Get Your Motor Running

Happy Thursday, crime slicksters. It's almost the end of the year, and once again it's time to take a trip to the dark side, where the girls are hot, the drinks are cold, and the hardboiled-pulp-noir action is non-stop, right here, at the coolest crime joint in cyberspace ... at That Killing Feeling.

In Chapter 20 of NOWHERE GIRLS, 'super-spy twins' Cherry Nation and April Street speed down city streets in their 'safe house on wheels' RV being driven by euro-spook-for-hire Serge Reno, on the lam from criminal evil mastermind Honey Almond, when they're joined by April's ex, FBI agent Simon Cain ...


EXT. VENICE BEACH PARKING LOT - NIGHT
A black SUV drives onto the lot,
followed by more vehicles.

They drive up to the hippie buses. Stop.
Sunday and Max hop out of the SUV. Look around.

SUNDAY
Brilliant cover.
Look at those pieces of shit.

MAX
I can smell the patchouli oil
from here --

SUNDAY
We’re one step behind them. SHIT.

A surveillance VAN pulls up near them.
They DART over to it as the door slides open.

Inside we see Horned-Rimmed Glasses Tech
and Bald, Intense Tech. They stare, dour.

SUNDAY
(rolls her eyes)
Great. The return of Frick and Frack.
You have any intel yet?

BALD, INTENSE TECH
SAT-53G has just tracked a
brightly painted recreational vehicle --

HORN-RIMMED GLASSES TECH
Travelling one mile south of here --

BALD, INTENSE TECH
Approaching the vicinity of the Venice pier --

HORN RIMMED GLASSES TECH
You can probably catch up to them --

BALD, INTENSE TECH
If you leave right now.

Sunday and Max nod.
RUN to the car.

INT. SERGE’S MOTOR HOME - MOVING - AT THAT MOMENT
Serge is at the wheel,
cigarette dangling from his lip.

April has taken apart the computer
and has connected the hard drive to the laptop.
Cherry watches her work.

CHERRY
You’re a regular Steve Jobs with this stuff.

APRIL
An I-Mac a day keeps the Geek Squad away.
The question is, how bad was the damage?

Her fingers FLY across the keyboard.
A loud BEEP.

They watch a stream of data
start flying across the monitor.

CHERRY
That’s good, right?

APRIL
So far, so good --

Her cell phone RINGS.
She fishes it out. Answers it.

APRIL
Street here --
(listens)
Simon. Where are you?

INTERCUT WITH:

EXT. PACIFIC AVENUE - NIGHT
Simon sits astride a HARLEY DAVIDSON.
Following the camper.

SIMON
Right behind you, doll. Pull over.

APRIL
How did you --
(beat)
Stupid question.
See you in a sec.
(to Serge)
Serge, pull over.
It’s Simon. He’s behind us.

SERGE
Ah -- the cavalry has arrived.

He pulls the vehicle over. Stops.
A RAP-RAP-RAP on the passenger side door.

April goes to the door.
Opens it.

Simon climbs onboard.
Goes to her. They hug.

APRIL
Thanks for coming.

SIMON
That’s me. Johnny on the spot.
(looks at Cherry)
So the Doublemint Twins got
into a bit of a rough scrape, eh?

CHERRY
You could say that.

APRIL
(points at Serge)
This is Serge.

SERGE
(waves)
Hallo.

SIMON
Which agency are you with?

SERGE
(shrugs)
Former DGSE in Paris,
then Interpol in Lyon.
Now freelance.
I am, as they say,
an 'asset for hire.'
(smiles)
I like the weather here.

SIMON
(to April)
So let me get this straight.
ou’re being pursued by the Feds --
AND Honey Almond’s assassins.

APRIL
Yeah. We need to shake the FBI’s tail,
find her, AND get my kids.
And I figured with
your black ops experience --
(looks at him carefully)
You got really banged up --

SIMON
Price of doing business.
(looks at the computer)
You have any intel?

APRIL
Some. Maybe. Still waiting to see
how much we can upload from the mainframe.

SIMON
Okay. Let’s get my bike on board
and head out on the highway.

CHERRY
Looking for adventure --

APRIL
And whatever comes our way --

SERGE
(sings, LOUD)
Like a true nature’s child,
we were born, born to be wild.
We can fly so high,
I never wanna DIE.

Everyone stares.
What the -- ?

SERGE (CONT’D)
What? Just because I’m French
doesn’t mean I haven’t
seen 'Easy Rider' --