Live Together, Die Alone- Part 4 of 4

* Begin Scene *



* Fade in.

As Mizzle knelt over B.@.D’s body, he heard the door crash open. He turned around and readied his gun, but lowered it when saw Katastrophe, OziStyle, and B-Rush enter. *

Quick! Get me the ephinedrine.

* OziStyle pulled a needle from her coat, handed it to Mizzle. *

I hope it’s not too late. He really looks dead.

That was the idea.

* Mizzle injected the needle into B.@.D’s chest and began pounding on it. Katastrophe found a bullet on the floor. *

… is this the bullet?

Yeah. I guess so.

“Blood Splatter Dart”.

Hits you square in the chest and bounces off. All the appearance of a kill shot, hopefully without the death, if ephenedrine is administered within 5 minutes. Developed by Australian Secret Intelligence.

* Mizzle started pounding harder on B.@.D’s chest. B.@.D was not regaining consciousness. *

Come on, B.@.D…
* The rest of them looked on. *
Come on, man…

* They looked at each other with concerned faces… *
Mizzle…

Come on, B.@.D, DAMMIT!!!

* B.@.D coughed and sputtered, and his breathing restarted… *

Hey!!! Can you hear me? Do you know where you are?

… yeah… what happened?

All right… Katastrophe! I need you to run interference with Tate, until we can switch bodies. Make sure their database syncs up with B.@.D’s information.

That won’t cover an autopsy…

There’s not going to be an autopsy! They wanted B.@.D dead, now he’s dead. Come on man, let’s go.

* B.@.D, still groggy and unaware, grabbed OziStyle’s and B-Rush’s hands to get up as he tried to figure out what had happened to him, and was rushed out of the warehouse by his friends. *

* Fade out. *



* Fade into the back of a van. B-Rush drove and Katastrophe was on her cell with Tate while Mizzle and OziStyle filled B.@.D in on what had happened. *

… you SHOT me???

Hey, last year you shot me in the ass, this year I shot you in the heart. It’s a vicious cycle.

* B.@.D smiled and laughed. *

* Katastrophe hung up her cell phone. *
All right, we’ve secured you a new identity, it should help you get across any border in the world.

And I’m giving you the Attack Helicopter I seized.

He means WE’RE giving up the helicopter WE seized.

Obviously.

Cool. I guess that makes it the B.@.Dcopter.

Oh, for… I don’t think you should be able to call it that if B.@.D is considered “dead”.

Did you get me a clean phone?

Yeah. It has a scramble filter. You should be able to talk for up to one minute undetected.

Great.

We’re here.
* B-Rush pulled up to an airfield where the Attack Helicopter was. *

We took two ships. You take the B.@.Dcopter, we’ll take the B.@.Dship back to The Candy Store.

OK…

* Nobody spoke. They all got out of the van. *

* B.@.D walked over to B-Rush and shook his hand. *
Take it easy, man. I hope I get to see your little guy someday. Or girl.
Yeah… take care, man.

* OziStyle walked over to B.@.D and gave him a hug. *
… look, B.@.D... I’m sorry I never told you I was working for…
Hey… don’t… not now. Without you, I’d be dead. Make sure these guys take care of you now, OK?

* Katastrophe walked over, tears in her eyes, and hugged B.@.D. *
Love you.
Love you, too.

* B.@.D walked over to Mizzle, who was standing in front of the Attack Helicopter. *
Hey, thanks for…
Shooting you? Hey, I owed you that one, hermano. I just didn’t realize you had such a glass jaw. I also want to know who put that “Blood Splatter Dart” in my gun.

* B.@.D smiled, and was about to turn around and head for the plane, then he thought of a question he should ask Mizzle. He turned him around where the rest of the crew couldn’t hear them. *

Hey… quick question. Do you remember when the B.@.Dcave first went down at the end of 2004, when we graduated?

… yeah.

Did you ever wonder how that happened?

I have no idea. I wasn’t there. I assumed you knew. Even I wasn’t part of the crew then, remember? It was just you and P.c.P at that point. We didn’t even put the “crew” together until me and P.c.P brought you back. Before the rest of these guys joined.

… yeah.

… I dunno, it’s weird, I just… never thought about it.

… yeah. Me neither. And I was THERE. How do you think I could forget or never consider a thing like that?

… I don’t know, man. Why bring that up now, anyways?

* B.@.D smiled and shook his head. *
… no reason. I don’t know. Forget it.

* B.@.D got into the helicopter. He got ready to take off. The entire crew was staring at him. *

… B.@.D.
* B.@.D looked out the window at Mizzle, the rest of the crew staring at him as well. *
Be careful.

* B.@.D smiled. *
… yeah.
* He stuck his fist out the window and Mizzle stuck out his and gave it their trademark pound. *
You too.

* The helicopter motor started to spin, and the craft started to raise off the ground. The crew stood back, not taking their eyes off B.@.D. *

Thank you all. For everything.

* The B.@.Dcrew watched the helicopter disappear into the sunset. After it has disappeared, none of them moved. After a while, Mizzle stood up first. *

Let’s go. We’ve got work to do.

* Mizzle knew he was in charge of the B.@.Dcrew now, and for some reason, felt that their work was now more important than ever. But even as the crew boarded the B.@.Dship, even as he was already missing his friend, he could not turn his thoughts away from his confusion about what B.@.D had asked him about the destruction of the B.@.Dcave.

Questions for another time, he thought. This was his team now, and he was going to do everything he could to do B.@.D proud. *



* Fade into Demetrius Tate on his cell phone. *

Harper: … I had a feeling it would go down like this, Demetrius… at least it’s over.

Tate: … yes, sir.

Harper: I’m sorry it had to go down like this, my friend. I know you didn’t believe this was the best way, and I want to say that your loyalty during a time when your views we’re not the same as mine, means a lot. Thank you.

* Demetrius half-smiled and half-grimaced, wishing only that he could tell Harper the truth about what had really happened. *

Tate: Yes, sir. I’ll be returning tomorrow. Until then, sir.

Harper: Thank you again, Demetrius. See you tomorrow.

* Demetrius hung up his cell phone, just as it beeped again, signaling that he had a text message waiting for some time. In the excitement, he had not realized he had received one. He sighed and re-opened his phone to see who it was from. *

From: Katastrophe
He’s out. Thank you. I’ll be in touch.

* Demetrius smiled, and went back to closing the day’s operation, not feeling very good about lying to the man he believed in, but feeling very good that he had helped save the life of another man who he believed in. He hoped and believed that he had made the right decision.

The phone rang again. He picked it up. *

Tate: Demetrius Tate.

Commander Tate, it’s B.@.D.

* Tate smiled. *
Tate: Katastrophe just told me you we’re out. So you threaded the eye of the needle.

* B.@.D smiled. *
I had some help, sir. I wanted to thank you for advising the B.@.Dcrew of the situation. Mr. Tate, you saved my life.

Tate: I’m only sorry it came to this.

… me too, sir.

Tate: Do not judge the Prime Minister. Please understand that his options we’re limited.

I know he had very little choice.

Tate: This is the first, and probably last time that we will ever speak… B.@.D you do understand, that when you hang up… for all intents and purposes, B.@.D is dead.

* On the other end of the conversation, B.@.D smiled. *
I understand that, sir. I just wanted to let you know that I was out.

Tate: I’m glad… it’s been an honor, B.@.D.

Same for me.
* B.@.D hung up his phone.

He sighed, and put the phone in his pocket. He looked out into the sunset, and thought back to what whatever looked like P.c.P had said in his dream about his life being different, being a challenge. He wondered what living in hiding would be like without any of his friends.

He also remembered what whoever it was had said about this being the next step. He wondered what this next step would lead to, and what his future would be like.

He flew over the Canadian border in the B.@.Dcopter, still looking at the sunset... looking at what he hoped wouldn’t be his last view of a sunset in Canada, wondering what his new life would be like now…

… now that the world thought that B.@.D was dead. *


* Fade out. *



* End Scene *