The Professional [title subject to change]

my first short.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

The CAMERA fades in on a man.  He is sitting on the side of a bed, the street lights shining dimly into the room.  The light from a neon light outside blinks slowly on and off.  The square outline of the window hits the man just at his knees and extends up to his chest.  Though the rest of the room is not blackened by the shadows, you cannot see his face; it is cut off from the shot.  The light from the window also rests partially on the bedside to the right, revealing a revolver and a rag.

The man is COLLIN GABRIEL, late 30s.  He is a hitman of sorts, but he works only for himself.  He is wearing a black suit, a white shirt, and a black tie.  As the camera remains on him, he begins talking.

COLLIN
(voice-over)
What is justice?

The shot cuts to somewhere else.  The location is unknown.  There is some sort of struggle between two people, one wearing a black suit and another wearing a light-grey suit.  At no point do you see the face of the man in black.  The dialogue is unrecognizable.  The flash lasts only a brief moment before cutting back to COLLIN.  The voice-over resumes.  As COLLIN continues talking, the camera moves in slowly toward the gun.

COLLIN (CONT’D)
(voice-over)
Is it a right?

Another flash of the same type.  As the flashes continue, the man in black throws the other man to the ground.

COLLIN (CONT’D)
(voice-over)
A responsibility?

Another flash.  The man in black has the other man pinned to the ground.

COLLIN (CONT’D)
(voice-over)
Is it a privilege...,

Another flash.  Heavy breathing is heard as the man in black struggles less and less to keep the other man pinned.

COLLIN (CONT’D)
(voice-over)
Something that can be taken from you?

Another flash.  The man in black stands up and pulls out a gun and pointing it down at the man laying on his back.  He is too exhausted to move.  The shot cuts back to the gun, which is now taking up the entire picture.

COLLIN (CONT’D)
(voice-over)
Or is it revenge?

A gunshot is heard and the shot cuts to black.

INT. DAVID’S OFFICE - DAY

The shot is of a man sitting behind his desk.  The office is located on the top floor of an unknown building.  The walls are glass, providing a wonderful view of the city below.

The man is DAVID CROWE, president of an unknown company.  He is 30, seemingly quite young to be the president of a company.  His father owned the company but had died 2 years previous.  He sits in a grey suit, sipping scotch on the rocks, leaning back in his leather chair.  He leans up and presses the intercom button on his phone.

DAVID
Rachel, you may bring in Mr. Kalvin.

RACHEL
(from over the intercom)
Yes, Mr. Crowe.

A moment later, the door to DAVID’s office opens and a slender woman in her mid-20s walks into the room.  It is RACHEL, DAVID’s secretary.  She moves to the side while still holding the door.

RACHEL (CONT’D)
Mr. Kalvin.

A man enters the room behind her.  He is MR. KALVIN, a man in his 50s, well dressed.  He is carrying a black briefcase.

DAVID
(to RACHEL)
Thank you Rachel.

RACHEL
You’re welcome, Mr. Crowe.  Is there anything that I can do for you or Mr. Kalvin?

DAVID
(to Rachel)
No thank you, Rachel.

Rachel smiles and leaves the room.  Both DAVID and MR. KALVIN check her out as she leaves the room.  DAVID stands up to greet MR. KALVIN.

DAVID (CONT’D)
Thank you for coming in, Mr. Kalvin.

They shake hands over the desk.

DAVID (CONT’D)
Please, have a seat.

MR. KALVIN takes a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk as DAVID sits back down in his chair.

DAVID (CONT’D)
Scotch?

DAVID motions to the bottle of scotch sitting on his desk.

MR. KALVIN
I’m more of a brandy man, myself  But, thank you.

DAVID reaches down and opening a door in his desk, pulls up another bottle.

MR. KALVIN (CONT’D)
Ah, yes.  On the rocks, please.

DAVID pours a glass and hands it to him.  MR. KALVIN takes a sip and raises the glass with approval.

MR. KALVIN (CONT’D)
So, Mr. Crowe, shall we get right down to business?

DAVID
Please, call me David.  I couldn’t have one of my father’s friends address me as Mr.  It wouldn’t seem right.

MR. KALVIN
I understand.  Well, David, I think I have something here in my briefcase that you will be very interested in.

MR. KALVIN lifts the briefcase up onto his lap and unlatches it.  Turning it around and placing it on the desk, he opens it to DAVID.  DAVID sits up in his chair and looks down into the contents of the briefcase.  He smiles and raising his glass to MR. KALVIN, he chuckles.

DAVID
Yes, yes.  I do believe you do.

INT. OUTSIDE DAVID’S OFFICE - DAY

Both men walk out of DAVID’s office, laughing heartily.  MR. KALVIN no longer carries his black briefcase.  DAVID has one hand on MR. KALVIN’s shoulders and is shaking his hand with the other.

MR. KALVIN
You always had an eye for a good opportunity David, just like your father.

DAVID
Well thank you.  We’ll have to have dinner sometime.

MR. KALVIN
Indeed.  You have a good evening.

DAVID
You as well.

MR. KAVLIN turns and walks away.  DAVID turns to RACHEL’s desk and hops up to sit on it.

RACHEL
(nodding her head)
Mr. Crowe.

She pauses.

RACHEL (CONT’D)
I assume your meeting with Mr. Kalvin went well?

DAVID
Yes, Rachel, it did.

RACHEL
Is there anything I can do for you?

DAVID
Do you know why I hired you?

RACHEL
No, Mr. Crowe, I do not know.  And why is it that you hired me?

DAVID
It was because of your...resume.  Such a nice resume.  Neat, to the point, just the right amount of information.  I thought, that’s the type of person I want to be my secretary.

RACHEL
Well, thank you Mr. Crowe.

DAVID
What are you doing for dinner tonight?

RACHEL blushes and pushes her hair behind her ear.  She looks up at DAVID.

RACHEL
Mr. Crowe!
DAVID

Can’t I take my secretary out for dinner to thank her for always doing a wonderful job?

RACHEL
I suppose.

DAVID
Is that a yes or a no?

RACHEL
Well...I was going to have dinner with my parents.

DAVID
Oh, I see.  Well, tell them that you went out with your boss for dinner to celebrate your first year working here and to celebrate your raise.

RACHEL smiles and blushes once again.

RACHEL
Oh, thank you Mr. Crowe!  Let me just call my parents.

DAVID
Wonderful.  Whenever you’re ready to leave, we’ll go.

DAVID hops off RACHEL’s desk and walks back into his room.

INT. PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT

DAVID exits the garage elevator and walks toward his car, he coat hanging over his arm.  He is carrying the black briefcase from MR. KALVIN.  As he walks around a pillar, he sees COLLIN.  COLLIN is standing in his black suit, white shirt, and black tie.  He has no gun in his hand.

DAVID
(startled)
Holy sh-  You scared the heck outta me.

COLLIN
Hello Mr. Crowe.  How was your evening?

DAVID
What the-  Who the heck are you!?

COLLIN
What did you order tonight?

DAVID
Hey man, how about you take a hike?

COLLIN
Have you ever heard of the word justice, Mr. Crowe?

DAVID
What?  What are you talking about?

COLLIN
Justice, Mr. Crowe!  Justice!

DAVID
For what!?

COLLIN
For your actions.

DAVID
What did I do?  What have I ever done to you?

COLLIN now starts walking slowly around DAVID, who makes no move in trying to run away.

COLLIN
Mr. Crowe, Mr. Crowe.  It’s not what you’ve done to me.  On the contrary, it’s what you’ve done to yourself.

DAVID
To myself?

COLLIN
Yes, what you’ve done to yourself.  You’ve gotten into quite a mess, haven’t you?

DAVID
I don’t know what you’re talking about.

COLLIN
Don’t play dumb with me, Mr. Crowe.  You’re a smart man.  Not just anyone can run a business, a corporation, like the one you run.  You’re father was a smart man, wasn’t he?

DAVID
What?

COLLIN
Was it not your father’s wish, his dying wish, that you run his business, his business that he had built up from nothing?  To run it responsibly, with honor and honesty.

DAVID
What are you implying?

COLLIN
Answer the question, Mr Crowe!  Is that not what he asked of you!?

DAVID
Yes!

COLLIN
Have you, from day one, conducted yourself as such?

DAVID
I, I-

COLLIN
I’ll answer the question for you.  You seem to be having trouble answer questions tonight.  No, you haven’t.  You’ve bribed, under cut friends, embezzled, cheated, and stole.  That’s not quite what your father had hoped for.

DAVID
You know nothing about me!  I loved my father!  He was my hero, a saint.  He raised me on his own and built a legacy, a legacy that he could pass down to his son.  The day he died, a part of me died.

COLLIN
Good, I’m glad to hear you haven’t forgotten that.

DAVID
Who do you think you are!?

DAVID throws the briefcase at COLLIN, who takes a couple steps back upon impact.  DAVID drops his jacket and tackles COLLIN.  They wrestle on the ground until COLLIN throws DAVID off him.  They get up and DAVID starts swinging at COLLIN.  COLLIN dodges and blocks the punches and throws DAVID to the ground.  He jumps down and pins DAVID to the ground, holding him down so that DAVID cannot move.  They both breath heavily.

COLLIN stands up over DAVID.  This is the same scene from the flashes at the beginning.  He pulls out the gun from inside his coat and points it down at DAVID.  COLLIN stands like that for a tense moment and then points the gun up in the air and fires.

DAVID (CONT’D)
Holy-  What do you want from me?

COLLIN kneels down to DAVID.

COLLIN
I want you to take that briefcase back to Mr. Kalvin.  I want you to honor your father, because I know that’s what you really want.  I know it’s what I want to do.

DAVID’s breathing steadily begins to slow.  COLLIN looks down at his gun and tosses it on DAVID’s chest.  A puzzled look comes across DAVID’s face as he pushes himself up onto his elbows.  COLLIN gets up to his feet.

COLLIN (CONT’D)
They never did catch the guy who hit your father, did they?

DAVID just continues to look puzzled.  COLLIN lowers his head.

COLLIN (CONT’D)
The news said he must have been drunk.  So drunk that he didn’t feel anything and was able to walk away without feeling the pain.

COLLIN pauses and looks back up toward DAVID who now is getting to his feet.  He holds the gun in his right hand.

COLLIN (CONT’D)
He wasn’t drunk.  He was scared.

DAVID
What are you t-  How do you know this?

COLLIN
I-  I was so tired that night.  I fell asleep and ran the red light.  I’m so sorry.

DAVID
(whispering to himself)
Jack Peterson?

COLLIN
I don’t know why I ran.  I was scared.  I-  I can’t imagine what I’ve done to you.

DAVID raises the gun, pointing it at COLLIN/JACK.

DAVID
Why are you here?

COLLIN/JACK doesn’t respond.

DAVID (CONT’D)
(yelling)
Why are you here!?

COLLIN
Justice.

DAVID frowns.

DAVID
Explain yourself.

COLLIN
For the past two years, I’ve lived in hotel rooms under the name Collin Gabriel.  I meant to come to you sooner, but I just couldn’t.  I’ve never stopped thinking about that night.  I just want to honor your father like he rightly should be.

DAVID
You took my father from me.

COLLIN
Yes.

COLLIN/JACK looks at the gun in DAVID’s hand.  The camera shows a close up of the gun.

COLLIN (CONT’D)
An eye for and eye, Mr. Crowe.

DAVID stands for a moment, still pointing the gun at COLLIN/JACK.  Then, pointing the gun up to the ceiling, he fires.  He tosses the gun on the ground and it slides over to COLLIN/JACK.

DAVID
You have a nice evening Mr. Gabriel.

The camera slowly pulls back to a wide shot.

COLLIN
(voice-over)
What is justice?

A news report is heard in the background.

NEWS REPORTER
(voice-over)
President of Kalvin Banc, H. R. Kalvin was arrested today under the charges of money laundering and embezzlement, amongst other things, after he attempted to make a “deal” with David Crowe, president of Crowe Construction Corporation.  Crowe turned in Kalvin but also reportedly confessed to a number of “deals” that he had made in the past two years.  Here is footage of Crowe and what he had to say on the matter...

COLLIN
(voice-over)
It is a second chance.

DAVID
(voice-over on news)
...I am truly sorry for what I have done in the past.  I felt that I owed it to my father.  A friend helped me to realize that I had forgotten what I stood for, what my father’s company stands for.  To honor my father is to honor the law...
The shot now cuts to COLLIN/JACK, who stands in the parking garage elevator.

COLLIN
(voice-over)
It is forgiveness.

The elevator doors close and the shot fades to black.