FADE IN:

INT. DIANE'S CAR/MOVING -- DAY

An unmarked Police car. Seattle. Suburbia.

DIANE COLLINS, 45, drives like the possessed. Doing 80MPH easily.

A single SIREN screams on the roof.

Her partner BILL HARRIS, 48, holds the dash with a white knuckled grip.

Diane spins the wheel. The car corners sharply, expertly.

Up ahead on the long stretch of road a Bedford van picks up speed.

More Police Cruisers follow Diane's vehicle.

SIRENS blaring to part the traffic.

BILL

You know I hate this part.

DIANE

Are you sure you weren't forced aboard a roller coaster as a kid?

BILL

Kiss my ass.

DIANE

Put another patch on.

BILL

Yeah and I bet the cigarette companies own them too. Getting rich either way...

Bill wriggles in the seat.

BILL (CONT'D)

Damn!! You know you're working hard when your ass starts to sweat.

DIANE

Either that or you've pissed yourself...Hold on.

She gains on the van, comes level.

DIANE (CONT'D)

I hate to do this to my new car but here goes.

She rams the van's side. Bill moans, frightened.

EXT/INT. DIANE'S CAR/MOVING -- CONTINUOUS

Town traffic and lights are approaching. Diane's car rams the van again but the vehicle barely nudges.

DIANE

You wanna shoot out the tires? Come on...I know you've always wanted to do that.

BILL

What if he's got another hooker in there?

DIANE

Hold that thought.

Diane forces the van through the traffic lights.

Cars all around SCREECH to a halt, their HORNS blaring angrily.

Sparks fly as one car brakes too late, slams its front end into Diane's rear side.

Diane's car pirouettes a 180.

The van streaks into traffic.

A large delivery truck brakes and thunders into the van, sending it, skidding, sliding, hopping, on all four wheels.

It finally comes to a rest and the truck reverses back from the accident. One whole rear side of the van caved inward.

EXT. INTERSECTION -- CONTINUOUS

A giant of a MAN stumbles from behind the wheel dragging a screaming WOMAN out the same door.

He fires his pistol into the air. The crowd scream and scatter.

Diane and Bill exit their vehicle, weapons ready. Bill a snub-nosed 357 Magnum and Diane a Beretta.

Diane rubs her whip-lashed neck as Bill ducks down behind the car, out of view, makes his way toward the van.

Diane approaches as the man puts his weapon to the Woman's head.

GIANT MAN

Stay the fuck back bitch or the cunt gets it.

More cop cars arrive and lose an inch of rubber in their halting procedures.

The man fires at them and the Officers duck behind their wind shield as it shatters holes.

Diane lowers for cover.

Bill sneaks through the lines of cars toward the rear of the van. Controlling his adrenaline with huge gulps of air.

Diane watches the pair intently.

The Woman Hostage still screams as more cops arrive.

The Woman's hand is behind the man's back and remains there. His back to the van.

Diane crouches behind her car, weapon trained on them.

DIANE

Give it up, pal.

Diane notices Bill now at the rear of the van and heading out of sight.

GIANT MAN

Yeah you keep fuckin' with me.

The cops watch Diane take aim on the man.

DIANE

You and the woman aren't going anywhere.

Bill rises from the opposite side of the van.

He can see the man's head and the back of his upper body through the passenger window.

DIANE (CONT'D)

Do you want to die?

GIANT MAN

You ain't doin' shit while I've got this bitch here.

DIANE

What makes you think I give a shit about the woman? I'm gonna shoot you both. You see I know your little scam. I just figured it out. Witnesses said they saw you drive off straight away. That means you had a driver.

WOMAN HOSTAGE

Please give him what he wants. I don't want to die.

DIANE

Can we have an Academy Award for this woman please.

BILL

(to himself)

What the fuck is she talking about?

DIANE

Give it up now or die. That's the only deal I have to offer.

Two uniformed Officers approach slowly.

DIANE (CONT'D)

(whips a finger at them))

You two heroes!! Back!!

The two men halt and lower behind their vehicle.

Bill rises again to see the man's back edge away from the van.

There's another pistol in his belt at the rear and the Woman Hostage's hand is on the butt.

Bill takes aim through the passenger window.

BILL

HEY ASSHOLE!!!

The man spins to him and at the same time the Woman Hostage's hand whips out the pistol and fires at the two uniforms.

They duck for over.

Bill fires four shots into the man's upper chest and face.

The Woman Hostage's finger on the trigger doesn't stop.

She fires at the two cops, they're both hit, then she swivels to Diane who's already returning fire.

Diane fires four rounds at the woman's chest, no mercy whatsoever. She's hit by three.

The fourth round goes through the side of the van and misses Bill's head by inches then slams into the passenger side of a civilians windshield.

The civilian ducks.

BILL (CONT'D)

Fuck!! Hold your fucking fire!!!

Bill comes around, white as a ghost.

One cop scrapes a hand over the bullet protruding from his vest then attends the bloody arm of his partner.

Diane wanders over to them.

DIANE

Is he okay?

COP

I think so.

DIANE

Next time someone has a weapon pointed in your direction...You take cover dipshit.

Bill walks toward her.

BILL

How many shots did you fire?

Diane shoves a finger into her ear.

DIANE

Damn ringing ears...What?

BILL

Never mind.

He sees the bloody cop.

BILL (CONT'D)

Shit!! He got hit.

DIANE

Trying to be a gung-ho hero. Now he'll be nursing a desk for six months if he recovers...Where are the Paramedics?

They walk away from the scene as other cop cars arrive.

BILL

You're crazy, Diane. How did you know?

DIANE

The woman back at the house said there were two of them involved.

BILL

So?

DIANE

So who would you trust coaxing you into a van? A man or a woman?

BILL

You're too presumptuous for me.

Bill stumbles away.

DIANE

Hey. You okay?

BILL

I'll let you know.

INT. POLICE STATION -- LATER

Diane and Bill walk through an office structure alive with Police activity.

A Maintenance Man paints over the stencil of new words on a glass door. VIOLENT CRIME DIVISION.

Diane points to the door as she holds it open for Bill.

DIANE

(referring to words)

That's an oxymoron.

BILL

No. You're "oxy". I'm the "moron".

Diane helps herself to some coffee from the percolator. Holds up a cup for Bill.

BILL (CONT'D)

Ah no thanks. No caffeine or meat for a week. That's what my...

DIANE

Shrink?

BILL

Spiritualist said.

Diane smiles and takes a seat at her desk. Rolls a report page into her typewriter.

CAPTAIN HAHN, 58, uses his cane to limp his way into the office. He wears a suit with a baseball cap.

A young DETECTIVE walks over and hands him a file.

DETECTIVE

The file you requested, Captain Hahn, sir.

Hahn flips through it then looks over at Diane.

HAHN

I heard you solved the case, Collins.

Diane gives him "the finger".

He walks past Bill, smiling. Enters his office.

Bill just sits at his desk and applies another nicotine patch to his upper arm.

BILL

Why don't you call it a day. I'll finish up here.

She huffs, stretches in her chair.

EXT/INT. DIANE'S HOUSE -- NIGHT

Diane leaves her car in the driveway, newspaper underarm.

The sky erupts in THUNDER and rain starts to pelt down.

Diane comes through the front door to a very neat abode. Locks it behind her.

Her 20 year old daughter JENNY comes down the stairs.

DIANE

Where are you going?

JENNY

Out.

Diane just silently watches her exit the house. Diane waits for it wincingly.

SLAM goes the door. Diane nods, she was right.

Diane enters the living room to see her 70 year old mother GERTRUDE, wrapping the cord around the vacuum cleaner.

DIANE

What's her problem now?

GERTRUDE

It's summer vacation, hon.

DIANE

Ah yes. Summer. Three months of intermittent rain.

GERTRUDE

She wants to see her friends.

DIANE

What about me?

GERTRUDE

You. Well you prefer the company of the bottle if memory serves me right.

Diane makes her way into the kitchen, snoops in the pot to see what's for dinner. Grabs the salt shaker.

GERTRUDE: (O.S.)

And don't go adding any salt.

Diane pauses, shakes some in anyway.

Gertrude comes up behind her.

GERTRUDE

We had an intruder today.

DIANE

What? Here?

GERTRUDE

No no. At work.

DIANE

Now they're robbing the cops. Had to happen sooner or later I suppose...

(beat)

What did they take?

GERTRUDE

Old hard-drive's. Weird huh.

Gertrude stirs the food. Diane takes off her jacket and loops it over the chair.

DIANE

Yeah. Weird.

EXT. SUBURBAN HOUSE/RAIN -- NIGHT

The heavy rain continues.

A car coasts down a neighborhood street.

The tires part the puddles like Moses.

It's quiet.

The lights of the car go out and it pulls curbside opposite a house.

INT. CAR/RAIN -- CONTINUOUS

The car sits motionless.

A pair of GLOVED MALE HANDS take a spiral bound note book from the passenger seat. (We never see anything above his shoulders)

He opens it, bookmarked. The name "Max Gibbons" is a header.

On the page are detailed outlines of Max's movements over a two week period.

The beam of an outside light sharpen the driver's interest.

He sees MAX, 28, come out of his house, hop in his car and pull away from the house.

The GLOVED HANDS close the note book and reach into the rear of the car for a tool bag.

The GLOVED HANDS open the tool bag and handle a stun-gun, a cut-throat razor and a silenced Beretta.

EXT. GIBBONS HOUSE/RAIN -- LATER

The man's BOOTS walk across the street and down the path at the side of the house.

At the side of the house he lowers and unzips the tool bag.

INT. GIBBONS HOUSE/RAIN -- LATER

All is dark. Moonlight filters through the windows offering eerie outlines and shadows.

The man walks up the stairs past the wall of photographs of Max Gibbons in Police Uniform.

From Academy Graduation to present day.

The tool bag swinging against his thigh as he goes.

INT. CONVENIENCE STORE/RAIN -- LATER

Max approaches the counter with a twelve pack of Bud.

The checkout Girl rings up the item.

MAX

And a packet of Malboro's.

The Girl reaches for the red packet, scans the item.

INT. GIBBONS HOUSE/MAIN BEDROOM/RAIN -- LATER

The GLOVES open the top dresser drawer in the main bedroom.

Remove a .38 revolver from below the underwear and empties the bullets into the second drawer.

Tosses the weapon back inside.

He sits on the bed and stares at the open closet door. Police Officer uniforms, shirts, shoes etc stare back at him.

INT. GIBBONS HOUSE/DOWNSTAIRS/RAIN -- LATER

Max comes through the front door drinking one of the cans of beer. Kicks it closed with the heel of his boot.