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INT. PARKING GARAGE
It's the P3 parking level underneath the Hotel, half empty,
as on most days, as only employees park there. Guests, only
on extremely busy days.
By the entrance to the elevators, there is a group of
Employees. Smoking, chatting, laughing. There is an Engineer
working on the light inside the elevator lobby. His name is
Jerry. Old, disgruntled, he's got nowhere else to go now.
He's stuck at this job for a long time.
A housekeeper is changing garbage bags by the door. His name
is Alija. Someone offers him a smoke, he refuses.
Jerry is fiddling with wires leading from the ceiling. Their
ends are over exposed and hanging dangerously close to Jerry,
who has no clue.
Alija puts the lid on the garbage can, and goes back inside
with the full one. The employees, from the smoker's area,
enter just as an elevator opens. They board the elevator and
go up. Alija throws the garbage bag on his cart and calls the
elevator. Jerry stops him.
JERRY
Hey Alija. Can i get you to help me
with this?
ALIJA
What is it?
JERRY
Just hold these two wires. I got to
ground this wire. This is the
biggest pain in the ass.
Alija grabs the wires and holds them, separated, away from
Jerry. Another employee walks in. His name is Tim, and he's
also an engineer. He just came to work. He's drinking from a
malt liquor bottle.
Tim looks very pale in the face. His walk is a little off.
TIM
Hey guys, what's up?
JERRY
Fixing this light here. It threw a
goddamn fuse.
Tim strikes a funny pose to Alija. Alija looks at him.
ALIJA
What Tim. What? What?
Tim starts holding his stomach in pain. It starts growling
badly and loud. He holds on to the ladder and almost knocks
Jerry off. Jerry startles.
JERRY
God damn Tim, you alright?
TIM
Yeah...yeah. Just ate too much.
God, i hope i just ate too much.
JERRY
Well...what did you eat?
TIM
Oh, me and a bunch of guys went to
the El Rancho Buffet yesterday. We
ate like crazy. They had this soup,
with peppers, eggs, beans and lots
of other stuff mixed in it. Man...
The elevator door opens. Tim starts clutching his stomach
harder now. The pain throws him off balance and he falls
backwards --
--right onto Alija, who's holding the power lines. Alija
touches Jerry with the power lines. A huge power spike
occurs. Jerry is launched from the aluminum ladder against
the wall behind him. There is a loud pop, and tons of black
smoke appear. Then, a second later, the power goes out.
Instantly, the backup lights kick in.
Jerry and Alija are lying on the ground, moaning in pain.
They are clutching one arm each. The spots where the wires
touched them, charred black. Tim gets up, slowly. He gets
into the elevator. Alija and Jerry yell after him.
JERRY
Call for help...
TIM
I'm going right now...
INT. LOBBY - FRONT DESK
The front desk has a long line of guests waiting. The power
goes out here. Guests scream, scuffles break out in the pitch
black, until the backup lights kick in.
The manager, Justin, walks the floor. He seems to apologize
to guests, as he walks to a security guard, Brian.
They briefly stand, looking at the guests.
BRIAN
So, what's the deal with the
lights?
JUSTIN
No clue. I called
engineering...Franjo's not here.
Nobody answered the phone. I don't
know what's going on.
BRIAN
I'll go check it out.
JUSTIN
I'll join you, if you don't mind.
They start walking, and the Engineering manager, John, joins
them.
JOHN
Gentlemen. I called one of my guys.
Looks like there was a short on one
of the parking garage floors.
JUSTIN
What kind of short?
JOHN
Don't know. I'm on my way down
there.
BRIAN
We'll come with.
INT. THE SALT CELLAR - (P1 BREAK ROOM)
Employees are having lunch in the break room. It's moderately
full. The cook, Zack, has his grill full of burgers and beef.
He slaps a Hamburger patty on a bun that's waiting on a plate
full of salad and fries. He calls out.
ZACK
Older brother!!!!
Ilyas, a banquet houseman, comes running. He sticks a pack of
cigarettes in his pocket. He takes the plate and jokes with
Zack.
ILYAS
Come on Zack. What is this brother.
Give me more fries.
ZACK
Nope. That's all you get.
ILYAS
Come on brother. Just a little.
ZACK
I thought you had enough?
ILYAS
Come on man, i'm hungry....
ZACK
Oh alright. I'll give you some
more.
James, a very skinny african houseman comes in. He taps Ilyas
on the shoulder.
JAMES
Ilyas...do you have a meal ticket?
ILYAS
Yeah. Why?
JAMES
Cause i wanna buy one. I'm hungry,
man.
Ilyas reaches into his pocket, takes out his wallet and gives
James a ticket.
ILYAS
For this, three bucks. Remember,
you have to pay me for the other
three, or clean my car.
James gives him three dollars.
JAMES
You know, in Alpine. You were
supposed to move the tables Rifet
told you to move. I had to do it
for you. What do you think about
that?
ILYAS
Nothing. What can i think?
Before Ilyas can leave, James dunks his hand in Ilyas's salad
and takes some tomatoes. Ilyas is disgusted.
ILYAS
Come on Jimmy...really. No cry.
James doesn't listen. He gives Zack the ticket and orders.
Tim comes through the door. He looks at Ilyas and James and
does some funny stuff.
TIM
(Joking, in a woman's voice) Hi
Boys!
James fills his cup with coke. Tim looks at all the food on
display. He tries to decide.
TIM
Ahhh...give me a burger and just
some fries. That's it. And some of
that soup there.
Zack slaps another burger on a plate, with some fries and
gives it to Tim. Tim's stomach starts to groan very loudly
again. He's having a really bad bowel movement.
Tim suddenly seizes up, motionless. His burger is done and
Zack looks at him.
ZACK
There's your burger.
(Starts coughing hard and
uncontrollably)
Tim doesn't hear him. His stomach groans and moans even
louder now.
TIM
What? Oh yeah.
He stands there like a statue, leaning against the counter
top. Zack looks at him. He inches slowly to the Soda Machine.
ZACK
Tim, are you alright? You don't
look too good.
If Tim moves, he'll drop a load or let one go. Whichever
comes first. He doesn't answer.
Ilyas slaps Tim on the back, clenches him on his shoulders
and shakes him. That moves Tim and more stomach groans come.
He holds his stomach, but the bowel movements are too
overpowering and --
-- a huge, long fart comes out. Ilyas pulls his shirt over
his nose.
ILYAS
Wow, shit. What the hell Tim? What
did you eat?
ZACK
(Flipping around) Aw hell no. Not
in my goddamn kitchen.
Zack jams his knife into the cutting board.
Zack stares at Tim, mad. Tim, whose face has gained some
color now, suddenly starts to move around more freely. He
takes his burger and leaves. PBX calls Engineering on the
radio. Tim responds.
TIM
10/4, I'm on lunch right now. I'll
do it later.
Once the gas oxidizes, it hits Ilyas and Zack. Immediately
they start to throw up. The smell seems to expand, and moves
to the rest of the cafeteria. People start throwing up all
over the cafeteria.
Ilyas and Zack have already thrown up all they had, but it
keeps going. Their faces are blood red, their eyes need just
a hair's width to pop out of their heads.
A pair of foot long Rats zip out from the kitchen area. It's
a whole family. They frantically run around, as if to search
for something. They run a bit more then -- drop dead.
INT. LAUNDRY DEPARTMENT
All the Washing machines are working on full power. Workers
are scattered across the whole floor. Washing, drying,
folding, etc. Music from the radio fills the air. Three
workers are singing by a dryer, drunk as bums.
One of the workers is operating the newest type of Industrial
Dryer, the "Lariat PN8C". He boasts about it to his
coworkers.
SHAMIR
Say hello to the Lariat PN8C. The
world's first unmanned drier that
does all the work by it self.
Never gets stuck, never breaks
down...and it absolutely never,
ever, stops.
He demonstrates on one of the bed sheets. The bedsheet is
sucked inside the machine on a conveyor belt. Some quick
movements and sounds later, the bedsheet plops onto another
station, folded, and ready to go.
SHAMIR
She is the first of her kind. The
fastest dryer ever. Even the
Germans are behind.
Dane, Shamir's coworker, sips from his beer. He looks around
the dryer, admiring it. On the side of the dryer he sees a
label.
DANE
Shamir?
Shamir is busy talking about the dryer to his coworkers.
SHAMIR
Not now Soltenberg...
(Back to the coworkers) As i was
saying...
DANE
Call me crazy, but the label here
says this machine was made, and
assembled, in Germany.
Shamir is shocked. The look on his face like he just had a
massive coronary. He bolts to Dane and the label. Kneels down
and reads.
He clenches his fist and punches the ground.
DANE
Shamir? It's ok, you know. So what,
if it's made in germany.
SHAMIR
(Threatening voice)
I would like to be alone for a
moment.
Dane glimpses at the others. In sync, they back a few feet
away.
Another worker wants to try it. He throws a blanket onto the
belt. The belt picks it up, but jams.
The worker pulls on the blanket, but the dryer is too
powerful, and slowly pulls more and more.
SHAMIR
(Panics) Aaaahh, my machine!
Shamir and the other workers around him, jump in. They grab a
piece of the blanket and pull. They struggle with the
blanket, until it rips in half. The other piece goes through.
Suddenly, the dryer sputters. Almost like it is going to
explode. It slows down, red lights start flashing on top of
it. It starts to vibrate badly.
SHAMIR
Nooo. She hasn't even had her first
load yet.
The piece of the blanket is thrown out the other side, folded
and dried. The dryer resumes normal function.
INT. P3 PARKING ELEVATORS
The bell dings. The elevator opens. Brian, Justin and John
step out. Right into the carnage. They look around the
smoking room. Huge sparks fly from the shorted line. Justin
steps on something and face plants. John helps him up.
JOHN
How did this happen?
BRIAN
Looks like there was a short
somewhere.
JOHN
I don't know. It'll take us a week
to find out.
Justin opens the door to the parking, to let some smoke out.
Briand lights a cigarette. John and Justin head to the Beer
Vending Machine and get a couple of beers.
INT. SEMINAR THEATER
The room is bustling with Hotel Employees from every
department. The tables are full of Beers and ashtrays. The
room is thick with a fog of cigarette smoke. The tables are
hosts to lines of various weapons, all carried by the staff.
It's like an NRA meeting. Servers are handing out drinks,
cigarettes, food etc.
Employees are chatting amongst themselves. A huge brown gavel
pounds on the podium three times. Everybody listens up.
The hotel General Manager, Steve, steps up to the podium.
He's heavy-set, bald, and usually very nice and polite with
everyone.
His assistant announces him.
ASSISTANT
Ladies and gentlemen. Mr. Steve
Lindburg is going to address you.
Please hold all comments until he
is finished with his summation.
GM STEVE
Thank you, Angela.
Angela sits down. She pops open a wine bottle and downs it.
GM STEVE
I'd like to thank you all for
coming. Looks like everyone's
helped themselves to drinks and
food. Alright. As you all know,
we've been extremely busy these
last few weeks. No complaints, just
lots of work. I want to thank all
of you for a job well done.
Steve goes on ranting about work. A few banquet housemen and
AV guys are talking amongst themselves.
CAMERON
What did that guy talk about today?
CLINT
Shift workers. The ones you guys
have got for a few weeks to help
out.
FRANK
Shift workers are crazy man - no
question. Whether it's getting up
in the middle of the night, working
through to the hours of the
morning, or having to work when the
majority of the population is
enjoying time off. Shit! Hell no!
CLINT
It can be tough and I'm not going
to tell you otherwise.
So did you get the short straw this
Easter, and have to work along with
the Easter bunny?
CAMERON
I can't take this. 15 hour days.
This is crazy.
More employees come into the room. They take seats, open
beers and light cigarettes.
SHAWN
....and There will from now be
monthly departmental meetings,
where our goal is to focus on what
each specific department needs. All
staff must attend. Failure to do so
will result in termination, but
most likely in severe punishment.
GM STEVE
For that reason, we have elected
someone who is willing to enforce
these new rules and pound them into
each of your team members. His name
is Edgar. He is the Banquet
captain, but will also double as
the Security Director.
He invites edgar to the podium. Edgar is short, but sharply
dressed in a Banquet Captain's uniform. He's got dark
Sunglasses on, along with an earpiece. He speaks with a heavy
Colombian Accent.
EDGAR
Yes. Hello...(Adjusts Mic) I have
been placed in charge of the
Security and Banquets departments
here. The former Security director
has been placed on leave. From now
on, everybody will be wearing
security anklets. Breaks and
lunches will be no more than 15
minutes x 2, and half hour,
respectively. Another...
One of the servers, Fanny, jumps in.
FANNY
Pero, pipo panch for lanch, y sin
dau fori minits. Nex taki card i
panch for mor pipo. Wat? Puta
madre! No gud!
Edgar interjects swiftly.
EDGAR
Yes...we know!
A water pitcher flies past Edgar and just barely misses the
GM. The GM ducks it by an inch.
VOICE
(Background) You shit man!
The attacker, Izet, a housekeeper, runs from his chair
towards them and tries to vault through the entrance door. He
bounces off of it with a thunderous thud and lays flat on the
floor. The door is apparently locked.
Two armed guards enter. They each grab Izet's legs and drag
him out. Another two guards come in, and stand guard on the
sides of the door.
GM STEVE
Alright. Can we continue?
The guards nod. The GM drinks beer. He lets out a loud burp.
Shawn lights a huge blount, takes a few puffs.
GM STEVE
Hey, hey, easy. Pass that shit
along.
Shawn passes the blount to him.
GM STEVE
God damn. (Takes a hit)
Holy shit. Pass it along everybody.
The blount is passed along the employees.
GM STEVE
God damn. Some beer. Yeah...on
account of the recent arrival of
the Chinese Orchestral Company, we
will be very busy for some weeks to
come. Ask for your tip. Fight for
it. Basically, we got to give them
the best care possible.
SHAWN
Some of you might have heard that
the president is coming here.
Now...no matter how silly of stupid
it may seem that we have a
president, we must make sure to
always serve them well.
The engineer, Gene, an 80 something old, is holding the
ladder for Tim, who is wiring something in a hole in the wall
when --
A huge short occurs. Tim is hit by the current. He lets out a
huge yelp, and comes crashing down from the ladder. His leg
hits Gene, who falls unconscious.
EDGAR
Another interesting thing that i
learned is that people have been
helping themselves to our beds,
sheets, pillows and so forth. We
are not a Red Cross. This will have
to stop immediately.
SHAWN
We have finally made enough money
to upgrade to Grade D meat, up from
the previous Grade F. So...happy
day at work and have a wonderful
weekend.
INT. 2ND FLOOR LINEN ROOM/EMPLOYEE ELEVATORS
The elevator dings. The door opens up, Tim walks out. The now
familiar barely visible greenish smoke trailing behind him.
He exits the linen room. Not far behind him come Brooks, the
event manager and a few co-workers.
They walk down the small hallway, then stop. They start
barfing there on the ground.
They throw up all they have in their stomachs, their eyes
almost popping out of their head.
They can't stop throwing up. It keeps on coming. Brooks
somehow takes out his phone, dials 9...1...drops the phone as
more barf comes.
INT. 3RD FLOOR STORAGE
The storage area is a mess. Tables on carts lie everywhere,
risers are strewn across the walk path, stacked chairs block
the area where bars are being stored.
In a little cage, blocked off by fencing, is the AV Cage. The
light is on. Rustling is heard from inside.
INT. AV CAGE
Clint, the AV guy, is rummaging through a plastic container
filled with cables. He's already got a huge pile of cables on
his cart. He's listening to his IPod. He plunks down even
more cords, takes his Ipod and changes songs.
He wheels the carts out, next to the Freight Elevator, and
starts imitating drums on the Elevator door. On one of the
carts is a police issue Heckler & Koch MP-5, with a few clips
and a hand grenade.
INT. 3RD FLOOR STORAGE
The elevator opens. The Housemen start cleaning out the
elevator. Ilyas comes, takes a table and drags it away. He
stops and screws with Pimentel, who gets angry. As Pimentel
walks past him with a table Ilyas starts patting him on the
shoulders. He knocks Pimentel against a bar. A glass falls
from it and breaks.
Pimentel looks at the glass, then at Ilyas.
ILYAS
Oooh, pimentel, pimentel...
PIMENTEL
Haste la verga, cavron.
Ilyas picks up the table and hurls it onto a cart. Pimentel
sees that. he takes a gulp from his coke and lets out a huge
burp.
PIMENTEL
Yu put good cavron, no chinges
vato. Y next, ese pinche puto vjeho
habla...no no no no.
He walks away, to the elevator. The audio visual guys are
still in their cage. They are preparing cables and stuff.
From the floor below, someone pounds on the door. Ilyas yells
down. They pound again. Ilyas pounds on the wall. He and
Pimentel grab a couple of tallboys and exit the elevator.
The pounding continues. Nobody hears it. One of the AV Guys,
Clint, wheels out two AV carts full of cables and such. In
the background, the Housemen start arguing.
The pounding continues. Clint closes the elevator door, and
the elevator is called to the floor below.
INT. GRAND BALLROOM A/B
Jerry, now with a full cast on his injured arm, is working on
the Audio Visual Screen, high atop the Man lift. The screen
has fallen all the way down to the ground. Another engineer,
Dominic, is on the ground, by the switch that raises and
lowers the screen.
JERRY
Ok...now try to raise it....
Dominic flips the switch. The motor runs, but the screen
doesn't budge.
JERRY
God Damn. This is a real mess....
DOMINIC
Try and check the carrier flange.
Maybe it got loose or something.
JERRY
Bo...it's one of the locking pins
that got separated. It snapped
right in half.
Jerry makes a makeshift pin from one of the nails at the
bottom of the man lift. He jams it into the socket of the old
pin. The nail is too thin, he has to hold it from sliding
through.
JERRY
Ok, do it now.
Dominic flips the switch. The screen begins to wind up.
Jerry holds the nail, until his watch gets caught on
something. It's stuck. His arm starts to twist, small cracks
coming from his joints. His face turns red from pain.
JERRY
Stop...stop...
Dominic doesn't hear him. He's texting on his phone.
JERRY
Stop the screen, you dumb son of a
bitch...
Dominic stops the screen. Jerry's arm comes free, and he
slumps into the man lift cabin. He picks up the broken pieces
of his watch and looks at the back. It's apparently a gift
from his wife.
DOMINIC
Jerry...what the hell man? That was
unnecessary. You wanna die?
Jerry peeks out of the cabin opening. His eyes bloodshot.
JERRY
You son of a bitch...my arm could
have been torn off...
Dominic runs to the kitchen.
Jerry leans back in the cabin, holding his arm tight.
Dominic comes back, with an automatic pallet jack. He wheels
it towards the man lift. Jerry, slowly and with excruciating
pain, starts reaching for the control switch.
As Dominic nears the lift, it begins to come down.
DOMINIC
Tuck and roll, Jerry.
When the lift is about halfway down, Dominic has the jack in
place under the lift and begins raising it.
The man lift tilts over and it comes crashing down to the
ground with a ground shaking thud. Jerry falls out of the
lift and rolls a few feet away. Dominic runs to the
"Emergency Box" on the wall and takes an M-16.
Jerry, coming to and crawling towards the man lift, reaches
under the cabin and brings out another M-16.
DOMINIC
Jerry?...how you wan' do this?
JERRY
I'm gon' put a few in your head,
stupid son of a....
Dominic shoots at the lift. He launches himself at the tables
in the room. He flips some 6x30 tables and takes cover behind
them. Gunfire breaks out from both sides.
Orchestral music fills all of the Grand Ballroom, even though
it's only coming from the Grand ballroom C.
Mina, Semso, Edgar and Fanny pass through Grand Ballroom A/B,
wheeling in two Rolling Break tables. Mina and Fanny are
carrying trays full of glasses and plates.
Grenades fly from lift to tables, and vice versa. They don't
mind.
INT. 3RD FLOOR STORAGE
Engineers are working on the Air Conditioning. It's Tim, Jose
and Dane. Tim is in the Air conditioning duct. He's banging
against something. Dane is on the ladder, his upper body is
inside as well.
TIM
Yeah. There are some holes all the
way down here.
DANE
There's nothing we can do with this
now. We gotta get all the gunk out
first.
TIM
That's a big waste of time. If we
leave it, it will still seep out
through the ceiling in the Grand
Ballroom.
Jose is preparing some plates and lines the edges with bondo
glue.
JOSE
How big are the holes?
TIM
I don't know how else to do it.
JOSE
Hey tim...how big are the holes?
TIM
They are about as big as a quarter.
JOSE
Then we have to just use the bondo
glue. It's easier. Just apply it on
the hole. Then, when it gets dry,
put some more on it, two or three
times like that.
All of a sudden, a deep, loud rumble comes from the duct.
Jose is startled. He looks at Dane, who is standing on the
ladder. Dane starts saying something, when, his body suddenly
goes limp. He slumps down, over the ladder.
JOSE
Dane? Are you ok?...Tim?
A familiar green mist comes out of the vent. Jose panics. He
drops the plates and his tools and runs towards the freight
elevator.
Tim is moving inside the duct. His hand comes out the duct,
shaking Dane. Trying to wake him up.
TIM
Hey dane? Dane?.....Jose?
Jose closes the elevator. It descends to the 2nd floor.
The mist is sucked through the air conditioning vent, towards
the floors below.
INT. LOBBY
Izet is mopping the lobby floor, where next to him, a heating
pipe has burst and is spewing water all over. Tim and Franjo
are trying to fix the pipe, but it looks like a slow process.
The water is drenching them wet.
INT. BANQUET KITCHEN
The Freight Elevator opens. Clint is in it. A dark, blank,
emotionless face. He steps out, doesn't even bother closing
it. He throws a few wmpty Mountain Dew cans. They all fall to
the floor.
On his way through the kitchen, Patricia stops him.
PATRICIA
Hey man. Waj ju no clin de car by
office?
Clint goes crazy. He grabs her by the shoulders and starts
shaking her around. He's yelling at her. She almost passes
out. His yelling is unintelligible.
He suddenly hears a meaow. The cat is running away from them.
Clint takes the MP-5 from his cart, and goes after the cat.
Patricia comes to. She's shaken, but ok. She reaches down,
under the Rolling Break table and takes out a fully
customized AK47. She runs after Clint.
INT. 2ND FLOOR BUSINESS CENTER
Two guests walk into the business center. The man sits down
by the computer and wiggles the mouse. The woman looks around
the Business center.
It's a small, shabby business center, with a printer, four
computers and a paper shredder.
The older man takes out his camera.
OLDER MAN
Did we bring the hard drive with
us?
OLD WOMAN
I think I put it...
The old woman sits down next to the old man. She places her
bad on her lap and starts rummaging through it.
The old man connects the Camera to the computer. The screen
saver disappears. A payment screen appears. The old man looks
surprised.
OLDER MAN
Look at this...they want us to
pay...
The older woman stops her rummaging. She looks at the old
man.
OLD WOMAN
Oh...that's ridiculous. How can
they? This is supposed to be free,
like at the other Hotels.
OLDER MAN
Well, who knows. Probably got their
reason. We'll have to ask them at
the front desk.
They pack up their things and walk out of the Business
Center.
Just as them come into the Foyer, Ilyas and James come their
way. They are pushing a cart full of 6' round tables. The old
lady stops them.
OLD WOMAN
Excuse me? Can you tell me where
there are other computers we can
use, just to transfer pictures to
our Hard drive?
OLDER MAN
These here you have to pay to use.
James jumps at the opportunity.
JAMES
I think you may have to go talk to
the front desk people. We don't
work here in the center.
OLD WOMAN
Why do we have to pay for them? In
all the other hotels it is free.
ILYAS
I'm sorry ma'am. Just what we can
do.
JAMES
Yeah...this hotel is cheap. These
executives act like everything is
alright, but it's not.
OLDER MAN
I wouldn't say cheap. Good business
practice, maybe.
The older man and woman silently walk away. The old woman
flashes a Gang sign to James and Ilyas.
James and Ilyas try to chase them but the old couple is
faster and pull out a pair of Desert Eagles, two each.
OLD WOMAN
Freeze! Shit Heads!
James and Ilyas stop dead in their tracks. The old couple
yell at them like a couple of cops.
OLD WOMAN
Hands up! Don't try anything or the
fat guy gets it...get it!
At that moment, like a savior sent from god, Patricia and
Clint show up. Shooting at each other, from close range.
The old woman shoots at them. Clint and Patricia turn their
focus on the old couple. From the men's rest room, Kenny
peeks out. He vaults from the door at Patricia.
Patricia sees him. Right when Kenny is about to get her, she
slams the butt of her AK into his cheek bone. He falls down,
KO'd.
James and Ilyas have started shooting too. They empty their
clips, reload and shoot, while continuing to push the table
cart.
JAMES
Man, I can really get into trouble,
huh. If I say this hotel is cheap
and somebody hears me. (Laughs)
ILYAS
No jimmy. Why? Das not yur problem.
JAMES
Yeah, you're right. It's these
executives that are....
They push the cart away, into Grand Ballroom A/B, where Jerry
and Dominic are still in their shoot out.
INT. 3RD FLOOR STORAGE
Clint is the only one on the floor. He's looking for
something. He ducks under the risers and carts, calling out
as he goes.
CLINT
Here, here, here, here....
A meaow comes from behind the risers. A cat jumps up on top
of the risers. It's got his keys in it's mouth. They jingle
as the cat moves.
Clint attempts to bait it.
When he's close to it, he tries to snatch it, but it slips
away. It jumps across more risers and up a cable. It comes to
rest on the ceiling pipe.
Clint looks around for something to throw. There is nothing
small enough. So, he starts to climb on one riser. He slowly
walks over the risers, careful not to fall in between them
The cat, observing him, inches slowly away from him. Clint
comes to a stop.
In front of him, there is a space where four risers would be,
but instead there are tallboy and cocktail tables crudely
thrown in the hole.
On the other side of that hole are more risers and lots of
linen thrown on top of them. If he can snatch the cat and
land on the linen he'll be good.
He grabs hold of the pipe and starts to shimmy across it.
Barely a few feet across, he starts struggling and losing
grip. His face turning red from the stress. His eyes never
losing sight of the cat.
He pulls himself up with the last bit of strength and hooks
his elbow around the pipe. He hangs there until he regains
some strength, then he starts to swing back and forth.
He wings and gains a big arc. At the height of the arc he
tries to grab the cat. As his hand comes closer to the cat,
it gets scared and jumps off, and scratches Clint across the
face. Clint grabs his face. He is too heavy for his other
hand alone and it loses its grip. He plummets down on top of
the cocktail tables.
The cat slips away, towards the back of the 3rd floor.
INT. GRANDBALLROOM C
The lights have been slightly dimmed. There is a buffet table
and guests are taking food from it. A server is adding more
food to the chafers.
The Chinese Orchestra is practicing their daily routine for
their upcoming concert tour. The bullets from jerry and
Dominic's shoot out pass through the airwall that's dividing
the ballroom. The music syncs the passing bullets in tune.
Thick smoke is in the air, revealed by the low house light
levels. Most of the orchestra members are smoking. The
servers are having a hard time just emptying the ash trays.
The orchestra is being directed by a short, balding man. He
motions wildly with his stick in the air. Balancing it with a
cigarette, and holding another cigarette in his other hand.
There are three pianists sitting behind him behind three
pianos. One piano is pierced by a bullet, striking a false
tune.
Housemen bring in tables and set them up on the north wall.
Servers bring in plates, silverware and all the stuff
required for a dinner. Edgar is in the middle of it all,
directing everyone on what to do, sharply contrasting the
musical dirigent.
The guest in charge approaches Edgar.
KOWANG
Hello sir. I just want to confirm
that our dinner is starting at 7
PM?
Edgar takes out his BEO (Banquet Event Order) and flips
through the pages. He finds it.
EDGAR
Yes. That is the dinner for 743
people. You have the full dinner,
desserts and four cash bars. Two
are inside, and two outside.
KOWANG
And also, i would like to move hose
two from the outside into the
ballroom, and put two hosted bars
into their places.
EDGAR
We can do that. Do you still want
the votives on the tables?
KOWANG
Yes, please. We have a change of
plans. We'll be extending our stay
at your hotel for another two
weeks. Normally we would have moved
to the grand America, but your
hospitality is excellent.
EDGAR
We are happy to do all we can for
you. Please let us know of anything
else we can do for you.
KOWANG
I will do so. Thank you so much
again.
Kowang joins an older lady who happens to walk by. Edgar
pushes his earpiece and changes the channel. He talks to
someone.
One by one, the execs enter the hotle. The bellman gets into
the Limo. The Limo burns rubber as the bellman drifts through
the drive way into the garage.
KOWANG
Mrs. Lee...how are you?
They walk out of the Ballroom. From the Ballroom A/B, shots
can still be heard and Jerry's and Dominic's muffled
arguments. Edgar goes back to directing the servers.
EXT. HOTEL FRONT - BELL STAND - DAY
Guest cars take up much of the drive through space. Bellmen
are helping guests. They are frantically running around,
moving luggage and cars.
Two Bellmen are arguing. They play a coin toss game. They are
plaing who's gonna get the tip. The giving guest in question,
stands between them, observing, with a huge wad of Hundred
dollar bills.
A long, black 1998 Lincoln Towncar Limo pulls up. It's got
five windows inbetween the wheels. All the car's trim has
been upgraded to twenty-four carat gold. A bellman runs up to
the door. He opens it.
Hotel Super Executives start piling out of the limo. One of
the executives snaps his fingers. The driver brings him a
briefcase. The exec opens it and hands it to the bellman,
who's jaw drops. In the case there is a hundred grand. Tips
for the bellman.
BELLMAN
Thank you sir.
NELSON
Yes. Yes. Keep up the good work.
INT. GRAND BALLROOM FOYER
Guests are walking about the foyer. One man tries to buy
cigarettes from the vending machine. It swallows his quarter.
The man starts kicking the machine.
He goes berzerk. Until Edgar and two security guards come
running. Edgar tackles and takes down the man with a swift
Neck choke. The security guards handcuff the man, and drag
him away.
Edgar scribbles something in a little notebook, then leaves
as if nothing happened.
INT. BANQUET KITCHEN
The kitchen is busy as hell. Housemen, servers, dishwashers
and the like are crawling about like ants. Steam rises from
the dish washing mashine and collects on the ceiling.
Two servers are working by the Ice Machine. One stacks crates
full of overturned glasses. The other fills them with ice and
water.
Mina is going to the Grand C back hallway. She is pushing
stacked crates of glasses and pulling a huge bowl of salad.
A dishwasher runs up to her and takes over pushing the salad
bowl. He takes out a fork and starts eating the salad. Mina
stops. She parks the crates next to a Hotbox, and the salad
next to the crates. She stops the dish washer.
MINA
Will you go downstairs and get one
of the guys to mop the kitchen
area?
DISHWASHER
I'll get Vasil on it. He's coming
from lunch in ten minutes.
Mina continues towards the Banquet office.
MINA
Somebody is going to slip and fall
there. I would not mind. We have
too many idiots here.
At the end of the hallway the main chef brings in one more
hotbox.
CAUESTAU
Coming through. Good stuff here.
A server opens the box. Looks inside.
SERVER
Good stuff?
CAUESTAU
The best. If anything ends up
missing, the punishment is fifty
lashes across the back and, let's
say...ten face dumps in the toilet.
INT. ALPINE BALLROOM
The buffet line is long. Servers are changing the food pans
in the chafers. Some are serving the guests on the tables.
Mina walks into the Ballroom, with some plates. She catches
Boris going out.
MINA
Boris. Please, would you bring more
bread. They don't have anymore.
Boris blows her off.
BORIS
What is this my big gosh? Fanny
takin boris bring more glasses,
Semso takin bring more napkin.
(goes on ranting in russian)
Boris tries to leave. Mina grabs his arm. She lifts up her
shirt and reveals a gold plated beretta, tucked in her belt.
MINA
Boris...don't talk back to me. You
do the shit i tell you to do.
She grabs hold of the beretta, but doesn't take it out. Boris
shows her a Colt Python, hidden in a holster beneath his
server vest. Mina backs off a little, keeping her hand on the
beretta.
Behind her, on the table, the guests suddenly get up. They
take out guns, cock them and point them at Boris.
Behind boris, some servers pour in, also armed, and point
their guns at mina. Nobody relents. It's a tense moment. They
stare at each other. Mina is chewing something.
BORIS
A couple steps back please.
Mina moves a couple of steps back, keeping her eyes on boris.
She picks up a water pitcher from the guest table and spits
the dark tobacco juice into it, then puts the pitcher back.
MINA
Are you going to do something?
Boris doesn't say anything. He sizes them up. The event
around them keeps on going, despite their mexican standoff.
MINA
Yeah...i think you were. Weren't
you?
BORIS
Mina, wot is it? Waj ju takin shit
everibodi? No only Boris work. Tis
pipo work everytin hir.
MINA
What everybody work? Hehe...only i
work here. Everybody else is
sitting down. I have to run
everywhere.
BORIS
And boris no work? (Laughs) Pliz.
You no toking.
MINA
Boris, i'm not playing around.
BORIS
Tis is no my problem. Hir servers,
der servers. No only Boris.
Mina looks around the room, and sure enough, there are
servers sitting at the guest tables: eating, drinking,
smoking, laughing with the guests, etc.
She motions to the guests behind her. They put down their
guns, sit back down and go back to their conversations like
nothing happened.
Mina hides her beretta again. The servers behind boris also
put theirs away, and help boris do what mina told him to do.
INT. BANQUET KITCHEN
Semso and Silvina are working on two Rolling Buffets. Silvina
is organizing the Coffee, Tea and such. Semso is checking the
glasses and the Coffee Cups.
Mina, Djordje and Jasminka, the Banquet manager, come in.
They are talking about something, but Jasminka sounds like
she is arguing, with her high and loud voice. She sounds like
that all the time.
SILVINA
Hey Djordje. They want food on the
break?
DJORDJE
Yes. The food is just veggies and
fruit. It goes at 10 am. So don't
worry about it. I'll get someone to
do it.
SEMSO
Are you guys going to smoke?
DJORDJE
Yes. Are you coming? (To Silvina)
On the break that we have in
Alpine, you can just refresh it.
Don't worry about the rest.
SILVINA
Ok Djordje. Wat putin in Salon 3 de
break?
Mina jumps in at the opportune moment.
MINA
They have double side buffet.
Meanwhile, Jasminka is keeping the elevator door open. She
gets impatient, and yells at them from the top of her lungs.
JASMINKA
Let's go. Leave them. They know
what to do. Everything is ready.
INT. SECURITY OFFICE
Brendan, the security director is sitting behind his desk.
There are two EMTs, two cops and two of his security guards.
The Housekeeping manager walks into the room. She hands some
forms to Brendan.
He takes them, scans them over, then signs them, passing them
to the Cops and EMTs.
BRANDON
Well, everything's done. The papers
are signed. (Looks at the EMTs) You
guys can take them to the hospital.
EMT #1
Ok. I assume you guys have taken
care of all the necessary forms for
their leaves of absences?
SAMANTHA
Yeah. We'll keep them on paid leave
until you guys clear them to work
again. The Director of Engineering
could not make it, but i talked
with him, and i'm talking on behalf
of him.
The EMT takes the forms, he and his co-worker leave. The cops
sign some papers with brandon.
BRANDON
Alright gentlemen. We'll take care
of the rest.
The cops leave. Brandon takes the papers and leaves his
office.
END OF EPISODE ONE
Copyright and Trademark by Bojan Letic.
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