FADE IN:



INT. STONE HALLWAY

A large rat ventures into a pool of light, sniffs at the
damp stone floor.

CLANG. HEAVY FOOTSTEPS clump with military precision.

The rat scurries into the shadows.

Five pairs of polished boots march past steel doors,
followed by a pair of Gucci moccasins.

Four SOLDIERS and an NCO of indeterminate nationality,
followed by HSU LI, a well-dressed Asian gentleman. 

Two Soldiers stand post on either side of a thick steel
door as the NCO unlocks it. The door swings open with a
tortured metallic GROAN. The other Soldiers step inside.

GIOVANNI CORSINI (30), a grime-encrusted Adonis, does
push-ups with mechanical precision. 

NCO
On you feet.

Giovanni ignores him as he completes his set.

GIOVANNI
Novantasei ... novantasette ...
novantotto ... novantanove ... duecento.

Giovanni springs to his feet, examines his physique in
the light from the hallway.

NCO
Why bother? You won't leave here alive.

Giovanni playfully shadowboxes against the NCO.

GIOVANNI
Your guards took all my video games. 

NCO
Stop your foolishness. It's time.

Giovanni shrugs, steps into the hallway, shoots a puzzled
expression at Hsu Li. 

Two Soldiers close ranks, standing between Giovanni and
Hsu Li, watching from the shadows, detached. A Soldier
prods Giovanni. They march him down the corridor.

GIOVANNI
Who's the pezzo grosso in the Gucci
moccasins?

NCO
Silence!

GIOVANNI
The big boss? Surprise inspection?

They turn down a narrow corridor. 

GIOVANNI (CONT'D)
I've never been down here. 

NCO
Consider yourself lucky. 

The four soldiers surround Giovanni at an open doorway.

NCO (CONT'D)
Inside.

Giovanni hesitates. Searches six pairs of impassive eyes. 

GIOVANNI
Sure, you're the boss. 

Giovanni shrugs, enters a long, narrow room.

JADE (O.S.)
Walk to the far wall.

Giovanni turns. JADE, a tall, dark-haired woman sits in
the shadows at a small desk. A butane flame illuminates
green eyes and ruby lips as she lights a cigarette.

Giovanni walks into shadows. CLICK. Half of the room is
flooded with light. Disoriented, he shields his eyes.

JADE (CONT'D)
Continue walking.

He walks to the far wall, covered with thick planks,
pockmarked with small holes, spotted with dark stains. An
iron grating covers a drain in the stone floor.

Giovanni's eyes widen. Nauseated, he clutches his
stomach, rests a hand against the wall for support. His
fingers graze a tuft of blond hair caught in a splinter.

Giovanni retches. A trickle of water carries his vomit
toward the drain in the floor.

JADE (CONT'D)
Giovanni Corsini, you have been found
guilty of smuggling narcotics.

GIOVANNI
Vicodin. For my mother with the cancer.

JADE
You may take two minutes to pray.

GIOVANNI
For her pain. I'm innocent.

Giovanni squints at a bank of floodlights. The sound of
rifle bolts chambering cartridges ECHO against the walls.

GIOVANNI (CONT'D)
You can't kill me for a hundred Vicodin.

Jade approaches. A ghostly backlit apparition.

JADE
Your life can end in two minutes, or I
can arrange a much more pleasant option. 

GIOVANNI
What do you want?

JADE
I'm offering you Prometheus. 

GIOVANNI
The black pill? That's just a legend.

JADE
No, Giovanni. It's quite real.



INT. PUBLIC BUILDING - ONE YEAR EARLIER

TAHEISHA SANTAMARIA (32), ebony-skinned Amazon, Glock 20
and encrypted cell phone holstered at her waist, charges
down the corridor, pursued by ASHLEY WAINWRIGHT (25),
strawberry blonde, generously endowed with freckles,
scrawling with a Mont Blanc fountain pen on a tattered
note pad.

TAHEISHA
The Kidney Killer? How theatrical.

ASHLEY
A second victim discovered last night,
with both kidneys surgically removed.

TAHEISHA
We haven't released any such information.

ASHLEY
Are you denying it? May I quote you? 

TAHEISHA
No comment.

ASHLEY
Is he eating the kidneys or selling them?

TAHEISHA
Sale of human organs is illegal.

ASHLEY
So you believe it is cannibalism.

TAHEISHA
We'll investigate all realistic theories. 

ASHLEY 
Both were employees of abortion clinics.

TAHEISHA
One a former employee.

ASHLEY
A macabre Robin Hood. Steals life from
those he blames for taking life to save
people in need.

At the elevator, Taheisha turns on Ashley. 

TAHEISHA
You can't be serious.

ASHLEY
My readers will love it.

TAHEISHA
Why don't you write something positive? 

ASHLEY
Give me an angle. 

TAHEISHA
I won't discuss an ongoing investigation.

Taheisha punches the elevator call button.

ASHLEY
Then give me background. Anything.

The elevator arrives. Taheisha hesitates.

TAHEISHA
Ten thousand Americans die each year
waiting for kidney transplants because
there aren't enough donors. Makes for a
lot of desperate people watching their
sand slip through that hourglass. 



INT. HOSPITAL DIALYSIS UNIT

Blood surges into a tube connected to a dialysis machine. 

ANJULIET SANTAMARIA (55) watches a diminutive NURSE
insert a large needle into her forearm. Anjuliet has the
same dark complexion and large-boned build as Taheisha.

HÉCTOR SANTAMARIA (50), a compact black man in a
spotless, starched lab coat, approaches, smiling warmly.

HÉCTOR
May the good doctor kiss the beautiful
patient?

Anjuliet flashes a cold look.

ANJULIET
The good doctor can kiss my black ass.
Hope you like snuggling with the dog,
'cause that's where you're sleeping 'til
further notice.

HÉCTOR
What seems to be the problem?

ANJULIET
You don't see a problem here? I'm hooked
up to this damned machine and you give
away my motherfucking kidney!

Héctor flashes Nurse a suspicious look.

HÉCTOR
That's not what happened.

Nurse tapes the needle down and beats a hasty retreat.

ANJULIET
Six fucking years getting poked three
times a week, watching my life seep away.
When they finally find me a kidney, you
give it to a white boy. Were you fucking
him? Is that why? 

Héctor approaches with a reassuring smile.

HÉCTOR
That wasn't the right kidney for my
precious wife. Transplant organs need to
be fresh for the graft to take hold. The
wet ischemia ... 

Anjuliet pulls out the second tube, flings it at Héctor,
spraying his lab coat with blood.

ANJULIET
If you're trying to kill me, just plunge
a damn scalpel into my heart. Six years!
Life expectancy on dialysis is only five! 

Héctor catches the tube, a blood-spitting serpent.

HÉCTOR
Not at my hospital. 

Héctor switches off the dialysis machine, unwraps a
sterile needle.

HÉCTOR (CONT'D)
I never compromise with the health of my
patients. The latest equipment, fresh
filters and a full six hours of dialysis.

Héctor inserts the fresh needle into Anjuliet's arm.



INT. SEAFOOD RESTAURANT - EVENING

Soft, warm light, rich earth tones. Thick wooden tables,
antique ship fittings, seafaring memorabilia. 

A WAITRESS in sailor's jersey and white hot pants carries
a bucket of steamed clams to Héctor, seated alone.

Héctor plucks out a clam, chews it thoughtfully.

HSU LI (O.S.)
Doctor Santamaria?

Héctor looks up at Hsu Li, the well-dressed Asian.

HÉCTOR
Do I know you?

HSU LI
I heard you deliver a paper at the
nephrology conference last year. Are you
dining alone?

Héctor nods sadly.

HÉCTOR
My wife has dialysis three nights a week.

HSU LI
May I buy you a drink? 

Héctor shakes his head NO.

HÉCTOR
I have surgery tomorrow.

HSU LI
Of course, Héctor Santamaria never does
anything to endanger his patients. 

HÉCTOR
Every detail is critical. My patients
survive twice as long on dialysis ... 

Hsu Li sits, helps himself to a clam. 

HSU LI
They also suffer twice as long, waiting
for donor organs that never arrive. 

HÉCTOR
Are you a surgeon?

Hsu Li considers the question as he plucks out the meat.

HSU LI
I import surgical supplies. 

HÉCTOR
Is this a sales call?

HSU LI
I heard about your trouble finding a
compatible kidney for your wife.

Héctor makes a gesture of helplessness.

HÉCTOR
She's not a good transplant candidate. 

HSU LI
What if I could offer you a product that
could be permanently implanted to replace
her failing kidneys?

HÉCTOR
An ambulatory artificial kidney?

HSU LI
A human kidney from a willing, living
donor, perfectly matched to your wife. 

Hector raises his palms, refusing any involvement.

HÉCTOR
I cannot be party to trafficking.

HSU LI
The same gift of life a few freely make
and many would gladly make, if fairly
compensated for their sacrifices.

HÉCTOR
It's one thing to accept an altruistic
donation, it's quite another ...

Hsu Li slaps the table. The Waitress snaps her head.

HSU LI
Altruism? How many people sacrifice a
kidney for a total stranger?

HÉCTOR
It happens. Just last week in Kansas ...

HSU LI
Let me guess. Somebody heard the voice of
God and volunteered to quit work for
three months to undergo disfiguring
surgery for a complete stranger. 

HÉCTOR
Laparoscopic harvesting procedures are
less disfiguring and permit quicker
recovery.

HSU LI
Don't get me wrong, I have the greatest
respect for living donors. I could never
do it. I'd be afraid some surgeon might
let me die to harvest my organs and save
six other patients. Irrational, I know. 

Hsu Li helps himself to another clam.

HSU LI (CONT'D)
What if we cannot reincarnate without all
our organs? I wonder if babies born
without vital organs might be
reincarnations of donors in prior lives.

HÉCTOR
Such extreme defects are far more rare
than living donors.

HSU LI
Not by a wide margin. You're not ready
for what I offer, but when Anjuliet's
condition deteriorates or she becomes
frustrated staring at the backs of the
tens of thousands waiting for a donor
ahead of her, I'll be there for you.

HÉCTOR
I think not.

Hsu Li rises to take his leave. 

HSU LI
Doctor. 

HÉCTOR
If I did want to contact you ...

Hsu Li smiles thinly, shakes his head NO. 

HSU LI
I'll find you. I have eyes and ears
everywhere.

Héctor reaches into the bucket, finds it empty. Looks up.

Hsu Li is nowhere to be seen. 



INT. WENDY'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Slender fingers with bright red nails grasp the hem of a
short sundress, raise it over long, toned legs to reveal
lacy panties. 

Dark-skinned fingers press a camcorder zoom control.

A thumb hooks inside the panty waistband, gingerly
revealing a two-inch incision closed with nine stitches.

A street urchin of ethnically diverse heritage, intense
green eyes, unruly hair, awkward bearing, CECIL (19)
crouches low, zooms in for a tight shot. 

WENDY (28), plain face, killer body, raises her dress
further to display two small scars on her abdomen. She
points to a scar below her rib cage. 

WENDY
This is where they inserted the camera.

Cecil steps in for an extreme close-up.

Wendy's fingernail points to a second tiny scar.

WENDY (CONT'D)
They shoved their fancy laparoscopic
instruments in through here.

The viewfinder images centers on a tiny scar.

Wendy tugs her panties a little lower, curling a finger
to trace her scar.

WENDY (CONT'D)
They shoved a little plastic bag in here,
wrapped up my kidney and pulled it out,
ready for the butcher's display case.

The viewfinder image hovers over her lacy panties.

WENDY (CONT'D)
They could have gone through the navel,
but the panty line is more cosmetic,
don't you think?

Ashley clasps a hand on Cecil's shoulder.

ASHLEY
I think she's had enough cameras poked
inside her this week. 

Cecil steps back, with a nervous, apologetic shrug.

CECIL
Th-th-ths-thss-thsorry.

Wendy turns, traces a U-shaped line below her rib cage.

WENDY
Ten years ago, kidney donation meant a
huge scar, from here to here, and
recovery took three months. 

The viewfinder frames the curve of her buttocks as Wendy
lowers her dress, like a curtain falling on a stage play.

WENDY (CONT'D)
I get the stitches out on Friday and
should be back at work next week. 

ASHLEY
Your advice for prospective donors?

Ashley holds a microphone near Wendy's lips.

WENDY
It's a big decision. There's a lot of
problems you'd never expect. I've had
constant, painful diarrhea, maybe a
reaction to the pain killers, they don't
know. And I had to go off my birth
control pills for three months, which
puts a major crimp on your love life.

ASHLEY
Probably no more than constant diarrhea.

WENDY
My cousin's health insurance paid for my
surgery, but not for lost wages, gas,
parking or the tropical fish that died
when I was in the hospital. Medicare pays
millions so everybody can afford a kidney
transplant, but it doesn't do any good if
nobody can afford to be a donor. 

Ashley lowers the microphone, ending the interview.

ASHLEY
Thank you very much, Wendy. If you don't
mind, I'd like to take a moment to record
my closing comments. It works better with
the same ambient sounds.

The viewfinder frames Ashley, nodding a ready signal.

ASHLEY (CONT'D)
Aspiring actress, local beach volleyball
champion, private hero, Wendy wears the
scars of her surgery like medals for
courage, honor and sacrifice. 

The viewfinder leaves Ashley's face, glides over her
body, lingers at her legs as the image brightens,
revealing in the shadows a sleek electronic gadget
embossed with bold Japanese characters.



INT./EXT. CECIL'S VAN - DAY

Cecil loads molded plastic equipment cases into a rusty
Volkswagen minivan decorated with peeling remnants of
peace symbols as Ashley and Wendy hug their good-byes. 

Ashley climbs into the passenger seat, next to Cecil.

ASHLEY
Back to the studio. 

Cecil presses the play button on the camcorder. The
monitor displays the electronic gadget. 

CECIL
Only J-Ja-Ja-pa-pan. 

Ashley studies the monitor.

ASHLEY
The Omega Code game console? Aren't these
supposed to be twelve grand, if they ever
export them to America?

Cecil nods his head, reaches for the ignition key.

Ashley reaches out, stays his hand, looks to Wendy.

Wendy raises her hand to wave good-bye.

Ashley switches on the radio.

CECIL
Won't s-s-st-start. 

Ashley, nods, makes a twisting motion with her wrist.

ASHLEY
Yes, I know. 

Cecil turns the ignition. The ENGINE GRINDS, nothing. 

Wendy approaches. More futile GRINDING.

WENDY
Problem?

ASHLEY
Any chance you could give us a jump?

WENDY
I'm feeling well enough to drive. 

Wendy walks back toward her home. 

ASHLEY
Bet you ten bucks she has a new car.

Cecil shakes his head, brushes his hair out of his eyes.

CECIL
No b-bet. 

ASHLEY
Something sleek and sexy a wannabe
actress could never afford on her own.

CECIL
No b-be-bet.

Wendy pulls up in a shocking pink Corvette sporting a
placard in the license plate holder: RAY'S CUSTOM VETTES.



INT. RAY'S CUSTOM VETTES - DAY

A cocktail dress, slit nearly to the waist, ripples over
freckled legs as they circle a sleek Corvette, it's
custom scissor doors raised like the wings of a raptor. 

Stiletto heels CLICK on linoleum as the legs circle a
classic 50s roadster in pristine, museum condition. 

Ashley, suitably dressed for a party at the Playboy
Mansion, looks around the showroom. SILENCE. 

ASHLEY
Hello?

SILENCE. 

ASHLEY (CONT'D)
Is anybody here? 

SILENCE. She examines the 427 big block engine under the
open hood of a muscle car. Looks around, piqued.

ASHLEY (CONT'D)
I'm looking for Ray. 

SILENCE. She crosses her arm, taps her foot. Now what?

CLINK. She snaps her head. A dimly lit hallway.

Ashley enters the hallway, emerges in a brightly lit
shop. Two HISPANIC MECHANICS look up from under a hood.

MECHANIC #1
¡Que rabo! El paraíso debe haber perdido
un ángel. Un ángel con el cuerpo de un
diablo.

MECHANIC #2
Está cabrón. ¿Cual es tu onda? 

ASHLEY
I'm looking for Ray. 

MECHANIC #1
No mames.

RACHEL (O.S.)
Get back to work. 

The Mechanics shrug, feign working while ogling Ashley.

Ashley turns to find RACHEL WISE (28), statuesque, buzz
cut, coveralls unbuttoned to reveal a prominent cleavage.

ASHLEY
I'm looking for Ray, or the owner. 

RACHEL
You found her. Rachel Wise. Friends call
me Ray, as in Stingray. You buying or
selling? 

MECHANIC #1
Si ella está vendiendo, estamos
comprando.

RACHEL
Back to work! Let's talk in the showroom.

Rachel wraps a too-familiar arm around Ashley's shoulder,
leads her away, flipping the bird behind her back.

MECHANIC #1
Ella está demostrando solamente de sus
huevos.

MECHANIC #2
Me vale madres.

Rachel hustles Ashley, wobbling on high-heel sandals,
into the showroom.

ASHLEY
I'm a freelance reporter for Venice Free
Press and host a weekly cable news show.

RACHEL
Must beat working for a living. 

ASHLEY
I saw one of your cars and thought it
might make an interesting story. Could be
good publicity for you.

RACHEL
And you're just the person to write it.

Rachel pushes Ashley into the driver's set of the raptor.
The slit in her skirt affords a full view of her panties. 

ASHLEY
Can't a woman write about cars? 

Rachel perches on the running board.

RACHEL 
Love your panties. Cosabella?

Ashley snaps her knees together, straightens her skirt.

ASHLEY
Aubade. 

Rachel reaches across, slips an electronic ignition card
into a slot on the console, presses a button.

The passenger door glides shut, locks. 

RACHEL
Now that we're all alone, why don't you
tell me what you're really doing here? 

ASHLEY
I'm just a reporter looking for a story. 

RACHEL
You don't look like a reporter. You are a
looker, though. Bet a little birdie told
you exactly what I like. Was it my ex?

ASHLEY
Your ex? 

RACHEL
That bitch. Suing for galimony. Thinks I
have millions socked away in shoeboxes.
Do I look like a millionaire?

Ashley squirms, tries to squeeze into the upholstery.

RACHEL (CONT'D)
Bet she told you if you waltzed in here
looking like a debutante and wiggled that
cute little butt of yours at me, I'd fly
you to Paris on a shopping spree. 

Ashley twists, grasps the steering wheel and door jamb.

ASHLEY 
Please, let me out of here.

The slit in Ashley's skirt displays her freckled thighs.
Rachel flicks the corner aside, revealing her panties. 

RACHEL
I just love those panties. 

ASHLEY
I don't know anything about your ex or
shoeboxes. I expected Ray to be a guy.

Rachel considers this for a moment, shakes her head, NO.

RACHEL
You didn't dress like this just for a
story. You want rules bent, something
you're not supposed to have. 

Ashley taps her fingers against the steering wheel.

ASHLEY
Somebody gave Wendy Phillips a custom
Corvette as payment for donating a kidney
to her cousin. I want to know who. 

Rachel gives Ashley a cold stare, stands, slaps the door.

RACHEL
Sorry. My clients value their privacy.

Ashley hits a button. The driver's door slides shut. 

ASHLEY
I'm not leaving without my story.

Rachel knocks on the window.

RACHEL 
Get out before I call the cops. 

Ashley opens the window a crack. 

ASHLEY
I'll say I had to lock myself in because
you assaulted me.

Rachel slaps the window.

RACHEL
No games. This is a hundred thousand
dollar car. 

ASHLEY
No kidding? Must have a real smooth ride.

Ashley presses the starter button. The engine comes alive
with a throaty GROWL. Rachel slaps the windshield. 

Ashley wrestles with the gearshift lever, finds a gear,
flutters good-bye, cranks the wheel, pops the clutch. 

The raptor lurches backwards into a spin, comes to rest
between the roadster and the muscle car. 

ASHLEY (CONT'D)
Sorry. Thought that was first. 

Ashley wrestles with the gear box, finds another gear,
guns the engine. The raptor vibrates. 

Rachel raises her hands in surrender.

RACHEL
Shut off the engine before you gas us
all. I'll get you a copy of the invoice. 



EXT. MAJESTIC GOLF LAND - DAY - POV CAMERA VIEWFINDER

DOUGLAS MITCHELL (55) exudes success as he takes a golf
bag from the trunk of a BMW 760 Li sedan. Perfectly
groomed, fashionably attired, razor sharp creases, spit
polished shoes. 



INT. VW MINIVAN - CONTINUOUS

Ashley lowers an SLR mounted with a long telephoto lens. 

ASHLEY
Golf! Stupidest game in the world.

She hands Cecil the camera, climbs into the back,
rummages through outfits hanging in a makeshift wardrobe. 



INT. MAJESTIC GOLF LAND - DAY

A club slices through the air, strikes a ball perched on
a rubber tube. The tube withdraws into the surrounding
Astroturf, emerges a moment later bearing a fresh ball.

ASHLEY (O.S.)
Amazing how they take all the exercise
out of sports these days. 

Douglas looks up from addressing the ball. 

DOUGLAS
It's the tedium they try to relieve.

Ashley points to the adjacent bay.

ASHLEY
Is anybody using this one?

Douglas lowers his club, shakes his head. 

DOUGLAS
It seems to be free.

ASHLEY
I'm Ashley Wainwright.

DOUGLAS
The reporter?

ASHLEY
You've seen my cable program? 

DOUGLAS
My niece told me about your interview. 

ASHLEY
That's what I wanted to talk to you
about.

DOUGLAS
That's why you followed me here?

ASHLEY
I follow the story.

DOUGLAS
You could have called my office. 

ASHLEY
You could have refused to talk to me.

DOUGLAS
I could refuse to talk to you now. 

ASHLEY
You bought Wendy's kidney, didn't you?

Douglas chuckles, drives a ball into the net.

DOUGLAS
Did I?

ASHLEY
You paid her off with an eighty-seven
thousand dollar car, an Omega Code game
console and tuition at Strasberg.

DOUGLAS
You've done your homework. I admire that,
but have you put the pieces together?

ASHLEY
Sale of human organs is illegal.

DOUGLAS
Is it illegal to show your gratitude to
somebody for saving your daughter's life?
My sister never married, never did much
with her life. Unfortunately, neither has
Wendy. I was always there for her. I paid
for her braces, her college and three
abortions. She was always good at math
and chemistry, but an ordinary job was
never good enough for her. She wanted to
be a professional volleyball player. When
that didn't work out, she wanted to be an
actress. I told her I'd pay for college,
but not some fancy acting school. But
when my daughter needed a kidney and
Wendy found she was a perfect match, the
tables turned. I had an opportunity to
help two young girls' dreams come true.
One only wanted a normal life, the other
wanted a shot at the impossible. If
that's a crime, tell them to come an
arrest me. I'd do it again to save my
daughter. 

Ashley ponders this for a moment. 

ASHLEY
May I quote you?

DOUGLAS
You can do anything you damned well
please, but if I were you, I'd drop it.
Why cause Wendy or my daughter any
embarrassment? 

ASHLEY
The public has a right to know.

DOUGLAS
You can air my dirty laundry, or you can
walk away and I'll give you what you
really want.

ASHLEY
I've driven a custom Corvette. It was no
big thrill.

DOUGLAS
Is that why you followed me in that piece
of shit Volkswagen minibus? 

ASHLEY
You can't buy me.

DOUGLAS
I'm not trying to buy you. I'm offering
you a better story.

ASHLEY
How much better?

DOUGLAS
The identity of the man who offered to
sell me a kidney for my daughter.