KNIGHT
RIDER 2000
ACT SIX
122 EXT. WAREHOUSE DISTRICT – ALLEY – DAY
as the
Knight 4000 streaks down an alley just to the side of a warehouse, coming to a
smooth stop.
123 INT. KNIGHT 4000 – SAME TIME
Michael’s
behind the wheel, Shawn shotgun. The engine idle dies. Several seconds of
silence…then:
SHAWN
I
missed my old partner, Mr. Knight. I’m glad you’re back.
MICHAEL
You had
something to do with it.
She
looks at him.
MICHAEL
What I
mean is, you helped convince me.
She
nods. Slightly vulnerable.
K.I.T.T.
Desire.
SHAWN
I beg
your pardon...?
K.I.T.T.
Your
brand of perfume – I’m equipped with an Aromanometer now. The scent is quite
alluring but let’s stick to the work at hand, all right?
MICHAEL
I’m
sensing some jealousy here.
SHAWN
Of who
– you or me?
K.I.T.T.
Get
your minds out of the gutter.
(beat)
The
police vehicle has just arrived.
They
instantly become alert as:
124 EXT. WAREHOUSE – SAME TIME
Huge
doors open, allowing Kurt and Hedges to pull inside in their police unit.
125 INT. WAREHOUSE/POLICE UNIT – CONTINUOUS
as they
roll to a stop. Hedges offers Kurt a glazed; he actually declines it. Very
troubled.
HEDGES
What’s
done is done. She’s dead, just like she should’ve been the first time.
KURT
I want
out.
HEDGES
There
is no out and you know it. The train’s rolling, Miller – jump off now and
you’ll get mowed down.
Hedges
climbs out. She’s right. Kurt has no choice but to follow.
126 INT. KNIGHT 4000 – SAME TIME
(COMPUTER/PROCESS)
Looking
at the warehouse exterior.
MICHAEL
Switch
to Virtual Reality.
The
normal windshield view flashes with a buzz of static, then a transparent
digital outline of the warehouse materializes, Kurt and Hedges becoming
computer animated figures inside.
127 INT. POLICE WAREHOUSE – NIGHT
as
Hedges and Kurt load two wooden crates into the rear of their unit. Hedges
approaches the uniformed WAREHOUSE CLERK, someone we recognize as another of
Watts’ men, and signs his release form.
128 INT. KNIGHT 4000 – SAME TIME
(COMPUTER/PROCESS)
MICHAEL
Analyze
those crates for me, K.I.T.T.
On the
windshield, K.I.T.T. zeroes in on the police unit in a series of jump-zooms.
The trunk is quickly enlarged and x-rayed, revealing several dozen 9mm Sig
Sauer handguns in both crates.
SHAWN
Maddock
was right – none of them were ever melted down.
K.I.T.T.
I’m
ready with the voice sampler, Shawn. It’s ringing now.
Shawn
lifts the cellular phone between their seats.
129 INT. POLICE WAREHOUSE – SAME TIME
as the
Warehouse Clerk answers his ringing phone.
WAREHOUSE
CLERK
(into
phone)
Warehouse….
(to
Kurt)
It’s
Watts.
Kurt
moves to the phone. We PUSH IN tight enough to hear leakage from the receiver.
KURT
Yeah…
WATTS’
VOICE (FILTERED)
Meet me
at the Athens. Alone. And bring the crates.
KURT
(uneasily)
What
about Hedges?
130 INT. KNIGHT 4000 – SAME TIME
as
Shawn speaks into her phone.
SHAWN
Tell
her to stay at the warehouse. Somebody will pick her up.
KURT
(FILTERED V.O)
I’m on
my way.
A click
as he hangs up. Shawn gives Michael a high-five.
K.I.T.T.
It
takes so little to amuse you two.
K.I.T.T.
starts his engine and roars off.
131 INT. POLICE WAREHOUSE – NIGHT
As the
Miata drives out the doors, leaving a confused Hedges. Suddenly the phone rings
again.
WAREHOUSE
CLERK
(into
phone)
Warehouse….Yeah,
the crates have been loaded. Miller’s on his way to meet you.
132 INT. PENTHOUSE OFFICE – SAME TIME
Watts
is holding his phone.
WATTS
What
are you talking about?
WAREHOUSE
CLERK (FILTERED)
You
just called and told him to meet you at the Athens, didn’t you?
Watts
slowly lowers his phone.
133 INT. ATHENS CAFÉ – NIGHT
Kurt
sits alone in a booth. He’s quite shocked when Shawn appears, sitting down
opposite him.
SHAWN
Watts
didn’t call you. I did.
KURT
You’re
supposed to be dead.
SHAWN
You
were supposed to be my friend.
He
turns away.
KURT
I made
some big mistakes.
SHAWN
You can
correct them. I know shooting me couldn’t have been your idea, Kurt. In fact,
deduction tells me you were the one who saved me.
(beat)
Let me
return the favor.
KURT
(a
pause)
I
thought I got into this for all the right reasons…cops were getting killed and
the killers were walking free.
SHAWN
One of
them still is.
She
stares at him. He slowly looks back.
KURT
This
guy is bad, Shawn. I think Watts killed most of the uniforms, created the panic
himself. Just so he could jack up the price of his merchandise.
134 INT. KNIGHT 4000 – SAME TIME
parked
outside, monitoring the conversation. Suddenly a warning beeper goes off on
K.I.T.T.’s dash.
K.I.T.T.
My
Infrared Scanning has picked up a laserscope rifle 100 yards from the building.
Michael
quickly jumps out.
135 INT. ATHENS CAFÉ – CONTINUOUS
SHAWN
You
have evidence in your car. We can shut down the whole operation with your help.
He
shakes his head with futility.
KURT
Shawn…it
goes beyond Watts. He has help on the inside. You can’t stop this.
MICHAEL
comes
racing through the entrance door just as:
A
PINPOINT OF RED LIGHT
materializes
on Kurt’s temple for a scant second, then the WINDOW SHATTERS WITH THE FORCE OF
A BULLET.
Kurt is
blown from the booth, patrons screaming and scattering. Michael instantly pulls
Shawn down as another slug disintergrates the table candle next to her.
136 EXT. BUILDING ROOF – NIGHT
Watts
lowers his rifle, indifferent. Exits.
137 INT. COMM. DANIELS’ OFFICE – DAY
She’s
on her video phone, her Assistant nearby. Mayor Abbey’s face is on the small
tele-screen.
COMM.
DANIELS
Police
officers on the scene found two crates of illegal weapons in the trunk of his
unit, all black market. It came down to one bad cop.
MAYOR
ABBEY
Is he
alive for questioning? There’s always the possibility this might go beyond him.
Daniels’
Assistant hands her some paperwork.
COMM.
DANIELS
According
to the report, he was armed and dangerous with civilians present. A member of
our Sniper Force unfortunately shot and killed him as a last resort.
Abbey
nods, still dubious.
COMM.
DANIELS
We’ll
be conducting a full I.A. investigation just to be safe but I wouldn’t worry.
The handgun situation is finally under control.
138 EXT. CITY STREETS – DAY
as the
Knight 4000 flashes past us.
139 INT. KNIGHT 4000 – SAME TIME
Maddock
appears on one of the dash monitors, a document simultaneously printing out of
K.I.T.T.’s dash fax.
MADDOCK
(ON MONITOR)
Here’s
a lasercopy of Watts’ prison release authorization.
Shawn
quickly skims it.
SHAWN
It was
signed by the former mayor.
K.I.T.T.
I
analyzed the document as it came in, Shawn. The signature is mechanical,
commonly used by most politicians.
MADDOCK
(ON MONITOR)
Then
several people could’ve had access.
A moment
of reflection.
MICHAEL
K.I.T.T.,
print me a few more copies of that release.
Michael
takes his hand off the wheel, taking the first copy that prints out as K.I.T.T.
auto-drives. Michael grabs a pen and scribbles something across it. Shawn
observes, understanding.
MADDOCK
(ON MONITOR)
What’s
he doing?
SHAWN
Something
K.I.T.T. and I should’ve come up with.
She
smiles at Michael; he shrugs back modestly.
140 INT. COMM. DANIELS’ OFFICE – DAY
as her
Secretary enters.
ANDREW
This just
faxed in, Commissioner. It makes no sense to me.
He
hands it to her.
INSERT
– DOCUMENT
Watts’
release. But a line has been drawn though the Mayor’s signature, “Commissioner
Ruth Daniels” signed in its place.
RETURN
TO SHOT
Daniels
stares at it with a poker face. Her Assistant takes it from her, eyeing it with
much curiosity.
COMM.
DANIELS
Who
sent this?
ANDREW
The
Knight Foundation.
Daniels
nods, staring at it again.
141 INT. SUBWAY CAR – DAY
Watts
is sitting alone in the last car, skimming the evening paper. Someone steps in
just before the doors close, sitting down next to him. MAYOR JOE ABBEY. He
nervously hands Watts a piece of paper.
INSERT
– DOCUMENT
It’s
another copy of Watts’ release, only “Mayor Joe Abbey” is handwritten over the
previous mechanical signature.
RETURN
TO SCENE
The
subway train begins to move. Watts hands it back to him.
WATTS
I
gathered this wasn’t a social meeting.
MAYOR
ABBEY
Don’t
be so cavalier, Mr. Watts. They know I released you!
WATTS
It’s a
bluff. They probably followed you here hoping to get something.
Abbey
glances around, paranoid.
WATTS
Relax,
I had this car completely debugged.
MAYOR
ABBEY
I’m far
from relaxed – they’ve already accessed police computers and now judicial
records. It’s only a matter of time before I’m fully implicated.
142 EXT. SUBWAY – SIMULTANEOUS – DAY
TRACKING
with the train as it gains on us, bringing the last car into view…as well as
the KNIGHT 4000, PARALLELING IT ON THE ROAD BELOW.
143 INT. KNIGHT 4000 – SAME TIME
(COMPUTER/PROCESS)
The
windshield is filled with a THERMAL VIDEO IMAGE of Abbey and Watts sitting
alone in the car above us.
MAYOR
ABBEY (V.O.)
They
were supposed to hinder the police and now they’re threatening the entire
operation.
Watts
raises a calming hand.
WATTS
(V.O.)
Who’s
going to believe them – Commissioner Daniels? They have no solid proof, only
innuendo like that worthless piece of paper you’re holding.
K.I.T.T.
We
arrive at the station in thirty-one seconds. I won’t be able to track them once
they enter the mall.
MICHAEL
Just
keep recording.
144 INT. SUBWAY – SIMULTANEOUS
WATTS
You’re
filled with an awful lot of tension, Mr. Mayor. Maybe you should change your
diet.
MAYOR ABBEY
There’s
nothing wrong with my diet, only my choice of partners.
WATTS
You’ve
hurt my feelings, Joseph. Who put you behind the Mayor’s desk?
MAYOR
ABBEY
I put
myself there and I plan on remaining. Suspend shipment of all handguns until
the dust settles.
WATTS
You
know we can’t do that – I have two thousand of them going out in the morning.
Twenty million dollars worth my friend, our biggest shipment yet. You’re going
to be a very wealthy man.
The
numbers roll off Watts’ tongue so temptingly. The train comes to a stop at a
downtown Mall.
MAYOR
ABBEY
I’m
warning you, Watts – screw this up and I’ll thaw somebody else to take care of
you.
Abbey
marches out the door. Watts casually exits after him, completely confident.
145 INT. KNIGHT 4000 – SAME TIME
(COMPUTER/PROCESS)
MICHAEL
We got
it.
Shawn
punches something on the dash and normal vision returns to the windshield.
Michael floors it.
146 EXT. SUBWAY PLATFORM – SIMULTANEOUS
as the
Knight 4000 streaks down the wet Seattle streets. WHIP PAN INTO WATTS’ FACE,
watching the car speed off, immediately deducing what has happened. His casual
demeanor vanishes as fast as the red 4000.
COMPUTER
FREEZE/BLACK OUT.
END OF
ACT SIX