#kloraphate

EXT. BACK YARD OF HOME - DAY Slat and Anna are in the garden. We see a fairly new tree of about 4 years and an older, larger tree. We go to the older one. Slat sees what he wants to show Anna. He points to a carving that is quite old in the tree's trunk. It says: Simon Loves Anna Tomorrow - S.L.A.T. She curls into his arms and hugs him wholeheartedly. INT. PRESIDENT'S OFFICE - DAY President Richardson is at his desk, he's been crying. His WIFE enters. He jumps up quickly, saying, PRESIDENT RICHARDSON I've got one more thing to tell my countrymen! He wipes away his tears. They hug. He exits the room. His wife sits down at the desk, getting a vial from her blazer pocket. She holds it up to the light and looks at it closely. She rolls it on the desk. MRS. RICHARDSON Plan B. There's a knock at the door. She tucks the vial back in her pocket. She grabs a tissue from the box on the desk. Puts her head in her hands. MRS. RICHARDSON Yes? A service man comes in. PRESIDENTIAL SERVICE MAN Mrs. Richardson, your husband needs you. She wipes her eyes with the tissue to look like she's been crying. MRS. RICHARDSON I'll need just a moment please. THE END.

EXT. REBECCA'S FRONT STEPS - DAY - CONTINUOUS ALISON What are you doing here? Who lives here? SLAT Alison, it's just a friend. What are you doing here? ALISON I've seen you here before. SLAT Just come in, and you'll see. Okay? Slat opens the door and sees Andrews holding Anna, who is almost naked. Slat grabs Alison and uses her as cover, pulling her in front of him. ANNA Slat!! GENERAL ANDREWS You're Slat?! You little prick, you're fucking everything up. ALISON Daddy! Andrews grabs his gun. Slat gets his gun. Andrews turns Anna to face Alison and Slat, gripping her around the waist. SLAT That's right, DAD! And it's you that's fucking everything up. ANNA Rebecca's dead. Andrews killed her. GENERAL ANDREWS Sorry, Alison, but I never liked you. And he shoots her, dead. Slat holds onto her for a minute, then has to drop her. ANNA Slat!! Now. She bends at the waist. Slat takes a shot and gets Andrews in the chest. Andrews drops, allowing Anna to break free. Andrews collapses to the floor. Anna rushes to Slat. They embrace. SLAT Get dressed. ANNA I'm so sorry. I can explain. SLAT Get dressed! Andrews moves a little. Slat notices and goes to him. He kicks Andrews over on his back. Andrews' gun comes up, and BANG Slat shoots him again. Andrews is dead. Anna is dressed. Rex stands at the doorway. REX Oh my … what did I miss? SLAT A whole lot. Let's go. Slat takes Anna by the hand, and they exit. Rex follows. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Mike, Rex, Johnny, Slat, and Anna are seated with coffee around the TV. We focus on the set. ROBERT MAXWELL Good afternoon! What a fine day today has turned out to be. I've got my coffee here, and there have been breaking developments in the story of Simply Home food products and the use of a drug in those products. General Edward Andrews of the Department of Defense was found dead today. It is believed he was the mastermind behind this. Here's what the president had to say when hearing of the drug that has been found in his line of foods. PRESIDENT RICHARDSON Countrymen, followers in the world, I am deeply saddened this morning hearing about the terrible happenings involving my beloved Simply Home products. I assure you, my administration knew nothing of it. And now that General Andrews is dead, we can put this behind us. I have recalled all our foods to be taken off the shelves around the globe. I can not stress enough that if you have any Simply Home products, discard them immediately. There has been an antidote produced in Japan that will be available within the week to all who require it. My heart goes out to you all. I am forever sorry this has happened. Thank God it's over now. ROBERT MAXWELL The president is being questioned by the authorities, and we'll bring you any developments as they come. COLLEEN ARLINGTON Incredible. Absolutely incredible. For now, onto other news. Slat clicks off the TV. SLAT He said that right. Thank God this is finally over. Anna, come with me, it's something I want to show you. He stands and takes Anna's hand.

INT. MILITARY OFFICE - DAY Slat is on his cell phone. SLAT Andrews is on the move. REX (V.O.) I'm out. SLAT I'm going to get Anna. REX (V.O.) I'll be there in half. SLAT Cool. Slat ends the call. INT. REBECCA'S HOUSE - DAY Anna is home. The doorbell RINGS. She's been crying. She's frightened but opens the door to see General Andrews, a total mess, standing before her. ANNA Oh my word! GENERAL ANDREWS May I come in? She hesitates. He gives her a questioning look because of it. ANNA Of course. She opens the door a little more to allow him in. He enters. He's limping. INT. REBECCA'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY General Andrews takes a seat. Anna is standing, quite rattled over Rebecca. ANNA You look a mess. GENERAL ANDREWS Yes, I'm sure I do. Listen, I'm going out of town. I want you to come with me. Panic. ANNA Oh, well … She's trying to think of what to say. GENERAL ANDREWS That's the second time you've hesitated today over what I've said. ANNA It's just that I'm not prepared to go anywhere right now. GENERAL ANDREWS You put a few things in a bag, what else is there to it? ANNA How long are you going for? GENERAL ANDREWS What would that matter? EXT. SLAT'S CAR - DAY Slat is pulling into Rebecca's driveway. Alison is parking on the street. Slat doesn't see her. He gets out of the car. Alison walks up behind him. He turns and sees her. He's shocked. INT. REBECCA'S HOUSE - DAY General Andrews stands and goes to Anna. GENERAL ANDREWS Take off your clothes to your undergarments. ANNA I'm not really in the mood for this. GENERAL ANDREWS I don't give a fuck what you're in the mood for. Do it! Anna is visibly upset but takes off her clothes. Andrews puts his arms around her, squeezing her butt.

SLAT It's on now. What will Andrews do? ANNA And the president. REX We better keep an eye on the general. MIKE That was a bold move, Slat. SLAT We're losing by numbers our people. I had to do something drastic. It's all true what I told the news in that letter. REBECCA Everyone be more than careful. Today is anyone's game. ANNA I'm not going to work anymore. SLAT Good. Stay away from that man, as far away as you can. I'm going to go in and feel it out. Let's get back here tonight. EXT. MILITARY BASE - CONTINUOUS We see a huge rollout of tanks, trucks, and armed personnel. Exiting the base, going to the right and to the left, a massive amount of power rolling up the streets. In the midst of all the army tanks and trucks is the general's Mercedes-Benz, black, sleek, and quite impressive. The noise is loud and frightening. General Andrews is on a straight stretch of road. There's distress on his face. He glances at his watch, picks up speed to gain time, GENERAL ANDREWS Fuck! Pumping the brakes. The car is picking up speed. He cuts the corner at the crossroads. We see civilians shopping just before he jumps out, just as the car crashes. General Andrews tumbles and rolls, scuffing his hands, knees, and his uniform. He stands and gets oriented. INT. REBECCA'S HOUSE - DAY Crash! The general's car. Anna is startled and jumps. She grabs her purse, slings it around her body, and leaves the house to investigate. EXT. STREET - MOMENTS LATER Rebecca comes out of her salon and sees the general walking toward her. REBECCA Are you alright? He approaches, grabs her neck, and twists. She falls down dead. Anna is watching from above on the street's incline. She turns and runs back home.

INT. GENERAL ANDREWS' OFFICE - DAY General Andrews is at his desk. Anna is just doing up her blouse near the couch. GENERAL ANDREWS And I want you to eat on base from now on. ANNA I like to bring my own; I'm watching my weight. GENERAL ANDREWS It wasn't a request, Anna. ANNA Yes, Sir. Anything else today? GENERAL ANDREWS No. You can leave. She does. INT. SLAT AND REX'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM TABLE - EARLY EVENING Mike, Johnny, Rex, Slat, Rebecca, and Anna are just sitting. REBECCA Brent and Melanie aren't here yet. REX We'll start without them. The group looks worried. SLAT Okay, last night I had tests done on Simply Home food products at the lab. They came out positive for Kloraphate. REX Now we know what we're dealing with. JOHNNY I need a copy of that lab report. SLAT Of course. REBECCA So the world has been taking Kloraphate for a year now. He's going to be getting ready. MIKE Where do we start? SLAT I've got a plan. INT. MILITARY GARAGES - DAY Slat stands with Dan near a truck Dan is in the middle of working on. DAN Thanks. SLAT I thought you'd like to know. DAN I'm aware of it now, and I know what to do. SLAT I'll leave it up to you. Slat turns and walks out past other mechanics working on vehicles. INT. MILITARY CAFETERIA - DAY The seating area is full of other employees as well as Anna. Anna is seated with a meal in front of her. Untouched, she stares at it and then pushes it away from her. INT. SLAT AND REX'S LIVING ROOM - EARLY MORNING Rex, Johnny, Mike, Rebecca, Anna, and Slat are watching the TV. The news comes on. ROBERT MAXWELL We bring you this special broadcast with news of corruption, evil, and plain old wrongdoing. COLLEEN ARLINGTON We received a parcel with test results of a foreign substance found in three Simply Home products just this morning. Robert takes a sip from his mug. COLLEEN ARLINGTON Drink up, Robert. When the world hears of this, we'll all be doing the same. ROBERT MAXWELL This morning I received a bag of coffee that came from Japan via a man who goes by Slat for anonymity reasons. He claims he's known about Kloraphate, the mind-altering drug that was found in the said three products, for five years. COLLEEN ARLINGTON There's so much to learn about what has been happening. But what we do know is that we have tested products this morning, and the substance that is foreign is in all the products we've so far tested. ROBERT MAXWELL Thank you, Slat! I can't tell you how much I needed a damn coffee. COLLEEN ARLINGTON We'll be back with more from some experts on what they believe is happening and will happen from here. We focus on the group.

EXT. LAB PARKING LOT - EARLY EVENING Slat leans against his car, waiting for Rosa. She exits the building holding her purse and the grocery bag. SLAT Hi. ROSA Hi. Here you go. She hands him a piece of paper. He looks at it, folds it up, and tucks it into his leather jacket's chest pocket. ROSA Do you mind following me home so I can change before we go? SLAT Not at all. Thank you for the test and the results. Muchly appreciated. ROSA Welcome. I'm right over here. SLAT I'll follow you. She walks to her car. He gets in his car. INT. RESTAURANT - EVENING Slat and Rosa are seated. Their dinner plates are just being cleared. SLAT You know what I'd love right now? ROSA No. SLAT A hot chocolate. Rosa laughs. ROSA Sounds good. Slat signals the waitress and orders two hot cocoa. Rosa is falling in love. Who is this man? SLAT I've been craving hot cocoa for days now. ROSA That's funny. And totally adorable. Slat laughs. SLAT Well, I do try. Kidding. I'm so glad I met you today. ROSA Really? Do tell. SLAT You're intelligent, fun, sweet … What more can I say? The hot cocoas come. SLAT (TO WAITRESS) Thank you. WAITRESS Do you want your bill now? SLAT Sure. The waitress has it and places it on the table. ROSA I'm glad you needed to come in today. It's pretty rare to meet someone these days. Someone normal, that is. Slat laughs. Then Rosa. ROSA I'm serious. Lots of crazies out there. SLAT Oh, I'm sure. I laughed because I never put myself in the "normal" slot. Guess the more stuff that happens in the world, the more I look okay. ROSA You're looking more than okay from the side I'm sitting on. Slat chuckles. Takes a drink. Rosa does as well. SLAT Thank you. I like you too, Rosa. INT. ROSA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Slat is dressing and standing near the bed. Rosa is under the covers, showing her bare arms.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Slat and Anna are sitting on the couch. ANNA Who's house is this anyway? SLAT Mine. ANNA Doesn't anyone question that? SLAT Well, it's my grandpa's - God rest his soul. ANNA He's dead? I'm sorry. But how can you … ? I mean … SLAT He didn't have a will and when that happens in these fucked up times the government takes ownership. We didn't let that happen. ANNA What'd you do? SLAT Gave him what he deserved and would have wanted. Thank God he didn't have to see this shit that we're living now. It would have killed him. ANNA What'd you do though? SLAT Nothing. He's still pulling a pension check, has been for 4 years. ANNA Oh fuck. What would happen to you if they found that out? SLAT Fuck, Anna that's the least of my problems. We're gonna win this thing. We just are. You can't accomplish anything without the power of belief. If I ever thought that it was impossible or that we'd end up back in the general's hands, it would have crumbled down around us. No, grandpa is safe and he would stand behind every choice I've made. (beat) Listen I've got to go. Got a dinner I'm expected at. He looks sad about having to leave her. She can see it but her eyes are steel, doing what she's doing, for her own reasons. ANNA Okay, Slat. I'm sorry about grandpa George. Can I give you a hug? SLAT Yes please. They stand and share a warm, loving embrace. We slowly leave the room with them still holding each other.

INT. LAB - DAY - CONTINUOUS Slat waits in the waiting room of a busy lab. He's got a grocery bag with him. TECHNICIAN Simon McGrath number 3. Slat walks up to the 3rd station. He takes off his coat, sits, rolls up his sleeve. Another tech walks into the room. She's got his paperwork. ROSA How are you today? SLAT Very well. Yourself? ROSA I'm good, I'm good. Just getting a few tests run today, I see? SLAT That, and I was wondering what it would take to test a few food products. ROSA We don't do that here. SLAT But you could if I were nice enough, right? She laughs. ROSA You'd have to be pretty nice. She gets the rubber tourniquet, ties his arm, swabs on the alcohol, and places the vacutainers nearby, one on the needle. SLAT Well, for someone as pretty as you, it shouldn't be all that hard for me. She smiles. He looks at her name badge. SLAT I could take you out for dinner tonight. ROSA Are you married? SLAT Nope. ROSA Got a girlfriend? SLAT Notta. ROSA How could a good-looking guy such as yourself not be married? SLAT Haven't found the right girl yet, I guess. She takes the blood in 3 vials. She's thinking. ROSA Okay. What do you have? SLAT Butter, salt, and cheese. ROSA What are you looking for? SLAT Just want to know if there's a matching substance in all three that shouldn't belong. And what is it? ROSA In butter, salt, and cheese? SLAT Ya I know, right? Slat shows her the bag. She takes it and looks inside, puts it on the counter once done looking. SLAT I need a rush on it, too. Please. And I'm good for that date, tonight? She likes his persistence. Smiles. ROSA Okay. I'll be ready with your results at 5:10. He looks pretty cocky, stands, and puts his jacket on. SLAT Ok, Rosa, it's a date. I'll see you then. Thanks. He walks out of the room.