry in a choke-hold.
Mohammed THROWS April to the floor.
Straddles her.
Both aims Uzis at their heads.
SAAD
Don’t move or I’LL SHOOT.
MOHAMMED
Go ahead. Give me REASON.
HAMAD
American women TALK TO MUCH.
Take them downstairs and shoot them.
MALE VOICE (O.C.)
Federal Marshall!
Put your HANDS IN THE AIR!
AN OPERATIVE
In bomb squad gear comes into the room,
assault rifle aloft.
CLOSE ON:
The LCD reads 3:45.
RENNY
Looks at the Fed.
RENNY
Don’t shoot! This is a nuclear device.
OPERATIVE
Step away from case. NOW.
SAAD
Put your gun down or I shoot THE WOMAN!
MOHAMMED
Put down or we SHOOT!
The Fed SHOOTS Renny.
BANG-BANG-BANG.
He HITS the floor.
CHERRY
Hey!
APRIL
What are you DOING?
He was DISARMING IT.
Two more FEDS in bomb squad gear
BURST IN from the kitchen and start SHOOTING.
Saad’s and Mohammed’s heads EXPLODE.
LARGE FED
Ladies, outside, NOW.
April and Cherry exchange glances.
CHERRY
What’s going on here?
APRIL
They WANT the nuke to go off?
LARGE FED
I said NOW.
Cherry GRABS the case with the money,
and they start RUNNING.
CLOSE ON:
The LCD reads 2:25.
EXT. FRONT DOOR - CONTINUOUS
Two Feds in protective gear with helmets
stand in front of bomb squad truck.
They start walking toward Cherry and April.
APRIL
(whispers)
I don’t trust them.
CHERRY
Let’s kick their ass.
INT. CIA HEADQUARTERS - CUBICLE - NIGHT
Lark takes a sip of her water bottle.
Touches her headset.
LARK
But I don’t understand.
You WANT it to go off?
But what about -- collateral damage?
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. INTELLIGENCE OFFICE - NIGHT
Sledge Crafton stands at the bar.
Mixing a cocktail.
Speaking on his hands-free.
SLEDGE
Too many people know.
It’s a big mess.
Better to start again
with a clean slate.
And it’s not a real nuke,
it’s an old Russian piece of shit
pipe bomb with a timer, that’s all.
We’ll find some patsy
and nail it on them,
like we did in Oklahoma City.
He leans down over the bar.
SNORTS a line of coke.
LARK
But what about April Street --
and the other girl?
SLEDGE
They’re being evacuated.
I have special plans for THEM.
(beat)
Don’t tell me your getting soft on me.
You’re one of the best moles I’ve ever had.
I’d hate to have to retire you, too.
LARK
But what about the agents on-site?
SLEDGE
They don’t know the bomb is live.
(beat)
Like you said, collateral damage.
INT. BOMB SQUAD TRUCK - NIGHT - AT THAT MOMENT
Cherry and April wear bomb squad gear with helmets.
April GUNS the engine. The vehicle starts moving.
CHERRY
Go, go, go --
APRIL
We’re OUTTA HERE.
EXT. QUEENS ROAD - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS
The truck ROARS down the road.
INT. BOMB SQUAD TRUCK - CONTINUOUS
April shakes her head slowly. Thinking.
APRIL
Something’s not right.
They were acting like they WANTED
the nuke to go off.
(beat)
Unless they weren’t told it was live.
CHERRY
Why would the agency do that?
APRIL
I don’t know, unless --
An earth-shattering EXPLOSION rocks the truck.
April stops. She and Cherry poke their heads
out their windows, look.
A MASSIVE FIREBALL ERUPTS in the sky.
THE TRUCK
Continues on down Queens Road.
APRIL
That was no nuke.
Crafton was ripping off the terrorists.
Why am I not surprised?
CHERRY
So where are we going?
APRIL
We’re gonna pay him a little visit.
CHERRY
(turns her head)
Hey. You okay back there?
PEELER
Sticks his head out from the rear.
PEELER
Well, let’s see.
I’ve lost a lot of blood,
I’m dizzy from hunger,
and I just shit my pants.
I’m having a ball.
WTF!!! Renny was trying to disarm the bomb... little trigger-happy, aren't we? Yeah... kill the bad guys! Haha!
ReplyDeleteHmmm.... well, this certainly isn't good news for Cherry and April... wonder what Sledge has in mind for the two of them. Lark is a mole too? Gee... is there anybody who isn't working for someone else? Haha!!
Oh, that Crafton, is a slick bastard... and completely heartless! "Collateral damage?" WTF, Sledge... these are human beans!! You need to stop putting that stuff up your nose, man...
Whew! Big sigh of relief!! Not a nuke... hmmm.... so, Crafton sets up a buy with the terrorists, who think he is CIA... then he sells them a "dud"... so, now they are thinking the CIA ripped them off, because they don't know anything about C-6? Motive?
Hmmm... guess I'm gonna have to wait for the next chapter... :)
Great place to end the week on, Carole! Have a great weekend! :D
XOXOXO <3 <3
Veronica
Thanks, doll-face!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't help you didn't mention the big reveal where we discover that Cherry and April are actually long-lost sisters ... !
MISS U ... <3
Hey Sweetie.... missed you too!
ReplyDeleteI thought I did comment on that... about Cherry and April... in the last chapter.... did you not get the comment?
Yeah... that blew me away... sisters!!! God... never saw that coming... never.... and there were probably clues... but you don't make things obvious (which I LOVE)... you make the reader work a little...
I got that there was more than just a little physical resemblance... but you know how something like that can often be explained
And, of course I love that you did that... now there is a connection between the two that I don't think anything is going to come between... I know if I had a sister, there isn't anything I would not do for her....
Just gotta say this for any guy messes with either April or Cherry... "nice nowin' ya dude... now your ass is toast!" HAHAHA!
Am I right? Yes!!
xoxoxo <3