HTS: The Rogue’s Path
Episode 2.4: A Fork In The Road
OPEN ON—
INT. CAR – DARK HIGHWAY
A car, headlights beaming down the road, is driving down the road, the only noise is the sound of the radio. Gotta Get Away by The Offspring is playing as JOHNNY SLADE drives the vehicle, carrying KARA STRODE in the passenger seat and DANNY STRODE in the back seat. DANNY is holding baby STEVEN in his arms.
KARA looks irritated as JOHNNY is bobbing his head to the music. KARA reaches over and turns the radio off, causing JOHNNY to look at her in surprise.
JOHNNY
I guess you don’t like my choice of music.
KARA
I’m not sure I like this whole plan. What is Lonnie going to do with Tommy?
JOHNNY
Settle their differences.
KARA
What differences?
JOHNNY
I don’t know. All I know is that Lonnie asked for a favor and I owe him a few. He must like you and your kid, though, or you’d be right next to Tommy with a dart in your neck.
DANNY
What could Tommy have done to him?
JOHNNY
Don’t know, kid. I try not to ask too many questions. You should probably leave it between them. Your lucky I went back and got the baby for you. If I had my choice, we would have left the little twerp.
STEVEN starts crying. Suddenly, a black van comes speeding up beside them. JOHNNY looks over to see the cold blue eyes of AIDEN FLANNERY glaring at them from the driver’s seat. AIDEN raises his free hand out the window and aims a gun with a silencer at them. JOHNNY’S eyes widen as he slams on the brakes, causing a shot break through the windshield and miss them. DANNY screams.
JOHNNY
Hold on! It’s about to get bumpy!
JOHNNY turns the steering wheel sharply, ramming the car into the side of the Thorn van. The Thorn van veers off the road, but quickly gets back on, just in time for an oncoming car. AIDEN turns the wheel sharply, avoiding contact as he veers back across the road and rams straight into JOHNNY’S car.
KARA
What do these people want?!
JOHNNY loses control as AIDEN veers them off the road. JOHNNY’S car hits the guard rail with a crash and sparks are sent flying as they scrape down the length of it. At the end of the guard rail, JOHNNY’S car hits a mound of dirt, sending it flying through the air.
AIDEN slams on his brakes as JOHNNY’S car sails through the air and crashes nose first into a tree on the side of the road. As smoke billows out from underneath the hood, AIDEN FLANNERY, dressed in full MiB gear.
AIDEN walks towards them with bad intentions as JOHNNY stumbles from the car, a streak of blood running down his head. JOHNNY turns, removing his sawed-off shot gun from his car and turns it on AIDEN, who ducks behind the guard rail. JOHNNY fires a loud, echoing shot, ripping through the guard rail and sending AIDEN diving for cover.
JOHNNY
Kara, get out of there!
JOHNNY fires off another shot at AIDEN, causing him to stay hidden. JOHNNY rips open the back door, pulling DANNY from the car. DANNY, with STEVEN gripped firmly in his arms, is unhurt as he runs over to the passenger door, where KARA is seated, unconscious.
JOHNNY rips the door open as AIDEN fires another shot at them., hitting into the door behind JOHNNY. JOHNNY fires another whopper at AIDEN, who has his hat blown off of his head and to the ground. AIDEN gulps and takes cover behind a tree.
JOHNNY pulls KARA out of the car and carries her towards the woods with DANNY and STEVEN close behind.
JOHNNY
Come on, kid! Run!
JOHNNY, KARA, STEVEN, and DANNY disappear into the cover of the nearby woods as AIDEN watches them go. AIDEN steps out of the shadows, taking out his cellular phone and dialing a number.
AIDEN
Greg?
EXT. LONNIE’S HOUSE
GREG BRADFORD and ABEL are seated in their van, watching LONNIE’S house as GREG has his phone to his ear.
GREG
What’s up, Aiden?
AIDEN
I found the red head. I need you and Abel out on East I-90. You’ll see a crash there. I’ll be waiting.
GREG
Cool. We’ll just take care of some little business here and be on our way.
AIDEN
See you soon.
AIDEN hangs up and GREG smirks over at ABEL.
GREG
Well, we’re done here. So is Lonnie’s life of luxury.
GREG pulls a bottle with a rag inside from the back seat and smiles. Gas is inside the bottle as GREG lights the rag on fire. GREG smirks before throwing the bottle at LONNIE’S front door, causing it to shatter and for flames to engulf the home. As the fire begins to spread GREG waves to the house as the van peels away from the sidewalk. CU on the house becoming covered in flames as the OPENING CREDITS roll...
OPENING CREDITS: OPEN on the city of Chicago. Dark, shadowy images of alleys and busy streets with the night lights flash on the screen as we cut to images from the series, beginning with highlights of the cast members in action to an alternative version of The Halloween Theme.
HTS: The Rogue’s Path
Starring
Johnny Depp as Lonnie Elamb
Vanessa Marcil as Lindsey Wallace
Will Smith as Marcus Cage
Lucy Liu as Josie Chang
Laurie Holden as Chloe Christianson
With
James Marsden as Garry Jacobs
And
Gabriel Byrne as Father Gabe Murphy
Guest Starring
Paul Rudd as Tommy Doyle
Marianne Hagan as Kara Strode
With
Devin Gardner as Danny Strode
And
Mitch Ryan as Dr. Terence Wynn
FADE IN ON—
INT. HOSPITAL
MARCUS CAGE is hooked up to several monitors, as a beeping noise fills the air. MARCUS’S eyes are closed as JOSIE CHANG sits on the couch inside the room, looking at him with worry.
WHITNEY CAGE, MARCUS’S wife, enters the room, looking at MARCUS with tears in her eyes.
WHITNEY
Oh, Marcus. Not again.
JOSIE stands, looking at WHITNEY with concern.
JOSIE
Are you Whitney?
WHITNEY
I am. Who are you?
WHITNEY looks at JOSIE as if she is offended about something.
JOSIE
Josie Chang, his new partner. The doctors say it looks good, but he hasn’t woken up just yet.
WHITNEY
What the hell happened out there? How did you escape with nothing?
JOSIE
Mrs. Cage, I—
WHITNEY
Save it, Little Miss Thang. Nothing you can say can make up for the fact that I’m going through this for the second time within a year! Nothing you can say will make you less liable in him getting shot while you prance off with a hangnail!
JOSIE
I’m sorry this happened, Mrs. Cage, but—
WHITNEY
Did I not tell you to save your excuses?! Now you’ve done your duty and you’ve sat by his bedside. But, I’m his wife and I’m here now. You can go.
JOSIE just nods her head and leaves the room as WHITNEY walks over to MARCUS’S bed and looks down at him, running her hand along MARCUS’S face. Tears begin forming in her eyes.
CU on MARCUS...FLASH
EXT. A LONG AREA OF DESERT – NIGHT
MARCUS CAGE is walking through the great stretch of sand as the moon is shining down on him.
MARCUS looks confused as he walks towards a campfire in the middle of nowhere. MARCUS looks over the flames and is shocked to see his last spirit guide, HAWK TONKA, sitting on the other side of the fire.
HAWK is in his war gear, with face paint, headdress, and fring boots. He is chanting some Indian words as MARCUS shakes his head.
MARCUS
How did I get back here again?
HAWK
You between life and death...again.
MARCUS
And what about you?
HAWK
Same.
MARCUS
Were you between life and death when you were trying to kill my friends and me?
HAWK
Was me, but not me.
MARCUS
Of course...whatever that means.
HAWK
You do not look beneath the surface. Everything not as it seems.
MARCUS
Why don’t you explain it to me?
HAWK
Battle lines being drawn. You must choose your side.
MARCUS
Battle lines between who?
HAWK
Thorn, Zangrael.
MARCUS
No offense, Tonto, but I don’t have to choose either side. Two demons wanna wipe each other out, I think I’ll just step aside and let them do it.
HAWK
Then you be killed in crossfire.
MARCUS
Is that a threat?
HAWK
It is fact.
MARCUS
Ain’t nothing written in stone, Geronimo. Nothing.
HAWK
Then wake up...
There is a bright flash.
INT. HOSPITAL
MARCUS’S eyes open to see WHITNEY CAGE standing above him, a worried expression on her face.
WHITNEY
Oh, thank God you’re okay.
MARCUS
Yeah, I’m cool. Where’s Josie?
WHITNEY
I sent her away.
MARCUS
Why? She saved my life.
WHITNEY
Yeah, and you got shot trying to return the favor. Marcus, I’m tired of waiting that call. You know, the call that tells me you’re dead. Why can’t you get a safer job? One with 9 to 5 hours and a cubicle.
MARCUS
I was born to do this work,, Whitney. I don’t want to do anything else.
WHITNEY
I can’t continue to live like this, Marcus.
MARCUS
It’ll be okay, baby. I’ll stop taking as many chances.
WHITNEY
You promise?
MARCUS
I promise.
MARCUS wipes away a tear from WHITNEY’S eyes and pulls her close to him. WHITNEY rests her head on his chest as they cuddle in silence.
EXT. ELAMB HOME
A van comes pulling up in front of the home, which is now engulfed in flames and is burning down around the frame.
The van door opens and LONNIE ELAMB steps out, looking at his home burning to the ground. LONNIE looks intense, angry, and shocked. LONNIE throws open the back of the van, where TOMMY DOYLE is handcuffed. LONNIE jerks TOMMY out of the van and throws him forward to the ground. TOMMY groans in pain as he looks up at LONNIE’S burning home in front of him.
LONNIE
Do you see that, Tommy? That’s my home. Burning to the ground. Why? Because I chose to help you. You may not care anymore what happens to myself or Lindsey, but you’re gonna help me get her back, like it or not.
TOMMY
Lonnie, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen...
LONNIE
So you accidentally had Debra kidnapped back in Haddonfield?! Since you have no issues with sacrificing a friend to meet your twisted goals, I have no problem doing the same.
TOMMY
Lindsey is probably dead! Steven is much more important to the big picture!
LONNIE decks TOMMY with a right, sending him to the ground in a heap.
LONNIE
If you speak about Lindsey as a mere prop in your vendetta one more time, so help me God, I will bury you, Doyle!
TOMMY
You just don’t have your priorities in check!
LONNIE
My priorities are my friends, not some freaky cult!
TOMMY
That’s a long cry from the Lonnie Elamb I used to know. Bringing down Thorn used to be your purpose in life!
LONNIE
I have other goals in mind these days, the first of which if to get Lindsey back and say goodbye to Thorn and your twisted vendetta for good.
TOMMY
You’re a hypocrite, Lonnie. You talk as if you’re not after that Stark guy for what he did to your girlfriend, but you are. You’re just as obssessed with me, but you’re afraid to admit it!
LONNIE
I am not selling out my friends! I may have had my motives against Thorn in the past, but I put that behind me!
TOMMY
You’re selling me out!
LONNIE
I no longer consider you a friend!
LONNIE grabs TOMMY and shoves him back into the van roughly. LONNIE shuts the van door and gets back into the driver’s seat as the house burns, people gathering around from neighboring homes. LONNIE drives away into the night.
INT. ST. PETER’S CATHOLIC CHURCH – NIGHT
FATHER GABE MUPRHY walks in, along with SISTER SARAH CROSS and TY AUSTIN at his side.
SARAH
I just hope we gave Lonnie enough time to do whatever he needed to do...
GABE
Hopefully, he’ll be in touch soon.
CHLOE CHRISTIANSON, sitting in one of the pews, rises from her sitting position and looks at GABE with worry.
CHLOE
I didn’t know where else to go...
GABE, SARAH, and TY look at her with confusion. SARAH takes the hint and grabs TY’S hand.
SARAH
Come on, Ty. I’ll get you some ice cream.
TY
That sounds good.
SARAH and TY exit as CHLOE watches TY closely.
CHLOE
That’s Kate’s son, right? The one that Roland Stark is trying to get custody of...
GABE
Yes, I’m afraid so...
CHLOE
You can’t let him do that, Father Murphy. He’s dangerous.
GABE
I’m aware of that, Chloe, but it doesn’t look like there’s much I can do about it. Is that why you came by?
CHLOE
Father Murphy, I’m a practical woman. I’m not religious by nature. I believe in science, not in the supernatural.
GABE
Why are you telling me this?
CHLOE
Because I need someone to talk to, but I’m not Catholic. I need confidentiality and to make sure this isn’t repeated.
GABE
I would never betray a confidence, regardless of your faith.
CHLOE
I think Roland Stark may have killed a woman.
GABE
Lonnie believes that, too, as well as Ty. What brings you to this conclusion?
CHLOE
He tortured a woman by the name of Meredith Bergman and ushered me away from the scene after telling his brother to “take care of her”. I went back to The Rabbit In Red Lounge and learned that Meredith had suddenly disappeared.
GABE
You should go to the police.
CHLOE
Father Murphy, Roland Stark is a very powerful man. Speaking out against him could be disastrous.
GABE
Keeping quiet could be just as disastrous.
CHLOE
I’ve already lost my job because of him. I don’t want to lose my life.
GABE
You must do what’s in your heart, Chloe. Only you have the answers.
CHLOE
I guess I’ll decide during my interview whether or not I want to speak out.
GABE
I trust you will decide what is right for you.
CHLOE just nods as GABE looks at her with concern.
GABE
I must admit that I find your beliefs concerning. Everything caused by science? How can you believe that after all you’ve seen?
CHLOE
I was transformed by scientific research. The same can be said of any number of the things we’ve seen. Werewolves, for example. A virus contracted by biting and blood transferrence.
GABE
The Four Horsemen?
CHLOE
Could be a different strain of a different illness. I won’t know until I get one of them in my lab...which I don’t have anymore.
GABE
Science Vs. Faith is one of the oldest debates in the history of man. I only ask that you keep an open mind.
CHLOE
I ask the same of you. Thanks for talking with me, Father Murphy.
CHLOE turns and exits the scene as GABE watches after her with concern.
INT. SMITH’S GROVE SANITARIUM – INT. TERENCE WYNN’S OFFICE
DR. TERENCE WYNN is seated in a wheelchair behind his desk, ruffling through some paperwork. The television shows a picture of ROLAND STARK at a press conference.
REPORTER
Mr. Stark, your decision to run for governor of Illinois is sudden and quite shocking. Has this been in the works a while or was it a spur of the moment decision?
ROLAND
(on TV)
I assure you that I have given the most important thought to this endeavor for years, ever since the last election didn’t end the way I wanted.
Some ATTENDEES laugh as ROLAND points at another REPORTER off-screen.
REPORTER
(on TV)
Are you saying that your opponent in the upcoming election, Lucas Smythe, will be a cinch?
ROLAND
(on TV)
I would never discount Lucas Smythe as an opponent, a man, or otherwise. He’s a very capable candidate, but my intention is to prove that I’m a better candidate.
DAWN THOMPSON enters, looking troubled as WYNN stares at the television, looking troubled.
DAWN
Dr. Wynn, you have a visitor.
WYNN
Who is it, Dawn?
ROLAND STARK steps out of the hallway, his arms crossed in front of him as he eyes WYNN from across the room. WYNN recognizes him and looks over at the television, where the news is playing. WYNN uses his remote to cut the television off as ROLAND enters, looking at WYNN with a studious expression.
WYNN
Well, we have a celebrity in our midst. Roland Stark.
ROLAND
Dr. Wynn, I’m so glad you could make the time to see me. Could we speak privately?
WYNN
I don’t recall making an appointment, but for a man of your stature, I’m sure an exception can be made.