KINETIC: an original film

[Dark Sentinel]

not "technically" a superhero film, but it's pretty cool so far. WARNING: it IS intended to be R-rated, so there is a lot of cursing ( thank you SHH for auto-censor)

KINETIC

By Jeff Shanley


Archival footage of PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH signing the Department of Homeland Security into existence. Smiles, camera flashes, handshakes...

​​KORIAN (V.O.)
In 2002, President George W. Bush signed the Homeland Security Act. This gave the new Department of Homeland Security, as well as its first Secretary, the authority to protect the United States from any and all terrorist attacks, by any and all means necessary.

MONTAGE:
Young boys and girls being trained. Some are trained with ESP cards, some are seen levitating objects, and some cause objects to burst into fire or explode. Scientist write down the data.

​​KORIAN (CONT’D)
In secret, without the President’s knowledge, Homeland Security established the DHS’s first so-called black division: the Kinetic Combat, Reconnaissance and Research Division, known simply as “KCRR.” The division was a small, above-top-secret unit used to anticipate terrorist attacks and inhibit terrorist activities abroad. Since neither Congress nor the President himself knew of their existence, jurisdiction was almost a non-issue for them.

TIME CUT:
The young boys and girls are now young men and women. Now, they look like Operatives. In a room that looks very much like a FIRING RANGE, they display incredible control over their abilities. One young man, 17, with dark hair and blue eyes, is able to LEVITATE three large objects and manipulate them individually. Next to him is another young man, same age, African-American. He rapidly EXPLODES the same three objects.

INTERCUT:
A young Asian-American girl, 15, sits with her eyes closed. A scientist sits next to her with a clipboard resting on her knee.

​​SCIENTIST
Can you tell me what you see in the next room?

​​GIRL
​(distant)
It looks like a shooting range. They’re testing their powers...Derek is really good..so is Dexter...Derek can handle three objects at once, and Dexter can blow them up really fast...

FLASH TO:

PRESENT DAY, 2019 — 15:47 UTC±0

EXT. TANGIER, MOROCCOO - AFTERNOON

Derek Korian (24) and Dexter Harrington (23) race through the city of TANGIER, Morocco, running after a Moroccan man ahead of them. Both of them wear similar dark-blue collared shirts and white tanktops, unbuttoned because of the Moroccan heat.

​​​KORIAN
​​(shouting)
​Don’t let him get away!

​​​HARRINGTON
Unless you want me to make the whole ***damn block go up in flames, keep running!

​​KORIAN
Stop *****ing, Dex!

They weave through a shopping district lined with carts and sellers. A man pushing a cart of fruit stops short, and Derek is forced to LEAP over him.
Derek touches his COM-LINK earpiece.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS

SASHA HAN, 22 sits in front of a TEMPORARY COMMAND MODULE set up on a long FOLD-OUT TABLE. At the other end of the table is HAUSER, a tech (i.e. “technopath”), maintaining an interface with the computer systems. Flatscreens show a variety of streets via security cameras.

​​​KORIAN (O.C.)
​​(through com-link)
Reader, please tell me you still have our guy.

​​SASHA HAN
Don’t worry Shaker, I got him covered. Just don’t let Buster blow his fuse yet. We need this to be a clean grab.

​​HARRINGTON (O.C.)
I heard that, Sasha!

CUT TO:

EXT. TANGIER SHOPPING DISTRICT

ANGLE ON: The target pulls out a gun and FIRES three times. Korian raises one hand and--

SLOW-MOTION, PAN AROUND: the bullets STOP IN MID-AIR. They hang in the air for a second then DROP.

CLOSE ON: Their target’s eyes WIDEN. He throws the gun away and bolts.

​​KORIAN
****.

​​HAN (O.C.)
Target made a right and dipped into a hookah bar. He’s scared ****less though, Derek. You should be proud.

​​HARRINGTON
Let’s just hope to Christ we didn’t lose him.

​​HAN (O.C.)
You did. I didn’t. The hookah bar’s two sidestreets down, on your right. Second floor.

​​KORIAN
Copy. Will not, repeat, will not engage until we have visual I.D. of both postman and package.

​​HARRINGTON
​(mutters)
Says you.

​​KORIAN
Going in. Wish us luck.

Korian pushes the curtain back and they walk into--

INT. HOOKAH BAR

Derek and Dexter walk past the curtained entrance into a WALL OF SMOKE. Inside it’s hazy and hard to see. Through the smoke, however, they can see men and women relaxing on plush sofas, sharing hookahs with each other. The walls are decorated with paintings, drapes, candlesticks.

Derek takes out a pack of Moroccan CIGARETTES and lights one up.
​
​​HARRINGTON
Still can’t believe you actually bought those.

​​KORIAN
They’re not half bad.
​(through smoke)
Cheap too. Come on, second floor. Eyes and ears open.

Derek nods to a BARMAN, and Dexter follows him up a flight of stairs. The SECOND FLOOR is not as plush: very plain and utilitarian.
Derek hears SHOUTING coming from a few doors down the hall. Taking a drag of his cigarette, he unholsters his PISTOL.

As Derek and Dexter get closer and closer, the shouting gets LOUDER.

CUT TO:

INT. ROOM

The TARGET, HASSIM, is arguing in Arabic with another man who is sitting and calmly puffing on a hookah.

​​HASSIM
​(subtitled)
I don’t care how much it’s worth, they’ve sent ****ing magicians after me!

​​BUYER
​(subtitled)
Mr. Hassim, you’re talking crazy. You have the item in question, don’t you?

BOOM! The door FLIES into the wall, pinning the buyer. Dexter FIRES two shots, and the buyer is down. Hassim, wide-eyed, reaches for his gun.

​​KORIAN
Bad move, pal.

Dexter clenches his fists and the hookah BURSTS into fire. Korian RAISES his hand and Hassim is THROWN BACK into the wall.

​​KORIAN
OK, now that we’ve got a little “us” time...where’s the item?

Hassim says nothing, glaring defiantly. Korian sighs, then SHOOTS at the wall.

​​KORIAN
You understand English, don’t you? I’ll ask one more time--

Korian SPREADS his fingers, and Hassim’s limbs begin to STRETCH. He screams in pain.

​​HASSIM
​(broken English)
Pocket! Pocket!

​​KORIAN
​(to Dexter)
Check him.

Dexter walks over and begins checking Hassim’s pockets.

​​HAN (O.C.)
​(through com-link)
Guys, you better start hustling. Federal Police are moving in on the site.

​​KORIAN
​(into com-link)
Copy.
​(to Dexter)
Anything?

​​HARRINGTON
​(on last pocket)
Got it!

​​KORIAN
Good. Let’s blow this joint. Literally.

​​HARRINGTON
My pleasure.

EXT. HOOKAH BAR

FEDERAL POLICE VEHICLES, LIGHTS FLASHING, pull up just outside the hookah bar. Officers STORM the inside, SHOUTING orders. The BARMAN points upstairs.

INT. SECOND FLOOR

The officers reach the second floor just as Derek and Dexter exit the room. Derek POCKETS a small FLASHDRIVE, then waves his hands. As if hit by a GUST OF WIND, four officers are FLUNG back.

​​KORIAN
Let’s move!

Derek runs away from the fray, but Dexter stands his ground. Korian stops and turns around.

​​KORIAN
Dex! What the **** are you doing?!

​​HARRINGTON
​(cocky)
Blowing this joint, like you said. Literally.

Dexter widens his stance and STOMPS on the floor. BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!! A series of CONCUSSIVE explosions rip through the floor, followed by a single, LOUD BOOM!!!

Dexter and Derek LEAP over the railing as the hookah bar catches on fire. They tear through the crowd of panicked people.

CUT TO:

EXT. ALLEY

Derek and Dexter BUST through a back-alley entrance. SMOKE follows them outside. Still breathing heavily, they run down the street, away from the SIRENS.

CUT TO:

INT. HOTEL ROOM – LATER

Derek and Dexter enter as Sasha and Hauser are packing up their gear.

​​HAN
Director Hammond is gonna love telling this story to the Secretary.

​​KORIAN
It’s not my fault “Buster” here can’t hold his load.

​​HARRINGTON
First off, **** you. Second, if I hadn’t set off we’d probably be in Moroccan custody right now. And, need I forget to mention, according to the U.S. government, we don’t ****ing exist!

​​KORIAN
​(yelling)
No ****, Sherlock, but that does not give you carte blanche to blow up anything in your field of vision! What the **** were you thinking, Dex? You risked us getting worse than thrown in a Moroccan jail, you risked exposing us! So next time, if Hammond lets me keep you as my partner, please make sure that you keep your ****damn focus, got it?
​(to Sasha)
How long till the plane’s here?

​​HAN
It’s been waiting for five minutes. We’re late.