Entropy Part 5

GITTINS
Well, I'm better now.

MARJORIE
Not much. You speak and act like a free trader. You think I'm fat and, to top it all off, your breath stinks.

GITTINS
Only because I'm smoking.

MARJORIE
No, I noticed it the first time I met you. I had to try and keep myself from gagging every time you spoke.

GITTINS
Listen, it is a well established fact that you hate me and I hate you. This is the rock on which our partnership is built, so I suggest we just ignore it for the time being and get on with the detective work, okay?

MARJORIE
No, it is not okay Gittins. Do you think I can stand working with someone who makes me sick every time they talk to me?

GITTINS
Well, you'll just have to put up with it. Do you think I can stand working with you? Now just shut up and let me tell you what we're doing. As you are no doubt aware, we are in the northern province.

MARJORIE
I can read maps Gittins.

GITTINS
(Continuing) When I was sick, I used to read newspapers that originated from this section. I am here to make contact with the newspaper editor.

MARJORIE
So, what does this "editor" person do?

GITTINS
They make sure the words are spelt correctly, and make decisions about what to include in the newspaper. In the building behind us are the head offices for this newspaper.

MARJORIE
Okay, let's go in then.

27. Editor's office. A woman, aged in her late 40s, is sitting at the desk, reading a newspaper titled "World News". She is smoking.

EDITOR
(Look of amazement comes over her face, followed by protracted coughing, with smoke coming out. She eventually spits into the bin. She returns to reading the paper, then shakes her head.)

Who reads this sort of garbage anyway?

(She tosses the paper away and picks up another paper titled "The News". She opens it, and nods, a grudging respect on her face - the sort of look an editor gives when reading an article in a rival newspaper that she is impressed with.)

Pretty good. I wonder how much that reporter is getting?

(She presses a button on her desk and speaks into it)

Peter, can you try and get a.... (looks back into the paper) .... a Jerry Thomson on the line? He works at The News....... Peter, are you there? Peter, if you're reading books again I'm going to get very angry with you...... Peter?

(She releases the button. Look of frustration on her face.)

Moron.

(Knock on her door)

28. View of door. Cloudy window has "Editor" in reverse, with the ominous shadow of someone behind it.

29. Closeup of door. Door opens, revealing face of Gittins, cigarette hanging in his mouth.

GITTINS
How do you do Maam. My name is Russell Gittins, I'm a detective. (Indicates behind him) This is my partner, Marjorie Jones.

(Marjorie comes into view. She pushes Gittins away gently, raises the gun, and fires at the Editor.

30. View of Editor flung across the room. Blood streaming from her chest.

31. Close-up view of Editor's face as it hits the ground. Camera is focussed on her face, slightly covered with blood. Her mouth is opening and closing, blood frothing out of it. Her eyes are wide. Out-of-focus Gittins and Marjorie in background.

GITTINS
Why the hell did you do that for?

MARJORIE
Well you couldn't kill her, could you? I'm the one with the gun.

GITTINS
Marjorie, we didn't come here to kill her.

MARJORIE
(Pause) Then what were we doing here?

GITTINS
Have you any brain at all? I'm trying to make contacts within the world of free trade. I was going here to place an advertisement for my services.

MARJORIE
Well why didn't you tell me?

GITTINS
I didn't think it was necessary, besides I didn't expect you to shoot the first person we met.

MARJORIE
Gittins, I don't understand. Our job is to destroy the free-trade movement.

GITTINS
From the inside Marjorie, the inside! We don't murder every free trader we meet, we'll risk exposure and our cover will be blown. It's fortunate that the editor here was alone, otherwise it'll be a week before every free trader in the world will have our likenesses and names. Then we'll have to worry about being assassinated by them, as well as Hierarch Xavier.

(Pause, figure of Marjorie acts in manner associated with self-realised stupidity. Dying body of Editor in close up spasms suddenly.)

MARJORIE
I think she's still alive. Is that any consolation?

GITTINS
Not really, she knows who we are. You'll have to finish her off.

(Figure of Marjorie approaches Editor's body)

GITTINS
Place the gun at the base of the neck.

(Hand comes down with Gun in it, placed at base of Neck. Editor's eyes are rolling in fear. Mouth moving, no noise.)

GITTINS
When you fire, the blast will make a mess. Place your hand over the top of the gun to stop the splatter from getting onto you.

(Other hand comes down, palm downwards, to prevent splatter)

32. Total blackness. Gunshot sound.

33. Public convenience. Gittins standing outside entrance. "Female" sign in full view. Gittins smoking. Looks at time. Ashen-faced Marjorie, unsteady, exits.

GITTINS
Are you ready to continue now?

MARJORIE
(looking very sick) I didn't expect that.

GITTINS
What, the mess?

MARJORIE
Yes, sort of. I didn't expect to get sick though.

GITTINS
Hey, you were doing a service to the state. The woman was caught engaged in freelance activity. You put her out of her miserable existence. It was not murder, it was justice.

MARJORIE
I suppose so. But I still feel sick. What now?

GITTINS
I think you should go home, have a bath and watch TV all day.

MARJORIE
A bath would be nice, but it's not my allocated day for bathing. That comes tomorrow.

GITTINS
So have a cold bath, what do I care? I need to go to another newspaper, and I don't want you or your gun there.

34. Public Transit Vehicle (Interior). Gittins sitting in single dirty seat. 2-3 other people sitting in seats, as far away as possible from Gittins. Seats moving, showing movement of PTV.

GITTINS (V.O.)
I still couldn't believe the stunt that Marjorie pulled. Killing the editor of the Free-trader's most respectable newspaper would obviously make the front pages of the underground newspapers, but at least they won't suspect the secret police. I deliberately made Marjorie finish the editor off in a way reminiscent of a hired assassin. The secret police don't go round murdering people like that - at least not until Marjorie joined the force.

35. Gittins walking along lighted pathway.

GITTINS (V.O.)
I have to admit, though, that Marjorie impressed me with her enthusiasm, even if it was misplaced. She's handling her piece well now, and did not hesitate to finish the editor off. She may have reacted badly to it afterwards, but she'll learn to handle it in time. What disturbs me is that I may actually need her - a concept I am not very happy with.

36. Gittins standing beside wall, smoking cigarette in darkness.

GITTINS (V.O.)
It is quite fortunate that no one saw us kill the editor. The free traders would have killed us in no time, assuming they were able to identify the killers as a couple of freelance detectives making waves around the free-trade community, asking too many questions and snooping about.

37. Hierarch Xavier sitting at his desk, staring through his very thick glasses.

GITTINS (V.O.)
But what troubles me is Hierarch Xavier. The fact that a government hierarch has it in for me is disturbing, especially since I was now working for the secret police. This leads me to believe that the government is not very good in its ability to organise things. Since I was a member of the secret police, trying to destroy the free-trade network, why would my progress be subject to scrutiny and criticism by a free-trade hating hierach? Either the government is screwed up, or I am not actually working for the government. Either way, I'm not in a very good position.

HIERARCH XAVIER
What do you mean you lost him?

OFFICER
Well, as soon as he finished eating, he disappeared through the door and I didn't see where he was going.

HIERARCH XAVIER
Did it occur to you that you could possibly follow him?

OFFICER
Well, I hadn't finished eating yet.

to be continued...

© 2005 Neil McKenzie Cameron, http://one-salient-oversight-entropy.blogspot.com/




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