Scene
1 -
Historical Prelude: Stalin's Ambitious Failure
SONGS OF WAR AND PEACE
A SPY OPERA
Written by
G. Virtue
Song lyrics
by Leonard Cohen & friends
(subject to copyright licensing)
Dedicated to the living memory of the late great
Leonard Cohen
A Man in the Blue Raincoat
production, April (c) 2025
Spec screenplay [email protected]
1 905 621-5826
Under the cover of his Leonard Cohen tribute band, a secret
agent returns to Ukraine to exfiltrate a missing CIA asset
and exact revenge on the GRU Colonel that killed his wartime
liaison.
OVER BLACK -
Superimpose:
In 1938, Joseph Stalin initiated
"Construction No. 1", his plan to
build two railway tunnels under the
Dnipro (Dnieper) River in the event
that the Germans destroyed Kiev's
bridges. This ambitious feat of
engineering was never completed... by
Stalin.
FADE IN
Genres:
["Spy","Opera","Historical"]
Ratings
Scene
2 -
Target Acquired
EXT. BLACK SEA - DAY
A Saker falcon soars high above the clay cliffs. On the
coastal plateau below, a clunky mobile radar scans the
horizon while six Neptune R360 launchers aim missiles over
an angry sea.
Superimpose: April 13, 2022. The Black Sea, somewhere near
Odesa.
Lt.(N) ANICHKA BILYK (28), sparkling blue eyes, her cheeks
chaffed red by the salt-sea breeze, stands at the cliff
edge. She takes a long contemplative pull on her cigarette,
then makes her way to the Command & Control Post.
INT. MOBILE CCP - DAY
Battery combat officer Lt. GRIGORY SHEVCHENKO (30), his face
prematurely aged by the gravitas of war, monitors a phosphor
green radar screen.
GRIGORY
It's been 3 hours. We lost her.
Grigory peels a red marker from a map of the Black Sea as
Anichka enters the cramped quarters.
NOAH ABRAMS (30), a dark, cryptic man with no markings or
rank on his combat fatigues, powers up a field laptop.
ANICHKA
Well, boys! How about we do something
different today?
GRIGORY
Like what?
ANICHKA
Oh, I don't know... sink a Russian
warship, maybe.
GRIGORY
Not with this radar, piece of shit.
NOAH
Let me see if I can work some magic.
Noah's English flows naturally, sans Ukrainian phonetic
shifts.
GRIGORY
What you going to do, pull battleship
out of ass?
On his lock screen-- the CIA seal embossed on a field of
neon blue.
NOAH
Authenticate, Noah Abrams.
The webcam scans Noah. A software sentinel measures dozens
of nodal points on Noah's face and compares them to his
biometric avatar on the screen.
Anichka peeks over Noah's shoulder.
ANICHKA
Handsome devil, isn't he?
GRIGORY
Creeps me out every time.
NOAH
When's the last time you looked in a
mirror, Grigory?
ANICHKA
Any coffee left?
GRIGORY
I made fresh pot.
COMPUTER
Biometric analysis complete. Confirm
Noah M. Abrams, Commander.
US Naval Intelligence,
Clearance: TOP SECRET CAT 3,
GAMMA, S-C-I,
Project FALCON,
Access granted.
ANICHKA
Nothing on radar?
GRIGORY
You be first to know, boss lady.
Noah overlays satellite-collected data on a geospatial map
of the Black Sea-- a flotsam of green and blue dots.
Grigory cuffs the radar scope with the heel of his hand.
GRIGORY (cont'd)
Stupid piece of...
ANICHKA
Grigory, we get it.
A flashing red blip appears on Noah's screen.
NOAH
I might have something!
GRIGORY
Son-of-bitch.
ANICHKA
What is it?
Noah isolates the target.
NOAH
Looks like our mystery ship just
flashed up its fire control radar.
Noah brings up schematics of a Slava-class guided-missile
cruiser.
GRIGORY
I knew she was still out there!
ANICHKA
That's jackpot, Noah! Head of Russian
sea snake!
NOAH
I'm sending the GPS data to Neptune
One's inertial guidance system.
ANICHKA
I could kiss you, Noah Abrams.
CUT TO BLACK:
OVER BLACK
Super: 8 years later...
Music cue: The Future by Leonard Cohen.
Prelap: sound of rotor wash.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Spy"]
Ratings
Scene
3 -
Evasion and Entry
EXT. EAST KYIV, OSOKORKY - DAY
Super title: SONGS OF WAR AND PEACE
Run credits.
An Mi24 gunship shadows a convoy passing through the
historic, high-rise neighborhood.
The motorized rifle company moves with purpose through the
Russian-occupied sector. Wheeled BTR-82 armored personnel
carriers and infantry fighting vehicles head westward on
highway E-40.
An armored car leads the convoy towards the Pivdennyi, a
cable-stayed bridge.
Before the Russian checkpoint at the bridge abutment, the
vehicles make a sudden left onto Vulytsya Central.
Neighborhoods become less dense, with rural homes and
cottages dotting the riverside landscape.
The next road taken tapers into a narrow country lane where
a CYCLIST must give way to the convoy.
EXT. STALIN'S SOUTH TUNNEL - DAY
At the riverbank, the armored car stops in front of a two-
story home built atop a raised concrete foundation.
A WATCHMAN and his WIFE open the heavy steel bay doors.
The convoy vanishes into a concrete tunnel large enough to
accommodate a subway train. Etched above the rotogate in
Cyrillic-- Metro No 2.
EXT. DNIEPER RIVER, VODNYKIV ISLAND - DAY
The Mi-24 gunship peels away from the house. It skims over
the river to VODNYKIV OSTROV, a large island attached to the
West Bank, then hovers over a fenced compound.
Cyrillic KEEP OUT signs hang along the perimeter of the
chain-link fence.
The convoy emerges from the portal. The armored car crashes
through the gate.
Ahead of the convoy lies the daunting skyline of West Kyiv--
the Ukrainian sector.
End credits/song.
Genres:
["Spy","Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
4 -
Project Sky Sword Presentation
EXT. WEST KYIV, NDUU - DAY
Soviet modernism. Six large pillars support a triangular
portico with its Cyrillic title stenciled on the pediment
wall.
Super: National Defense University of Ukraine
INT. NDUU, LECTURE ROOM - DAY
DR. LEZO SVITLOVO (30s), a platinum blonde dressed in a
white lab coat and mini skirt. An ID lanyard around her
neck, and a shiny silver laser pointer clipped to her chest
pocket.
Lezo paces the room, her rubber-soled pumps squeaking on the
waxed floor.
Major General PYOTR BILYK (50s), a handsome barrel-chested
man, enters the room with highly decorated Navy Captain
Anichka Bilyk (now 36). Anichka, a rising star, her free
spirit, somewhat but not totally, restrained under the
weight of her military obligation.
LEZO
General Bilyk...
GENERAL
Lezo, good to see you again.
ANICHKA
My little bunny! How are you?
LEZO
Oof! Look at you, miss big shot.
You're a senior officer now!
ANICHKA
I feel so guilty for not making time
for us.
LEZO
You're here now, and I have something
important I want to show you and the
General.
GENERAL
Please, of course.
LEZO
(Ukrainian)
Dim lights!
The room darkens.
LEZO (cont'd)
(Ukrainian with
English subtitles)
Play video archive, Project Sky
Sword.
Genres:
["Spy","Military","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
5 -
Unveiling the Sky Sword
INT. LECTURE ROOM, SCREEN -
A turret-shaped laser weapon mounted on a military truck
fills the frame.
LEZO (O.S.)
This is the world's most advanced,
and most compacted mobile laser, the
Sky Sword.
Air raid sirens blare.
The turret rotates, sending an endless barrage of pulse
lasers into the sky.
LEZO (O.S.) (cont'd)
The Sky Sword is capable of engaging
targets at the speed of light from
distances of one kilometer.
Sudden flare-ups-- mid-air fireballs light up the sky.
ANICHKA
Impressive! Those are drones?
LEZO
Four hundred drones mixed with
aviation launched cruise missiles.
LEZO (cont'd)
Lights!
GENERAL
What was hit-to-miss ratio, Lezo?
LEZO
One hundred percent, General.
GENERAL
I wasn't aware we had such laser
capabilities.
LEZO
None like this. It's a prototype,
first of its kind.
ANICHKA
What advantages does laser have over
Patriot air defense?
LEZO
Sky Sword proved it can effectively
take out hypersonic cruise missiles.
GENERAL
Limitations?
LEZO
As long as it has a power source, Sky
Sword can generate unlimited pulses.
ANICHKA
Tak, it solves our Patriot missile
procurement issue!
LEZO
And at a fraction of the cost.
ANICHKA
Bunny, I could kiss you!
GENERAL
Lezo, I'd like to make arrangements
for you to brief Minister of War.
LEZO
Yes, Sir.
ANICHKA
(laughing)
Don't you mean Minister of Peace,
Father? You should see him, Lezo. He
dresses like beatnik, and he always
stinks like hemp.
GENERAL
Will you join us for lunch?
ANICHKA
Yes, you must come eat with us,
bunny. You're as thin as pencil.
LEZO
I'd love to, but I have to brief the
director of the kosmichni viyska.
ANICHKA
Look who's big shot now!
LEZO
I'm not so sure. They want me to
build a weapon payload for their
space program.
Genres:
["Spy","Military","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
6 -
Invasion of the NDUU
EXT. WEST KYIV - DAY (TRACKING CONVOY)
Radio squelch.
Ambient rotor hum.
MI-24 PILOT (V.O.)
(Russian with English
Subtitles)
Take Lobanovski Avenue.
At the side of the road, RAG-TAG BOYS play King of the
Castle atop a gutted T-80 tank. They hurl stones at the
passing convoy.
High-rise apartments and local businesses shoulder the wide
avenue.
Yellow buses jam with car traffic, while PEDESTRIANS appear
from and disappear into the underground metro station.
A tattered BANNER strung across a narrow street proclaims
ARMISTICE DAY in English and Ukrainian.
Sans resistance, the convoy continues.
MI-24 PILOT (V.O.) (cont'd)
(Russian)
Turn right on Povitrianykh Syl.
A long iron fence at the side of the road leads to a small
white guardhouse.
Hovering over the university and its war machine relics, the
gunship watches for threats as the lead armored car makes an
abrupt turn and smashes through the NDUU guardhouse gate.
EXT. NDUU - DAY
The Russian convoy comes to a halt in front of the pillared
portico.
COLONEL YURI VOLKOV (40s) steps out of his armored car. He's
dressed in a black dress uniform with a peak cap, black
gloves, and jackboots. A swagger stick-- cropped under his
left arm.
Superficial wounds-- swirling lumps of skin grafts cover his
left cheekbone and jaw.
Yuri draws his Makarov from a black leather holster. He
pauses at the entrance.
General Bilyk exits, unaware-- smiling. He holds the door
for Anichka.
Yuri raises his pistol.
The General, caught off-guard by the fanged threat of a
Russian GRU officer, shields Anichka.
GENERAL
(Russian)
What are you doing here?
YURI
(English)
I have message from Main Directorate.
GENERAL
You're in violation of the armistice,
Colonel. You need to get back to your
side of the Dnipro.
YURI
Dnipro, Dnieper. this side, that
side... I don't have time for this,
General. Besides, I have the draw on
you.
Yuri riddles them both with semi-automatic fire.
The General collapses.
Two rounds hit Anichka in the chest.
She drops face-first to the pavement.
A spark lingers in her blue eyes as she sees her assailant
from the knees down-- his jackboots stepping towards her--
boot tips in her face.
Anichka coughs up blood on Yuri's polished boots. It's the
last thing she sees before a bullet bounces her skull off
the pavement.
Death extinguishes the brilliant sparkle in her eyes.
Yuri wipes his boot on Anichka's tunic, then kicks her over
onto her back.
He pokes his swagger stick under Anichka's name tag-- BILYK.
On Yuri's right shoulder, the GRU Spetsnaz patch-- a bat
with its wings spread against a blue globe.
YURI (cont'd)
Apple of your eye, General? This one
didn't fall far from tree.
Yuri signals his convoy to fall out. A COMPANY of seventy-
plus soldiers armed with AK-74 assault rifles disperses from
the trucks.
The tactical squads spread out to search the grounds and
buildings.
Echoes of rapid bursts breach the compound.
In Yuri's peripheral view, a squad mows down a contingency
of Ukrainian Space Force officers-- like a scythe cutting
through wheat.
Col Yuri Volkov, pistol ready, bursts through the main doors
with his personal squad of henchmen dogging his heels.
YURI (cont'd)
If hell is burning, then I am bat on
fire.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","War"]
Ratings
Scene
7 -
A Night at the Beacon
EXT. BEACON THEATER, MANHATTAN - NIGHT
Scrolling down 24 stories of the Beaux-arts facade--
symmetrically aligned hotel windows, some lit, some not.
Down to the unlit theater canopy on Broadway Street.
Now playing on the marquee--
SONGS OF WAR AND PEACE
Noah Abrams and The Revolutions
In a dark cavity under the marquee canopy, a match flame
draws to a man's face.
Noah Abrams (now 37) steps out from the shadows. He drags
lustily on his fresh-lit cigarette. Rugged handsomeness on a
medium frame, he's dressed in his signature blue fedora and
raincoat.
A mysterious gust of wind blows up street dust-- a front
page of newsprint sails under the marquee. The half-page
headline in thick bold print-- RUSSO-UKRAINE ARMISTICE.
The sudden clunk of a breaker switch-- the hum of electric
current.
Marquee light bulbs zap on.
Theater doors swing open.
Begin time-lapse.
EXT. BEACON THEATER - NIGHT
NEW YORKERS, in fast motion, swarm past Noah into the
theater. An hour of pedestrian traffic compressed into
seconds, as patrons shuffle through the theater doors.
CARS and TAXIS stop, unload, speed off again.
End time lapse.
The street-- deserted.
Noah stands under the lit marquee with several butts
littered at his feet.
BUZZING sound.
He retrieves a small paging device from his coat pocket. On
the LCD-
8AM BENCH 1A
The cryptic man in the blue Burberry raincoat turns his back
and crushes his last butt underfoot.
As he reaches the theater doors, he hears the hurried echo
of high-heeled taps.
Noah holds the door for the straggler.
NOAH
It's about time you got here.
Genres:
["Spy","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
8 -
Opening Night at the Beacon Theater
INT. BEACON THEATER, STAGE - NIGHT
Multi-colored spots beam down on the players.
CHICO, the Andalusian master of strings;
KAT WILLIAMS (black-Briton) with the
MELBOURNE SISTERS on vocals;
MAGS, the sapphic, a synthesizer & keyboard specialist;
GUNTHER, the long-haired German Adonis, a percussionist;
HUTCH, a sharp-dressed guitar man, and
NIKOLAI, the apple-cheeked Serbian base player.
Noah steps up to the mic. Tips his fedora to the audience.
NOAH
Hello, my friends.
His deep, raspy baritone pours like thick, rich chocolate.
The audience responds with cheers and applause. Noah scans
the house-- NYC celebs, pro athletes, and a large turnout
from the city's Jewish diaspora.
NOAH (cont'd)
Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the
SONGS OF WAR AND PEACE tour. We are
grateful to be given the chance to
perform on this historic stage before
we fly off to Berlin... First, we
take Manhattan.
Nikolai keys up the base guitar.
Cheers, claps of song recognition, approval.
NOAH (cont'd)
(Singing)
They sentenced me to twenty years of
boredom
For trying to change the system from
within
I'm coming now, I'm coming to reward
them
First, we take Manhattan
NOAH KAT & SISTERS
Then we take Berlin Then we take Berlin
NOAH & KAT
I'm guided by a signal in the heavens
I'm guided by this birthmark on my
skin
I'm guided by the beauty of our
weapons
First, we take Manhattan, then we
take Berlin
KAT & SISTERS
I'd really like to live beside you,
baby
I love your body and your spirit and
your clothes
But you see that line there moving
through the station
I told you, I told you, I told you, I
was one of those...
Genres:
["Musical","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
9 -
Tennis Tensions
EXT. TENNIS CENTER, CENTRAL PARK, NYC - DAY
CHARLIE GRISONS (40s) sits on a court-side bench dressed in
a Columbia University track suit and a Roar-ee lion ball
cap-- a thick manila envelope resting on his lap.
An attractive ATHLETIC FEMALE (SYBIL, 18) waves at Charlie
as she gets ready to return a serve.
Charlie looks down at his wristwatch.
8 o'clock.
NOAH
Hello, friend.
CHARLIE
Have a seat, Noah.
NOAH
Your recruits seem to be getting
younger and younger.
CHARLIE
That's my daughter... Sybil.
NOAH
My mistake.
CHARLIE
Sybil! Move your feet!
CHARLIE (cont'd)
The director has a job for you.
The sound of tennis volleys-- grunts.
NOAH
Sorry, Charlie. I'm in the middle of
a tour.
CHARLIE
I know. That's quite a band you have
assembled.
NOAH
Thank you.
CHARLIE
Gunther Hoffman, German special
forces. Nikolai Kireta, Serbian
sixty-third Parachute Brigade...
Shall I go on?
NOAH
So what's the big deal, we do a
little mercy work on the side.
CHARLIE
Cut the bullshit! We both know
exactly what you are.
NOAH
Then I'll tell you exactly what I'm
not. I'm not interested.
CHARLIE
Something big went down in Ukraine.
NOAH
I served my time there.
CHARLIE
You left some good friends behind.
NOAH
So long, Charlie.
CHARLIE
You didn't hear about the massacre?
NOAH
I don't care.
CHARLIE
A GRU Colonel went rogue. Turned the
defence academy into his personal
killing field.
NOAH
That is disturbing news. I'll need
some time to process that.
CHARLIE
There's no time! One of our assets
escaped that purge. She's gone into
hiding in Kyiv, and we need your
cover to get her out.
NOAH
What about your embassy muscle?
CHARLIE
We closed it during the Russian
winter offensive.
NOAH
Well, you can tell your organ grinder
to find another dancing monkey.
CHARLIE
Noah, this mission is right in your
wheelhouse.
Charlie dumps his envelope in Noah's lap.
CHARLIE (cont'd)
At least sleep on it.
NOAH
I told you...
CHARLIE
Oh, I cancelled your Berlin show and
booked you for two nights at the Kyiv
Opera House.
NOAH
That's not kosher, my friend.
CHARLIE
Did you know Kyiv is the new Berlin?
NOAH
It's too bad it's divided by a river
instead of a wall.
CHARLIE
Can I give you a ride to the hotel?
NOAH
No thanks. I'll take a cab.
Genres:
["Spy","Thriller","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
10 -
Haunting Melodies at the Beacon Theater
EXT./INT. BEACON THEATER, STAGE - NIGHT
The buzz of a full house in the magnificent theater and its
opulent art deco design. Noah and the Revolutions play a
haunting rendition of Dance Me Till the End of Love.
NOAH
(Singing)
Dance me to your beauty with a
burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm
gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be
my homeward dove
Dance me to the end of love
Oh, let me see your beauty when the
witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do
in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the
limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the wedding now, dance me
on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me
very long
We're both of us beneath our love,
we're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
MATCH CUT TO:
Genres:
["Musical","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
11 -
Haunting Echoes of the Past
INT. BEACON THEATER, STAGE (DREAM SEQUENCE)
A mysterious fog funnels onto the stage.
NOAH
Dance me to the children
who are asking to be born
Dance me through the curtains
(MORE)
NOAH (cont'd)
that our kisses have outworn
Raise a tent of shelter now,
though every thread is torn
A fracture in time-- Noah's voice skips like a scratched LP
record.
NOAH (cont'd)
And d-d-dance-d-d-dance me to the e-
e-end of l-l-love...
Noah finds himself standing on stage alone under a single
white spotlight.
He looks out at the empty house. The audience has vanished
except for two patrons in the front row.
Anichka Bilyk sits in her white wedding dress, a clot of
blood on one side of her veil.
She's shrouded in an aura of white light, angelic in the
afterlife, her hands resting on her swollen belly.
The General accompanies her in his dress uniform, with bow
tie and medals.
A baby wails.
Anichka smiles at Noah. She's hauntingly beautiful with
supernatural blue eyes.
Noah looks down to see her cradling a dead rabbit in her
arms.
ALARM BEEPS
INT. NOAH'S HOTEL ROOM - DAY
Noah wakes. He sweeps the alarm off the nightstand.
Daylight burns like fire around the edges of the curtains.
On the desk lies Charlie's package with a loose photo pulled
from the contents-- Anichka and the General lying dead at
the front doors of the university.
Noah sits up on the bed. He lights a cigarette and swigs
down his morning dose of courage and vitamins from a half-
empty bottle of vodka and orange.
Genres:
["Drama","Musical","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
12 -
High Stakes at the Zoo
EXT. CHILDREN'S ZOO, CENTRAL PARK - DAY
Charlie sits on a bench, wearing a Yankee's ball cap and
jacket, eating a hot dog from a nearby VENDOR.
He spots Noah heading his way.
CHARLIE
A change of heart?
NOAH
You could have told me!
CHARLIE
I tried.
NOAH
There's something fucking wrong with
this world.
CHARLIE
That's why people like you and I
exist, Noah.
NOAH
What do you need me for?
CHARLIE
Are you in or not?
NOAH
It seems to me that you have your
monkey by the scrotum.
CHARLIE
We booked a separate military flight
for your team. Reservations for two
nights at the Hilton Kyiv. A man
named Gus will take you to the asset.
NOAH
That's it?
CHARLIE
You have two days to get them both
out!
NOAH
How do I find this... Gus character?
CHARLIE
You don't. He will find you.
CHARLIE (cont'd)
Noah, a word of warning?
NOAH
Sure.
CHARLIE
Colonel Yuri Volkov.
NOAH
That's three words.
CHARLIE
The Ukrainians call him the Russian
wolf. Stay off his radar. Find the
girl and get her the fuck out of
Kyiv.
NOAH
What happened to the armistice?
CHARLIE
Colonel Volkov doesn't play by the
rules. What he did to those officers
and civilians was beyond heinous.
PLAYBACK:
Genres:
["Spy","Thriller","Action"]
Ratings
Scene
13 -
The Office Massacre
INT. NDUU, FRONT OFFICE - DAY
A mousy CLERK with thick spectacles staffs the reception
desk. Along the wall, a row of SECRETARIES in staid dresses
enter data into their computers.
Yuri slides a photo of a red-headed woman to the clerk.
The dense optics magnify the fear in the clerk's wide eyes.
She cowers before Yuri's evil presence.
YURI
(Russian)
Perhaps you could help me. I'm
looking for American... Anne Bennett.
The clerk searches her database, her hands trembling.
She shakes her head.
CLERK
(Ukrainian)
We have no Anne Bennett here.
YURI
(Russian)
You idiot, check again!
The clerks right eye blinks repetitively.
CLERK
(Ukrainian)
Sir, there's no Anne Bennett in our
database.
Annoyed, Yuri caps her in the middle of the forehead.
The bullet plants pieces of her brain and skull onto the
wall.
YURI
(Russian)
Put that in your database.
Yuri retrieves his photo.
Horrified, the secretaries cease entering data into their
computers.
YURI (cont'd)
(Russian)
Anyone else have annoying tic?
An eerie silence before the shit storm.
The kill squad opens fire with assault rifles, splattering
the office walls and furniture with the blood and bone
splinters of defenseless women.
YURI (cont'd)
(Russian)
I didn't think so. Go!
Yuri sends his squad to purge the back offices. He returns
to the corridor with a grin of Machiavellian pleasure.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
14 -
Confrontation in the Corridor
INT. NDUU, CORRIDOR - DAY (TRACKING YURI)
Yuri crosses paths with a woman (Lezo) in a white lab coat.
She's a platinum blonde bombshell standing frozen in the
middle of the corridor junction.
YURI
Are you Anne Bennett?
Lezo holds up her ID lanyard, her hand shaking.
LEZO
Doctora Svitlovo.
Yuri eyes her up one side and down the other. Her stockinged
legs stand sinfully long under a miniskirt.
He laughs at the puddle spreading on the floor around her
pumps.
LEZO (cont'd)
Does that get you off, you sadistic
bastard?
Her voice, a vulgar fry, hacks at him like a coarse rasp.
Yuri raises his sidearm.
YURI
American, da?
LEZO
Ukrainian-American.
Distant screams. Small bursts of rifle shots ring out from
the front offices.
LEZO (cont'd)
Why are you doing this? The war is
over!
YURI
(looking at puddle,
shrugs)
As you say in America, I am mop-up
crew.
Yuri aims his pistol sight between her eyes.
LEZO
This can't be happening to me!
With a split second to act, Lezo ducks behind the wall.
Yuri fires several shots that chip away at the cement-block
corner.
LEZO (cont'd)
What the hell is your problem?
Empty shell casings ping off the floor. Lezo presses the
small of her back against the wall.
LEZO (cont'd)
Breathe, goddammit! Breathe.
CLICK!
Yuri's pistol slide locks behind the chamber, his ammo clip
empty.
Silence.
He reaches for a new clip. Hampered by his gloves, the clip
drop and reload is clumsy.
Lezo peeks around the corner. She can't hold back the urge
to taunt him.
LEZO (cont'd)
Hey, you! Batman!
Yuri looks up.
A red dot lands on his brow.
Lezo burns the laser into his eyes.
She ducks back behind the corner.
SOLDIER
(Russian)
Colonel, what happened?
YURI
(Russian)
Bring that bitch to me! I want her
alive!
Yuri rubs his eyes. He sees only darkness.
BLACK FRAME
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
15 -
A Narrow Escape
EXT./INT. OFFICE - DAY
Lezo flees down the adjacent corridor, her urine-soaked
pumps slipping on freshly waxed floors.
Suddenly, a man's arm reaches out from a doorway and hooks
her into an office.
She stands tete-a-tete with GUSTAV BOUCHER (30s), a handsome
man with a military crew cut, dressed in a white long-sleeve
shirt and tie.
GUS
What the hell is going on out there?
LEZO
He's trying to kill me!
GUS
Who's trying to kill you?
LEZO
This Colonel with a bat patch on his
shoulder!
GUS
Shh.
Gus puts his ear to the door and quietly slides the bolt.
Lezo notices his right sleeve, empty, pinned to his
shoulder.
He holds a finger to his lips, then motions for her to
follow him.
GUS (cont'd)
(Whispering)
Help me move this.
Together, they slide a bookshelf away from the wall to
reveal a stone archway.
GUS (cont'd)
This way.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
16 -
Shelter in Shadows
INT. BOMB SHELTER - DAY
Lezo grabs a rope handle and pulls the bookshelf snug to the
wall.
LEZO
Who are you?
Gus flips on a light switch.
GUS
I'm Gustav Boucher.
LEZO
Lezo Svitlovo.
Lezo follows him down a stone stairway to an underground
chamber.
LEZO (cont'd)
What is this place?
GUS
It's a bomb shelter, courtesy of
Soviet strategic engineering.
LEZO
Are we safe here?
GUS
For now. What's really going on up
there?
LEZO
A Russian officer and his soldiers
are shooting everyone in sight.
GUS
Putain!
LEZO
You're French?
GUS
Vive la France.
LEZO
Can I ask what you do here?
GUS
I teach basic officers how to clear
mines.
Lezo looks questionably at his missing arm.
GUS (cont'd)
This? A Russian tank gun. So, what's
your story, lab coat?
LEZO
It's boring, honestly. I work in the
weapons research lab.
GUS
So, you're one of those.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
17 -
High-Flying Hijinks
EXT./INT. BOEING 737-300ER - DAY
An airborne passenger jet with a yellow roundel and stylized
blue bird on the tail.
Inside, the economy cabin bustles with Ukrainian matriarchal
families.
Babusyas dressed in sew-it-yourself patterns play games with
children who are much too excited to sit still for their
mothers.
Two foreigners, not dressed like the others, sit port-side
in the roomy bulkhead seats.
Noah slumps at the window, half asleep, his fedora tipped
down over his eyes. Kat, dressed in a stylish striped pant
suit, sits in the aisle seat.
Noah's face sours.
NOAH
What's that smell, Kat?
KAT
It's not me!
NOAH
You sure?
KAT
Look! We have company.
Kat scrunches her nose at a young girl.
ANNA POMARENKO (7) stands in the aisle. A war baby herself,
she holds PETER (3) under her arm with a cumbersome diaper
bag draped over her shoulder.
NOAH
Hello, friend.
ANNA
Peter pooped.
Noah smiles. He lowers the bassinet table from the bulkhead.
KAT
I suppose you want me to... Alright,
I'll give it a go.
Kat pulls back on the elastic waist of Peter's diaper and
gags.
KAT (cont'd)
Phew, Peter! That's some stinky-ass
pickle you got down there.
ANNA
You're funny.
KAT
I'm Kat. What's your name?
ANNA
Anna.
Kat struggles.
ANNA (cont'd)
You're not very good at this, Kat.
KAT
Nope. And I plan to keep it that way.
JUMP/MATCH CUT:
Genres:
["Drama","Comedy"]
Ratings
Scene
18 -
Flight to Kyiv: A Cultural Encounter
INT. ECONOMY CABIN - DAY
Ambient noise. A mic keys over the intercom.
PILOT (V.O.)
(Ukrainian)
Ladies and Gentlemen, please take
your seats and fasten your seat
belts. We'll be landing at the Igor
Sikorsky international in 20 minutes.
This time, Anna approaches Kat with a hand-spun doll.
KAT
Anna, you have to return to your
seat.
ANNA
But I have something for you.
KAT
For me? Oh, I can't take your doll,
sweetie.
NOAH
It's a motanka.
KAT
A what?
NOAH
I think she's trying to tell you
something.
KAT
What do you mean?
NOAH
Well, this one looks like a fertility
doll.
KAT
Ooh, god, no! Why doesn't it have a
bloody face?
NOAH
That would be like giving it a soul.
KAT
And that's not freaky.
The seatbelt sign flashes- dings.
Anna disappears again.
As the jetliner banks, Noah gets a porthole cameo of the
Motherland monument below.
EXT. MOTHERLAND MONUMENT - DAY
A sixty-two-meter stainless-steel statue towers over the
high west bank of the Dnieper River, her sword raised in one
hand and a shield in the other.
NOAH
See that statue down there?
KAT
It's ginormous.
NOAH
She was the Soviet's antithesis to
Lady Liberty during the Cold War.
KAT
Was?
NOAH
Now, she stands against Russian
oppression.
KAT
That's a twisted pretzel for Putin,
isn't it?
NOAH
More like his Gordian knot.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
19 -
Turbulence of Tension
EXT. AIRPORT RUNWAY - DAY
The Boeing makes its landing approach.
At the far end of the airfield, a grader levels a subbase
for a new runway.
Landing gear down, the Boeing glides above the strip.
Without warning, the grader triggers a large explosion.
Shock waves from the blast hammer the jetliner before it
touches ground.
Engulfed in flames, a large plume of black diesel and
hydraulic smoke swirls up from the grader.
INT. BOEING COCKPIT - DAY
Alarms sound off.
PILOT
Abort! Abort!
The pilot pushes the throttle to full thrust and puts the
aircraft into a steep climb.
CO-PILOT
Tower, flight 1132 Bravo aborting,
repeat, flight 1132 aborting the
landing.
The Boeing climbs.
ATC (V.O.)
FLIGHT 1132, divert to Boryspil
airport, vector one, one zero.
INT. ECONOMY CABIN - DAY
Overhead, unsecured bins dump baggage on the heads of aisle
passengers.
Children sob and scream.
PILOT (V.O.)
(Ukrainian)
This is your Captain speaking. Ladies
and gentlemen, please remain seated.
We have been cleared to land in East
Kyiv.
KAT
What the hell was that, Noah?
NOAH
I'm not exactly sure. The grader must
have hit a mine or an unexploded
ordinance.
KAT
Yeah, well, it bloody well exploded,
didn't it?
EXT./INT. BOEING - DAY
Passengers are drawn to the windows as two Russian fighters
intercept the behemoth.
Noah regards a fighter pilot through his cockpit canopy.
NOAH
Russian, S-U thirty-fives.
KAT
Bloody hell!
NOAH
Easy Kat.
PILOT (V.O.)
(Ukrainian)
Please have your passports ready for
the Russian Federal Customs Service.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
20 -
Tension at Boryspil Airport
EXT. EAST KYIV, BORYSPIL AIRPORT - DAY (TRACKING LIMO)
A STRETCH LIMO parks curbside at the international arrivals.
Colonel Yuri Volkov, with a black eye patch covering his
injured right eye, sits in the luxury cabin.
He pulls two portrait-sized photos out of an envelope.
In one hand, he holds a photo of Anne Bennett. In the
other-- Doctora Lezo Svitlovo.
Yuri retrieves a third photo from the envelope. It's a photo
of Noah Abrams.
He exits the limo, tugs the hem of his tunic, and tucks his
swagger stick under his left arm.
The LIMO DRIVER scrolls down the front passenger window.
YURI
(Russian)
You have your orders!
LIMO DRIVER (O.S.)
(Russian)
Yes, Colonel.
EXT./INT. BORYSPIL AIRPORT, TERMINAL D - DAY
Kat and Noah emerge inside the atrium with the rest of the
Ukrainian passengers.
The presence of Red Army soldiers in the airport spaces,
acerbates the tension.
Kat grabs Noah's arm. She's styling in a black fedora and
pant suit with the doll tucked into her designer bag.
A soft, electronic female voice welcomes the passengers.
INTERCOM
(Russian)
Flight 1132B, Welcome to Russia's
Boryspil International in East Kyiv.
KAT
Why do those soldiers keep staring at
me like that?
NOAH
I doubt they get many fashionistas
through these gates.
KAT
You mean Black people, don't you?
NOAH
If you insist.
KAT
Maybe I should give them something to
gawk at.
Kat teases them with a catwalk strut.
Amid her theatrics, she bumps into a Russian GRU officer
(Yuri) dressed in a black military uniform. She notices the
scars on his face and the black eye-patch.
KAT (cont'd)
(To Noah)
Check out, Boris, over here.
Colonel Yuri Volkov flares his nostrils. He sniffs in Kat's
essence with a deep, pronounced inhale.
KAT (cont'd)
Did you just sniff me? Noah, Boris
just sniffed me!
NOAH
This way, Kat.
KAT
But, he bloody sniffed me!
NOAH
Let it go.
INTERCOM
(Russian)
Please proceed to passport control
with your documents.
NOAH
Come on. We need to get through
customs.
Two Ukrainian boys play tag. The MOTHER grabs her ELDEST (7)
by the ear.
The YOUNGEST (5) squats behind a soldier, peeking through
the army man's legs.
NOAH (cont'd)
The sooner we get to the right side
of the Dnieper, the better.
KAT
Don't look, but I think Boris is
keeping his eye on us.
NOAH
Be careful. He might take you into
the backroom and check your pockets
for lint.
KAT
The joke's on him, I don't have any
pockets... oh, I see.
NOAH
Let me handle this.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
21 -
Arrival in Kyiv
INT. AIRPORT CUSTOMS - DAY
The Russian CUSTOMS OFFICER wears a brown uniform and cap
with the department insignia.
Yuri makes eye contact with the officer and nods.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
Pasporta.
NOAH
She's with me.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
Amerikansy, and Britansky, da.
KAT
It's a British passport, isn't it?
NOAH
Kat?
CUSTOMS OFFICER
Where you are going?
KAT
So, you do speak English.
NOAH
West Kyiv.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
How long?
NOAH
Two nights in Kyiv and then Paris.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
What is it you do, Mister Abrams?
NOAH
I'm a musician... on tour with my
band.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
And where is this band?
NOAH
Waiting for us at the Hilton Kyiv.
CUSTOMS OFFICER
Otel' Khilton. Konechno
(MORE)
CUSTOMS OFFICER (cont'd)
(aside to Kat)
Don't overstay your welcome, Miss
Williams. You don't want to miss
Fashion Week in Paris.
The officer sneers at Kat. He stamps both passports.
CUSTOMS OFFICER (cont'd)
Sleduyushchiy!/Next!
KAT
How are we going to get back to the
Ukrainian side?
NOAH
I imagine they have taxis and Uber
here.
Yuri approaches the customs desk. He picks up the phone.
YURI
(Russian)
He's staying at Kyiv Hilton...
INT. ARRIVALS - DAY
The limo driver, in a chauffeur's uniform and cap, holds a
sign up for Noah Abrams.
KAT
Noah!
NOAH
I'm Noah Abrams.
LIMO DRIVER
Hotel sent me.
Anna passes by with Peter and Babusya. Her mother pushes the
luggage cart behind them.
ANNA
Bye, Kat! Bye, Noah!
KAT
Noah, do we have room?
LIMO DRIVER
Is stretch limo.
KAT
It's settled, then.
EXT. ARRIVALS, CURBSIDE - DAY
BUSES with Zapad Kiev headsigns pull behind the limo.
ANNA
I like your car, Noah.
NOAH
After you, Miss Anna.
Ukrainians from the flight begin to file onto the buses.
The limo driver loads luggage while Kat and Noah help their
new friends into the car.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
22 -
Checkpoint Tensions and Aspirations
EXT./INT. PIVDENNYI BRIDGE - (TRACKING LIMO)
The driver crosses the Pivdennyi, a cable-stayed bridge.
He stops midway at the NATO-manned checkpoint guarded by two
US Military Policemen.
MP #1
Passports.
The driver hands them over.
A tense silence follows as the MP sorts through the
passports.
MP #1 (cont'd)
Do you really have Noah Abrams back
there?
The driver lowers the back window.
MP #1 (cont'd)
Hey, Mack, it's Noah Abrams!
MP# 2
Who the hell is Noah Abrams?
MP #2 sweeps the vehicle with an Under Vehicle Search
Mirror.
MP #1
Pop the trunk... It's clean.
MP #1 (cont'd)
Let 'em through.
MP #2 lifts the barrier.
INT. LIMO - DAY
Inside the cabin, sighs of relief as the limo carries on.
KAT
What do you want to be when you grow
up, Anna?
ANNA
I'm going to be a singer.
KAT
Like me?
ANNA
Like my Babusya. She sang at the
Opera House.
Babusya manages a wrinkled smile.
KAT
Sing something for us?
Anna glances at her mother. She clears her throat, then
begins a cappella.
ANNA
(Singing)
I've heard there was a secret chord
that David played and pleased the
Lord,
But you don't really care for music,
do ya?
It goes like this, the fourth the
fifth
The minor falls, the major lifts
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
EXT. PIVDENNYI BRIDGE, WEST BANK - DAY
Noah eyes the NATO mechanized infantry unit guarding the
bridge abutment-- a Leopard tank and a sandbag fortified
machine gun nest.
ANNA
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
Anna's voice rings faint and distant to him... he loses
focus.
NOAH (V.O.)
Locking on to target.
Begin FLASHBACK:
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
23 -
The Tension of Faith and Fire
INT. MOBILE CCP - DAY
Noah's software layers a crosshair reticle over the flashing
red dot. A solid tone confirms the coordinates are locked
in.
GRIGORY
Now would be good time, Anichka!
Anichka takes the command chair. She inserts her key to
unlock the remote fire control device and flips back a
shield cover.
She toggles the arming switch for Neptune One, then presses
down on the green plunger.
ANICHKA
Vohon' odyn!
She presses it again.
ANICHKA (cont'd)
Vohon' dva!
GRIGORY
Let's pray missile radar paints
target.
NOAH
When did you get religion, Grigory?
GRIGORY
In Ukraine, soldiers have saying. No
atheists in trenches.
ANICHKA
He's right. War is best time to make
peace with your God.
GRIGORY
Let's hope our missiles have his
blessing.
EXT. BLACK SEA, NEPTUNE LAUNCHER - DAY
The first cruise missile fires out from the tube. Its solid-
fuel booster rocket ignites, propelling the missile on an
upward trajectory.
A message on the projectile in bold Ukrainian print 'O
BOZHE'. (Oh God)
End of flashback.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","War"]
Ratings
Scene
24 -
A Melodic Invitation
INT. LIMO - DAY
ANNA
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Kat stares at Anna in disbelief. She wipes a tear from her
eye and nudges Noah with her shoulder.
KAT
Brava, Anna! That was brilliant.
Right, Noah?
NOAH
Transcendental.
KAT
Where did you go?
NOAH
About three hundred miles south and
another lifetime ago. Driver, can you
swing by the Opera House?
The driver makes a quick turn.
KAT
Anna, why don't you all stay at the
hotel as our guests tonight?
ANNA
Mamma?
Mamma nods.
At the end of the street stands an imposing cultural
landmark with its curve-shaped roof and deep, narrow
arches-- stucco rose and mask details.
ANNA (cont'd)
Look! That's it.
Babusya winces another smile. Her sad eyes reflect the
bittersweet highlights of her life.
MATCH CUT TO:
Genres:
["Drama","Musical"]
Ratings
Scene
25 -
Hallelujah at the Kyiv Opera House
EXT./INT. KYIV OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT
Greek muses muse above the entrance arch.
ANNA (O.S.)
(Singing)
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
A breathtaking open-air amphitheater with exquisite gilding
on the walls and a masterpiece chandelier on the ceiling.
Patrons fill the seats on the main floor, the luxury
parterre, and the balcony.
The audience-- spellbound.
INT. OPERA STAGE - NIGHT
A white spotlight shines on Anna, standing front and center,
dressed in a cute fedora and raincoat.
Noah and the band play in the upstage shadows.
ANNA
(Singing)
Maybe there's a God above,
But all I've ever learned from love
was how to outshoot someone who
withdrew ya
And it's not a cry that you hear at
night
It's not someone who's seen the light
It's a cold and broken hallelujah
NOAH
Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Anna
Pomarenko.
ANNA
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Kat moves to front stage to hold hands with Anna.
KAT & ANNA
Her faith was strong, but she needed
proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight
overthrew ya
She tied you to a kitchen chair
(MORE)
KAT & ANNA (cont'd)
She broke your throne, and she cut
your hair
And from your lips she drew the
Hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it
to you?
There's a blaze of light in every
word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Genres:
["Musical","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
26 -
After-Party Revelations
INT. HILTON HOTEL, H CLUB - NIGHT
At the after-party celebration, Hutch strums his acoustic
and Chico his flamenco guitar on the small stage. The
Melbourne sisters energize the song with dance and hand
clapping.
Kat sits in a booth with Mamma and PAPA POMARENKO, a large
man, a simple farmer with a sunburned neck, skin like
leather, and hands the size of small pots.
Anna sits on her papa's lap.
KAT
You were a little star tonight.
ANNA
I know... Kat, Papa's taking us back
to the farm tomorrow.
KAT
Ah, that's too bad. You'll miss the
finale.
ANNA
What's a finale?
KAT
It's like a farewell performance.
ANNA
Don't be sad, Kat. We will sing
together again... when I'm bigger.
A WAITRESS drops off two pitchers of beer to Gunther,
Nikolai, and Mags.
She stops to flirt with Mags.
WAITRESS
What beautiful, long fingers you
have.
MAGS
Would you like to join us?
WAITRESS
Maybe I can sit for minute.
Genres:
["Drama","Musical"]
Ratings
Scene
27 -
A Toast to New Alliances
INT. H CLUB, BAR
A long bar, racked glasses overhead- the usually fancy stock
liquor and mirrors for a five star.
Noah muses, alone-- aloof. It's the way he likes it after a
performance.
He lights up a smoke.
The bartender (Gus) approaches him.
GUS
Izvinite, Ser.
Gus turns to the no-smoking sign.
It's the universal red circle with a line crossed over a
smoking cigarette.
GUS (cont'd)
The sign says no smoking.
NOAH
Thanks for the translation. My
Ukrainian is a little rusty.
GUS
(laughing)
Can I get you a drink?
NOAH
Vodka, shot.
GUS
Shevkoff okay?
NOAH
And pour one for yourself, my friend.
GUS
Nazdarovya.
NOAH
L'chaim.
Gus pours him another.
NOAH (cont'd)
Is your name Gus, by chance?
GUS
It is, but not by chance. Are you
Noah?
NOAH
That's right. Now that we've smelled
each other's butts... let's get on
with it.
GUS
Lezo mentioned you might be a little
gruff.
NOAH
Lezo Svitlovo?
GUS
Yes.
NOAH
And how would she know that?
GUS
It appears the two of you had a
mutual friend.
NOAH
I see.
GUS
She was the one that suggested that
your foreign affairs office send you.
NOAH
So, I have her to blame for this. Two
more.
He taps his empty shot glass on the bar.
GUS
She wanted to meet you. Said she had
a personal message for you.
NOAH
Where is she?
GUS
She's safe. When do we leave?
NOAH
Do you have a car?
GUS
Yes.
NOAH
What about...
GUS
There's nothing wrong with this one.
NOAH
Bring Lezo and I'll meet you out
front of the hotel at 8 AM tomorrow.
Gus nods.
The waitress slides her tray onto the bar.
WAITRESS
Two more jugs, Gustav. And a Russian
Kiss for my new friend.
The waitress turns to wink at Mags.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
28 -
Late Night Revelations
INT. NOAH'S HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT
A luxury suite with a king bed and a view of the city's
nightscape. Maps and documents from Grison's package lie
loose on the bed.
Noah picks out a photo from the pile.
KAT
She's gorgeous. Who is she?
NOAH
Lezo Svitlovo.
KAT
Doctor Lezo Svitlovo. Hmm. Says here
she has a PhD in optical and laser
physics, Noah.
NOAH
She worked at the agency's Science &
Technology branch.
KAT
She's a spy?
NOAH
More like a scientist with a security
clearance.
KAT
She's too brainy for you, yeah?
NOAH
Don't let this stupid-looking mug
fool you. My inseam runs deep.
KAT
You just think you're the dog's
bullocks.
NOAH
I have my days.
Noah blows smoke rings.
KAT
Hey, there's no smoking in the room,
yeah?
NOAH
I'm trying to quit.
KAT
Smoking or women?
NOAH
Whichever one I'm not doing at the
time.
KAT
Oh, I've seen that look before.
You're smitten.
NOAH
She reminds me of someone.
KAT
Yeah, don't they all.
Noah butts out.
NOAH
Why is it always that one you let get
away that comes back to haunt you.
KAT
Regret is not a good look for you.
KAT (cont'd)
What makes Lezo so important to the
agency?
NOAH
Charlie says her prototype takes
laser technology to the bleeding
edge.
KAT
Is this her prototype, the Sky Sword?
NOAH
The Russians and Chinese want it.
KAT
It doesn't look like much. I don't
see what all the fuss is about.
Noah runs the document through a shredder about the size of
a three-hole punch.
NOAH
I'm working this one myself, Kat. The
fewer people involved, the better.
KAT
Really? I thought we were a team!
NOAH
You'll all get paid.
Kat parses out a photo of Gus from the documents.
KAT
Isn't that-?
NOAH
Gustav Boucher.
KAT
The one-armed bartender.
NOAH
That's him.
KAT
Pity, he's such a handsome man.
NOAH
I have an early start tomorrow.
KAT
Not without a backup, you don't!
NEXT DAY:
Genres:
["Thriller","Espionage","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
29 -
Incognito in Kyiv
INT./EXT. HOTEL LOBBY - DAY (TRACKING NOAH)
The Kyiv Hilton. An eye-pleasing, holistic complex decorated
in the decor of modern capitalism. It is the sum of all its
amenities.
Noah passes by a huddle of boisterous Russian gangsters
exchanging heated barbs at the front desk.
He heads to the chrome air curtain above the rotating doors.
Gus waits curbside in an Audi.
GUS
Right on time.
NOAH
I see you brought the friend of my
friend.
GUS
Noah Abrams, meet Lezo Svitlovo.
Noah tips his fedora.
NOAH
Miss Svitlovo.
Hiding in a corner of the back seat, under a short-brimmed
hat and veil, the silhouette of a woman who looks like she
prefers to remain incognito.
GUS
Where to?
NOAH
The Aviation factory on Kyrylivska.
You know it?
GUS
It's about a ten-minute drive.
NOAH
Can I smoke in here?
GUS
Ask her.
NOAH
Cigarette, Miss Lezo?
LEZO
I don't smoke, Mister Abrams.
Her voice, sultry contralto-- thick like cream with a rasp
of cinnamon.
Noah lights up. He takes a pull before dumping his cig and
exhaling out the window.
HORN sounds.
Gus steers the wheel with a suicide knob. He swings to miss
an oncoming car in his lane.
NOAH
Maybe we should have taken a cab.
GUS
I diffused bombs for the army, Noah.
NOAH
Which army was that?
GUS
It's under control.
LEZO
Mr. Abrams, how far is it to the
Polish border?
NOAH
Zamosc is three hundred miles and
change. A Ranger team will fly you
from there to Germany.
LEZO
Germany?
NOAH
The American air base at Ramstein.
Gus checks his rearview.
GUS
Merde!
NOAH
What is it, Gus?
LEZO
It means shit.
NOAH
I know what it means, and what it
smells like when my nose gets rubbed
in it.
LEZO
Good to know you've been puppy
trained, Mr. Abrams.
GUS
We have a tail.
Noah and Lezo burst into laughter.
GUS (cont'd)
I'm serious. We're being followed!
Noah spots the limo through the rear window.
NOAH
Relax. The stretch is with me. Kat
insisted I bring backup.
LEZO
Do you have a plan B, Mister Abrams?
NOAH
Plan B is to hope we don't need a
Plan B.
LEZO
I've heard that line before.
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
30 -
Tension in the Limousine
EXT./INT. LIMO - DAY
The limo sticks close to the Audi. The driver pulls out a
tiny antenna on his LED wristwatch. He sets a pusher button
on the watch case.
Small concentric circles oscillate from a dot centered on
his watch screen.
In the back cabin, Gunther, the long-haired German Adonis,
twirls his drumsticks.
Nikolai, sensing danger, chambers a round in his Zastava M19
assault weapon.
NIKOLAI
Time to put your sticks away.
GUNTHER
I always am ready, Nikolai. Don't get
das hoschen in a bunch.
NIKOLAI
What?
GUNTHER
Das hoschen- you know? Girly pants.
Gunther swaps his sticks for a Heckler and Koch.
NIKOLAI
They stopped. Up ahead at the
aviation factory.
GUNTHER
I love this secret agent shit.
Prelap music cue: In My Secret Life by Leonard Cohen, cover
by Noah Abrams and the Revolutions.
KAT & SISTERS (O.S.)
(Singing)
In my secret life
In my secret life
PLAYBACK TO:
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
31 -
In My Secret Life: A Melancholic Performance
INT. OPERA STAGE - NIGHT
Last night's performance with the band under spotlights.
KAT & MELBOURNE SISTERS
In my secret life
In my secret life
NOAH
I saw you this morning
You were moving so fast
Can't seem to loosen my grip
on the past
NOAH & TRIO
And I miss you so much
There's no one in sight
And we're still making love
(MORE)
NOAH & TRIO (cont'd)
In my secret life
In my secret life
I smile when I'm angry
I cheat, and I lie
I do what I have to do
To get it by
But I know what is wrong
And I know what is right
And I'd die for the truth
In my secret life
In my secret life
End playback.
RETURN TO:
Genres:
["Musical","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
32 -
Tensions on the Roof
EXT./INT. AVIATION COMPANY - DAY
The limo with Gunther and Nikolai lurks across the street
from a yellow brick factory several stories high.
They watch Noah put his earpiece in as he takes Gus and Lezo
to the front door.
NOAH
Radio check, over.
NIKOLAI (O.S.)
Loud and clear, Boss.
A security guard lets them in. He escorts them to the
elevator.
Elevator music cue: Bird On A Wire, instrumental.
The confined space creates a precarious and vulnerable
setting for Noah, Lezo, and Gus.
LEZO
Anichka loved you, you know?
NOAH
I get it now, the friend of a friend.
Noah glances at Gus.
Gus shrugs.
GUS
Women share.
LEZO
She wanted you to know that the day
she transferred... well it was the
hardest decision of her life.
NOAH
Don't.
LEZO
There wasn't a day that went by that
she didn't think about you.
The elevator stops at the top floor.
Noah heads to an exit sign.
NOAH
Nikolai, we're heading up to the
roof.
NIKOLAI (O.S.)
Copy that, boss.
EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY
As Noah opens the hatch, the glare from the sun blinds them.
It takes a few seconds for their eyes to focus on the dual-
engine Mi-8 helicopter.
Cockpit windshields and glass nose screens reveal the pilots
performing cold-start checks.
LEZO
Oh, no. Nope. No goddamn way I'm
getting into that Cold War rust
bucket!
The pilots toggle a series of switches to fire up the two
engines.
GUS
Come on, Lezo! This is your ticket
home.
Gus climbs aboard as a show of faith.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
33 -
Descent into Chaos
EXT. AVIATION FACTORY, STREET - DAY
The Doppler pitch of a rotor signals the approach of another
helicopter.
Gunther dons his sunglasses.
Nikolai shields his eyes and points to the sun.
NIKOLAI
Boss, you got company. Gunship, nine
o'clock!
GUNTHER
(to driver)
Open trunk! Now!!
NIKOLAI
He's coming at you from the sun. You
have to get off that roof! Boss?
Yuri's Mi-24, armed with rockets and a Gatling gun, zeroes
in on the rooftop.
Gunther pulls out a Stinger MANPAD from the trunk. He rests
the end of it on his shoulder and lines his eye up to the
scope.
He waits for the gunship to fly back into his line of fire.
EXT. AVIATION FACTORY, ROOFTOP - DAY
Bracing his knee against the helo door, Gus stretches his
arm out to Lezo.
She reaches for his hand.
At the last second, Noah rips her away.
NOAH
Get out of there, Gus! Get out now!
Heavy machine gun fire traces along the rooftop.
Gus stands in the open hatchway as bullets strafe the side
of the helo and almost cut his torso in half.
Lezo fights to get free from Noah.
Noah drags her back to the protection of the stairwell.
She reaches back for Gus.
LEZO
Gus! Gus!
GUS
(with his last breath)
Get her out of here, Noah.
NOAH
He's done. We have to go.
LEZO
We can't leave him there! Please,
Noah!
Noah drags her back into the stairwell.
EXT. ROOFTOP - DAY
The gunship hovers above the roof. With its nose pitched
down, the pilot launches a rocket salvo.
A direct hit sends the Mi-8 rust bucket airborne in a ball
of fire. The helicopter somersaults before it slams back
down onto the helo pad-- pilots hanging in their seats like
rag dolls.
Fuel tanks ignite, causing a secondary explosion.
Building girders creak and groan.
Part of the roof collapses, sucking the helo into a crater.
INT. STAIRWELL - DAY
Noah and Lezo dash down the dog-leg stairwell.
The building structure rumbles and groans around them.
Lezo freezes. She squats on her heels in a corner of a
landing.
NOAH
Come on. We have to keep moving.
LEZO
Give me a minute here.
Noah turns his head.
NOAH
You drop your panties around your
ankles while the whole building's
coming down around us!
LEZO
I'm sorry, I have a nervous
condition.
The stairwell shudders.
EXT. AVIATION COMPANY, STREET - DAY
A loud explosion blows out the windows on the top floor.
Debris and bricks shower onto Gus's Audi and parked cars.
Car alarms, a cacophony.
Gunther stands ready with the Stinger on his shoulder.
GUNTHER
Come on, du dirty vogel.
Finally, the gunship appears-- like a bird on a wire.
Gunther aims, locks-- fires.
A plume of smoke and flames blasts out of the Stinger's
muzzle.
Nikolai tracks the projectile and its contrail. Visible to
the naked eye, it heads directly for the gunship.
Burning balls of orange flare out like fireworks from the
gunship.
But it's too late.
The infrared-guided missile explodes into the side of the
gunship, sending it into a deadly tailspin.
Black smoke and flames envelop it.
NIKOLAI (O.S.)
Boss, come in, Boss.
Radio static, white noise.
A long, tense silence.
Noah and Lezo come running out the front door.
NOAH
Someone went to a lot of trouble to
stop you from leaving, Lezo.
Lezo, shocked and confused, gets into the limo.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
34 -
Shadows of Regret
EXT./INT. LIMO - DAY
The chauffeur gets back in the driver's seat.
NOAH
Take us to the hotel. And try not to
attract any attention.
LIMO DRIVER
Yes, Sir.
LEZO
What about Gus?
NOAH
I'll notify the authorities.
Noah and Lezo ride with Gunther and Nikolai in the cabin.
Their return trip turns deep and introspective.
Sirens-- a fire engine.
Police cars race by them to get to the scene.
NOAH (V.O.)
(Singing)
Hold on, my brother
My sister, hold on tight
I finally got my orders
I'll be marching through the morning,
Marching through the night
Moving across the borders
of my secret life
Shafts of sunlight penetrate the cracks between buildings.
Noah and Lezo's faces light up. Then darken again in the
shadows.
LEZO
It was Gus who saved me from that
murdering bastard.
NOAH
Don't beat yourself up, kid.
LEZO
I should have gone for lunch with her
that day.
In the limo, faces of defeat-- expressions of loss phased
with intervals of hope.
NOAH
I'm sorry about Gus.
LEZO
He trusted you. We both trusted you.
Half-hearted, she pounds her fist into Noah's chest.
NOAH
There must have been a leak
somewhere.
LEZO
But you said your plan was air-tight!
NOAH
Getting you out of Kyiv might be a
lot tougher than I thought.
Tears stream down Lezo's cheeks.
LEZO
He didn't deserve to die that way!
The limo comes to a stop under the hotel's street shadow.
PLAYBACK:
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
35 -
A Tenuous Performance
INT. OPERA STAGE - LAST NIGHT
Noah and the Revolutions performing In My Secret Life.
NOAH AND KAT
Looked through the paper
Makes you want to cry
Nobody cares if the people
live or die
And the dealer wants you thinking
that it's either black or white
Thank god it's not that simple
In my secret life
I bite my lip
I buy what I'm told
From the latest hit
To the wisdom of old
NOAH
But I'm always alone
And my heart is like ice
And it's crowded and cold
In my secret life
(MORE)
NOAH (cont'd)
In my secret life
In my secret life
In my secret life
INT. HILTON, AUDIO VIDEO ROOM - DAY
A state-of-the-art studio with a professional recording
booth and engineering equipment.
A MALE VIOLINIST packs up his instrument and leaves.
KAT
Thank you, for the audition. We'll be
in touch.
Noah enters with Lezo.
KAT
Oh my god! What happened?
LEZO
We lost Gus.
KAT
I'm so sorry, love. You must be Lezo.
LEZO
Yes.
KAT
Poor thing. You're shaking!
Kat embraces her.
KAT (cont'd)
What went wrong, Noah?
NOAH
Someone in Kyiv doesn't want Lezo to
leave.
KAT
What are you going to do now?
NOAH
I want you to give her a makeover.
KAT
Why would I do that? She's gorgeous.
LEZO
A disguise? Is that your plan B?
NOAH
If you want to get on that flight
with us tomorrow, I need you to look
like her.
Noah hands her a passport and a Pennsylvania Driver's
License.
LEZO
Anne Bennett? Where did you get
these?
NOAH
From a friend of a friend.
LEZO
Charlie Grisons?
NOAH
Except for the hair, don't you think
she's a dead ringer, Kat?
KAT
Yeah, sure. Listen, I hate to break
this up, guys, but we need to find a
new violinist for tonight's finale.
LEZO
What happened to the old one?
KAT
Someone broke her heart.
Noah rolls his eyes.
LEZO
Kat, do you think I could audition?
KAT
You?
LEZO
I was concertmaster for Penn Symphony
in my senior year.
KAT
Really? Noah, fetch me that fiddle.
NOAH
The plan was to keep Lezo in the
wings, not the spotlight.
KAT
Here's the sheet music. Go ahead and
play this one.
LEZO
Oh, it's beautiful.
KAT
We play it midway through the
performance.
NOAH
Kat, I don't think this is going to
work. Why don't we drop the number?
KAT
Not on my watch. This song is keynote
to the performance.
Lezo chins the violin with conviction, tuning the strings
with her thumb, all the while studying the sheet music.
NOAH
It's more than a love song, Lezo. It
needs to resonate very deeply with
the audience.
JUMP CUT TO:
Genres:
["Musical","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
36 -
Dance Through Darkness
INT. OPERA HOUSE, STAGE - NIGHT
Noah and the Revolutions midway through the finale.
NOAH
This next Leonard Cohen song is often
mistaken for a serenade. Sadly, it's
about a Jewish string quartet playing
classical music over the camp
speakers while Holocaust prisoners
march to their deaths.
An eerie, uneasy murmur rises from the crowd.
NOAH (cont'd)
Most of us can't relate to Hitler's
holocaust... Stalin's Holodomor. But
Putin's war has taken its toll on
each and every one of us.
Mags keys the first bars to Dance Me to the End of Love.
KAT & SISTERS
(Singing)
La la, la la la la la la, la la la
NOAH
Dance me to your beauty with a
burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm
gathered safely in
Lift me like an olive branch and be
my homeward dove
And dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
NOAH AND KAT
Oh, let me see your beauty when the
witnesses are gone
Let me feel you moving like they do
in Babylon
Show me slowly what I only know the
limits of
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Lezo in a full-length gown and red wig relishes in the
rebirth of an old passion.
MATCH CUT TO:
Genres:
["Musical","Drama","War"]
Ratings
Scene
37 -
Celebration and Ambition
EXT. FARMYARD - DAY (EARLIER)
Against an evening sky, male violinist (from Kat's audition)
plays Dance Me To The End of Love.
A setting sun paints the rural landscape in Chiaroscuro--
Dark shadows cast from the farm buildings contrast with the
sunlight dancing on golden wheat fields.
Anna Pomarenko and her family celebrate the armistice and
homecoming. Neighbors, war widows, children, and friends
gather around outdoor tables covered with baked goods and
traditional Ukrainian dishes plated on handmade cloths.
NOAH (V.O.)
(Singing)
Dance me to the wedding now, dance me
on and on
Dance me very tenderly and dance me
very long
We're both of us beneath our love
We're both of us above
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Lovers reunite in dance-- romantically stoic.
Widows dance together as consoling couples.
TWO TEENAGE BOYS wrestle and squeeze each other in headlocks
in front of grown TEENAGE GIRLS aching to dance.
SEEKER (10)
Anna, will you play hide and seek
with us?
Anna joins a group of CHILDREN and a SEEKER.
SEEKER
(Ukrainian)
One, two, three, four...
A BOY (from Anna's plane, the eldest sibling at the airport
terminal) runs off to hide with Anna.
ANNA
I'm going to be a singer when I grow
up!
BOY
Don't brag, Anna!
ANNA
I'm already a star, you know. I sang
at the opera.
BOY
You told me that already.
She pushes him away and runs down a farm road.
BOY (cont'd)
That's too far, Anna!
Genres:
["Drama","Musical","Family"]
Ratings
Scene
38 -
Innocence Shattered
EXT. FIELDS - DAY (TRACKING ANNA)
Surreal panorama of barns, and silos set against a
picturesque sunset and hectares of yellow fields swaying in
a gentle breeze.
Anna turns off the path into a field.
BOY
Anna, don't go in there!
ANNA
The war is over! I'm free to go
wherever I want!
BOY
Anna, please!
ANNA
Come on, there's no soldiers hiding
in here. I promise.
Anna giggles when the boy comes to her.
ANNA (cont'd)
Take my hand, don't be afraid.
Under a deep-blue sky, they run hand-in-hand through the
yellow field.
ANNA (cont'd)
Dance with me?
BOY
I don't know how?
ANNA
I'll show you.
They join hands, trying to imitate the adults.
BOY
This ain't dancing, Anna.
His cheeks turn flush. He pulls his hands free and runs off.
Anna chases after him.
Posted on a fence by the road, an ominous red sign with a
white skull and crossbones.
Stenciled in Russian Cyrillic over top of Ukrainian, a
warning-- STOP - MINES!
Suddenly, a gut-wrenching BLAST!
The ground shakes.
TWO DOVES, disturbed from their roost, escape into the
evening sky.
Their wings flutter in slow motion-- their spirits fly free
of human bondage.
A wall of dirt rains down like a curtain on the end of a
tragic play.
BACK TO:
Genres:
["Drama","War","Coming-of-Age"]
Ratings
Scene
39 -
Defiance in the Dark
INT. KYIV OPERA HOUSE - NIGHT
KAT & SISTERS (O.S.)
(Singing chorus)
La la, la la la la la la la...
The theater lobby doors fly open. Beams of light stream
through the doorways into the darkened aisles of the
amphitheater.
Silhouettes of Russian soldiers with assault rifles begin to
file through the doors.
The sound of pounding boots.
INT. KYIV OPERA HOUSE, STAGE -
Hoping to keep the audience calm, Noah and his band keep
playing.
NOAH
Dance me to your beauty with a
burning violin
Dance me through the panic 'til I'm
gathered safely in
Touch me with your naked hand, or
touch me with your glove
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
Dance me to the end of love
The song ends. Lezo ducks back into the shadows.
INT. KYIV OPERA HOUSE -
Soldiers line up in the aisles.
Two Spetsnaz officers enter through the lobby door. One of
them is Colonel Yuri Volkov.
The other is Yuri's limo driver, now dressed in the uniform
of a LIEUTENANT.
They strut their way to the stage in a slow, agonizing pace.
Soldiers keep their rifles pointed at the audience.
Yuri's Lieutenant points out Gunther, Nikolai, and Noah.
GUNTHER
Noah! That ratte was our limo driver!
NOAH
That explains the leak.
Yuri passes through the orchestra pit and ascends the stairs
to the stage.
YURI
Is this working? Test. Ladies and
gentlemen, please remain seated. This
will only take a minute.
Colonel Yuri Volkov comes face-to-face with Noah. He whips
the end of his swagger stick into his gloved palm.
YURI (cont'd)
I will ask you once! Only once. Where
is the one who calls herself Lezo
Svitlovo?
NOAH
She's not here, Colonel.
Volkov looks to his Lieutenant standing in the front row.
The Lieutenant draws his pistol and shoots an older man in
the chest.
Horrified, some of the audience members bolt for the aisles.
They are persuaded back to their seats by the muzzles of
assault rifles.
Another PATRON makes a run for the exit. He catches a burst
of lead in the back.
YURI
If I don't have enough bullets for
all of them, I will crush each one of
their skulls under my boot heel.
NOAH
Colonel Volkov, this is madness!
YURI
Where is Doctora Svitlovo? There,
you've done it now, Noah.
(slapping his swagger
stick)
You've-made-me-ask-you-a-second-time!
NOAH
I don't know where she is. If I did,
I wouldn't tell you.
Yuri turns again to his Lieutenant.
NOAH (cont'd)
Wait! Wait, I can take you to her.
Yuri nods.
The Lieutenant shoots a young woman in the second row.
Sobs rise together in a chorus of melancholia, and bounce
hauntingly off the acoustic walls. The horror, fear, and
hate are palpable.
In her defining moment, Lezo steps boldly out of the
shadows.
LEZO
I'm Dr. Svitlovo, you murdering
bastard!
YURI
What have we here? What a clever
disguise! Is it Anne disguised as
Lezo disguised as Anne? Oh, what a
tangled web you Americans weave.
LEZO
You're not human!
YURI
I wondered how many people I needed
to kill before you gave yourself up.
Lezo rips off her red wig.
LEZO
Is taking human life just a fucking
game to you?
YURI
She's a remarkable scientist. But I
must say, I have never come across
such esteemed academic with-such-a-
filthy-mouth!
Yuri squeezes Lezo's jaw-- shaping her mouth into an erotic
oval.
YURI (cont'd)
You aren't going to piss yourself
again, are you, Anne?
KAT
Leave her alone!!!
Lezo frees her chin from his grip.
NOAH
Somehow, someday, someway, I'm going
to kill you Colonel.
YURI
I admire your... chutzpah, Commander
Abrams but this is my win and I'm
taking the prize.
Yuri pokes his swagger stick in Lezo's breast.
YURI (cont'd)
Do you know I have my men search all
over Kyiv for you?
NOAH
The war is over. Let me take her to
Paris with us?
YURI
Mister Abrams, I have what I came
for. I expect you and your band to
get on that plane tomorrow, da?
Yuri takes Lezo by the arm.
KAT
I said, leave her alone!
He walks around Kat inhaling her essence.
YURI
Miss Williams always a pleasure. You
must tell me what wonderful fragrance
is you are wearing.
KAT
Lezo's right. You're one sick mother
fucker.
YURI
The GRU wants what the GRU wants.
INT. KYIV OPERA HOUSE - AUDIENCE
In defiance, a young man stands up with his hand on his
heart.
He starts to sing the Ukrainian anthem.
A few others join in. Then a few more.
The patrons begin to rise in small groups until all of them
are on their feet, singing with their hands over their
hearts-- some with tears streaming down their faces.
Yuri walks down the stage stairs to the aisle, arm-in-arm
with Lezo.
The pride and resilience of the Ukrainian people fills the
auditorium.
LEZO
What do you want with me?
YURI
You have secrets, Anne. Main
directorate wants secrets.
LEZO
But, I...
YURI
I know you are CIA.
Lezo imagines the ghosts of Anichka and the General, dressed
in civilian clothing, standing and singing with the others
in the front row.
Would they be proud of her for standing up to Yuri?
Her face goes blank, the thousand-mile stare as she walks
through the lobby doors.
Begin flashback.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller","Musical"]
Ratings
Scene
40 -
New Identity: The Assignment
INT. GRISON'S OFFICE - DAY
Charlie Grisons, well-groomed, in a bespoke suit and tie,
sits behind his mahogany desk with his hands joined to form
a pyramid.
On the wall behind him, the CIA seal and the US flag.
ANNE BENNETT (Lezo), redhead, professional looking,
athletic, and dressed to kill in a 3-piece Armani pantsuit.
CHARLIE
Take a seat, Anne.
ANNE
Sir.
CHARLIE
I hear congratulations are in order,
DOCTOR Bennett.
ANNE
Thank you, Sir.
CHARLIE
The head of aerospace S & T put up
quite a fight to keep you.
ANNE
Sir, there's no better place to field
test Sky Sword than a theater of war.
CHARLIE
I hope you've been brushing up on
your Ukrainian.
ANNE
I'm fluent in Ukrainian and Russian,
Sir.
CHARLIE
Good news. Your secondment to the
Defence Academy in Kyiv has been
approved.
ANNE
You won't regret it, Sir.
CHARLIE
Hell, I hope not. You will operate
under the alias of Lezo Svitlovo, a
Ukrainian American from your hometown
of Erie, Pennsylvania.
ANNE
Yes, Sir.
CHARLIE
Here's your Bio package.
ANNE
Thank you!
CHARLIE
There's one more thing, Anne.
ANNE
Tse Lezo, ser. Lezo Svitlovo.
CHARLIE
Good luck, Doctora Svitlovo.
End of flashback.
Genres:
["Thriller","Espionage","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
41 -
Confronting Shadows
INT. FORTRESS, DUNGEON - NIGHT
Brick walls, a pyramid of light from a cone-shaped lamp
shines down on Lezo. Stripped down to a bra and panties--
her face bruised, her lip bloodied.
She's tethered to a chair, falling in and out of
consciousness.
Her wrists are duct-taped to the arms-- missing fingernails
on her left hand.
The room spins...
Begin flashback.
INT. ANNE BENNETT'S APARTMENT, BATHROOM - NIGHT
Red brick walls, chic industrial lighting, and a round
heating duct overhead.
Anne, wearing a bra and panties, stands over the sink. She
stares approvingly into the mirror.
On top of the counter sit bottles of color remover, hair
bleach, and a brush.
ANNE
Do pobachennya, Anne Bennet.
Suddenly, she catches the REFLECTION of a man (30) in the
mirror.
Anne hears the voice of her eight-year-old self screaming--
the sound of a hairbrush slapping bare flesh.
ANNE (8) (V.O.)
Stop it, Daddy! Please, stop! It
hurts!
DADDY (30) (V.O)
Why you little... mop that up!
Lezo smashes her fist into the mirror, then ponders the
pieces of her reflection in the shards.
ANNE
He can't hurt you now.
End flashback.
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
42 -
Dance of Death
INT. FORTRESS, DUNGEON - NIGHT
Yuri stands next to a table with a gratuitous arrangement of
bone saws, wire cutters, knives, pliers, and various pointy
instruments.
LEZO
You remind me of someone.
YURI
Who?
LEZO
It doesn't matter.
YURI
You have daddy issues?
LEZO
Fuck you!
Yuri pours a ewer of water into a basin. He takes off his
gloves and washes his scarred and crippled hands in the
basin, then towels them dry.
Yuri cups her chin in his palm.
YURI
Do you believe in eye for eye?
LEZO
I believe in karma. Does that count?
YURI
Karma is crap!
LEZO
You need to loosen up, Yuri. You're
wound as tight as a Jack-in-the-box.
YURI
In Russian army, we have such
expression when turret is blown off
tank.
LEZO
Now we're getting somewhere. I feel
like we're bonding. Why don't you
tell me how you got those scars?
Yuri picks up a flint striker and lights a blowtorch.
YURI
Alright, I tell you... The enemy
infiltrated my camp with our own
flamethrower tanks. I watch them burn
my men alive. It was dance of death
by fire-- and it was as macabre as
macabre gets.
LEZO
If you understand pain and suffering,
how can you kill so easily?
YURI
When a soldier loses his soul,
revenge becomes his master.
Yuri brings the blue flame-- closer and closer to Lezo's
eye.
YURI
Now you will know what feels like
when human flesh burns.
Yuri inches the torch toward her eyeball.
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
43 -
A Fork in the Road
INT. HOTEL LOBBY - DAY
The Revolutions wait for the airport shuttle with their
suitcases and instrument cases loaded on wheeled carts.
Noah checks out at the front desk.
CLERK
Mister Abrams, wait!
NOAH
Is there a problem?
CLERK
No, Sir. There was note left on your
account.
The clerk goes to the safe.
NOAH
What is it?
KAT
Come on, Noah. The shuttle is here!
CLERK
Someone left this for you.
She hands Noah a USB flash drive.
KAT
What was that about?
NOAH
Kat, I want you to take this flash
drive to Paris with you. Whatever you
do, don't lose it!
KAT
Don't you go getting any of your
wacko ideas, Noah. You're leaving on
that plane with us.
NOAH
I have to find her.
KAT
You don't even know if she's alive.
NOAH
I have a friend working on it.
KAT
You were never getting on that
shuttle, were you?
NOAH
Kat, I can't quit on her.
Noah's pager BUZZES.
Fortress
KAT
What is that thing?
NOAH
It's my Deus ex machina.
KAT
Noah! For Chrissake!
NOAH
It's a pager, Kat.
KAT
Why can't you use a cellphone like
everyone else?
NOAH
It comforts me to think I'm saving
something from becoming obsolete.
KAT
Noah, the team has to go. We'll miss
our flight.
NOAH
I'll meet up with you and the gang in
Paris.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
44 -
Strategic Assault Planning
EXT./INT. SECRET BUNKER - DAY
A grass roof camouflages the arched cement hangar. Inside,
two Black Hawk helicopters-- loaded with forward-firing
guns, rocket pods, and laser-guided missiles.
Major Grigory Shevchenko hovers over a war table with
Special Forces Colonel STADNICHUK (50s), his face cracked
like the dried mud on a Dnipro riverbed.
Stadnichuk dons a steel gray beret with the wolf cap badge
and a parachute insignia on his chest. An arm patch of an
owl thrusting a sword into Russia.
A scale model of the Fortress semi-tower sits like a
centerpiece on the Kyiv map table.
STADNICHUK
NATO has barricaded bridges here at
Podilskyi... Darnytskyi... Paton, and
Metro.
GRIGORY
Volkov and his men have taken refuge
in the old Kyiv Fortress.
STADNICHUK
How recent is your intel?
Grigory spreads surveillance imagery on the table.
GRIGORY
These were taken by drones this
morning. You can see camouflage
netting over vehicles.
STADNICHUK
Where is flying tank?
GRIGORY
Noah Abrams and his team took it out
with Stinger missile.
STADNICHUK
Dobre. How many soldiers?
GRIGORY
Maybe seventy-five, eighty.
STADNICHUK
Weapons?
GRIGORY
Light infantry- assault rifles,
grenade launchers, a fifty cal
machine gun.
STADNICHUK
Sentries?
GRIGORY
Two sniper posts. One on roof here,
and one here. ASVK-M Kord- rifles.
STADNICHUK
I have company ready to go. And these
two blackhawks for air support.
GRIGORY
We send them in first to take out
snipers and destroy vehicles.
STADNICHUK
Alpha will advance from west gate and
Bravo from east. Charlie platoon will
ride with Black Hawks.
GRIGORY
Three-prongs, like Ukrainian tryzub.
Our plan is solid, Polkovnyk.
STADNICHUK
We lost many good officers in that
raid. We need to crush Volkov and
send strong message to Moscow.
Stadnichuk smashes the model fortress with a closed fist.
GRIGORY
Volkov is holding American scientist
hostage. I have man on inside.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
45 -
A Toast to Uncertainty
INT. H BAR, HILTON - DAY
Music cue: Boogie Street by Sharon Robinson (with Leonard
Cohen).
Boogie Street plays on the radio.
Noah, on a bar stool, muses over an empty shot glass. The
Russian waitress tends bar.
WAITRESS
I've seen you in here before, da? You
are Maggie's boss.
NOAH
I'm a friend.
WAITRESS
Maybe you know where is she?
NOAH
I'm afraid she's gone to Paris.
WAITRESS
She was nice to me, you know. I
wanted to give her this.
She hands Noah a gold chain with a piano pendant.
NOAH
Can you get me a cab to the airport?
WAITRESS
Nyet problema.
The bar phone rings.
WAITRESS (cont'd)
Privet... Da... Tak, I tell him.
Noah, there's woman for you in lobby.
NOAH
(raising glass)
Here's to putting out the fires of
Gehenna.
WAITRESS
You still want cab?
Genres:
["Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
46 -
Urgent Departure
INT./EXT. LOBBY, HILTON - DAY
Kat, dressed in a paramilitary-style black beret, turtle
neck shirt, and combat boots, paces in the lobby.
NOAH
All you had to do was get on that
plane, sister.
KAT
Did you think we were going to leave
without you?
NOAH
That was the plan.
KAT
Well, I made a plan of my own.
NOAH
It's no good. My friend didn't come
through.
KAT
Do you mean Grigory?
NOAH
Yes, but-
KAT
He sent one of his men to the airport
to find you. He asked me to give you
this.
Noah regards the hand-drawn map. Two dotted lines running
parallel from the fortress to Hospitalna Street. In the
middle of the street, there's a small circle with an X.
KAT (cont'd)
There's a note on the back.
NOAH
(Reading)
Noah, I have man on inside. Take low
ground. X marks spot. Cavalry is
coming in hot. Your friend, Grigory.
KAT
What are we waiting for?
Kat hooks Noah's arm.
They pass through the revolving doors to the shuttle waiting
in front of the hotel.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
47 -
Mission Preparations
EXT./INT. SHUTTLE - DAY
The hinged doors open.
Nikolai, dressed in black combats and beret, sits in the
driver's seat.
NIKOLAI
Hello, Boss.
Noah, choked by the vibes of loyalty and solidarity, pats
him on the shoulder. He passes Gunther, Hutch, and the
Melbourne Sisters dressed in partisan kind, armed with
assault rifles.
He makes his way to Mags and Chico in the back. Noah reaches
into his pocket.
NOAH
Your waitress friend wanted you to
have this.
Mags, her cheeks aglow, nods.
Chico wipes down his rosewood crossbow.
GUNTHER
You going deer hunting with that,
Chico?
KAT
Leave him alone, Gunther.
GUNTHER
Let him speak for himself.
Chico signs- A-HOLE.
GUNTHER (cont'd)
See! Das is gut, Chico.
MAGS
He just called you an asshole.
GUNTHER
Ah, slings and arrows.
NIKOLAI
Where to, Boss?
NOAH
Hospitalna street. Let's go get our
violinist back.
KAT
Noah, he's got a whole company with
him.
NOAH
Grigory will do the heavy lifting.
We're going in the back door.
KAT
I hope this plan is better than the
last one.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
48 -
Rescue at Kyiv Fortress
EXT. KYIV FORTRESS - NIGHT
An historic two-story brick garrison constructed by the
Russian empire in 19th century.
DOC, dressed as the company medical officer with a leather
satchel and convincing round spectacles, approaches the
guards at the front entrance.
He tosses a package of cigarettes to them.
GARRISON GUARD #1
Amerikansky, da!
DOC
Gde zhenshchina? (Where's the girl?)
GARRISON GUARD #1
Ona v podzemel'e s polkovnikom. (In
the dungeon with the Colonel.)
DOC reaches into his bag and brings out a vile.
DOC
(Russian)
Ty znaesh', chto eto takoe?
(You know what this is?)
GARRISON GUARD #2
Nyet. Chto eto? (No, what is it?)
DOC
SP-27. Syvorotka pravda. (SP-27.
Truth Serum)
GARRISON GUARD #1
(laughing)
Idi!/Go!
Doc passes the guards and wipes the sweat off his brow.
INT. DUNGEON - DAY
Yuri's about to bring the blue flame into Lezo's eye.
Lezo SCREAMS.
A shot rings out.
Yuri drops to his knees, letting the propane torch clunk and
rattle on the floor.
Lezo gasps as the dungeon door creaks open.
Someone reaches in, turns on the overhead lights.
Yuri groans.
DOC
I should have killed him.
LEZO
You speak English?
DOC
A little.
LEZO
Who are you?
DOC
A friend of Noah's sent me.
The Doc grabs a hunting knife and cuts Lezo's hands free
from the chair.
He hands her the knife.
Lezo frees her ankles.
On her knees, Lezo straddles Yuri. She raises the knife with
both hands, ready to plunge it into his chest.
Lezo hesitates.
LEZO
It's a good thing I'm not a monster
like you.
Lezo gets up. She kicks him in the bladder.
Yuri moans. A wet spot grows around his crotch.
LEZO (cont'd)
Ain't karma a kick in the nuts?
DOC
You should have finished him off.
LEZO
He's not worth a guilty conscience.
DOC
Get dressed.
Yuri groans and stirs.
Lezo cracks his skull with the knife pommel.
DOC (cont'd)
Come. We must hurry!
LEZO
Where are you taking me?
BACK TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Action","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
49 -
Navigating the Night
INT. SHUTTLE - NIGHT
KAT
What you got there, Magpie?
MAGS
Maps and stuff from the hotel lobby.
GUNTHER
Touristenkarten.
Mags fondles her piano pendant.
MAGS
Zoya took me on a tour of Cold War
bunkers under the old city.
NIKOLAI
Hey! Boss, this is Hospitalna.
NOAH
What about the old Fortress, Mags?
MAGS
Yes! There's one.
NOAH
Let me see it. Nikolai, pull off to
the side.
KAT
It's for bloody tourists, Noah.
NOAH
The note on the map says take the low
ground.
GUNTHER
We need city utility maps and
engineering drawings.
NOAH
I have a map, and X marks the spot.
GUNTHER
You want a way in? I have way in
here, Boss.
Gunther unzips a duffel bag on the seat beside him, full of
explosives-- C4 plastic and door blast patches.
KAT
I'm not going to ask where you got
that stuff.
GUNTHER
Same place as Stinger. Army surplus
store.
Gunther smiles.
MAGS
Noah, can I see your map?
MAGS (cont'd)
These dotted lines match up with a
tunnel leading to the fortress.
NOAH
Now we just need to find the X.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Adventure"]
Ratings
Scene
50 -
Deception in the Dungeon
INT. DUNGEON - DAY
DOC
Someone's coming.
LEZO
What do we do?
DOC
Get back in the chair. Don't move.
LEZO
What about him?
Doc finds an old tarp and covers Yuri.
LEZO (cont'd)
But what if-
Doc puts duct tape over her mouth.
LIEUTENANT
(Russian)
Who are you?
DOC
(Russian)
Company medic, Demedenko.
Lezo recognizes Yuri's GRU officer from the opera massacre.
LIEUTENANT
(Russian)
Where's Colonel Volkov?
DOC
(Russian)
He stepped out.
LIEUTENANT
(Russian)
Why aren't you down in metro? There's
been another cave in.
Doc retrieves a vial and a syringe from his bag. He prepares
a shot.
DOC
(Russian)
I am giving her SP-17. Truth serum.
He injects Lezo in the neck.
Lezo's eyes smash wide open in horror.
The Lieutenant leaves, laughing.
LIEUTENANT (O.S.)
(Russian)
Tell the Colonel I was looking for
him.
LEZO
Why the hell did you jab me with
truth serum?
DOC
Why did you not tell me you
understand Russian?
LEZO
What the hell, Doc?
DOC
Shh. It's just stimulant you are
feeling. We need to go!
LEZO
Are we underground?
DOCTOR
Yes. There is a tunnel will take you
to street.
LEZO
What is up with all these tunnels?
DOC
Soviets were strategic. Stalin built
bomb shelters and secret tunnel here
to go under river.
LEZO
Why are you helping me?
DOC
I told you, we have mutual friends.
Doc takes a handgun out of his bag.
DOC (cont'd)
Take this. You know how to use?
Lezo drops the clip, checks the ammo, snaps the clip back
in, and cocks the slide.
LEZO
I can manage.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
51 -
Covert Operations: The Descent
EXT. SECRET BUNKER - DAY
A hangar hidden in an aircraft boneyard.
A tow motor pulls the second Black Hawk out of a concrete
hangar. The attack helicopters carry advanced assault
weapons, forward-firing guns, rockets, and laser-designated
air-to-ground missiles.
EXT.INT. BLACK HAWKS - NIGHT
The pilots power their engines up from the APUs. They switch
the throttles to idle and turn on the fuel select switches.
PILOT #1
Activating engine start switches.
CO-PILOT #1
Turbine gas temperature and generator
speeds climbing.
CO-PILOT #1 (cont'd)
Preflight checks complete.
A covered troop truck arrives on the scene. Two teams of six
operators from Ukraine's Spec Ops load into the helo cabins.
The whine of increased engine power as the war birds take to
flight.
EXT. SHUTTLE, HOSPITALNA STREET - NIGHT
Shuttle headlights shine on a manhole cover with a white X
painted on it.
Nikolai hits the brakes.
NIKOLAI
Boss!
Noah gets up from his seat behind Nikolai, dressed in his
paramilitary uniform, his face blackened.
NOAH
This is it!
NIKOLAI
What do we do now?
NOAH
We wait... Check your gear!
Moments later, a signal flare combusts high above the
fortress.
NOAH (cont'd)
Time to go!
Noah leads Mags, Chico, and Kat to the street.
Gunther exits last with his duffel bag.
GUNTHER
Don't you leave without us, mein
kumpel.
NIKOLAI
Keep them safe, Gunther.
Nikolai and the Melbourne Sisters remain behind.
The team stops at the sewer cover only a few feet from the
shuttle.
Chico and Mags pry up the lid.
Kat breaks up a glow stick and drops it down the hole.
One by one, they ladder down into the tunnel.
Gunther lowers the duffel bag to them.
Street-side, the Melbourne Sisters slide the sewer cover
back.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","War"]
Ratings
Scene
52 -
Infiltration in the Dark
INT. TUNNEL - NIGHT
Red flashlight beams trace over peeling plaster and exposed
brick walls.
Mags takes the point.
The tunnel forks. She shines her light on the ceiling pipes
and electrical conduits.
MAGS
We go this way.
Kat leaves a trail of glow sticks as the team sloshes
through ankle-deep water.
MAGS (cont'd)
This should take us right under the
Fortress.
Rats scurry along the pipes above their heads.
NOAH
Mags, stop!
Noah traces his light along a tripwire in front of her leg.
It's attached to a Russian frag grenade.
KAT
Bloody hell, they've booby-trapped
the tunnel.
GUNTHER
Step over! Vorsichtig!
NOAH
Keep your eyes open for sentries.
GUNTHER
Das gut.
KAT
How is that good?
GUNTHER
They show us the way in.
After his team clears the wire, Gunther kneels, begins to
disarm the grenade.
NOAH
Visual signals from here on.
Noah takes the lead. He taps the top of his beret.
The team falls in behind him.
Chico smells something in the air-- makes a hand sign.
MAGS
(whispers)
Cigarette smoke.
Garbled Russian voices resonate through the tunnel.
Noah forks two fingers to his eyes. Then to the front. He
stops the team. Screws a suppressor onto his Glock.
INT. TUNNEL, GATE - NIGHT
Two Russian sentries stand in front of an iron gate. An
incandescent bulb lights up the vestibule behind them.
GUARD #1
Day mne sigaretu.
GUARD #2
Vot, vozmi.
Guard #2 lights his comrade's cigarette with his.
GUARD #1
Spacibo.
Noah signals for Chico to take out guard #2.
Chico raises his crossbow, aims, and releases. The arrow
pierces through the guard's windpipe.
His cigarette drops in slow motion-- before it hits the
ground, Noah puts two silent rounds into the other guard.
Noah waits-- waves for Gunther to advance.
Gunther hustles to the gate with his duffel bag.
He retrieves strips of explosive tape, sticking them on the
gate hinges and lock. Then, he slips electronic detonators
into each explosive.
Gunther returns to his team. He hands the e-blaster to Kat.
KAT
Ooh! I always wanted to blow
something up.
Noah raises a fist as a shadow enters the vestibule.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Action","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
53 -
Night Assault on the Fortress
EXT. ROOFTOP, SNIPER NESTS - NIGHT
Surrounded by sandbags, a Russian SHARPSHOOTER and his
SPOTTER peer through infrared scopes.
The spotter trains on the movement of soldiers at the east
and then the west access gates. He tips off the sharpshooter
as he reaches for his VHF radio.
Rotor wash.
A Black Hawk nose peeks above the building parapet. The
pilot sends a rocket into the sniper nest.
It splatters the snipers and sandbags into oblivion.
On cue, the second hawk takes out the other rooftop nest.
EXT. FORTRESS - NIGHT
The Black Hawks mount a tandem strike on the war vehicles
parked in the compound.
Lights come on in the fortress windows as vehicle turrets,
doors, tires, engines, and hoods fly across the terrace.
In the chaos, a Russian serzhant barks unintelligible
orders.
Suddenly, a window opens. A machine gunner sprays 50-cal
rounds from a sandbag-enforced nest.
One of the hawk pilots pitches to the window and sends a
rocket into the hole.
Both Black Hawks hover and cover while special ops soldiers
rappel to the terrace-- guns blazing.
Boots hit the ground dodging the wreckage, they toss
grenades into the front entrance.
Alpha and Bravo platoons merge at the fortress terrace.
Russian soldiers charge out of the front entrance, but the
Ukrainians gun them down on the stairs.
Lit window lights go out.
Sounds of broken panes of glass.
Muzzle fire flashes from dark window voids.
A gun battle rages with Ukrainian phosphorus tracers
lighting up the compound.
Sounds of a raging gun battle, bullets ricocheting, and
rapid bursts reverberate into the night air.
The helicopters hover above the crossfire, continuing to gut
the fortress room by room.
BACK TO:
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","War"]
Ratings
Scene
54 -
Desperate Standoff
INT. VESTIBULE, GATE - NIGHT
Lezo steps under the light. She grabs onto the iron bars and
gives them a shake before she spots the two dead guards.
KAT
Oh my god, it's Lezo!
NOAH
Lezo!
LEZO
Noah? Noah, is that you?
NOAH
Lezo, get back. We're going to blow
the gate.
LEZO
Noah! I knew you'd come for me.
Lezo retreats up the steps.
NOAH
Are you clear?
Silence.
A shadow reappears against the vestibule wall.
It's Lezo-- she's not alone.
Yuri squeezes her throat. He slams her head against the iron
bars, as if she were a rag doll.
YURI
Come out, come out wherever you are.
LEZO
Blow it, Noah! Kill this fucking
bastard.
NOAH
I can't.
LEZO
Noah, I'm begging you.
YURI
Are you out of tricks, Anne Bennett?
Noah approaches the gate.
NOAH
Let her go. It's over.
Yuri squeezes her throat.
Lezo's feet are off the ground.
She starts to pass out.
A muffled shot.
Lezo drops like a stone.
YURI
Is this what you wanted, Noah Abrams?
EXT. FORTRESS, TERRACE - NIGHT
A white flag waves from one of the windows. A handful of
Russians exit with their hands up.
Grigory and the Colonel arrive on the scene.
GRIGORY
(Ukrainian)
Sergeant, any sign of Noah or the
American scientist?
SERGEANT
Ni, Maior.
GRIGORY
Let's hope they made it out.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
55 -
A Night of Loss and Reunion
INT. TUNNEL, GATE - NIGHT
Lezo lies in a crumpled fetal heap.
Yuri succumbs to his wound. He falls to his knees. Smiles at
Noah as if he wants his misery to end.
LEZO
Noah?
NOAH
You're alive!
She gets to her feet and drops the gun.
LEZO
I didn't mean to kill him?
NOAH
You gave us quite a scare.
KAT
Noah, we need to blow the gate.
LEZO
Kat!
KAT
Get clear, Lezo!
Lezo makes her way back up the stone stairs.
NOAH
Blow it, Kat!
KAT
Fire in the hole!
The blast rips the iron gate off its hinges.
Lezo runs through the dust and haze straight into Noah's
arms.
KAT (cont'd)
I must be off my rocker, but that's
bloody touching, that is.
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
56 -
Dawn Reunion in Kyiv
EXT. HOSPITALNA AVE, SHUTTLE - DAY
Dawn breaks as Noah's team emerges from the sewer. The
mobile command vehicle pulls up behind the shuttle.
GRIGORY
Noah, you made it!
NOAH
Grigory! Damn, I missed that ugly mug
of yours.
GRIGORY
Don't get sentimental on me. This is
Ivan Stadnichuk, Commander of Kyiv's
Special Forces.
STADNICHUK
Commander Abrams.
NOAH
Retired Commander. It's Noah, Colonel
and this is Lezo Svitlovo.
STADNICHUK
The Sky Sword. It's an honor, Doctora
Svitlovo.
LEZO
Colonel.
STADNICHUK
I'm sorry, Noah. General Bilyk and
Anichka were very dear friends of
mine.
GRIGORY
The Colonel would like you both to
join our debrief- does that work for
you, Noah?
NOAH
If you can get my team to Paris, it
does. We have a show tomorrow night.
STADNICHUK
Let's debrief on my plane, then. I'll
have my aide make a flight plan to
Vélizy-Villacoublay Air Base in
Paris.
NOAH
There is one more thing.
STADNICHUK
Name it.
NOAH
We want to take Captain Gustav
Boucher's body back to France with
us. I believe the authorities
recovered his body from the Aviation
factory on Kyrylivska Street.
STADNICHUK
Done.
LEZO
Noah! Thank you!
NOAH
Anything for my first violin.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["Action","Thriller","Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
57 -
Resilience in the Darkness
INT. STAGE, PARIS - NIGHT
Noah and his band play in front of a large audience. Lezo
has joined them.
Superimpose: Olympia Hall, Paris
Music cue: Anthem by Leonard Cohen, cover by Noah and the
Revolutions.
NOAH
Mesdames and messieurs, we are so
blessed and honored to be with you
tonight in the City of Lights, La
Ville Lumière, while so much of the
world is cast in darkness and chaos.
NOAH (cont'd)
So ring the bells that still can
ring. Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
that's how the light gets in.
The birds they sang
At the break of day
Start again
I heard them say
Don't dwell on what has passed away
Or what is yet to be
Ah, the wars they will be fought
again
The holy dove, she will be caught
again
Bought and sold, and bought again
The dove is never free
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in
everything
That's how the light gets in
We asked for signs
The signs were sent
The birth betrayed
The marriage spent
Yeah, and the widowhood
Of every government
Signs for all to see
I can't run no more
With that lawless crowd
While the killers in high places
Say their prayers out loud
But they've summoned, they've
summoned up a thundercloud
They're going to hear from me
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in
everything
That's how the light gets in
You can add up the parts
But you won't have the sum
You can strike up the march
There is no drum
Every heart, every heart
(MORE)
NOAH (cont'd)
To love will come
But like a refugee
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in
everything
That's how the light gets in
Chico plays a bandurria instrumental.
On the large screen behind them, a montage of sacred war
memorials and cemeteries around Europe.
NOAH (cont'd)
Ladies and gentlemen, Chico Mas on
the bandurria.
Miss Lezo Svitlovo on the
instrumental wind.
On electric guitar, Hugh Hutchinson.
Our percussionist, Gunther Hoffman.
Keyboards, Mags Lander.
My collaborator, Katrina Williams.
Nicole and Kim Melbourne on vocals.
And on base guitar, Nikolai Kireta.
Mesdames et Messieurs, Je vous
souhaite à tous une bonne nuit et
bonne chance.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in
everything
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
That's how the light gets in
Genres:
["Drama","Music"]
Ratings
Scene
58 -
Reflections at the Summit
EXT. EIFFEL TOWER - NIGHT
Noah and Lezo look over a mass of city lights from the
observation summit. They nestle, elbow to elbow.
Noah takes a pull on his cigarette.
NOAH
Why do men choose war even when they
know it darkens the soul?
LEZO
Smoking isn't helping any.
NOAH
At least I have my songs.
LEZO
What about love?
NOAH
What about it?
LEZO
Kat said you didn't believe in it.
Noah looks at her. He flicks his cig over the deck.
NOAH
Once, I had my favorite Burberry
stolen. I loved that coat as if it
was a part of me.
LEZO
You two were a good fit?
NOAH
Now, that coat is keeping someone
else warm.
LEZO
She talked about you all the time.
NOAH
You two were close?
LEZO
We were, but the war kept us apart.
NOAH
It does that to people.
LEZO
She use to call me bunny.
NOAH
She called everyone bunny.
LEZO
Will this be a problem for us?
NOAH
I'll have to ask my tailor.
He dumps his cigarette pack in a garbage can.
LEZO
You should have saved one for later.
NOAH
I never anticipated that. What are
your plans now that your laser is in
safe hands?
LEZO
Safe hands? The Russians aren't the
only ones that want to use it on
satellites.
NOAH
So that's what all this fuss was
about?
Lezo takes out the flash drive. She drops it on the deck and
crushes it under her heel. Then she tosses it off the
landing.
LEZO
Now, it's in safe hands.
A women in a linen French beret and trench coat emerges from
the shadows. She is CHANTAL DuPLESSIS (30s).
CHANTAL
Are you Lezo Svitlovo?
LEZO
That depends.
CHANTAL
I'm CHANTAL DuPLESSIS.
LEZO
What can I do for you, Madame
DuPlessis?
CHANTAL
I'm working in Geneva on a new laser
project.
LEZO
You must have me mistaken for someone
else.
CHANTAL
Au contraire, your name was given to
me by a good authority.
LEZO
And what authority would that be?
CHANTAL
His name is Charlie, Charlie Grisons.
That could be his nom de guerre- I
don't know.
LEZO
You can tell Charlie that I'm no
longer in the business of making
laser weapons.
CHANTAL
Oh, no, ma chere! You have it all
wrong. We're building an optic system
for clearing landmines. Here's my
card, in case you're interested.
CUT TO:
Genres:
["War","Drama","Thriller"]
Ratings
Scene
59 -
A Moment of Remembrance
INT. CEMETERY, KYIV - DAY
A blanket of heavy clouds hovers over a necropolis of famous
Ukrainian writers, poets, artists, and politicians. A
pantheon of historic monuments and elaborate tombs--
mausoleums.
KAT
Where's Lezo?
NOAH
Geneva.
KAT
That was a short honeymoon.
Kat pinches a bouquet of sunflowers from a grave.
Noah rolls his eyes.
KAT (cont'd)
What? He's been dead for over a
hundred years.
NOAH
This is Babusya's family plot. I
guess she was quite the Opera singer
in her day.
Noah brings his fedora to his chest. He stands next to Kat
in front of an angel statue. The epitaph reads:
NASHA KOKHANA ANHEL PISNI
ANNA POMARENKO
8 travnya 2022 - 8 lypnya 2030
Kat, in tears, clings tightly to Noah's arm.
KAT
Read it to me, Noah.
NOAH
Our beloved angel of song, Anna
Pomarenko.
Kat lays the sunflowers on Anna's grave.
KAT
Rest in peace, little dove.
Genres:
["Drama"]
Ratings
Scene
60 -
Reflections and Farewells
INT. ANNA'S MONTAGE - NIGHT
Anna's relationship with Noah and Kat replays in a montage.
Kat helps Anna change Peter's diaper on the plane.
ANNA
You're funny, Kat.
Anna rides in the limo with Kat and Noah.
ANNA (cont'd)
I'm going to be a singer.
Anna sings a verse of Hallelujah at the Kyiv Opera house
dressed in a cute fedora and raincoat.
ANNA (cont'd)
(Singing)
Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
was how to outshoot someone who
withdrew ya
And it's not a cry that you hear at
night
It's not someone who's seen the light
It's a cold and broken hallelujah
End montage.
ANNA (V.O.)
Hallelujah, hallelujah.
(MORE)
ANNA (V.O.) (cont'd)
Hallelujah, Hallelujah.
NOAH
There's too much darkness and chaos
in this world.
Noah's pocket BUZZES.
KAT
What now?
Noah looks down at his pager.
THE END
Music cue: Field Commander Cohen, by Leonard Cohen.
Closing credits over black.
Dedicated to the memory and music of
the Late Great Leonard Cohen.