by
Allison McCulloch
615-337-5420
FADE IN:
INT. HOLLIS’ HOUSE -
DAY
ABIGAIL (35) has
short-blonde hair and is in a business suit.
J.T. (20), her sister, is sitting by the front door. While being addressed by Mary, the
character’s name is J.T.
ABIGAIL
I think we’re all set, Mary.
J.T.
Where’s
Carolyn?
ABIGAIL
I told you: she’s at a friend’s house for the weekend. You just need to take care of Juliette.
J.T.
Abigail,
I bet Juliette could handle herself for the entire
weekend.
ABIGAIL
Give
me a break! She’s twelve. She could get into a lot of trouble, throw a party
and invite a bunch of rowdy people from school.
J.T.
Abigail,
she’s not like we were. Juliette is a good girl, and believe me, her idea of
breaking the rules would to be to borrow the family camcorder and record her
own documentary.
ABIGAIL
Don’t
let her touch the camcorder.
J.T.
Oh,
whatever. I’ll take her for ice cream and a movie. Something like that.
ABIGAIL
OK, I need to go. But you have my number and Paul’s number, for any emergencies.
J.T.
Yeah,
it should be fine.
EXT. SHOOTING RANGE
J.T. is teaching
JULIETTE (12) how to shoot. Juliette shoots three cans in a row.
J.T.
You’re
definitely a good shot.
JULIETTE
We
learned how to shoot rifles in Girl Scouts, when we went to this ranch. I won
some kind of award.
J.T.
Wow,
you should become a cop.
JULIETTE
I
don’t believe women should be cops.
J.T.
How
about a double agent?
JULIETTE
That
would be great. Lots of shooting
required?
J.T.
Sometimes. Only sometimes.
JULIETTE
How
do you become a double agent?
J.T.
College
degree, you have to be brilliant, emotionally impenetrable, physically fit,
tough.
JULIETTE
I’m
tough.
J.T.
I’m
afraid we’ll have to work on that.
Juliette gives J.T. an annoyed look.
JULIETTE
Aunt
Mary.
INT. HOLLIS’ HOUSE –
NIGHT
J.T. is questioning Juliette at the kitchen table. J.T. is yelling and trying
to sound as threatening as possible, gripping Juliette’s
hand.
J.T.
Tell
me the code or I’ll cut your hand off.
JULIETTE
What code? They didn’t give me a code.
J.T.
I’ll
kill you after I torture you to death. Give me the code.
Juliette erupts, laughing.
JULIETTE
Aunt
Mary, this isn’t very believable. I know you won’t kill me.
J.T.
Do
you really want to be a double agent?
JULIETTE
Yes.
J.T.
Really?
JULIETTE
I
would die for it.
J.T.
I’ll
give you the proper training then. By
the time you graduate from college, you’ll have so much experience, you’ll rise
to the top. You’re a natural. If you get
bored or this is too much to handle, I’ll stop.
JULIETTE
Are
you a double agent?
J.T.
If
I were, I wouldn’t be allowed to tell you.
JULIETTE
I’ll
keep it a secret, then.
INT. HOLLIS’ HOUSE –
KITCHEN - DAY
Abigail spots Juliette doing her homework.
ABIGAIL
Juliette, it’s getting awfully close to your birthday.
JULIETTE
Yes.
ABIGAIL
Would
you like anything in particular?
JULIETTE
I’m
not sure you’d let me have what I want.
ABIGAIL
What
is that?
JULIETTE
A year’s membership to Gold’s
Gym and a subscription to Crime Monthly.
Abigail does not
know how to handle this.
ABIGAIL
Let
me know if you change your mind.
SUPERIMPOSE: FIVE
YEARS LATER...
INT. CIA
HEADQUARTERS,
J.T.(25) is walking
toward the ten foot diving board in a bikini. AGENT MARSHALL (60) talks to J.T.
from the other side of the pool.
AGENT MARSHALL
Are
you sure you want to do this?
J.T.
I’ve
lived for this opportunity, Agent Marshall.
J.T. climbs up the
top of the diving board while talking to the director.
AGENT MARSHALL
If
you want to pull out, we can put Gregory on this case.
J.T.
No,
I definitely want to go through with this. Gregory has a family. Chances of
survival are slim. Are all my papers in order?
AGENT MARSHALL
Yes.
Does the thought of never seeing your family again bother you? ... As a woman?
J.T.
I’ve been here for seven years and I’ve never heard
you say anything so sexist before.
AGENT MARSHALL
Sorry. It’s just that ...
J.T. dives into the
pool. She resurfaces.
J.T.
I
haven’t seen my sister in two years. We had a fight. The CIA is my family.
AGENT MARSHALL
Don’t
you want to reconcile? You may never have another chance.
J.T.
I
want her to feel as guilty as possible.
J.T. picks up a
towel that is sitting on a chair and exits the pool area.
EXT. ROAD –
In a speeding car,
the HITMAN is the driver. The man is a rough looking, beefy guy. The
passenger’s side holds J.T., tied up with masking tape over her mouth.
HITMAN
I
just want you to know this, before you die. I do this all the time, so it’s not
like I’ll have a guilty conscience. Most victims feel assured that I’ll burn in
hell or I’ll feel bad for what I’ve done, but honey look: you should know that
it’s not gonna happen that way.
J.T. is relaxed and
does not make eye contact with the hit man, even when he turns to her to try
get her to look at him.
The car pulls over
to the far side of the lake. Her knocks her unconscious by elbowing her in the
head, then throws her in the lake. After the deed is done, he speeds off in his
car.
INT. CIA
HEADQUARTERS,
JULIETTE (17) is a
cool, calm, and collected blonde, sitting across from him. He refers to her as
Mary Lewis, but her real name is Juliette.
This
interview will be relatively painless, since this is a transfer.
JULIETTE
OK.
How
does it feel to be back in Virginia, Mary?
JULIETTE
Oh,
wonderful. I grew up here.
Agent
Marshall had some spectacular things to say about you.
JULIETTE
Thanks.
Above
and beyond all things, that you weren’t emotional like most women. Most women,
no matter how properly trained they are, still have emotions reeking from their
pores.
JULIETTE
I’m
pretty unemotional. I like to get the job done.
How
do you feel about
Juliette seems a bit unnerved.
JULIETTE
He
was my mentor.
He
was my mentor’s mentor. I’ve heard about
JULIETTE
With
all due respect, sir, he was one of the best, to the end. Now, since I’ve been
transferred, I look forward to working under your orders.
I’m going to put you on a case right away. It seems like it could be a pressing matter of security, but we haven’t collected enough evidence on this guy. I’m going to assign you a partner, but I don’t quite know who yet.
JULIETTE
Take
your time, sir.
Those
people at the
JULIETTE
I
just do my job, sir.
You
look a little young. And then you look a little old.
JULIETTE
Bad
picture, sir.
Every
woman thinks her picture looks bad. That
is the only thing I can generalize about you. Take that as a compliment.
JULIETTE
Thank
you, sir.
INT. CIA
HEADQUARTERS,
BROOKS (30) is
showing Juliette around the
BROOKS
We
have no dirt on this guy, Silvastroski. He seems
dangerous though. Try to collect what information you can. With all due respect
ma’am, don’t try to be his girlfriend to get the information we need.
JULIETTE
I’m
not that type of person.
BROOKS
Well,
Gina Palotti, one of our ex-agents did that. Not
smart.
JULIETTE
They
didn’t fire her for that, did they?
BROOKS
You don’t get fired for stuff
like that, but maybe you should. She got a bullet in the head. I almost feel
sorry for her, but I don’t.
JULIETTE
They
found out she was undercover?
BROOKS
Worse,
she told them. There’s nothing worse than a betrayed criminal. You really
shouldn’t do stuff like that. Sure they do it in movies all the time, but
that’s nonsensical. So why did she do it? Some agents stupidly slip. But you
definitely couldn’t get away with it. She was much more attractive than you.
Juliette SHOOTS an annoyed glance.
Oh,
are you talking about Gina?
BROOKS
Yeah!
I
gave up asking female agents out, after her. Sorry, uh...
JULIETTE
Mary.
BROOKS
Mary
Lewis. She joined the agency the day before she turned eighteen.
How’d she do that?
BROOKS
Well, unofficially. They hired
her. They weren’t allowed to give her the badge until the next day. Isn’t that
right, Mary?
JULIETTE
Yes.
BROOKS
So
It’s still going through the
prepublication review. It’s been like four months! And they want me to cut out
the two most interesting sections.
JULIETTE
You’re
a writer?
I’m like a Clancy.
JULIETTE
Oh
really. Well, I’ll have to read your book when it comes out.
By
the way, do you have a boyfriend, sweetie?
JULIETTE
For
your information, Agent Preston, I prefer to be called Mary. Or Agent Lewis.
And no, I have no boyfriend. I also
prefer not to date men in the agency, just so you know.
A woman (LILA
CANTRELL), about twenty-five, is walking toward them.
Lila,
honey!
LILA
This
is Mary Lewis. Agent Lewis this is Lila.
Lila immediately
withdraws her previous warmth.
LILA
You must know my boyfriend, Agent Ned Bates.
JULIETTE
Ned?
LILA
He
told me that you two used to go out.
JULIETTE
A
few dates. We were primarily friends.
LILA
A few dates. He told me that you went out for three years. Well. What have you got to hide?
JULIETTE
Oh
Ned... Right. Uh, nothing much.
I
thought you said you didn’t date men in the agency.
JULIETTE
Not
anymore.
EXT. STREETS OF
Lila and J.T. meet
in a crowd of people.
LILA
J.T.!
J.T.
Lila,
it’s wonderful to see you.
LILA
What’s
going on?
J.T.
I
have a conference with the Secretary of State.
LILA
Wow!
J.T.
Listen,
we have to have a girls’ night out really soon.
LILA
OK,
but only invite a few people.
J.T.
Well, there’s only you, me,
Jackie, and Frances. We could invite Ranita, even
though she’s just the accountant.
LILA
No,
no. There’s this new girl. Mary Lewis. Obnoxious!
J.T.
Mary
Lewis! Are you sure that’s her name?
LILA
Quite
sure. She used to date my boyfriend, Ned. She said they went out for a couple
of dates after he told me they dated for a few years. Something here is
inconsistent. “After him,” she said, “I don’t date men in the AGENCY anymore.”
As if something was wrong with Ned?
J.T. looks
horrified.
J.T.
I
need to meet this person. There is no way Mary Lewis transferred here. This has
to be a joke. Mary Lewis died recently.
LILA
What
are you talking about?
J.T.
I
have an idea. She’s under the identity of Mary Lewis. Have you actually seen
her?
LILA
Yes.
J.T.
What
does she look like? Not ...
LILA/J.T.
Blonde.
LILA
Inconsistent,
inexperienced. I don’t know what Ned saw in her.
J.T.
Oh
no. This is awful.
LILA
You think she’s under the
identity of a dead agent?
J.T.
Maybe.
Hey, I’ll catch you later. I have that conference.
INT. CIA
HEADQUARTERS,
Juliette is sitting at a table.
J.T.
I
just can’t believe one of our agents would do this.
It’s
not serious. Give her a year and she can join the CIA.
J.T.
Stealing
an agent identity isn’t a serious issue? We have an underage agent with a gun,
licensed to her fake identity. Minors with guns. Not a very pretty picture,
especially when fraud is involved.
Tell
us your real name, Mary.
J.T. THROWS some
files on the desk.
J.T.
This
is what I’ve pulled up. Her name is Juliette Hollis.
How
did you know?
J.T. is practically
in Juliette’s face.
J.T.
Isn’t
it?
JULIETTE
Who are you?
Look
J.T. This seems like something personal. What do you have against Mary?
J.T.
Her name is not Mary! Mary Lewis is the name of her aunt who had all the proper training to become an agent and was an agent. She died, however. Juliette provided us with the Mary Lewis identity along with the social security number, because she’s only seventeen. She needs to be eighteen to work for the CIA and own a gun.
How
in the world could she have had the proper training, then? She’s one of the best agents we have. I don’t
care how old she is. Look, I’ll pay you
to keep your mouth shut about this.
J.T.
I’d
love to, but she’s a minor. I bet her mother would love to hear about this. And
I bet the press would love to hear you’re bribing me.
JULIETTE
How
did you know?
J.T.
Let’s
just say I know more than I should.
How
was the aunt killed?
J.T.
She wasn’t. Now’s the time to show me how tough you are, Juliette.
J.T. exits the room.
What?
JULIETTE
That
was my Aunt Mary.
You
would have gotten away with it, if she was dead. You can continue the
investigation of Silvastroski’s apartment tonight, as
planned. Just stay clear of J.T. for awhile, OK?
JULIETTE
Alright.
INT. HOLLIS’ HOUSE –
DAY
ABIGAIL HOLLIS (40)
looks burdened as a mother.
ABIGAIL
Honey,
we’re going to the Drews’ house tonight.
JULIETTE
I
don’t want to go.
ABIGAIL
But
Sarah and Joey Drew want to see you. You know, I can’t see why you don’t enjoy
being with your family. Your sister Carolyn gives us no problem. You’re away
from us all day at school. The least you could do is spend more time with us.
As long as you live in this house, you’ll accompany us on our outings.
JULIETTE
Well,
maybe I don’t want to live in this house.
ABIGAIL
Well,
I have news for you. You have to live in this house until you’re eighteen.
JULIETTE
That’s
coercion. Just what type of retirement home do you think you’ll be living in?
ABIGAIL
Are you disrespecting me?
JULIETTE
Yes.
Abigail SLAPS Juliette’s face.
INT. DREWS’ HOUSE -
KITCHEN - NIGHT
It is right after
dinner. The men are in the other room. They are MR. DREW (40’s) who is a wry
looking man with wire-rim glasses.
PAUL HOLLIS (40) is
a handsome guy, who is using his hands while conversing.
MRS. DREW (40’s) and
Abigail are bringing dishes to the sink, while conversing.
CAROLYN HOLLIS, 15,
is a younger version of Juliette. She is approaching
SARAH DREW, a petite 15 year old. Both Carolyn and Sarah are growing anxious to
escape the company of the adults.
Juliette is hanging out by the sink, when Mrs. Drew starts
talking to her.
MRS. DREW
Juliette is such a good girl.
Juliette turns so she is out of Mrs. Drew’s sight and rolls her eyes. Her speech is barely
inaudible.
JULIETTE
Yeah.
Carolyn and Sarah
walk up to Juliette.
SARAH
We
rented MISS CONGENIALITY. Is that OK?
JULIETTE
I’ve
seen it, but it’s good.
CAROLYN
I haven’t seen it. How come
you’ve seen it?
JULIETTE
At a friend’s house.
Carolyn, Juliette, and Sarah walk to the recreation room.
INT. DREWS’ HOUSE –
RECREATION ROOM
Sarah Drew turns on the
TV and VCR.
EXT. CONIFER
APARTMENTS - PARKING GARAGE – MOMENT LATER
It is raining
lightly. Juliette inserts a pass into the garage
detector and the gate opens. She enters the garage.
INT. CONIFER
APARTMENTS - HALL
Juliette exits the garage into an apartment hall. Juliette picks the lock of
INT. CONIFER
APARTMENTS -
Juliette slips on night vision glasses and turns the
corner into the living room. She turns on the computer and inserts a disk into
the disk drive. She proceeds to copy several files. The front door to the
apartment opens and a woman enters. Juliette hides
into a corner and cocks her gun. J.T. switches on the light.
J.T.
It’s
funny when you walk into a man’s apartment and you smell a woman’s perfume. I
guess the scent could have originated from a prostitute or his girlfriend, but
our man is gay.
Juliette come out from her hiding place with the gun
at her side.
JULIETTE
It
could have been the maid.
J.T.
I’m
going to teach you a number of things.
Lesson number one: do not enter a place you’re secretly investigating
smelling like Miss
JULIETTE
Mary
Lewis. And you’d better turn off the lights.
J.T.
You’d
better hand that gun to me, since that’s who it’s registered to.
A creak is heard. Juliette stands still, trying to hear any other noises.
JULIETTE
I
thought I heard something.
J.T.
It
was the creaking floor.
JULIETTE
Look,
I know you know a lot more about being an agent than me, but why don’t we
obtain the remaining files and move out?
Who knows when he’ll come back?
J.T.
I’ll
get them.
J.T. removes the
disk from Juliette’s pocket.
J.T. (cont’d)
I’ll
return the disk when I’m through. I wouldn’t want to steal any of your personal
property. Now you’re not going to bitch about how you got the disk-
JULIETTE
No,
it’s OK if you take the disk. Are you really my Aunt Mary?
J.T.
Move
out, please.
JULIETTE
See
you later.
INT. CONIFER
APARTMENTS - HALLWAY
Juliette enters the apartment hallway. When she turns
the corner, she sees a man (MICHAEL SILVASTROSKI) in his mid-thirties entering
JULIETTE
No
way is she going to make it out alive.
INT. CONIFER
APARTMENTS - APARTMENT 208 – CONTINUOUS
The lights are out.
The computer is off. J.T. is hiding between the island in the kitchen and the
dishwasher. The kitchen is adjacent to the living room. The man turns on the
computer. He proceeds to the bathroom and turns on the shower. He takes his
shirt off in the bedroom. J.T. starts to move out to the front of the kitchen.
Michael walks back to the desk.
MICHAEL
It
could be worse.
Michael
opens his e-mail account. He opens his electronic address book and clicks on
the name “D. Buddy.” Michael walks back to the shower. J.T. copies the e-mail
address by hand, on a post-it note.
INT.
DREWS’ HOUSE – RECREATION ROOM
SARAH
Hi, where’d you go?
JULIETTE
Oh, I already
saw the movie, so I went to talk with the adults.
CAROLYN
You should have
seen it again. It was so cool; she beat up men and stuff. I want to be a CIA
agent.
JULIETTE
You know, there were one too many CIA agents
in our family.
CAROLYN
Yeah, Sarah. Our aunt was a CIA agent, and
she died while working on a case.
SARAH
Was your aunt really a CIA agent?
CAROLYN
She worked undercover. We didn’t even know.
We thought she was a therapist. But when she died, the agency told my mother
about it. We were all shocked. I’m not going to die, though. I’m going to beat
up all the bad guys.
JULIETTE
You’re
talking like an eight year old. Being a CIA agent is serious work. Agents get
killed. You have to be determined. You don’t watch a movie and get inspired.
You have to be naturally good at it and even then, you work and work and work
at it.
SARAH
Do
you want to become a CIA agent?
JULIETTE
No.
Not my line of work.
CAROLYN
I
want to! I’m going to be.
INT. ABIGAIL’S
CARAVAN – MOMENTS LATER
Paul, Abigail, Juliette, and Carolyn are on their way home. Abigail puts
on a condescending mother-knows-best routine.
ABIGAIL
Now that wasn’t so bad, was it sweetie?
JULIETTE
It wasn’t too bad.
ABIGAIL
It was great
that you came along.
INT.
SODA SHOP – EARLY AFTERNOON
Juliette is sipping a shake. J.T. enters the shop and sits across from
her.
JULIETTE
Good afternoon.
J.T.
Wow, the name of your undercover operation is
lame. “Operation
JULIETTE
So what about your identity? You’re now J.T.
J.T.
Look, I’ve legally changed it to J.T. Austen,
alright?
Juliette lets out a big breath, like she’s trying to suppress laughter.
JULIETTE
You didn’t
like the name I chose for the operation. Well, I think you would be more
concerned in choosing your own name. J.T. Austen is very lame.
J.T.
What’s wrong with it?
JULIETTE
It’s not that
feminine.
J.T.
People usually think I’m a man. That helps
when I’m talking to other agents by e-mail or whatever. They tend to have more
respect for me and cooperate.
JULIETTE
OK, whatever.
J.T.
Listen, meet me tonight at eight.
JULIETTE
I can’t. My mother expects me to be home.
She’s overprotective of me.
J.T.
I’m so sure. You can get away somehow.
JULIETTE
Hello! My mother is Abigail.
J.T.
Oh damn, you’re right. How do you usually get
out?
JULIETTE
I have to escape in the dead of night.
J.T.
What about the other night?
JULIETTE
We got together with a family. The adults
thought I was with the kids and the kids thought I was with the adults. I can’t
do that too often or I could be found out.
J.T.
OK.
JULIETTE
So what did you want to discuss?
J.T.
I need some information.
JULIETTE
Excuse me? You
personally take me off the case and you want information from me?
J.T.
It’s a dangerous job. You’re a minor. What if
anything happened to you? I would never forgive myself, knowing I could have
prevented it.
JULIETTE
I’ll be eighteen in two months. You better
watch out. I’m coming back.
J.T.
Are you moving out?
JULIETTE
You bet I’m moving out. I have an apartment
all lined up and everything.
J.T.
Why aren’t you
in school right now? Did you graduate?
JULIETTE
I got my GED.
J.T.
You didn’t graduate? You’re a drop-out?
JULIETTE
No, listen. I had to get my GED to free up my
days. Besides, I constantly study to keep educated. My mother thinks I’m
enrolled in the high school and well, I’ll be moved out by the time I’m
supposed to graduate, so I won’t get into trouble with her.
J.T.
You’re such a kid. You want to be some super
agent, but you’re worried about getting into trouble with your mother.
JULIETTE
I can’t help the fact that my mother is the
most controlling person on the plant. Once I’m eighteen, I’ll have the ability
to act free. Right now, I’m stuck in hell.
J.T.
Purgatory.
JULIETTE
So what kind of information do you need?
J.T.
(whispers)
Who’s Buddy?
Juliette contemplates.
JULIETTE
I don’t know.
J.T.
D. Buddy? What could the “D” stand for?
Juliette contemplates.
JULIETTE
Hmm. Not Darren? I know of a Darren Beale.
J.T.
That’s helpful, thanks.
JULIETTE
You’re welcome.
J.T.
So you’re not carrying the gun right now, are
you?
JULIETTE
No.
J.T.
Because I know you don’t have a proper
concealed weapons license.
JULIETTE
Hey, I know you have the advantage of knowing
everything about me, but you have this type of maternal concern, and that bugs
me. Can’t you just lay off? I’ve thought about telling my mother you’re still
alive.
J.T.
You could. She’d send you to the loony bin.
JULIETTE
Oh come on.
Why would I make up a story like that? I know it hurts her to even think about
you.
J.T.
My point exactly.
JULIETTE
What kind of person do you think I am anyway?
I’m not devious or malicious. Like you.
J.T.
You’re inexperienced. You’re good, yeah,
you’re real good, but you remind me of myself. You’re so good, you’re gonna think you’re invincible and make that one fatal
mistake.
JULIETTE
Your mistake wasn’t fatal.
J.T.
Yes it was. I’m dead to a lot of people.
JULIETTE
Why are you
considered dead?
J.T.
The case I worked on, when I supposedly
died... I had to change my identity and not reconnect with any of my family or
former friends.
JULIETTE
But you didn’t have any friends, so it wasn’t
a problem.
J.T.
Shut up.
JULIETTE
Besides, you were being overcautious. You
didn’t need to stay away from us.
J.T.
I know you may
not have noticed any unusual activity, but there were goons watching to make
sure I didn’t resurface.
JULIETTE
Why couldn’t they arrest the goons?
J.T.
Not enough evidence. Which is usually the
problem with everything. You have to have the dirt on someone, before you
accuse them. You can’t arrest a seemingly innocent person, even if they’re
involved in a plot.
JULIETTE
Yeah I know that. Unless you have enough evidence.
J.T.
OK. You think you’re so smart.
JULIETTE
So tell me this. Why are you in my way? Why
don’t you want to help me? I’m helping you.
J.T.
Don’t you think it’s hard to have a niece in
the same line of work? I’m so scared for you. If you were a friend, that would
be different, and I could even mentor you. But you’re my niece and you stole my
identity. I didn’t teach you how to do anything like that. Besides, I’ve heard
about Michael Silvastroski and I can’t let anything
happen to you. I know you’ll either slip up or do something way out of bounds,
cause you’ve done it before.
JULIETTE
You know what I’ve learned in life? That people really aren’t there to help
you. Mom wants her own plan for me; she
doesn’t care about what I really want.
And you trained me! Now, you want
me to drop what I’ve been working for, for years.
J.T.
You didn’t have to steal my identity!
JULIETTE
Your previous identity. And I thought you
were dead.
J.T.
Yeah, well, I should have concentrated on
teaching you ethics.
JULIETTE
I need to go.
Tonight at eight, then.
J.T.
But you said-
JULIETTE
I’ll manage.
INT.
HOLLIS’ HOUSE – DAY
Abigail
and Juliette have a serious discussion.
ABIGAIL
Am I a bad mother?
JULIETTE
Yes. Do you think that I’m not going to leave
as soon as I turn eighteen? If you make my life hell until then, don’t think
I’ll even come home for Christmas.
ABIGAIL
Don’t think I’ll give you money and support
you when you move out.
JULIETTE
Like you give me any money now. I wasn’t
expecting anything to change. I’ll get a job.
ABIGAIL
You shouldn’t work while you’re in school.
You should concentrate on your studies. Do you really think you’ll be able to
support yourself?
JULIETTE
I’m working on getting a job. I’ll be
alright.
ABIGAIL
You can always come back home.
JULIETTE
OK.
ABIGAIL
What are you doing tonight?
JULIETTE
Studying.
ABIGAIL
OK. Fine.
INT.
HOLLIS’ HOUSE – JULIETTE’S ROOM - EVENING
Juliette turns on her CD player and puts a CD on repeated play. She
climbs out the window.
INT.
CIA HEADQUARTERS,
J.T.
and Juliette are alone, discussing pressing matters
related to the case.
J.T.
You’re not very discreet.
JULIETTE
Excuse me?
J.T.
How did you get out of the house? You didn’t
climb out the window?
JULIETTE
How did you know?
J.T.
Oh my gosh, you have no common sense. Windows
are bad.
JULIETTE
How did you know, Aunt Mary?
J.T.
So you still like calling me Aunt Mary? Well,
I’m a different person now.
JULIETTE
Aunt Mary.
J.T.
What is your problem? Your mother realized
you weren’t in your room and called the police after she found the window open.
She thinks someone kidnapped you. I think you’d better go soon. So what will
your alibi be?
JULIETTE
I don’t know.
J.T.
You have to be a little more smooth than that.
JULIETTE
I could say that I was out with this guy that
she doesn’t approve of...
J.T.
No, that doesn’t seem like you.
STETSON
(25) enters. He is handsome, looking
more like a male model than an agent.
J.T. (cont’d)
This is your new partner.
JULIETTE
Couldn’t you have found someone with a little
more brains than looks?
J.T.
He’s cute isn’t he?
JULIETTE
He’s a perfectly average guy. He’s going to be my partner?
Stetson
laughs.
J.T.
He’s actually going to watch over you for
awhile and make sure no one goes after you.
Like I said before, you’re not that discreet. Some photos of you were found in Michael Silvastroski’s files.
Do you know how that happened?
JULIETTE
Are you serious?
J.T.
Unfortunately. Now he knows he’s being investigated.
JULIETTE
I can’t believe I slipped up.
J.T.
It’s easy for anyone to mess up. I should have kept my big mouth shut about
your real identity until I had talked to you.
The FBI is investigating how you stole my identity. They’re trying to see if you’re linked to any
terrorism plots.
JULIETTE
What?
J.T.
Which is absurd.
JULIETTE
No way.
J.T.
Just be careful. Stetson’s gonna keep his eye on you. If anything goes wrong, we’ll
know about it. Just don’t worry.
Meanwhile, stay clear away from Silvastroski’s place.
JULIETTE
OK.
STETSON
May I escort
you, ma’am?
JULIETTE
I suppose I don’t have a choice, do I?
INT.
HOLLIS’ HOUSE - DAY
Abigail
looks out the window, catching Stetson looking at the house. He turns away
quickly, almost too suspiciously.
ABIGAIL
Do you ever notice that neighbor when he
walks past?
JULIETTE
What neighbor?
Abigail
casually looks out the window, referring to Stetson.
ABIGAIL
That man across the street. He acts like he’s exercising, but he always
looks at our house, inside our windows.
Not the other neighbors. Just
us. And he’s not even wearing
sportswear.
JULIETTE
I hate to say this Mom, but that sounds
paranoid.
ABIGAIL
Don’t call me paranoid, young lady.
JULIETTE
You’re the one who called the cops on
me. I was at Linda’s house to
study. There was a big test. I thought I told you.
ABIGAIL
I remember you said you were studying, but I
don’t remember you saying anything about Linda.
You left the window open, Juliette! What was
that all about?
JULIETTE
I don’t know.
ABIGAIL
And your CD was still playing. I thought it
was just like the Polly Klaas case. Man grabs your
daughter out of the window, she turns up dead.
JULIETTE
Well, I’m not dead. And I’ll be more careful.
The point is, that guy is probably a new neighbor and this is his routine.
ABIGAIL
I just have this feeling.
JULIETTE
That he’s a killer?
ABIGAIL
That he’s suspicious for a reason. He can’t
be up to any good, at least.
JULIETTE
I really wouldn’t worry about it.
ABIGAIL
OK, but I really think something is odd about
him.
INT.
HOLLIS’ HOUSE – THE STUDY
Paul
Hollis is writing a letter at his desk, when Juliette
comes in.
PAUL
Come in
sweetie, what is it?
JULIETTE
Well, I know you’re more understanding than
Mom.
PAUL
Well...
JULIETTE
There’s this guy.
PAUL
(surprised)
Oh?
JULIETTE
His name is Stetson.
PAUL
Stetson? What kind of name is that?
JULIETTE
Uh, I don’t know his first name.
PAUL
I see.
JULIETTE
If he comes over for any reason, Mom may have
a heart-attack.
PAUL
Is he a drug dealer or something?
JULIETTE
No, listen, he’s a friend of Aunt Mary’s...
PAUL
Oh, she would have a heart-attack if
had anything to do with Mary.
JULIETTE
Anyway, I
don’t think I should be deprived of the benefit of his friendship just because
he was Aunt Mary’s friend.
PAUL
You’re not dating him?
JULIETTE
No, just friends.
PAUL
Well, I’ll make sure Mom doesn’t keep you
from seeing him, although I’d like to meet him to make sure he checks out.
JULIETTE
OK.
PAUL
What line of work is he in?
JULIETTE
Government. Highly paid, well-respected.
PAUL
OK.
EXT.
HOLLIS’ HOUSE - EVENING
Stetson
pounds on the door.
INT.
HOLLIS’ HOUSE
Abigail
looks through the eye view and sees Stetson.
ABIGAIL
I am not letting you in, you insane maniac!
STETSON
Is Juliette there?
I need to speak with her right away.
ABIGAIL
Juliette is doing her homework. If you would like to talk to my husband, I’m sure he can take a break from cleaning his GUN. Paul?
PAUL (O.S.)
Yeah.
Paul
approaches Abigail at the door.
ABIGAIL
Don’t open the door, it’s this crazy
neighbor.
STETSON (O.S.)
My name is Andrew Stetson, ma’am. I need to
speak...
Paul
opens the door.
PAUL
Come in.
Abigail
looks nervous.
STETSON
Where’s Juliette?
JULIETTE
What’s all the commotion? Oh hey, Stetson.
ABIGAIL
Stetson?
JULIETTE
Mr. Stetson.
STETSON
You need to leave now. They’re coming.
Someone
knocks on the door. Three men’s voices
can be heard. Stetson grabs Juliette and they head out the back door. Paul opens the
door.
PAUL
Hi. What’s going on?
DETECTIVE POWELL
I’m Detective Powell.
ABIGAIL
Some man just...
PAUL
Don’t worry about this, Abigail.
Detective
Powell flashes his badge.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Does a Juliette
Hollis or a Mary Lewis reside here?
ABIGAIL
Mary Lewis is dead.
DETECTIVE POWELL
We have reason to believe she’s alive. Please answer the question. Does either a Juliette
Hollis...
ABIGAIL
Yes, Juliette
Hollis lives here.
PAUL
Abigail, I said I’ll handle this.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Is she in?
PAUL
No, she isn’t. What is this about?
DETECTIVE POWELL
Do you mind if we stay until she returns?
PAUL
Yes, I do mind. I’d like to know what this is about.
DETECTIVE POWELL
She’s wanted for fraud, prosecutable at a
federal level.
ABIGAIL
How did she get involved with Mr. Stetson?
DETECTIVE POWELL
Who’s Stetson?
PAUL
Abigail, I said I’d handle this.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Please answer the question.
ABIGAIL
Wait, I know. He was this neighbor of
ours. All of a sudden, he warned Juliette that you guys were coming.
DETECTIVE
POWELL
Shoot, he’s
with some kind of intelligence organization.
PAUL
He’s a friend of Mary’s.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Who’s a friend? Mary who?
Paul
is getting tired of Detective Powell.
PAUL
Andrew Stetson is a friend of Mary Lewis.
DETECTIVE POWELL
How is he a friend of Mary Lewis’ if she’s dead?
So he’s in on this too?
PAUL
I don’t know.
ABIGAIL
What type of fraud? She’s only seventeen. How bad could it be?
DETECTIVE POWELL
She goes under the identity of Mary
Lewis. Does this sound familiar? Did anyone in this household help her with this
evident fraud? Does Mary Lewis live
here? Do you know Mary Lewis?
ABIGAIL
Mary Lewis is my sister. She’s dead.
I don’t understand this.
Carolyn
enters. The other two detectives move
toward her.
ABIGAIL
Stop, she’s my daughter.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Is this Juliette?
ABIGAIL
No, this is Carolyn.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Carolyn, let me ask you a few questions.
CAROLYN
Do I have to answer them, Mom?
DETECTIVE POWELL
Yes, you do. We’re FBI.
CAROLYN
Cool.
I was planning on becoming a CIA agent myself, but the FBI sounds cool
too.
DETECTIVE POWELL
The FBI is a much more coordinated
organization, Carolyn.
CAROLYN
Whatever.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Do you know of any secret organizations or
conspiracies Juliette Hollis was involved in?
CAROLYN
You don’t have to say Juliette
“Hollis.” I know who Juliette
is. She’s my sister.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Alright then.
Do you know any connection that Juliette may
have to a Mary Lewis?
CAROLYN
Mary Lewis was our aunt, of course. She died recently. Drowned.
It was too bad. She was my only
aunt. Not that I’d seen her in awhile.
ABIGAIL
That’s what I said. She’s my sister. She’s dead.
The story checks out. So how much
does she owe?
DETECTIVE POWELL
Owe?
ABIGAIL
I assume this was some type of credit card
fraud or something?
DETECTIVE POWELL
No, it’s much more serious than that. She used Miss Lewis’ credentials to ease her way into the CIA, committing fraud on a federal level.
ABIGAIL
There’s no way. She goes to school. She does her homework. She’s with us all the time. When would she find the time to work at the
CIA, much less be adept enough to work on actual cases they gave her?
DETECTIVE
POWELL
Mrs. Hollis, it’s very apparent that you do not keep a tight reign on your daughter. She holds a GED and does not attend public school.
ABIGAIL
A GED? That’s impossible.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Most nights she is out, doing case work.
ABIGAIL
I can’t see how that’s possible.
DETECTIVE
POWELL
The current
case she’s connected to poses a threat to national security. We have reason to believe she’s connected to
the criminal she was investigating. If
she’s in with him, then she’ll have knowledge of when he’s going to strike.
Since this matter is related to national security, all hell could break loose
if we don’t catch her.
ABIGAIL
That’s impossible.
DETECTIVE POWELL
Do you know where Carolyn is at all times?
ABIGAIL
Yes!
DETECTIVE POWELL
Just joking.
ABIGAIL
You shouldn’t joke about serious matters,
sir.
DETECTIVE
POWELL
Well, we have
files on her too and it looks like she’s alright. We are concerned that your husband owns a
gun...
PAUL
It’s perfectly legal!
DETECTIVE POWELL
But it should be OK. Meanwhile, since it seems your daughter is
evading us, we’ll go find her.
ABIGAIL
Don’t hurt her.
DETECTIVE POWELL
We’ll use all forms of psychological
manipulation possible for her to tell us all we need to know.
INT.
BAR - BOOTH
There
is a fair crowd.
JULIETTE
I’m not twenty-one. What if they kick us out?
STETSON
You’re with me.
JULIETTE
Why aren’t we going to headquarters?
STETSON
Oh, man. We can’t go there.
The FBI will definitely check for you there. They would give
JULIETTE
Why am I in trouble? Why should they care?
STETSON
Two things.
They’re concerned with security.
If you got through their endless measures of checks and procedures, who
knows who else could?
JULIETTE
Oh, but I pose no threat.
STETSON
The FBI thinks you may be part of Silvastroski’s scheme, though.
JULIETTE
What?
STETSON
Of course you’re not, but they’re
investigating all possible angles. The
FBI. What do they know?
JULIETTE
So what’s our next move? What do we do when the bar closes?
STETSON
I have to prepare you mentally for what the
FBI will do. They’ll question you until
you feel that maybe you are connected with Silvastroski. Pure mental anguish. I eventually have to turn you over or else I
could be in danger.
JULIETTE
What can I do?
STETSON
Wait it out for a little while, make those
FBI look around for you a little bit, then show up at FBI Headquarters ready
and willing to help them. Give them info
about Silvastroski even if it means compromising the
CIA’s position with them.
JULIETTE
STETSON
What’s the matter?
JULIETTE
All the Silvastroski
files were preceeded with the code:
STETSON
That’s one week away.
JULIETTE
Yes.
STETSON
Don’t worry.
Just turn yourself in. We’ll see
what we can do about getting you out in the meantime.
JULIETTE
Don’t worry about me. Silvastroski is the criminal. Find him and his league and when they’re going to strike. Have the president at an undisclosed location.
STETSON
We don’t have enough proof. We can’t tell the president to change his
plans for us.
JULIETTE
You’re not concerned for his LIFE?
STETSON
Of course, I
am. So they’re going to hit July twenty-sixth. But where?
JULIETTE
Stetson
approaches Juliette, as if he’s going to kiss her. Juliette reacts, by standing up and screaming.
JULIETTE (cont’d)
Get away from me, you child molester. I’m
underage. You could go to jail. Does that strike a chord with you? Will you
stop?
Stetson’s
face is red.
STETSON
I wasn’t thinking. Sorry.
JULIETTE
You could lose your job over what you just
did.
STETSON
Kissing isn’t a crime.
JULIETTE
But sexual-harassment is.
STETSON
I should just turn you over now.
JULIETTE
Go ahead. I’m good and ready.
INT.
CIA HEADQUARTERS,
Stetson and J.T. are talking.
J.T.
She’s confined for questioning?
STETSON
Yeah.
J.T.
How soon will she be out?
STETSON
They’re probably going to keep her in jail until the trial. So that’s three months. Then if she gets a prison sentence for terrorism, it could be three or four life sentences.
J.T.
Stop joking. It’s not that serious.
STETSON
They are seriously taking this matter as if it were terrorism.
J.T.
I need to ask her some questions about Silvastroski. I know she knows the information we need. She just doesn’t know how to process it and put everything together.
STETSON
I hate to say this, J.T., but you’re the one who can’t put everything together. If you needed Juliette so desperately for this case, why did you expose her?
J.T.
It’s so hard working for justice. Sometimes there is no right answer. But she stole my identity. That’s not what I taught her.
STETSON
What exactly did you teach her?
J.T.
Everything she knows. Now she’s consumed with power, wanting to prove herself to the world.
STETSON
The way I heard it from
J.T.
You’re not in love with her?
STETSON
Yeah. Desperately.
J.T.
She doesn’t care for you at all. I can tell you that.
STETSON
This is what I’m thinking. She won’t give me a chance until she’s eighteen. She doesn’t want me to get in trouble. Can’t you sense the tension? She secretly adores me. Well, that’s what I’m hoping.
J.T.
In your dreams. Lila told me she doesn’t date men in the agency.
STETSON
Lila.
J.T.
Yeah, what about her?
STETSON
Do you need to get to Juliette?
J.T.
Hello! That’s what I’ve been saying.
STETSON
Make a list of questions and Lila can do the interrogating. She’s close to somebody down at the FBI.
J.T.
OK.
STETSON
Of course, you’ll probably miss questioning Juliette herself. You love making people feel guilty.
INT.
FBI HEADQUARTERS,
Lila finds her way to the office of DANNY GOLDMAN (35). Danny is a little overweight and his hairline is beginning to recede.
DANNY
I have a few questions for you Lila, and then we can visit our little princess.
LILA
She was nice. But since she went around as Mary Lewis, I thought she had dated my boyfriend. He told me terrible things about her. But she hadn’t. She seems like a nice girl.
DANNY
But you’re interrogating Juliette Hollis for the benefit of Mary Lewis.
LILA
Excuse me, but it’s for the benefit of this
country.
DANNY
Do you think she is involved with Silvastroski?
LILA
Juliette? Oh no! Silvastroski is ugly.
DANNY
No, I mean involved in the plot.
LILA
Oh no! You see, her stealing Mary Lewis’ identity and her investigating of the Silvastroski case are two incidents that are definitely not related. I want to make that very clear.
DANNY
What is the purpose of Silvastroski’s mission?
LILA
It’s been assumed he’s planning to bomb the White House.
DANNY
When?
LILA
July twenty-sixth.
DANNY
The President has been warned, right?
LILA
We don’t have enough evidence.
DANNY
You have an agent that’s following Silvastroski, and watching him at this moment, right?
LILA
See, that’s the problem. Juliette was on the case, but they took her off. They put J.T. on the case, but she’s been so unreliable. Look, the best we can do is-
DANNY
Wait a second.
Stetson dials an extension.
DANNY (cont’d)
LILA
You’re getting right on it!
DANNY
The CIA can make things jumbled sometimes. It’s not just Juliette’s fault. They’re concentrating on her crime instead of nailing Silvastroski.
LILA
Exactly. You’re so wonderful, Danny.
INT.
CIA HEADQUARTERS,
J.T. and Stetson confer.
J.T.
You can call Lila and tell her she doesn’t need to talk to Juliette.
STETSON
Why?
J.T.
She’s lying. The files
aren’t preceded with
STETSON
Maybe she’s not lying, but mistaken.
J.T.
Stetson, this isn’t a game where it doesn’t matter whether or not you’re precise. Accuracy is a matter of life and death.
STETSON
The plans are spelled out in elaborate detail, but where they’ll hide the bomb and when they’re going to strike is iffy. I think we should alert the President, however.
J.T.
For the twenty-sixth? We have no proof.
STETSON
If Juliette says so, there may be something to it. But you’re right, it may not be a good idea to cause any false alarms.
J.T.
So call off Lila. We don’t need Juliette.
STETSON
It can’t hurt for her to be questioned.
INT.
FBI HEADQUARTERS,
Lila
enters by herself, to question Juliette.
JULIETTE
Not you!
LILA
Calm down. I just want to help you.
JULIETTE
And how is that?
EXT.
FBI HEADQUARTERS,
Lila
and Juliette are walking toward Lila’s house.
LILA
I thought we’d never get you out of that one.
JULIETTE
Will I be able to continue to work for the FBI?
LILA
If the White House doesn’t blow up, I’m sure we’ll be able to work something out. Meanwhile, J.T. Austen’s on the case. Even though she had the brilliance to have me interrogate you, she’s essentially nothing but an interferer.
JULIETTE
I do not want to go home.
LILA
You don’t have to. You’re eighteen. Stay at my house until you find an apartment. Is that OK with you? You’re awfully quiet.
JULIETTE
Do you think my aunt is involved with Silvastroski’s plot?
LILA
No. It would be nearly impossible. Why would you think a thing like that? Especially about your aunt.
JULIETTE
First of all, she was in Silvastroski’s apartment, right as he was coming home. If she had gotten out without him seeing her, it would be a miracle.
LILA
That’s crazy.
JULIETTE
Also, she said that Silvastroski had a picture of me, verifying the fact that he knew he was being investigated.
LILA
OK, he found out somehow. Just because your aunt turned you in doesn’t mean she’s against the President of the United States.
JULIETTE
She didn’t want to warn the President, because of lack of evidence.
LILA
Neither did Stetson. Is he guilty too?
JULIETTE
In fact, she blocked the whole case.
LILA
Wait a second. She sent me to you to ask questions to help solve the case. She feels it’s you who messed everything up by claiming to be Mary Lewis.
JULIETTE
Look, we wouldn’t have even gotten this far if I hadn’t taken the necessary steps to be where I am.
LILA
Juliette, we’re nowhere.
INT. CONIFER APARTMENTS – APARTMENT 208
J.T. and Michael are right by the computer.
J.T.
They released Juliette.
MICHAEL
I thought you said they wouldn’t let her go, for fraud.
J.T.
Somehow they did.
MICHAEL
It’s too late now to change any plans. Do they know anything essential to the case?
J.T.
No. I deleted all the specific data in the computer files.
MICHAEL
But Juliette may have seen it?
J.T.
Not really. The goal was to copy the files quickly, then analyze them later.
MICHAEL
Do you think they will still let you attend the meeting on the twenty-sixth?
J.T.
Of course. They don’t even suspect me.
INT.
LILA’S HOUSE
Juliette is on the phone, talking to Redmond.
JULIETTE
Did they really drop all charges?
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
Yeah.
JULIETTE
So could I resume the assignment?
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
Not that simple. You’ll have to go through the admittance process and have all the proper training before you get back here.
JULIETTE
That’s not bad.
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
You know you can’t participate in Clandestine Operations until you have a college degree.
JULIETTE
So four years until I get my foot in the door
again.
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
Not exactly. They have an internship program if you’re interested.
JULIETTE
So now I’m going to have to find a school to
go to.
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
I went to Yale. But find something that suits your own taste.
JULIETTE
So what’s going to happen with the case?
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
I would tell you what we have, but the details are confidential.
Juliette becomes quite excited at the prospect of not knowing the
outcome.
JULIETTE
Oh! So I’m not going to know the outcome
unless the White House blows up. Then I’ll know you weren’t successful at
apprehending Silvastroski.
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
OK, I’m not supposed to tell you, but I know you won’t spread this around.
JULIETTE
Of course not.
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
They think J.T. is involved with Silvastroski somehow.
JULIETTE
That’s what I told Lila, but she thought it
was impossible. She thought my view of J.T. was skewed, because she turned me
in.
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
Is it?
JULIETTE
Well, I thought that maybe, yeah.
REDMOND (O.S.)
(filter)
For right now, don’t trust J.T. or come into contact with her.
JULIETTE
OK. Besides, I have no reason to.
INT.
CIA HEADQUARTERS,
REDMOND
We’re taking you off the case, J.T.
J.T.
You can’t do that!
REDMOND
Yes I can.
J.T.
You’re just bitter, because I turned in your
top agent and wouldn’t accept your bribe.
REDMOND
If it matters to you, those circumstances will lead me to announce my resignation tomorrow. I made a mistake.
J.T.
Oh, but Juliette
can continue on her merry, little way?
REDMOND
Well you definitely put up a road block for her.
J.T.
OK, now you’re making it sound like it’s my
fault. And she stole my old identity and got away with it.
REDMOND
I didn’t mean to make it sound that way.
J.T.
Well, it doesn’t really matter anyway. Silvastroski didn’t really give us any proof to show he was
a real threat.
REDMOND
That meeting tomorrow is canceled.
J.T.
What meeting?
REDMOND
The one at the White House.
J.T.
No it isn’t.
REDMOND
Your presence there is.
J.T.
You can’t do that.
REDMOND
Why would it matter? Unless you were somehow connected with the whole thing.
J.T.
Listen, why would I be there tomorrow if a
bomb were supposed to go off?
REDMOND
We’re not going to find that out.
INT.
LILA’S HOUSE – JULIETTE’S ROOM – EARLY MORNING
Lila
is following J.T. into Juliette’s room.
LILA
Wait, she’s still sleeping.
J.T. wakes up Juliette.
JULIETTE
What’s going on?
J.T.
Why do you think you can sabotage my career?
LILA
It’s really not her fault. You’d better
leave.
J.T.
Leave us alone for a moment.
Lila leaves the room hesitantly.
JULIETTE
What’s the matter?
J.T.
You do not want to throw your life away with the CIA.
JULIETTE
I’ve wanted to ever since you told me that
could be my life.
J.T.
I come from greater experience now. If you work hard, you won’t reap the monetary benefits you deserve. The agency’s poor excuse is that you’re serving your nation.
JULIETTE
I’m only scared, because I’m so much like
you. I can’t stand my mother, I can’t stand my sister. I don’t want to turn out
like them. You were exactly what I wanted to be like, for awhile. I half wanted
to be with the CIA to please you, but I can think for myself, you know. I’m not
suddenly going to ditch my career.
J.T.
There’s so much injustice. I figured I couldn’t solve all the problems in the world.
JULIETTE
So what? Become a problem yourself? You know
they’re on to you, right?
J.T.
Of course. Just this one last job with the CIA and that’s it. I had my foot in the door. I couldn’t resist the wealth of information at my fingertips.
JULIETTE
How did it come to this?
J.T.
Specially-trained agents don’t just decide they want to blow everything they’ve been working for one day, do they?
JULIETTE
Unfortunately, they can wake up and find that
the people they love around them are totally psychotic. At least that’s what
happened to me.
J.T.
It’s completely frustrating to see that the system is totally messed up and it’s filled with agents running their own scams. As long as I have to be involved in a corrupt organization, why not run schemes for my own benefit?
JULIETTE
You’re the first encounter I’ve had with an
agent involved in their own scheme. The CIA is not the filthy organization you
make it out to be.
J.T.
Look, I don’t have any evidence or even a clear idea of what, but Redmond is involved in underhanded deals.
JULIETTE
Oh come on.
J.T.
All the time.
JULIETTE
Who else?
J.T.
You for example. How would you feel if you were a legitimate agent and some one stole the identity of another?
JULIETTE
OK. So Redmond and me. Nobody else?
J.T.
The CIA has always gotten a bad rap for handling cases the wrong way, going against the Constitution, not arresting the terrorists they could’ve...
JULIETTE
You should have decided the CIA was crooked before you came to work there. What about your concern for ethics? I need to have ethics, but you don’t?
J.T.
I changed my mind.
JULIETTE
I’m sure you did.
J.T.
Yeah. Well, Lila’s probably alerting sources that I’m here, so I’d better run. Listen though, I’ll probably never see you again. This time I’m dead.
JULIETTE
Just tell me why you wanted to endanger the
President.
J.T.
I would tell you, but it would endanger the mission.
JULIETTE
What mission?
J.T.
I obviously need to go now. Bye.
J.T.
exits.
INT.
HOLLIS’ HOUSE
Abigail,
wearing dressy clothes and pearls, is lost in a conversation with Carolyn. Juliette and Paul have been talking to each other, but Juliette is trying to cut in to talk to Abigail.
ABIGAIL
Law school is expensive, and it’s tough to
pass the LSAT.
JULIETTE
Mom, don’t worry. She’ll obviously change her mind before she graduates high school.
CAROLYN
What makes you think so?
JULIETTE
Remember when you wanted to be a CIA agent?
ABIGAIL
Oh my gosh! Don’t talk about the CIA. Why
were those agents saying things to me about how what you did was on a
“prosecutable level”...
PAUL
“prosecutable on a federal level...”
ABIGAIL
Anyway, why did they say all that if they
weren’t serious?
JULIETTE
It could’ve been serious.
ABIGAIL
Anyway, I don’t want to talk about this. It’s
upsetting me.
EXT. HOLLIS’ HOUSE – SIDE YARD
Paul and Juliette are having a private discussion.
JULIETTE
So why does Mom want me over if she can’t talk to me?
PAUL
She wants to
see you, make sure you're OK.
JULIETTE
I have such a dysfunctional family. You deal with it so well.
PAUL
Every family is dysfunctional in some way.
But you’re successful. You’re probably going back to the CIA soon. And you
know, Carolyn will probably be a housewife, happily married. And there’s nothing
wrong with that.
JULIETTE
You know, I wanted to get into the CIA, because I was fascinated with deviance. I thought it was appalling that there are so many messed up people. But what gets me is that I can’t stand normalcy. Mom and Carolyn just go along with a daily routine and I can’t stand it. I want something more. Am I insane for wanting to be chasing around psychopaths all day?
PAUL
Crime is a function of society. You’re just
dealing with everyday life.
JULIETTE
I know I’m cut out for that type of work.
PAUL
Well, pat yourself on the back! So was the
case you were working on ever solved?
JULIETTE
Yes.
PAUL
And you can’t discuss it with me?
JULIETTE
I couldn’t, even if I did know.
PAUL
But you don’t?
JULIETTE
No.
PAUL
But that must
drive you crazy.
JULIETTE
Kind of, but when I rejoin the agency, I’ll have access to those files. So the suspense isn’t completely killing me. I’ll find out one day.
PAUL
I know I couldn’t handle not knowing like you
can. You have patience.
JULIETTE
What are you talking about? I got that trait from you.
INT.
LILA’S HOUSE - DAY
Boxes
are stacked everywhere. Juliette is about to move.
LILA
So you’re going away to college?
JULIETTE
Duke. They have a great economics program. And then, hopefully the CIA will readmit me.
LILA
You know they will.
JULIETTE
And then I’ll have to train before I even get a case.
LILA
Which you don’t need to train, of course.
JULIETTE
Oh, I need to. There are several areas in which I lack, as Redmond pointed out. A severe lack of respect for protocol.
LILA
Stetson will miss you.
JULIETTE
What, he’ll miss watching me?
LILA
No, he really likes you. Do you like him at
all? Oh, wait you said you didn’t date agents.
JULIETTE
I only said that so those two male chauvinists who were showing me around wouldn’t get any ideas.
LILA
So you like him?
JULIETTE
Not especially. I want someone more my age.
LILA
But he looks so good.
JULIETTE
No.
LILA
And he stood up for you.
JULIETTE
No.
LILA
I completely would if I were you.
JULIETTE
What about the famous Ned Bates?
LILA
It didn’t work out. Oh, he’s coming by before
you leave, later.
JULIETTE
Who?
LILA
Andrew.
JULIETTE
My gosh, I could never have a relationship with that guy. I barely realizes that his name is Andrew. I call him Stetson all the time. You can have him. Do you like him?
LILA
No. So, should I warn him that you’re not too
crazy about him, before his heart gushes out?
JULIETTE
He’s not set on me, is he?
Stetson
knocks on the front door, then enters right away. He has brought modest
flowers.
STETSON
Hey Juliette.
Stetson gives Juliette
the flowers.
JULIETTE
Thanks.
STETSON
I just dropped by to say I’ll miss you.
JULIETTE
Oh OK. Well, I’m glad what we went through is over with.
STETSON
Enjoy college.
JULIETTE
I hope I don’t fail.
STETSON
No you won’t.
Lila slyly exits the room for a moment.
JULIETTE
I’m majoring in economics. They said if I double major in another language, it might be helpful for overseas operations. I might do that.
STETSON
Do you think there’s a chance for us?
JULIETTE
Well, I’m eighteen, and my perfect adult judgment says, don’t count on me.
STETSON
I’m sort of disappointed.
JULIETTE
You knew I wasn’t too crazy about you. But look, I’ll see you in four years. Meanwhile, date other girls. If you’re still interested in me and I have no attachments, who knows? I can guarantee that I’ll go out with you for a cup of coffee, at least.
Lila
steps back into the room. Stetson glances at her.
STETSON
Well, bye.
JULIETTE
You’re not leaving so soon?
STETSON
Yeah, I have to deal with front page news.
Stetson exits. Juliette
picks up the paper, which reads CIA HEAD RESIGNS, SECRETARY OF STATE ARRESTED.
JULIETTE
Well, I heard about the Secretary of State, but how are the events connected?
LILA
OK, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but
I’ve been wanting to.
JULIETTE
Well, don’t tell me.
LILA
I think you can figure it out, but let me
fill in the details for you.
JULIETTE
Wait, don’t.
LILA
You need to know.
JULIETTE
Let me try. The Secretary of the State was the person J.T. was going after, the corrupt White House official they were going to blow up the building over.
LILA
Yes.
JULIETTE
Redmond wasn’t going to just resign over me. Since his days were already numbered, he decided to take the Secretary down with him.
LILA
Extremely close.
JULIETTE
So what did the Secretary have against Redmond?
LILA
Blackmail. They struck a deal. This was years
ago. You’re like Redmond; you don’t like to play by the rules.
JULIETTE
Wait a second!
LILA
(apologetically)
Excuse me. I didn’t mean...
JULIETTE
Oh that’s OK.
LILA
I guess I’ll see you when you take that
internship.
JULIETTE
I think I’m going to concentrate on my studies for a couple of years though. I may study abroad for a summer. They have this program at my school.
LILA
Then I’ll really miss you.
JULIETTE
What happened
to my Aunt Mary then?
LILA
Mary Lewis is dead. J.T.? I really can’t
divulge what happened to her. Since she’s not on our top ten most wanted list,
that should assure you that she’s in a safe place.
JULIETTE
How does it feel, knowing she was your friend?
LILA
Well, she was your aunt. I assume you feel
worse. She would’ve been better off dead.
JULIETTE
I don’t know.
LILA
I’m sorry, I shouldn’t say things like that.
JULIETTE
That’s OK. So I’ll get to find out what happens if I come back?
LILA
You can look through the file, yeah.
JULIETTE
What happened to Silvastroski?
LILA
The same thing that happened to J.T.
FOUR
YEARS LATER...
INT.
CIA HEADQUARTERS,
The
TRAINER is a middle-aged female. She is at the front of the class lecturing to
a group of students, including Juliette.
TRAINER
That concludes your academic training. Lunch
will be in the cafeteria. This will be your opportunity to meet with some of
the other agents. There will also be an opportunity to talk to me later, if you
feel that somehow, this is not the right job for you, or if you have any
questions. I’ll provide details about your field training after lunch.
INT.
CIA HEADQUARTERS,
Approximately
thirty new CIA agents head down the hallway, when Brooks sees Juliette. He comes up behind her.
BROOKS
Oh, Agent Lewis.
JULIETTE
You mean Agent Hollis?
FADE
OUT