Bane

Racing along a cratered dirt road, and we are -

INT. LAND CRUISER JOSTLING OVER UNEVEN TERRAIN - DAY

Three Hooded Men guarded by East European Militia. A third Militia drives. Next to him is a nervous, bespectacled man.

EXT. AIRSTRIP, EASTERN EUROPE - DAY

An airstrip overlooking a grey city rocked by artillery fire. A bland CIA Operative, flanked by Special Forces Men, stands in front of a commuter plane. CIA Man watches the Land Cruiser pull up, hard. The Militia Men jump out of the vehicle.

The Driver shoves the bespectacled man in front of the CIA Man.

CIA MAN:

Dr. Pavel, I’m CIA.

Dr. Pavel nods, nervous. CIA Man hands the Driver a briefcase.

BARSAD:

He wasn’t alone.

CIA Man, confused, spots the Hooded Men. He turns to Dr. Pavel.

CIA MAN:

You don’t get to bring friends.

DR. PAVEL:

They are not my friends.

BARSAD:

Don’t worry, no charge for them.

CIA MAN:

Why would I want them?

BARSAD:

They were trying to grab your prize. (smiles) They work for the mercenary. The masked man.

CIA MAN:

(excited) Bane?

Barsad nods. CIA Man turns to his Special Forces Men.

CIA MAN:

Get ’em on board - I’ll call it in.

EXT. SKIES OVER MOUNTAIN RANGE - DAY

The commuter plane struggles over snow-capped mountains.

INT. MAIN CABIN, COMMUTER PLANE - CONTINUOUS

The three Hooded Men kneel by the cargo door, handcuffed.

CIA Man grabs Hooded Man 1.

CIA MAN:

What are you doing in the middle of my operation?

Hooded Man 1 says nothing. CIA Man pulls out a handgun.

CIA MAN:

The flight plan I just filed with the Agency lists me, my men, and Dr. Pavel here! But only one of you!

CIA Man opens the cargo door. Special Forces hang Hooded Man 1 out into the howling wind - CIA Man shouts above the wind.

CIA MAN:

FIRST ONE TO TALK GETS TO STAY ON MY AIRCRAFT! (cocks weapon) SO...WHO PAID YOU TO GRAB DR. PAVEL?!

Nothing. CIA Man fires out the open door and the Special Forces yank Hooded Man 1 back in, clubbing him quiet.

CIA MAN:

HE DIDN’T FLY SO GOOD! WHO WANTS TO TRY NEXT?!

The Soldiers grab Hooded Man 2, hang him out the door.

CIA MAN:

TELL ME ABOUT BANE! WHY DOES HE WEAR THE MASK?!

The prisoner says nothing. CIA Man presses the gun to the man’s hood - he cocks the gun...nothing.

CIA MAN:

LOT OF LOYALTY FOR A HIRED GUN!

THIRD PRISONER (BANE):

Or he’s wondering why someone would shoot a man before throwing him out of an aeroplane.

CIA Man turns to the Third Prisoner. Shuts the cargo door.

CIA MAN:

Wiseguy, huh? At least you can talk. Who are you?

THIRD PRISONER (BANE):

We are nothing. We are the dirt beneath your feet. And no one cared who I was until I put on the mask...

CIA Man, wary, approaches the Third Prisoner - pulls off his hood, revealing a dark mask with a breathing apparatus. The eyes behind it are cold. Still. This is Bane.

BANE:

Who we are does not matter. What matters is our plan.

CIA MAN:

(fascinated) If I pull this off, will you die?

BANE:

It would be extremely painful.

CIA MAN:

You’re a big guy.

BANE:

For you.

CIA MAN:

(unnerved) Was being caught part of your plan?

BANE:

Of course. Dr. Pavel refused our offer in favor of yours. We had to know what he told you about us.

DR. PAVEL:

Nothing! I said nothing!

CIA MAN:

Why not just ask him?

BANE:

He would not have told us.

CIA MAN:

You have methods.

BANE:

Him, I need healthy. You present no such problem.

CIA Man laughs for the Special Forces’ benefit. A heavy bass tone is rising. The Sergeant looks out the window.

EXT. SKIES OVER MOUNTAIN RANGE - CONTINUOUS

The commuter plane is dwarfed by a massive transport plane looming over it, dangerously close...

INT. MAIN CABIN, COMMUTER PLANE - CONTINUOUS

The plane lurches. The noise is building.

GERRY MAIMEN:

Sir?

CIA MAN:

Well congratulations, you got yourselves caught. What’s the next step of your master plan?

BANE:

Crashing this plane...

EXT. MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS

The ramp of the transport opens... Four men leap out on tethers - dropping towards the commuter plane, two each side...

INT. MAIN CABIN, COMMUTER PLANE - CONTINUOUS

The Special Forces react to the turbulence from the plane above. CIA Man looks at Bane.

BANE:

(rising) With no survivors!

A Special Forces soldier spins around - an Armed Man is outside the window. Bang!

EXT. SKIES OVER MOUNTAIN RANGE - CONTINUOUS

Two men shoot through the windows, the other two attach grapples to the fuselage - give the thumbs up - hoists start to pull and the tail of the commuter plane is lifted, unnaturally.

INT. COCKPIT, COMMUTER PLANE - CONTINUOUS

The Pilots battle the controls as the plane tilts forward.

INT. MAIN CABIN, COMMUTER PLANE - CONTINUOUS

Like lightning, Bane has the CIA Man is his handcuffed arms, legs wrapped around a seat back, The entire cabin upends. Tumbling chaos - Soldiers falling - Bane cracks CIA Man’s neck and drops him onto the Sergeant - they tumble down the plane, smashing into the cockpit door with a terminal thud. Dr. Pavel, strapped in, pushes against the seat in front of him - the plane vibrates, trying to tear itself apart.

EXT. ATLAS MOUNTAINS - CONTINUOUS

The men climb the tail of the smaller plane as it dangles helplessly above the mountains. Its wings shear off.

INT. MAIN CABIN, COMMUTER PLANE - CONTINUOUS

Bane breaks his handcuffs as if they were plastic, then opens his legs and drops down the cabin, somersaulting gracefully and using his arms to stop himself halfway down, by Dr. Pavel.

EXT. SKIES OVER MOUNTAIN RANGE - CONTINUOUS

The men attach explosives to the tail, then jump away, swinging out as the tail explodes.

INT. MAIN CABIN, COMMUTER PLANE - CONTINUOUS

An explosion takes off the rear door of the cabin - the Armed Men drop through the smoke on cables.

A body bag is lowered into the cabin. Bane lies it on the seat backs next to Dr. Pavel and unzips it to reveal a body the same age and build as Dr. Pavel.

Bane rips Dr. Pavel’s sleeve - pulls out a length of surgical tubing - pushes a needle into Dr. Pavel’s arm - runs the tube to the body’s arm... Dr. Pavel watches, horrified, as Bane starts compressions on the body’s chest, drawing Dr. Pavel’s blood across the tube and into the body...

An Armed Man pulls Hooded Man 1 up through the cabin and out. Bane stops Hooded Man 2.

BANE:

Friend. They expect one of us in the wreckage.

The man nods, unhooks himself, takes Bane’s arm.

HOODED MAN 2:

Have we started the fire?

BANE:

(nods) The fire rises!

Hooded Man 2 hands Bane his line. Bane clips it around Dr. Pavel, takes out a knife and cuts Dr. Pavel’s seat belt. Dr. Pavel panics, flails. Bane takes his arms. Gentle.

BANE

Calm, Doctor. Now is not time for fear...

Bane slides Dr. Pavel out of his seat. They hang in the vertical, windblown cabin. Bane takes out a detonator.

BANE:

That comes later.

Bane presses the detonator - the cabin drops from around them, revealing the terrifying drop to the peaks below. Dr. Pavel screams as they are hoisted up towards the transport.