116
THEO
(whispering)
Please, don't sleep now. Please? Did you see that fat lady fall? It was
funny, wasn't it? It was funny...(shaking Marissa gently)
I don't want you to sleep.
In far corner of chamber, Rik pushes down through opening in ceiling. He lands on concrete slab. He watches Robbie follow.
RIK
Robbie, to the right. Stand on that platform.
Robbie's foot rests on surface of cement platform. He tests it before jumping. Rik looks around dark, smokey chamber.
RIK
Marissa! Marissa!
At other end of chamber voice emerges from under fallen statue.
THEO'S VOICE
Here! Here! She's here!
Other voices are heard CRYING in answer to Rik's call. Rik follows Theo's voice and moves towards statue.
Moving closer to fallen statue, Bruce tries to slit throat of HAGARD MALE DISCIPLE. But man is too strong and begins to wrestle wtih Bruce.
Rik and Robbie reach she wolf statue.
RIK
Marissa!!!
THEO
Here, inside.
Marissa groans from pain. Rik lies on ground, looks inside. It's dark. He extends his hand. Theo grabs it, puts it on Marissa's body.
THEO
She is sick
RIK
Marissa? Hear me?
117
MARISSA
Rik, oh.
RIK
Hold on, baby. Just hold on. You will be fine. We'll get you out of here. All right?
Marissa doesn't answer. He clasps her hand.
RIK
I love you baby. Come on ...hear me....I love you...Marissa, damn it.
Marissa MOANS softly
Bruce has subdued hagard male disciple. He heads towards Rik and Marissa.
Rik and Robbie feverishly try to lift statue to get to Marissa and Theo.
Bruce jumps Rik. As they struggle, WOUNDED DESCIPLES emerge from debris and begin beating Robbie.
WOUNDED DISCIPLES
Only death will save us!
Rik and Bruce are locked in savage fight. Wounded disciples surround them.
STRONG BEAM OF LIGHT shines across chamber.
VOICE
Over there. Over there.
Skip leads Garcia and several uniformed policemen through debris. They fan out through chamber, subduing wounded desciples who were about to finish off Robbie.
Skip sees Rik and Bruce fighting, rises his gun, FIRES.
Bruce is shot in head. He falls. More bullets hit his body.
FADE TO:
EXT. ROCK FORMATION -- EARLY EVENING
Black smoke arises from collapsed rocks. Ambulances, police cars, helicopters have arrived. Bodies are being carried out of debris. A few badly wounded people are being cared for. Bodies have been placed in rows on nearby hillside. Police begin trying to identify dead as TV camera crews swarm about.
118
Marissa is being carried on stretcher into back of ambulance. Rik walks behind her. He hops in. Ambulance drives off.
Vehicle passes by Det. Skip Gordon who is standing next to LOCAL TV REPORTER while he makes live report.
LOCAL TV REPORTER
Two hundred and fourteen dead, only
eight survivors so far. Det. Stanley "Skip" Gordon here is in
charge of this heroic rescue operation.
(turns to Skip)
Can you tell us what you've discovered so far?
SKIP
What you see here are the remnants of the underground headquarters of a very dangerous religious cult called the Ultimate Light Mission. We are trying to determine if this terrible tragedy was a mass suicide initiated by the cult or whether it is the result of an attack on them by an unknown adversary.
SLOW FADE TO:
INT. HOSPITAL ROOM -- DAY
Marissa sits in bed, bandaged, leg in cast. Rik is nex to her. They're watching TV. Skip is now being interviewed by HOST of network news show.
TV HOST
Your work in tracking down this horrifying cult was truly remarkable, Det. Gordon. May I call you Skip?
SKIP
Of course John.
Rik jumps up to turn off TV
RIK
Star detective Skip Gordon singlehandedly uncovers murderous cult. I can't believe it. It's all over the news.
MARISSA
Please Rik. I want to watch.
119
RIK
You want to watch him lie about how he figured it all out by himself. He won't give either of us any credit.
MARISSA
I just want to know what they know...
RIK
They won't tell you what...
PHOTO OF MOTHER appears on TV screen.
MARISSA
That's her!
SKIP
The leader of the Ultimate Light Mission was called Mother. Her body has not yet been recovered. However many bodies have been burnt beyond recognition, and the cult's underground headquarters has not yet been fully explored. There are more rooms and hidden passages...
Rik turns down the sound.
RIK
Skip Gordon, everybody's hero.
MARISSA
Not everybody's. You're my hero, Rik.
RIK
Really? And your mine.
(moving towards her)
I wish I'd listened better when you were telling me about this.
MARISSA
That's O.K. I'm glad you're here now.
Rik tenderly embraces her.
RIK
Would you like me around more often?
MARISSA
It would be so nice to ...
MARISSA AND RIK
...be together.
120
They laugh and kiss
KNOCK ON DOOR. Door opens, nurse lets Theo in. He runs over to Marissa and Rik who embrace him.
MARISSA (V.O)
So I was alive. It seemed possible for me to resume a normal life. But for how long? Would I ever want to paint again? It still wasn't for me to say.
FADE OUT:
THE END