Jump to content


This is a read only archive of the old forums
The new CBn forums are located at https://quarterdeck.commanderbond.net/

 
Photo
- - - - -

Rendezvous


No replies to this topic

#1 Austin

Austin

    Midshipman

  • Crew
  • 72 posts
  • Location:Murray State University

Posted 06 October 2008 - 09:21 PM

Discuss this story in this thread.


Screenplay Synopsis:
Keeping the piece is all in a day's work. Bond must race against time to ensure the safe passage of a beautiful double agent from Russian soil before she is captured, bringing England and Russia to the brink of another Cold War.

NOTE: Title Sequence not yet placed.

First Draft:



JAMES BOND OO7
IN

RENDEZVOUS

BY AUSTIN MADDING


DRAFT 1

10.06.08

GUNBARREL OPEN ON:

EXT. MI6 HEADQUARTERS – DAY

We see the modern, multistory building of MI6 overlooking Regents Park.

HYPERTEXT: MONDAY - 11:35 AM
LONDON

INT. DOUBLE-O OFFICE – DAY

JAMES BOND, AGENT OO7 of MI6, sits stoically at his desk in the modernly furnished office cleaning the barrel of a shining black Walther PPK with a narrow cleaning swab. He glances at his watch.

It’s obvious. James Bond is bored.

He opens a drawer from the desk and replaces the swab and then snaps the slide of the small handgun into place. He quickly aims at the portrait on the wall and works the action a few times. Each squeeze of the trigger clicks satisfyingly. He picks the full magazine up from the desktop, where it was sitting over a report he was reading, and slides it into the butt of the gun. He pulls back the slide and clicks the safety on before placing it securely in the holster underneath his left armpit.

He turns half-heartedly back to the report he was skimming over and begins reading again.

There is a small noise at the door and Bond looks up as the attractive figure of the Double-O secretary, LOELIA PONSONBY, enters the room, with a fresh stack of reports. She smirks at the look on his face.

BOND:
I’m dying, Lil.

LOELIA:
Oh cheer up James…and don’t call me Lil.

She sets the stack in front of him. His eyes look down helplessly at them.


LOELIA (CONT’D):
Shouldn’t you be pleased? No cold war, no bombs, no assassinations. We’re at peace!

BOND:
Yes well peace is killing me.

She smiles sweetly, humorously.

LOELIA:
James...

He looks up.

LOELIA (CONT’D):
(Off look)
Chief of Staff is on line 1.

Bond looks at his phone, before looking back up into her eyes.

BOND:
Loelia, you’re my good luck charm. One of these days I’m taking you to a casino and getting rich.

She just grins wryly and leaves the room as Bond picks up the phone.

CUT TO:

INT. OFFICE HALLWAY – CONTINUOUS

Bond walks quickly down the hall, veering off at his destination to intercept BILL TANNER, MI6 Chief of Staff.

TANNER:
Morning James.

BOND:
Tanner.

TANNER:
(grins)
You look a bit bored, old boy.


BOND:
Hopefully not for long. Now what’s all this to do about.

TANNER:
Not much to tell from...but M’s declared it a Level One priority.

Bond rolls his eyes slightly.

BOND:
Someone probably got caught cheating at Blades...

Tanner grins and Bond steps through the door to…

INT. OUTER OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

Bond enters the outer office, smiling into the eyes of M’s secretary, MISS MONEYPENNY.

BOND:
Morning, Penny.

She smiles and her eyes watch him as he enters M’s office before she continues with her work.

INT. INNER OFFICE – CONTINUOUS

M, Bond’s chief in the Secret Service, doesn’t look up as he enters. He is holding his pipe and looking through a file on his desk.

BOND:
Morning, sir.

M is polite but straightforward.

M:
Morning Double-O Seven, have a seat.

Bond does so. He sits quietly, watching M get his pipe going.

Finally, taking a long draw on the pipe, M pushes the rather thin file marked ‘TOP SECRET’ across the desk.

M:
Russia.

Bond’s eyebrows rise slightly.

BOND:
Russia, sir?

M:
Not particularly a problem since the Cold War, wouldn’t you say?

Bond is clearly quite puzzled.

BOND:
...Why yes sir. Almost an ally in certain terms of negotiation...

M:
Exactly, and I would like it to stay that way, Double-O Seven.

Bond watches him take a long puff from the pipe, clearly wondering where this is going. He glances at the file in his hands.

After a moment, M speaks again.

M:
As you are aware, Double-O Seven, we have several double agents working in several intelligence firms all over the globe. Last month, we inserted a double into Russian Intel. It’s nothing against the Russians themselves. We were tracking a possible terrorist in the area and an undercover standpoint was our best option at the time.

BOND:
What’s his name?

M:
Her name, Double-O Seven, is Solange.

As M says this, Bond finds a photograph of Solange in the file he’s holding. She is very beautiful. He smiles slightly before looking seriously back up as M continues.

M (CONT’D):
The case is closed now and she’s got one more bit of intel to get to us before she gets cut loose and can disappear forever.

BOND:
So what’s the problem, sir?

M:
None so far, but that’s just it. We think the Russians are conducting their own investigations into leaks within their ranks. We can’t afford problems on this one. If the Russians find out that double belongs to us, you can bet they’ll assume the worst. We could have another cold war on our hands.

Bond’s head slightly nods. He sets the file back on M’s desk.

M:
This has to be handled delicately, Double-O Seven. I’m leaving it to you to make sure that intel gets out of Russia cleanly. No fingers pointing at us.

BOND:
Yes sir.

M:
You won’t meet the woman until your rendezvous at a small market square just a few blocks from the hotel where we’ve booked you. You’ll make your way to the airport from there. I’ll leave it to you to organize codes and security phrases.

Bond nods.

M:
Since this is technically a matter of national security, the Prime Minister will be here keeping track of your progress once Solange has delivered our intel. Damned nuisance, but it’s got to be done. That’s all I think. Any questions?

BOND:
No sir. From my point of view, it should be a piece of cake.

DISSOLVE TO:

INT. DOUBLE-O OFFICE – DAY

Loelia Ponsonby looks up from her desk hopefully as Bond reenters the office, beaming.

LOELIA:
My James, you look positively cheerful.

Bond smiles, walks over, and kisses her on the top of the head.

BOND:
Loelia, as soon as I get back, I’m taking you to dinner.

Smiling, he leaves her in a state of shock. She watches him leave the office, a smile slowly etching onto her face.

DISSOLVE TO:




INT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HEADQUARTERS, CENTRAL HALL – NIGHT

HYPERTEXT: TUESDAY – 12:45 AM
VOLGOGRAD

The single, slender figure of a woman slips down the hallway of a quiet building. She ducks into a doorway as a dozing guard passes by, and then heads for a doorway at the end of the hall.

INT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HQ, OPERATIONS ROOM - NIGHT

The woman shuts the door quietly behind her as she enters the deserted office. The beautiful SOLANGE sits hurriedly at one of the high-tech computers and inserts a portable drive into one of the slots in the computer. She looks at the clock on the wall—12:56 AM.

CUT TO:
INT. CASINO – NIGHT

Through the curling cigarette smoke and the high-class cacophony of talking, laughing bodies, we can clearly discern the late-night drama of an expensive casino.

We pan over the action of the casino, settling on a popular card table where JAMES BOND, in an impeccable tuxedo, is playing BACCARAT with a snooty looking banker.

Bond takes a sip of his cocktail and places a large stack of hundred mille plaques on the center of the table, next to an equally large stack.

BOND:
Banco.

CROUPIER:
(to the crowd)
Banco of 20,000 Euros…

The banker deals out the cards. He looks at his own and looks up at Bond, who looks glances down only briefly.

BOND:
Card.

The banker deals out a fifth card-a 9. The crowd murmurs. Bond makes no expression, merely looking up at the banker.

The banker throws down his cards first—an 8 and a 10.

CROUPIER:
Eight at the bank.

The banker looks up at Bond, confident that he has beaten him. Bond looks down briefly and, with a disdainful gesture, throws down two queens.

CROUPIER:
Nine—Table wins.

Grinning subtly despite the surprised murmuring of the crowd, Bond gathers in his winnings—a hefty stack of hundred mille plaques—and stands up from his seat, handing them to a clerk standing nearby.

BOND:
Have those changed, will you?

CUT TO:

EXT. CASINO ENTRANCE – CONTINUOUS

Bond strolls out the double doors of the casino entrance, tipping the doorman and standing momentarily at the front of the grand carport as a shining, battleship-gray ASTON MARTIN DBS, lithe as a panther, pulls up underneath the canopy. Bond trades a tip for his keys and slides in the gleaming machine, quickly speeding off and onto the main road.

CUT TO:

INT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HQ, OPERATIONS ROOM - NIGHT

Solange continues working through hack after hack on the computer. She checks the clock again—1:00 AM. She reaches for her cell phone.

CUT TO:



INT. ASTON MARTIN – NIGHT

Bond takes his eyes off the road for a split second to answer a jingle in his pocket. He takes out his cell phone and reads the text message he’s just received:

PACKAGE UNDER DELIVERY
ETA: 20 MINUTES

Satisfied, he puts the cell phone away before reaching down and race-changing the car to another gear.

EXT. ROADWAY – CONTINUOUS

Gathering speed, the Aston hurtles past us, scattering a bunch of fallen leaves in its wake.

CUT TO:

EXT. HOTEL ROAD – CONTINUOUS

The Aston rounds a corner in front of us and slows down as it moves past us, pulling into the parking lot of a large, expensive-looking hotel.

EXT. HOTEL PARKING LOT - CONTINUOUS

Bond gets out and strolls up to the front entrance.

INT. HOTEL LOBBY – CONTINUOUS

Bond walks right past the front desk, nodding to the pretty clerk behind the desk, and heads straight for the stairs.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL, 6TH FLOOR HALLWAY – CONTINUOUS

Bond enters the hallway and quickly scans the area. Just as he comes upon his door, he reaches into his jacket.

INT. HOTEL ROOM – CONTINUOUS

We see the door of the room swing open quickly, with Bond standing statuesque on the threshold, gun in hand.

He closes the door and sets his gun on the nightstand as he begins a quick but thorough check of the room.

He examines the handles on his closet and drawers, and picks up his briefcase from beside the dresser and inspects it under the light.

Satisfied, he takes a bottle of vodka from the mini bar and, sniffing it first, pours himself a generous portion. He sets it aside a moment before reaching for the phone and dialing room service.

BOND:
Room Service...Dinner for one...yes...a single serving of caviar, a small tournedos, underdone, with sauce Bearnaise, and a Coeur d’artichaut. And half an avocado pear, with French dressing...Champagne, please...the Tattinger 45...thank you.

He takes off his jacket and tosses it on the bed as he goes out on the settee and sits with his drink.

CUT TO:

INT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HQ, OPERATIONS ROOM - NIGHT

Solange stares at her computer.

We see the screen:

TRANSFER COMPLETE

She removes the portable drive from the computer and quickly gets up and heads for the door.

CUT TO:

INT. SECURITY ROOM – CONTINUOUS

The image of the computer transfer is replicated on the screen of a computer analyst who turns and speaks Russian to an authoritative figure, the senior officer.

The man turns and walks through a door into the adjacent room, where a Russian General sits at a table with his hands folded.

OFFICER:
(In Russian)
We’ve found the leak.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL ROOM – NIGHT

James Bond gets up from his meal to answer his ringing phone. His takes a look at the text message:

PACKAGE DELIVERED
RENDEZVOUS FOR DEPARTURE

He clicks the phone shut.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL ROOM – CONTINUOUS

Bond cocks back the slide of his pistol and slips it into his shoulder holster. He slides his jacket back on, checking in the mirror to make sure the gun doesn’t show beneath his suit.

Satisfied, he grabs his briefcase and exits the suite.

CUT TO:

EXT. COUNTERINTELLIGENCE HQ, OPERATIONS ROOM – NIGHT

SOLANGE exits the Russian Headquarters, looking around suspiciously as she walks down the alleyway.

As she walks out of our view, we see a dark figure peek around a corner, watching her.

CUT TO:

EXT. PUBLIC MARKET – NIGHT

Bond’s Aston slows to a stop outside the intricate network of buildings that make up the Old Russian Market. He gets out and, lighting a cigarette, begins walking down the wide main street littered with empty vending carts and window stores.

CUT TO:

INT. DARK ROOM – NIGHT

Four men in civilian clothes prepare for a tactical strike.

A suppressor is screwed onto a pistol. The handles of a garrote are tightened and checked. A large case containing the elements of a rifle is closed.

CUT TO:

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM – CONTINUOUS

The Russian Senior Officer appears at the door again, and speaks to the Russian General.

OFFICER:
(In Russian)
They’re ready.

GENERAL:
(In Russian)
Find who sent her here. Keep her alive. Without proof, we have nothing.

The officer nods and quickly leaves the room.

CUT TO:

INT. VOLGOGRAD ALLEYWAYS – NIGHT

Solange rounds a corner of the alleyway, checking her phone as she walks. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots a reflection in a nearby window.

Someone is watching her.

Swallowing, she keeps walking and rounds another corner, where she stands against the wall, hesitant to move.

CUT TO:
EXT. PUBLIC MARKET – NIGHT

A spent cigarette drops next to multiple others at James Bond’s feet. He looks around, checking his watch. He takes another cigarette from his case, then—-

RING.

He checks his phone. Another text message:

BEING FOLLOWED

Bond looks up.

Runs.

CUT TO:

INT. OFFICE – NIGHT

BILL TANNER looks up from his paperwork to answer his phone.

TANNER:
Chief of Staff.

CUT TO:

EXT. PUBLIC MARKET – NIGHT

Bond sprints down the market street, talking on his phone.

BOND:
Tanner! Get to M’s office right now and get someone listening in on the Russian security channels! I think our double is blown.

CUT TO:

INT. OFFICE – NIGHT

Tanner scrambles out of his chair and hurries out of the office.

TANNER:
Christ James, what’s happened?
CUT TO:

EXT. PUBLIC MARKET – NIGHT

BOND:
She’s got someone on her tail. Call me back when you have something.

He shuts his phone and sprints the rest of the way to the Aston Martin.

He leaps into the car, instantly starting the engine. The big engine roars to life and Bond rounds the curb and the car hurls itself back onto the street and off into the night.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALLEYSIDE STREET – NIGHT

An anonymous car pulls up at the mouth of an alleyway and the four Russian assassins quietly get out and close in on the alleyway.

A fifth man appears, the fifth assassin. The man who was following Solange. The assassins speak hurriedly in quiet Russian for a moment before spreading out and sneaking down different sections of the alley.

CUT TO:

EXT. ROAD – NIGHT

Bond’s Aston speeds past at 90 MPH.

INT. ASTON MARTIN – CONTINUOUS

Bond’s phone rings and he picks it up instantly.

BOND:
Tanner?

CUT TO:



INT. M’S OFFICE – NIGHT

Tanner, M, and the PRIME MINISTER of England are grouped around the speaker phone on M’s desk, all of them looking beleaguered.

TANNER:
James, we just picked up on the Russians’ communications. They have Solange cornered and they’ve sent a unit of five agents to the lower district to recover her.

BOND:
How much time?

TANNER:
Minutes. Maybe.

M:
Bond, you’ve got to get her out of there!

CUT TO:

INT. ASTON MARTIN – NIGHT

Bond shuts his phone, his face set. He punches the throttle. Race-changes to another gear.

EXT. ROAD – CONTINUOUS

The car roars past us one more time.

CUT TO:

INT. M’S OFFICE – NIGHT

The Prime Minister turns to M, looking severely forlorn.

PRIME MINISTER:
What the bloody hell does he plan to do?

M:
What I sent him to do.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALLEYWAY – NIGHT

Solange looks around nervously. Takes a small gun from her purse. Keeps walking, slowly.

Her phone vibrates and she looks down at it. Reads a text message:

HOLD POSITION

CUT TO:

INT. ASTON MARTIN – NIGHT

Bond puts down his phone and guns the engine.

CUT TO:

INT. APARTMENT – NIGHT

One of the Russian assassins carries a large case to the window and opens it. Inside is a disassembled SNIPER RIFLE. He assembles it in less than a minute and then stands completely silent at the window, gun ready.

CUT TO:

EXT. STREET – NIGHT

Solange emerges at the mouth of an alleyway, gun at the ready, and rounds a corner to see--

ONE OF THE RUSSIAN ASSASSINS fifty yards away.

She shoots first and he ducks behind a wall for cover.

CLICK.

She looks at her gun. Jammed. The assassin emerges from behind the wall and his gun spits off two rounds. She turns and runs back into the alleyway, with the assassin gaining ground on her.

We see the assassin running into the darkness of an alleyway right before—

We hear the roar of an engine and the assassin is suddenly illuminated by headlights as BOND’S ASTON MARTIN screeches to a stop at the alleyway. Bond leaps out of the car just as—

The assassin raises his gun, but Bond’s PPK speaks first and the man flies backward under the force of two shots. He’s dead.

INT. APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS

The Russian sniper looks up as Bond’s gunshots echo into the night.

EXT. ALLEYWAY – CONTINUOUS

We see the remaining three assassins look alert as they hear the shots too.

INT. APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS

The sniper pushes a button on the side of his scope and the gun’s laser sight gives a small hum as it activates and he scans the streets and alleyways below him.

EXT. STREET - CONTINUOUS

Bond hurries past the body and into the dark maze of alleys.

INT. ALLEYWAY – CONTINUOUS

Solange hurries around a corner and stops to catch her breath. She peeks around the corner behind her.

Stops. A small noise to her right. She takes a breath and keeps moving.

CUT TO:

The three assassins move slowly through the alleyways. One takes a GAROTE from his coat and nods to the other two as he slips into a side door, leaving the others to continue on. They come to a T in the alley and split up.

CUT TO:

Bond maneuvers through the alley, keeping his gun leveled and steady.

CUT TO:

Solange slips into a doorway and moves through the empty halls of a building. She slips out the window of the other side, sees an opening in the alleyway leading to open street. Moves.

Sees a small red dot on her arm. Looks up.

INT. APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS

The sniper stiffens, squeezes the trigger.

INT. ALLEYWAY – CONTINUOUS

We hear two loud cracks and Solange jumps back the way she came, avoiding two spits in the concrete building behind her.

CUT TO:

Bond stiffens at the sound of the shots. Hurries around two corners and through a passage before—

He spots Solange. 100 feet away. Hiding behind a wall.

She motions for him to stop.

He looks around—spots the red dot searching for her and looks up at the building behind them. His eyes narrow.

INT. APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS

The sniper scans the terrain quickly, searching for his missed target.

EXT. ALLEYWAY - CONTINUOUS

He motions for her to move away and turns and heads for the building.

Solange rounds a corner and disappears from sight.

Bond slips through a window into the dark building.

INT. APARTMENT – CONTINUOUS

The sniper is still searching. He adjusts a dial on the scope and resumes his post.

CLOSE ON:

BOND standing behind him framed in the doorway.

He moves quietly until he is right on top of the man.

The Russian doesn’t notice him in time. He turns, bringing the rifle around with him. Bond catches it by the barrel and swings a vicious right cross into the man’s jaw. Immediately, without giving the Russian time to react, he grabs the rifle at both ends and brings it up to the man’s neck, strangling him.

The man struggles wildly, his hands reaching up. Fingers scratch at Bond’s face, but he just swipes them away.

The man gives one last movement, then a retch, and then is still. Bond lets the body fall.

Bond goes to the window, looking around. He walks over and takes the rifle from the dead man’s body and raises it, looking through the scope.

He sights Solange moving back across an open patch of street, and then just spots a Russian assassin rounding a corner out of sight.

He lowers the rifle and sets it back on the floor, glancing at the dead Russian before leaving the room.

BOND:
Thanks for the help.

EXT. ALLEYWAY – CONTINUOUS

Solange creeps down a narrow passage and emerges onto a small street. She hurries across and ducks into another side door.

CUT TO:

Keeping his gun leveled, Bond hurries across a wide gap and into a narrow alley. He creeps along slowly, his gun drawn to a side passage where he hears a noise. He slowly moves down the passage.

CUT TO:

The two armed assassins spot each other across a gap. One motions to the other and they both continue forward.

CUT TO:

Solange hesitates at a corner, waiting to move. She looks up and sees a shadow ahead of her and turns to move the other way. She moves past two passages and rounds another corner as—

One of the assassins rounds the corner at the opposite end of the alley. Solange freezes. The assassin raises his gun—

Bond hurtles out of nowhere beside Solange, his arm coming up in front of her.

BOND:
Move!

He pushes her behind the safety of the facing corner as he simultaneously guns down the third man.

The fourth assassin appears at the end of the adjacent alley, his silenced weapon kissing the air. The concrete above Bond and Solange’s heads explodes and again, Bond ushers her to the safety of cover as he returns fire.

The Russian dives behind the wall, giving Bond the seconds he needs. Keeping Solange close, he sprints forward, reaching the mouth of the alleyway and bringing them to the edge of an open courtyard. The assassin moves with them, coming out again opposite them across the courtyard. Bond peeks around and fires two shots into the concrete, inches from the Russian’s head. The assassin returns fire, blowing away a chunk of the wall at Bond’s shoulder. Bond reloads and peeks around the corner again, this time spotting what he was looking for. He aims just above the Russian and shoots a small pipe above the Russian’s head. Steam shoots from the pipe into the man’s face and he staggers forward, disoriented.

Bond unloads three shots into the Russian and the man crumples to the ground.

Bond lowers his gun just as a door behind him to the right bursts open. Before he can bring his gun up again, the fifth Russian swipes a hard left across his face and slips a garrote across his throat.

Bond struggles violently, throwing his elbows into the man’s body as hard as he can. He throws his weight backward, slamming the man’s body into the wall, but still the Russians holds tight.

Solange rushes past them, going for Bond’s gun.

Bond gets down on one knee, just underneath the man long enough to crack an elbow into the man’s groin. With a grunt, the man lets go of the garrote with one hand and Bond springs upward and spins to the right, his hand a flat blade, and chops the man hard in the side of the neck. The Russian grabs him by the collar and they slam each other into the walls, trying to wrestle free of each other.

Solange brings the gun up, unable to fire for fear of hitting Bond.

Bond knees the man in the stomach and swings both arms outward, breaking the man’s grip on his neck. He swings his hands back inward, landing them hard on both the man’s ears and immediately follows up with a right hook to the staggering man’s face.

Doubled over, the Russian dives at Bond’s midsection, tackling him into the wall and swipes his head upward into Bond’s chin, giving himself enough time to grab a knife from his boot and swipe it at Bond’s face. Bond spins to the left and the knife scratches the concrete wall behind him.

The man uses Bond’s movement and kicks him in the side. Bond falls on one knee, just as the Russian moves in quickly. He’s on top of Bond just as—

With several loud cracks, Solange empties Bond’s gun into the Russian. He staggers back with each shot, finally falling in a crumpled heap ten feet away.

Bond looks over at Solange and back at the Russian, breathing hard.

He walks over and takes his gun from Solange.

SOLANGE:
I don’t suppose it would be of much use now for me to ask you for a match?

Bond looks up and smiles slightly.

BOND:
I think we’ve put out enough fires for tonight.

She smiles and they both turn to walk back down the alley.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALLEY STREET – NIGHT

Bond and Solange emerge at the mouth of the alley, and they walk quickly to Bond’s Aston Martin.

BOND:
I do believe we can still just make our flight.

He notices an off look on Solange’s face.

BOND:
Is something wrong?

SOLANGE:
I can’t believe I just survived that. Such pointless violence, all because of me.

BOND:
Cheer up. The job’s done. You’re free. Besides, it’s not every day you see several men fighting over one woman.

She smiles.

SOLANGE:
More often than you might think.

BOND:
Really?
(Grins)
Well I feel greatly honored to have come out on top.

She grins flirtatiously.

SOLANGE:
What shall we do to celebrate?

Bond smiles.

BOND:
I know the best place in London.

He starts the car and we see the Aston turn and roar off down the road and into the night.

FADE TO BLACK

JAMES BOND WILL RETURN

CREDITS

END