SHEEDA

“And The Apes went into 

The Forbidden Zone,

abiding not by The Law, but by vain Curiosity for 

That Which Should Remain Unseen.

And The Prophecy of The Wise Ones was fulfilled, when 

A Talking Man 

fell from The Skies,

to bring 

The End of Days.”

— Lawgiver, 68th. Scroll, Chapter I

SISTER AGATHA:

There is a contagion, a corruption, 

passing through This World 

from one sufferer to The Next.

For those unfortunate to fall victim to it, 

Life becomes incurable.

They lose the Divine Ability to DIE.

As their bodies rot, their consciousness persists.

Even as dust, their pain goes on.

It is a secret every gravedigger keeps.

There are those among us destined 

to scratch at our coffin lids for all Eternity.

If you work among The Dead, it's not Death you fear.

It's The Alternative.

HARKER :

Is there any salvation for such creatures?

SISTER AGATHA:

I Don't Know. 

HARKER :

Have Faith!

SISTER AGATHA:

Faith is a sleeping draught 

for Children and Simpletons.

What we must have is a plan.

HARKER :

Dracula's one of them, isn't he?

SISTER AGATHA:

Undead?

Undead certainly but, from your account, 

I think he is much more complicated.

“[These soldiers] are recruited into an apocalyptic battle with some ancient Enemies of Humanity, a race of beings called the Sheeda, who are familiar to us from folk tale and legend as ‘the Unseelie Court’, or the people of ‘Faerie’ among many other names.

Periodically, these Sheeda arrive like locusts in their millions in huge floating ‘Castles’ they use to ‘harvest’ civilizations which have reached their peak. The Sheeda ransack these cultures and take away their treasures, their achievements, their learning to enrich their own burned-out culture.

The name is from the Irish Sidhe, pronounced ‘Shee’, as in banshee. 

The Sidhe were the Fairy Folk, the strange ones from the hills who haunt the old legends of so many cultures. I had a wild idea about what these legends might REALLY be describing and realised I’d found the perfect villains for this story. I based my portrayal of the Sheeda civilization itself on a dark, inverted Goth image of Queen Elizabeth I’s England. 

They’re very evil, decadent and corrupt but as I say we don’t reveal their TRUE nature and who they really are until later in the series. In FRANKENSTEIN! issue 4 in fact, ‘Frankenstein vs. Fairyland’.”

The Ultra-Marine Corps are the LiveHero Vaccine dose which he used to inoculate Earth-Prime against incursions and infections by The Sheeda by injecting them directly into Our World at the very beginning of The 21 st. Century —

To gift Us all with immunity from The Harrowings and The Harvest of Summer’s End, beneath the Blood Red setting of The Sun.

Salvator Mundi

"Again, all that feels to me like the last ferocious attempts at asserting its fading power by the Osiris energy of the last 2000 years, now gone rotten and unsustainable but trying harder to keep everything and everybody under increasingly deranged levels of control in every area of our lives."

Cancer Man :

You really don't give up, do you?

But then you have so much to lose.

It's what we have in common.

Salvator Mundi :

We have nothing in common.

Cancer Man :

I need The Boy.

The Boy is mine.

Salvator Mundi :

The Boy would rather die first, now that he knows The Truth.

Cancer Man :

That I'm the one who made him?

That I'm William's creator?

Salvator Mundi : 

You'd shoot your own firstborn son?

Cancer Man : 

Shot my SECOND-born son once — But I need you to know, Fox, 

when I gave you life, 

I never fathomed the moment would come when I would need to end it.

Salvator Mundi : 

I don't think you can do it.

Cancer Man : 

Then you don't know me very well.

In one legend, Merlin was intended to be an Antichrist figure, begotten on a virgin by the Devil. His mother, however, had the boy baptized at birth, freeing him from the Devil's influence. His demonic heritage gave him the ability to see into the past and future, a gift that is often carried over to myths that do not include this origin story. In other myths, his father is an angel, a fae, or even no one.

In most tellings of Arthur's origin story, Merlin's magic helped Uther Pendragon seduce and bed another man's wife (Igraine), leading to the conception of Arthur, whom he prophesized would be a great king. In return, Merlin was given the baby boy, who was fostered by a knight as his own son and later prepared by Merlin for kingship.

Merlin's final fate varies from telling to telling. In some recountings, he loses his wits when Arthur is slain. In others, he is tricked and imprisoned by the witch Niviane (or Nimue), whom he deeply loved and taught magic.

For the 2008 British TV series, see Merlin. For the 1998 miniseries, see Merlin.

Tropes:

Anti Anti Christ: Merlin's mother was raped/seduced by either the Devil or some random demon, but she had Merlin baptized as soon as he was born. This relieved him of his Antichrist status but still let him keep his nifty magical powers. Since Medieval Christianity generally thought any sort of power must come from either God or Satan, this story explained how Merlin performed his magical acts without being a saint.

The Anti-Christ: In some stories, Merlin was the Antichrist but instead of destroying the world, became good and decided to help Arthur become the King of Britain.

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The Archmage: Depending on the version of the tale.

Badass Beard: He's famous for his Wizard Beard, which isn't actually mentioned in the medieval texts. But it is rare to see him depicted nowadays without one.

Badass Long Robe: Standard apparel for wizards, which again isn't explicitly described in the texts.

Barefoot Sage: He's depicted barefoot in many illustrations, including those by Gustave Dore.

Because Destiny Says So: In this case, "destiny" goes by "Merlin."

Born of Magic: Some pre-Christian versions of Merlin's birth never explain how he came to be, his mother suddenly becoming pregnant despite having turned down every advance made to her. When the angry menfolk demanded to know who the father was, Merlin shut them up by demonstrating his magic power. Christian versions make him the son of a demon and a virgin... perhaps because to Christians, having a godless wizard born to a virgin birth (and having multiple stories about supernatural figures born to virgins circulating in general) had bad implication.

Bowdlerise: As Christianity gained more influence, Merlin became less of a trickster and mage and more of a wise old mentor. His demonic parentage, however, became a part of the story because of Christian influence. The point was to explain why a heroic character was able to use godless magic. His moral ambiguity was likewise explained as the goodness of his mother and evil of his father struggling in him.

Canon Immigrant: Merlin did not appear in the earliest stratum of Arthurian myths, although he's been around longer than Lancelot and the Holy Grail. Merlin's legend comes from Welsh roots. The earlier traditions of Myrddin Wyllt (Merlin/Myrddin the Wild) were tied to Merlin in Vita Merlini.

The Chessmaster: Oh so much. He's behind so much of what happens in Arthurian legend.

The Chooser of The One: Merlin is basically behind the creation of King Arthur and why Arthur becomes king.

Composite Character: In his original appearance in Geoffrey of Monmouth's History of the Kings of Britain, Merlin is based on the Waif Prophet Ambrosius from the earlier History of the Britons attributed to Nennius. But Geoffrey renamed him "Merlin" based on the figure of Myrddin from Welsh tales, and later wrote a Life of Merlin equating the two further. Ambrosius in turn appears to be based on a real person, Ambrosius Aurelianus, who Geoffrey also used under the name "Aurelius Ambrosius" as Uther's brother and Arthur's uncle.

Cool Old Guy: In some incarnations.

Court Mage: To King Arthur.

Depending on the Writer: There are so many different depictions of Merlin that it's hard to reconcile them as the same person.

Distaff Counterpart: According to the earliest Welsh legends 'Myrddin' had a twin sister Ganeida or Ganicenda.

Divine Parentage: According to some myths, Merlin is said to be the son of a deity or the son of The Devil.

Eccentric Mentor: In some depictions.

Functional Magic: Well, yeah. He's a wizard.

Half-Human Hybrid: Merlin is traditionally depicted as a cambion — the son of a woman (sometimes a witch, occasionally a nun) and an incubus, or sometimes a man and a succubus, a Christianization of the legend given as an explanation for his magical and prophetic abilities. The woman incidentally is nearly always a raped nun who dunks her newborn into holy water to wash evil away from him as soon as he is born, but he still grows up a horny bastard with a taste for young virgins — the modern versions tend to forget that aspect of his character (with an exception or two). Modern interpretations of the legends vary significantly on Merlin's parentage.

Hermit Guru: Before his Bowdlerisation. Myrddin Wyllt was a wild, hairy man living out in the wilderness, receiving prophecies and talking to the wildlife.

Human Mom, Non-Human Dad: Merlin was born to a mortal human woman and a non-human father. The species of Merlin's father varies from legend to legend.

I Have Many Names: Too many to count.

Last of His Kind: Merlin is revealed as the last of the shape-changers in his childhood, before Arthur's birth.

Magic Staff: Merlin's Weapon of Choice in many depictions, though the medieval stories don't really mention it.

The Man Behind the Man: In regards to Arthur. According to legend, many thought that Arthur was Merlin's puppet and that Merlin was the one who was actually in control of Arthur and his reign as king. Which might be true, considering how much of a strong influence Merlin is in Arthurian legend and all the events that happened.

May–December Romance: With Niviane.

The Mentor: To King Arthur.

Merlin and Nimue: The Trope Maker, Codifier, and Namer.

Merlin Sickness: Also the Trope Namer, Maker and Codifier, thanks to T.H. White, who introduced it in The Once and Future King.

The Omniscient: Through a combination of being born with a nigh complete understanding of the past and present and being gifted the power to see the future.

Parental Substitute: To Arthur, especially in modern retellings, codified by The Sword in the Stone. Most medieval versions have him showing himself to Arthur around the time he becomes king, drawing the sword from the stone.

Power Creep, Power Seep: Though centuries of stories, Merlin has grown in popular perception, especially in Super Hero story worlds like the The DCU and the Marvel Universe, from a mere mage to becoming the Sorceror Supreme of his time with almost godlike power.

Public Domain Artifact: He is credited as the creator of Excalibur in later myths.

Public Domain Character: A very old one at that. He has been done and redone dozens of times in various media, from legendary badass, to newbie mage, to a female version of himself.

Rasputinian Death: In his earliest incarnation, it was said this was the only way to kill him.

Sealed Good in a Can: When betrayed by Niviane. Can be King in the Mountain when the myth says she sealed him in a cave.

Seer/Oracular Urchin: It is said that God Himself granted Merlin powers of prophecy that, coupled with his already expansive knowledge of the past and present, rendered him functionally omniscient.

Semi-Divine: Merlin is often portrayed as the child of a demon and mortal.

Shapeshifting: One of his many magical powers.

The Smart Guy: Merlin is a wizard after all.

Stealth Hi/Bye: One of his many magical powers. He seems to really enjoy appearing out of nowhere, and disappearing in front of everyone.

Trickster Mentor: He is frequently depicted teaching Arthur and others, while having a trickster's personality.

Waif Prophet: His first appearance in the medieval stories is as one.

Wizard Beard: As part of his Wizard Classic attributes, whenever he's old. If he is depicted in his youth, he will usually be clean-shaven.

Wizard Classic: The Trope Maker and one of the most iconic examples. Notable because the medieval texts don't actually describe his appearance except sometimes when he's in disguise, so the wizard image must have been formed throughout the ages and been taken for granted.

No Moon

The Time Machine (2002) - Moon Breaking Scene

Astronaut TAYLOR :

OK. We're here to stay.

Astronaut LANDON :

Well, where are we? 

Do you have any notion, skipper?

Astronaut TAYLOR :

We're 320 light years from Earth on an unnamed planet in orbit around a star in the constellation of Orion.

Is that close enough for you?

Astronaut DODGE :

That could be Bellatrix.

Astronaut LANDON :

It’s too white for Bellatrix.

Astronaut DODGE :

You didn't have time to read the tapes. 

So you really don't know, do you?

Astronaut LANDON :

What went wrong? 

We weren't programmed to land in the water.

Astronaut TAYLOR :

The Question is not so much 

where we are as when we are.

******

Astronaut LANDON :

It doesn't add up. 

Thunder and lightning, and no rain. 

Cloud cover at night.

Astronaut DODGE :

That strange luminosity, yet no moon.

If we could just get a fix.

Astronaut TAYLOR :

What would that tell you? 

I've told you Where You Are and When You Are.

Astronaut LANDON :

All right, all right.

Astronaut TAYLOR :

You're 300 light years

from your precious planet.

Your loved ones are dead and

forgotten for twenty centuries.

Twenty. Even if you could get back, they'd think you were something that fell out of A Tree.

Astronaut DODGE :

Taylor, quit riding him.

Astronaut TAYLOR :

There is just one reality.

We are here and it is now.

You get hold of that, 

or you might as well be dead.

Fire is The Devil Hiding Like A Coward in The Smoke.

ACT THREE

 

FADE IN:

 

22. INT. DR. JACOBY'S OFFICE - DAY

 

We don't immediately realize where we are. 

Seated in a half circle of chairs are MAJOR BRIGGS, MRS. BRIGGS and Bobby, who can't believe what he's hearing.

 

MRS. BRIGGS

He's been spending more and more of his time alone in

his room.

 

MAJOR BRIGGS

It's become much more difficult to engage him in

conversation.

 

MRS. BRIGGS

Terrible mood swings.

 

MAJOR BRIGGS

We've been told by the school that his attendance has

become erratic at best.

 

MRS. BRIGGS

And of course the recent trouble with public fighting.

Both at the Roadhouse and the funeral.

 

And now we see who they're talking to, sitting in a leather chair, nodding sagely ...

 

DR. JACOBY

Are you using drugs, Bobby?

 

BOBBY

No I'm not.

 

MAJOR BRIGGS

Alcohol.

 

MRS. BRIGGS

Alcohol's a drug.

 

BOBBY

That's not what he meant.

 

MRS. BRIGGS

Alcohol doesn't count?

 

BOBBY

Everybody uses alcohol.

 

DR. JACOBY

Are you unhappy, Bobby?

 

BOBBY

Shouldn't I be?

 

DR. JACOBY

That's not for me to say.

 

Pause.

 

BOBBY

Have you ever killed anybody?

 

DR. JACOBY

Have you?

 

BOBBY

My Father has.

 

MAJOR BRIGGS

During wartime.

 

MRS. BRIGGS

That's different.

 

BOBBY

Different from what?

 

DR. JACOBY

Perhaps I should spend a few minutes with Robert alone.

 

MAJOR BRIGGS

This is supposed to be family counseling.

 

DR. JACOBY

And I'll need to spend some time alone with every member of the family. 

Bobby first.

 

MAJOR BRIGGS

Fair enough.

 

MRS. BRIGGS

Whatever you think best, Doctor.

 

The Major and the Missus get up and leave the room.

 

DR. JACOBY

Bobby, let's cut the crap.

(Bobby looks at him)

Do you feel that your parents don't understand what

you're going through?

 

BOBBY

That's a good one.

 

DR. JACOBY

Let's talk about Laura.

 

BOBBY

Okay. Let's talk about Laura.

 

DR. JACOBY

(knows some secrets here)

What happened the first time you and Laura made love?

 

BOBBY

What the hell kind of question is that?

 

DR. JACOBY

Bobby ... did you cry?

 

BOBBY

(stunned; This is True)

Did I what?

 

DR. JACOBY

(also true)

What did Laura do then? 

Did she laugh at you?

 

Bobby's completely throw off his guard. Jacoby moves in.

 

DR. JACOBY

Were you sad when Laura died?

 

BOBBY

Laura wanted to die.

 

DR. JACOBY

How do you know that?

 

BOBBY

(rising emotion)

Because she told me.

DR. JACOBY

What else did she tell you?

(silence)

Did she tell you there was no goodness in the world?

 

BOBBY

She said people tried to be good but they were really

sick and rotten, her most of all, and the harder she tried to be good the more rotten she felt because it didn't mean anything, because every time she tried to help the world be a better place something terrible came up inside her and pulled her back down into hell, it took her deeper and deeper into the blackest nightmare and every time it got harder to go back up to the light.

 

Pause.

 

DR. JACOBY

(on the case)

Did you sometimes have the feeling that Laura was

harboring some awful secret?

 

BOBBY

Yes.

 

DR. JACOBY

Bad enough that she wanted to die because of it?

 

BOBBY

Yes.

 

DR. JACOBY

Bad enough that it drove her to consciously try to find

people's weaknesses and prey on them, tempt them,

break them down, make them do terrible, degrading

things?

 

BOBBY

(shocked and frightened)

Yes.

 

DR. JACOBY

Laura wanted to corrupt people, because that's how she

felt about herself -

 

BOBBY

(near tears)

Yes.

Pause.

 

DR. JACOBY

Is that what happened to you, Bobby?

 

Bobby dissolves into tears.

 

DR. JACOBY (CONTINUED)

(gently)

Is that what Laura did to you?

 

BOBBY

Yes. She made me ... she wanted ... so much ... she made

me sell drugs so she could have them ... she made me ...

 

Bobby can't continue, buries his face in his hands. Jacoby has had something essential confirmed. He rises, pats Bobby sympathetically on the shoulder, offers him the bowl of ...

 

DR. JACOBY (CONTINUED)

Malted milk ball?

 

Bobby shakes his head. 

Jacoby pops one in his mouth and chews, thinking.

 

CUT TO:

23. EXT. WOODS - DAY

 

A dense, dark forest.

CUT TO:

24. EXT. WOODS - DAY

 

A number of police cars parked in a clearing, the jumping off place for a search party.

Cooper, Truman, Hawk and Doc Hayward. They're preparing to go off into the woods, when

Andy speeds up in his patrol car and gets out.

 

ANDY

(excited)

Sheriff, Leo Johnson's been gone two days, his wife

hasn't seen him -

 

TRUMAN

Okay, Andy --

 

ANDY

But the thing is, I looked into the kitchen? She was

having breakfast and the table was set for two.

COOPER

Good work, Andy. You keep those eyes peeled.

 

Andy beams with pride.

 

TRUMAN

Andy, I want you to stay with the cars.

(Andy's disappointed)

I need someone to stay near the radio. We'll keep in

touch on the walkies.

 

Andy nods and starts back to the cars.

 

TRUMAN

Hawk, lead the way.

 

Hawk tunes up his sensory apparatus, nods, starts into the woods. Cooper and Truman look at

each other. Cooper nods.

 

TRUMAN (CONTINUED)

Doc, you sure you're up for this?

 

HAYWARD

In for a penny, in for a pound, Harry.

 

TRUMAN

That's the spirit.

 

They follow Hawk into the woods.

DISSOLVE TO:

25. EXT. WOODS - DAY

 

A dark, dark grove. The air still and moist. 

A solitary mournful bird call. Hawk stops, listens, examines the ground, finds something that leads him on. Cooper, Truman and Hayward follow.

CUT TO:

26. EXT. LOG LADYS CABIN - DAY

 

Hawk turns a corner and comes upon a simple, solidly constructed log cabin in a clearing. 

It is not the cabin we saw in the photograph in Jacques' apartment. 

Smoke rises from the chimney.

The others join Hawk in the clearing.

 

COOPER

Not the one we're looking for.

 

HAWK

Maybe, maybe not.

 

TRUMAN

You might want to hang back a step, Doc.

 

HAYWARD

(winded) 

Might want to anyway.

As a precaution, Hawk and Truman draw weapons and along with Cooper start to advance. 

As they round the corner of the cabin, they come face to face with the LOG LADY, carrying a log.

TRUMAN

Hello.

LOG LADY

About time you got here.

(to herself)

They move so slowly when they're not afraid.

 

She goes right inside the cabin. Pause. They look at each other. The Log Lady appears in the doorway again.

 

LOG LADY (CONTINUED)

Come on then. 

My log does not judge, 

it only records.

 

She disappears again. They look at each other. Cooper nods. Truman calls back.

 

TRUMAN

Doc?

CUT TO:

27. INT. LOG LADY'S CABIN - DAY

Truman, Cooper, Hawk and then Doc enter. 

One large room. Simple kitchen, a bed in the corner. 

Table with six chairs, six places with a log-motif tea setting. A boarded up fireplace.

Fire extinguishers and a bucket of water in each corner. 

An axe, a saw and other woodcutting tools. Framed picture of a lumberjack, on the mantle, beside a funereal urn, with ashes. 

Log Lady goes to the kitchen, where she's preparing tea.

LOG LADY

I've got tea. I've got cookies. No cake.

COOPER

That's very kind of you, but I don't know if we have

time to --

 

Hawk signals him to accept the invitation, then takes the lead and sits at the table.

 

HAWK

What kind of cookies?

 

LOG LADY

Sugar. The owls won't see us in here.

 

Hayward sits at the table beside Hawk.

HAYWARD

Some tea would be very nice.

LOG LADY

(to Truman and Cooper, annoyed)

Shut your eyes and you will burst into flames.

 

TRUMAN

Thank you.

 

COOPER

Thank you very much.

 

Truman and Cooper sit. The Log Lady sets down a plate of cookies on the table, along with a log-motif tea pot, then she takes a seat.

 

LOG LADY

We'll let it steep.

 

Pause. Cooper reaches for a cookie. 

Log Lady lightly slaps his hand.

 

LOG LADY (CONTINUED)

Wait for the tea. 

The fish aren't running.

Cooper. looks around, noticing all the firefighting equipment. She looks at him, as if to say,

"Don't laugh. I see everything and it takes it's toll." 

Pause.

 

COOPER

Do you use fire for cooking then?

 

LOG LADY

I go to great lengths to keep it under control.

 

TRUMAN

M'am, were you expecting us?

 

LOG LADY

You're two days late. 

Clues may be as cold as the tea

but that's your concern.

(pause)

My log saw something, something significant. 

There's no closer relationship than the logger with the tree.

 

Pause. Cooper looks at Truman

TRUMAN

M'am, what did your log see?

 

LOG LADY

(shakes her head)

Drink first and be ready for The Truth..

She checks the pot, decides it's ready and starts to pour. 

Six cups. Formal manners.

COOPER

(passing the plate around)

Lime, Harry?

 

LOG LADY

My husband was a logging man.

 

COOPER

Oh?

 

LOG LADY

He met The Devil. 

The Devil took the form of Fire. 

Fire is The Devil hiding like A Coward in The Smoke.

HAYWARD

(he knows her)

The day after the wedding, wasn't it Margaret?

 

She looks away. 

HAWK

(to the Log Lady, comforting)

The Wood holds many spirits, doesn't it Margaret?

 

She nods. Pause. They nibble on cookies and drink their tea. The Log Lady turns to Cooper.

 

LOG LADY

You can ask it now.

 

COOPER

(to the log; solemnly, respectfully)

What did you see that night? 

The night Laura Palmer, was killed?

 

LOG LADY

(pause to the log)

Shhhh. Let me do the talking.

(she doses her eyes; this is hard for her)

Dark. Laughing. The Owls were flying. 

Many things were blocked. Laughing. 

Two men. Two girls.

Flashlights, in the woods, pass by, over the ridge. 

The owls were near. The Dark was pressing in on her ...

(calmer)

Quiet then. A gentle wind. 

Footsteps, later, one man pass by. 

All quiet. Screams, far away. Terrible.

Terrible. One voice ...

COOPER

(quietly)

Man or girl?

 

LOG LADY

Girl.... Further up. Over the ridge 

The owls were silent.

She opens her eyes, blinks. Takes a sip of tea. Hayward dries the tears in his eyes.

 

CUT TO:

28. EXT. WOODS DAY

 

A light mist falls. Hawk, Truman, Cooper and Hayward make their way up the ridge through thick woods.

 

COOPER

The two girls are Laura and Ronette.

 

TRUMAN

The two men Jacques, maybe Leo?

 

COOPER

Maybe.

 

TRUMAN

Who's The Third Man?

A. : Harry Lime.

 

Hawk stops suddenly, gestures them to be quiet. He listens.

 

HAWK

Do you hear it?

 

They listen.. Far away ... music. An angelic voice, soft chords.

 

HAWK (CONTINUED)

This way.

 

They continue on.

 

Hawk, Truman, Cooper and Hayward emerge from a thick stand into a clearing; on a rocky point above them stands the log cabin seen in the photo at Jacques; apartment. 

Rundown, not well maintained. Red drapes are visible in a window. Cooper looks at the photo. 

It was shot from the angle they're viewing it from now.

 

The music issues from inside the cabin. The song ends. Pause. The same song begins again.

 

Truman draws his weapon and takes the lead. Hawk and Cooper draw their weapons and follow. 

Hayward sits on a rock and wipes his brow with a handkerchief.

 

CUT TO:

30. INT. SECOND CABIN - DAY

 

The door creaks open, throwing the only light into the dark room. 

Truman, Hawk and Cooper cautiously enter. The music is louder. Cooper draws aside a set of the heavy, dusty red

drapes, letting more light into the room.

 

On a simple record player, the tone arm pulled back over a 45 record, the song ends again, the stylus lifts, returns to the outside, then back onto the outside edge of the record. Scratches, pops, then the song starts again.

 

COOPER

(under his breath)

... and there's always music in the air..."

 

Cooper lifts the stylus off the record. All three men proceed with extreme care, trying not to move or disturb anything.

 

The single room is dusty, trashy, a low-rent version of a harem room: an overstuffed davenport, cheap oriental throw rugs, tasseled satin pillows, empty bottles and full ashtrays.

 

On a tripod, a 35 millimeter camera, facing a small photo bay created by the drapes and pillows. Hawk checks it out.

 

HAWK

There's film in here.

 

Hawk takes out an evidence bag, removes the film.

 

Cooper finds a spool of twine lying on the floor

 

Another tripod shaped object, covered with a cloth. Truman slowly draws the cloth off ... 

a mynah bird in the cage reacts drowsily, weak from hunger and thirst. 

A nameplate on the cage reads ... "O"

 

Hawk draws their attention to dark stains on the wood and one of the throw rugs. He examines it.

 

HAWK

Blood.

 

Cooper moves to look at it

 

Truman, backing up from the cage, hits a rocking chair which rocks forward and hits a table, knocking over a lamp ...

 

Hawk, looking past Cooper, sees The Lamp ...

 

HAWK

Watch out.

Cooper avoids the lamp as it crashes to the floor. Something skitters off the lamp and rolls under the davenport Hawk and Cooper look at each other. Cooper reaches in under the

davenport, feels around, finds something. He pulls it out

INTERCUT:

31. A POKER CHIP

 

A thousand dollar chip, with a small chunk missing. It reads: "ONE-EYED (J)ACK'S"

 

Cooper and Hawk look at each other.