Arctic-Blue.txt

ARCTIC BLUE
by Ross LaManna

FADE IN:

1	EXT.  BOREAL FOREST - ALASKA - (AERIAL SHOT) - DAY

Flying.  Not at the intangible height of a jet, but at
spitting distance from the treetops.  We're in central
Alaska, the Big Lonely, just north of the Arctic Circle.

A thick forest follows the contours of mountain foothills
like a deep-pile carpet.  Up at treeline the forest thins to
tundra, a grassy scruff turning red and yellow with the
coming of autumn.

On the horizon, the hills rise to meet the Endicott
Mountains, a great fortress wall of granite so sharp and
jagged that snow cannot stick to its face.  This is how all
North America once looked -- raw, indomitable.

Then, abruptly coming into the SCENE is a colossal etching
across the landscape too deliberate to be of natural origin.
Bisecting this country like a metallic ribbon -- or a scar,
depending on your point of view -- is the 800-mile-long
Trans-Alaskan Pipeline.

Even the immensity of the pipeline is rendered insignificant
by the vastness of the land.  It goes on, and on, and on...

DISSOLVE TO:

A lone MAN walks along the Haul Road, a one-lane gravel
trail running parallel to the pipeline.  The weather turns
sour -- rough wind and stinging snow cut across the man's
path.

DISSOLVE TO:

The man is ERIC DESMOND, twenty-four, clean-shaven,
determined.  He's clearly out of place here, dressed in a
business suit and a light, camel-hair topcoat.

Eric is trying to follow some footprints in the snow -- a
predator's tracks, those of a wolf or coyote.  But the
footprints ahead have faded, covered by the snow and wind.

DISSOLVE TO:

The weather becomes more oppressive.  Heavy snow, gale winds
and sub-zero temperatures make his progress tortuous.  Eric
strives stubbornly forward.
								
								(CONTINUED)
1	CONTINUED:

DISSOLVE TO:

Eric has gathered some branches.  He tries to make a fire.
Moisture from his breath has frozen in the upturned collar
of his insufficient coat, and his skin is split raw from the
cold.

His hands are too numb to hold the matches.  After several
attempts at striking one, he slumps down next to the pile of
wood, exhausted and frustrated.

DISSOLVE TO:

The snow has covered the pile of branches.  Eric still sits
next to it, partially covered in snow himself.

ERIC

His face is a death mask: eyes half-open and dull, lips a
purplish blue, bloodless skin crystallizing as it ices over.
The wind HOWLS around him.  The snow sticks to his eyelashes
and hair without melting.
									
									END DREAM

2	INT.  DARK BEDROOM - NIGHT

Eric bolts up in bed.  Next to him, ANNE MARIE GAUVIN sits
up and hugs him.  All that can be seen of her in the dark is
a lovely silhouette and a cascade of dark hair.  After a
moment, Eric kisses her.  He shakes off the dream and lies
back down.

3	EXT.  HAUL ROAD AND PIPELINE - CLOSE - DAY

A metal sign, peppered with shotgun holes, is posted near a
pipeline support piling:
						
			PIPELINE UTILITY CORRIDOR
				  PRIVATE PROPERTY
				  NO   TRESPASSING
				  NO	  HUNTING
				  NO	 TRAPPING
				  NO	 SHOOTING

WIDER

Eric walks quietly past the sign, intent on something ahead
of him.  Although still somewhat boyish in appearance, he's
confident and resolute in attitude.  His clothes have a
distinctly western feel: Lucchese boots, Levis 501's, Mahan
cotton shirt.  His down parka is unzipped in the sunny,
windless, forty-degree afternoon.
								
								(CONTINUED)
3	CONTINUED:

He pauses, then brings to his shoulder a rifle with a
four-power scope mounted atop it.  He peers through the
scope.

HIS POV - THROUGH SCOPE

He puts the crosshairs on the shoulder flank of a big,
ivory-white timber wolf, fifty yards away.

BACK TO SCENE

Anne Marie stands beside Eric, a Nikon with a telephoto lens
in her hand, holding her breath in anticipation.  She's
twenty-three, pretty, with soft features and piercing blue
eyes.  She wears Eddie Bauer woman's gear like she was born
in it.

Eric expertly fixes his aim and slowly squeezes the trigger.
But instead of a loud retort, there is only the dull POP of
a CO2-powered dart gun.

NEW ANGLE

The tranquilizer dart finds its mark in the wolf's fleshy
shoulder.  The wolf takes off running, but almost
immediately slows, sits, then lies down.

Eric and Anne Marie hurry over to the wolf, who is breathing
deeply.  Eric kneels next to him and strokes his thick fur.
					
					ERIC
			What a beauty.
			(to Anne Marie)
			Hand me the transmitter.

Anne Marie passes to Eric a tiny, weatherproof homing device
attached to a steel collar band.  Eric puts the collar
loosely around the wolf's neck and crimps it in place, all
the while TALKING soothingly to the semi-conscious animal.
Anne Marie smiles at Eric's tenderness and snaps some
photos.

With the collar in place and transmitter activated, Eric
backs away while the wolf tries to rouse itself from its
narcosis.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			He's coming around fine.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Be right back.  I left my
			camcorder in the car.
								
								(CONTINUED)
3	CONTINUED:  (2)

FOLLOW ANNE MARIE

as she hurries back to their International Scout.  On the
door of the Scout is a stylized logo of an oil derrick,
under which are the words:
						
			NORTHLAND PETROLEUM CORP.

Anne Marie opens the hatchback and grabs a video camera.

ANGLE ON ERIC AND THE WOLF

Eric smiles as the wolf wobbles tentatively to his feet and
trots unsteadily away.  Near the treeline the wolf turns,
glances back at Eric and then disappears into the forest.

NEW ANGLE

Anne Marie is taping the wolf's retreat.  Looking through
the viewfinder, she crosses a gully between a pipeline
piling and a rock formation.  Eric turns toward her and a
glint of light in the debris at her feet catches his eye.
					
					ERIC
			Anne Marie!  Stop!

She glances down.  Something metal is half-buried in the
dead leaves and gravel.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Don't move.

Eric runs over.  He pokes at the object with a stick.  With
a SNAP, a steel leg trap chomps the stick in half.  Anne
Marie jumps back.  Eric brushes the dead leaves on the
ground behind her and she carefully backtracks out of the
gully.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Goddamn trappers!

He angrily rips the trap out of the ground, unearthing
several others attached to one another by a long chain.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Takes nerve, laying traplines on
			restricted land.

Eric slips the scope off the dart rifle and climbs up the
pipeline on foot pegs to the top of an anchoring poINT.
								
								(CONTINUED)
3	CONTINUED:  (3)

Using the scope as a telescope, he scans up and down the
Haul Road.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			What are you doing?
					
					ERIC
			He still might be around.  I saw
			fresh tire tracks coming in.

HIS POV - THROUGH SCOPE

The road and the pipeline stretch toward either horizon,
north and south.  In the distance, a jeep is parked on the
Haul Road.  Near it, a Man climbs down into another shallow
ravine.

BACK TO SCENE

Eric hurries down the footpegs.
					
					ERIC
			Man and a jeep, about a mile and
			a half down.

He jumps into the Scout.  Anne Marie stuffs her cameras into
the hatchback.  As soon as she climbs in, Eric tears out.

4	INT.  SCOUT - (MOVING SHOT)

It races along the dusty gravel road at 60 MPH.

5	EXT.  HAUL ROAD

Startled at the APPROACH of the Scout, the Trapper uproots
his traps and runs out of the ravine.  He WHISTLES and
another Trapper appears nearby.

6	INT.  TRAPPERS' JEEP

They pile into their dilapidated, all-terrain jeep.  It's
oddly well-equipped, however.  Bolted to the dashboard is an
expensive tape player and a beat-up radio beacon receiver
with a round locating screen.  They zoom off.

7	INT.  SCOUT - (MOVING SHOT)

Eric stomps on the gas.  The dust from the jeep obscures his
view but he's gaining on them anyway.  Anne Marie hangs on
and squints her eyes against the choking dust.



8	INT.  TRAPPERS' JEEP - (MOVING SHOT)

The driver is LEMALLE (35), a tall, ugly, rawboned Canadian.
His entire outfit is made of animal hide.  He has long red
hair, and a reptilian face usually twisted into a sadistic
sneer.  While driving, he scans along the pipeline.
					
					LEMALLE
			Where the fuck did you drop
			Corbett off?

In the passenger seat, MITCHELL (38), chews tobacco and
looks grim.  He's a squat, flat-faced Okie, with curly
matted hair and tired grey eyes.  He's dressed in a brown
long coat and has a Colt .45 Peacemaker in a quick-draw
holster strapped to his leg.  Despite his intimidating air,
confrontation is not his style.

He spots a figure up ahead, where the road crosses a muddy
creek.
					
					MITCHELL
			He's over there.

9	EXT.  HAUL ROAD

Turning sharply, the trappers' jeep splashes through the
creek bed without slowing.  Bouncing, it comes down hard
against the axle-deep bank at the creek's high water mark.
LeMalle tries to back out, but can't find traction in the
mud.

Eric stops the Scout thirty yards behind them.

10   INT.  SCOUT

Eric opens his door.  To Anne Marie:
					
					ERIC
			Stay here.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Be careful -- there're two of
			them.

Eric reaches in the back seat and hands something to Anne
Marie.
					
					ERIC
			If I unzip my parka, stick this
			out the window.

11   EXT.  HAUL ROAD

Eric confidently approaches the jeep.
								
								(CONTINUED)
11   CONTINUED:

Then, a third trapper climbs from the creek.  He's got a
line of traps slung around his neck and a world of
experience on his face.  He's BEN CORBETT, a life-long
huntsman, somewhere past forty, weathered beyond his years.

He has a feral nose, thick beard and dark, smart, hunter's
eyes.  He wears a hooded cotton sweat shirt, cotton
coveralls and vapor-barrier mountain boots.  On his belt is
a holster rig cradling a .44 magnum revolver.

Eric slows down.  He didn't expect to face anyone as
formidable as Corbett.

12   INT. / EXT. JEEP

Emboldened by Corbett's presence, LeMalle reaches into the
back seat and grabs his 6.5 by 55 Swedish military carbine.
					
					CORBETT
			(to LeMalle)
			No shooting.  Let's see who's so
			interested in us.

Corbett has an incongruously affable voice.  He throws his
traps into the jeep, then strides closer toward Eric.
					
					MITCHELL
			(to Corbett)
			Ain't worth it, Ben...

13   EXT.  HAUL ROAD - CREEK CROSSING - LONG SHOT

As Corbett comes closer, Eric realizes this might not've
been a great idea.  Corbett squints his eyes and sniffs the
air, as if by this he can gauge his opponent's mettle.
					
					ERIC
			You got two counts against you --
			trapping out of season and
			poaching on restricted land.
					
					CORBETT
			Can't be much of a crime, if all
			they got minding the area is a
			cocky kid.
					
					ERIC
			I got your plate number, asshole.
			Maybe you feel like spending a
			few months in jail.

Corbett just smiles.
								
								(CONTINUED)
13   CONTINUED:

But LeMalle, rankled, sticks the carbine out the jeep
window.

Seeing the rifle pointed at him, Eric freezes, then slowly
unzips his parka.
					
					LEMALLE
			Ben?  Sure you don't want me to
			drop the fucker?

Corbett doesn't answer.  Then, his eyes narrow and he looks
past Eric at the Scout.

CORBETT'S POV

The passenger in the Scout sticks what looks like another
rifle out the window.

BACK TO SCENE

Eric quickly glances over his shoulder to make sure Anne
Marie's backing him up.
					
					ERIC
			You leave and don't come back,
			that's the end of it.

After a long moment, Corbett smiles again, then turns away
from Eric.  He motions LeMalle to the front of the jeep.

Frustrated, LeMalle slams back the safety on the carbine and
throws it in the back seat.

ANGLE ON TRAPPERS

Mitchell climbs into the jeep and starts the engine.
LeMalle and Corbett rock the jeep back and forth in the rut.
While pushing, Corbett rips the sole of his boot on a sharp
piece of granite.   He cusses and pushes harder.

14   EXT.  HAUL ROAD - CREEK CROSSING

Eric walks back to the Scout.  He feels the trappers' eyes
on his back, but forces himself not to hurry.

The trappers free their vehicle.  Corbett gets in the
driver's seat, and they take off.

15   INT.  SCOUT

Anne Marie's hands are shaking as she pulls the plastic
tranquilizer rifle back in the window.
								
								(CONTINUED)
15   CONTINUED:

					
					ANNE MARIE
			(unnerved)
			Great idea -- pointing a lousy
			dart gun at some nut with a
			high-powered hunting rifle.
					
					ERIC
			Bastards took off, though, didn't
			they?

16   EXT.  BOREAL FOREST - LATER THAT DAY

The trappers have left the flatlands of the Haul Road area.
Now their jeep climbs a pathway over the rolling foothills.

17   INT.  TRAPPERS' JEEP - (MOVING SHOT)

Corbett broods while driving.  Mitchell looks out the
window.  The silence makes LeMalle uncomfortable.
					
					LEMALLE
			All this fuckin' land, and we're
			locked out.  Makes me puke.
					
					CORBETT
			Jawing about it won't change it.
					
					LEMALLE
			Three hundred seventy-five
			million acres in this state.  I'm
			real tired of runnin' into
			people.
					
					MITCHELL
			Then don't look to your left.

18   EXT.  SPORTSMEN'S CAMP

A brand-new Land Rover is parked on an alluvial fan in a
bend in a small river.  Scattered about is an assortment of
expensive camping gear, beer cans, spent shells and other
garbage.

Three toy-macho, vacationing SPORTSMEN are guzzling beer and
BLASTING fish in the shallow river with 12-gauge shotguns.
They look up and glower suspiciously as the jeep slows and
stops.

19   INT.  TRAPPERS' JEEP

LeMalle grabs his carbine.
					
					CORBETT
			Leave it here.
								
								(CONTINUED)

19   CONTINUED:
					
					MITCHELL
			Let's keep going.  We're only an
			hour from Devil's Cauldron.
					
					CORBETT
			(pats Mitchell's shoulder)
			Relax.  I just want to ask them
			how the hunting is.

20   EXT.  SPORTSMEN'S CAMP

Corbett gets out of the jeep.  He regards the Sportsmen,
their shotguns and their mess with ill-concealed contempt.

The Sportsmen clutch their weapons and watch Corbett.  He
walks around the camp, spotting a rubber-lined rucksack
stuffed with dead ermine.  After a long, tense moment,
Corbett smiles.
					
					CORBETT
			Looks like you've had some luck.
			Where's your guide?
					
					SPORTSMAN #1
			We're on our own, if it's any of
			your damn business.
					
					CORBETT
			(re ermine)
			You did real good.

He crouches next to the dead animals and strokes the fur.
					
					LEMALLE
			(to Corbett)
			No swinging shit.  They're over
			their goddamned limit.
					
					CORBETT
			(to Sportsmen)
			My friend is right.  Supposed to
			have a licensed guide when you're
			on this land, too.
					
					SPORTSMAN #1
			Hey, we paid our fuckin' permit
			fees.

LeMalle amuses himself by pissing in their campfire.  No one
notices that in the b.g., quiet Sportsman #3 unzips his
parka, exposing a .45 Peacemaker in a belt holster.
								
								(CONTINUED)
20   CONTINUED:
					
					SPORTSMAN #2
			I were you, I'd drive right on
			outta here again.  Now.
					
					CORBETT
			(calmly)
			This was my roaming land, 'til
			the government took it over.
			Only Innuit can hunt here now,
			and tourists, like you.

Corbett swings the rucksack of carcasses onto the hood of
the Land Rover.  Pissed, Sportsmen #1 and #2 step closer to
him.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			According to tribal law, hunters
			passing through the land of
			another tribe can only take game
			to survive.  They can eat the
			meat, but have to surrender the
			hides.

LeMalle pulls a hunting knife and holds up one of the
ermine.
					
					LEMALLE
			Want the meat?
					
					SPORTSMAN #1

			Fuck you, dirtball.

Corbett chuckles and Mitchell spits.

WIDER

LeMalle digs through the camping goodies in the back of the
Land Rover, many still in their packages.  He helps himself
to some sandwiches and a 12-pack of beer.
					
					LEMALLE
			I say shoot 'em, bury 'em with
			their shiny new car.
					
					MITCHELL
			(to LeMalle)
			If you're gonna take something,
			take it and let's go.

Corbett looks down to fasten the top of the rucksack.
								
								(CONTINUED)
20   CONTINUED:  (2)

NEW ANGLE

Suddenly, Sportsman #3 reaches inside his parka and pulls
the pistol.  He swings it toward LeMalle.

LeMalle looks up when he hears the HAMMER cock.

There is a deafeningly loud SHOT.

Sportsman #3 falls down dead at LeMalle's feet.

Off to one side, Corbett holds a huge, smoking .44 magnum
six-shooter in his hand.

Shotgun in hand, Sportsman #1 gauges his chances of blasting
Corbett.  Nil.  When Corbett turns to him, he lies the
weapon down.  Sportsman #2 rushes to his friend.

Looking bleak, Mitchell spits again.  Corbett crosses to
LeMalle and knocks from his hands the things he wanted to
steal.  Chastised, LeMalle smolders.  After a moment:
					
					CORBETT
			(to Sportsmen)
			Put him in your truck.  Smell of
			blood will attract the bears.
			(to trappers)
			Let's go.

As Corbett walks to the jeep, he's too angry to notice that
he's stepped in a patch of mud under the Land Rover.

Near the jeep, LeMalle stops and pulls them into a huddle.
					
					LEMALLE

			I don't believe in leavin'
			witnesses behind, Ben.
					
					MITCHELL
			It was self defense.  Leave it at
			that.
					
					LEMALLE
			You think those fucks will tell
			it that way?
					
					CORBETT
			(ending the argument)
			We'll get a head start before
			they go crying to the law.

Corbett turns and FIRES two rounds from his .44 into the
engine of the Land Rover.  The Sportsmen stare and sputter.
								
								(CONTINUED)
20   CONTINUED:  (3)
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing; to Sportsmen)
			You can pack out of here -- two,
			three days' hike along this river
			at most.  Weather should hold
			this early in the season.

Corbett and Mitchell get in their jeep.

LEMALLE

isn't yet satisfied.  He walks back over to the Sportsmen,
kneeling beside their fallen friend, and crouches right
beside them.  Intimidated, Sportsman #2 looks away, but
LeMalle grabs his chin and turns his face back toward him.
					
					LEMALLE
			Think I'm pretty?  You better
			forget how we look, 'cause next
			time they won't keep me from
			killing you.  This land ain't
			quite civilized, you know...

He unsheathes his buck knife.  BELOW FRAME, he slices across
the forehead of the dead Sportsman, peels back his scalp and
cuts it loose, Indian-style.  The Sportsmen are stunned and
sickened.

ANGLE ON TRAPPERS' JEEP

Corbett looks at Mitchell and wearily shakes his head.
					
					MITCHELL
			At least he scalped the dead one.

21   EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - DUSK

Devil's Cauldron Hot Springs is a cluster of twenty tiny
dwellings connected by an unpainted boardwalk.  The town
squats, ugly and temporary-looking, in a dirt clearing fifty
miles north of the Arctic Circle.  Thirty miles east of the
Pipeline, it's almost dead center of interior Alaska.

At the edge of town is a gravel airstrip.  Mixed with the
prospector-era sod-roof cabins are a few prefabricated
houses.  The boon brought by men building the pipeline is
long gone.  Now only a few itinerant loggers, natives and
bush dwellers remain to fight boredom, each other and the
depression of the oncoming winter.

Enough steam escapes from the hot springs to perpetually
blanket the valley with fog.  The spa is log-walled and
horseshoe- shaped, with partitioned baths inside.  Facing it
								
								(CONTINUED)
21   CONTINUED:

are a mud-walled fire bath, a wooden steam bath called a
Maqi, six one-room cabins for let, and an unused dance hall.

LEO MEYERLING opens the tailgate of a Dodge truck with the
Northland Petroleum logo and "District Supervisor" on the
door.  Meyerling is short and bald with a completely
disreputable face.  He staples a poster on a wall.  It has a
picture of him on it, and:
						
				LEO MEYERLING
					for
				  State Legislature
			 VOTE FOR THE PEOPLE'S FRIEND!

22   EXT.  KENAI'S GENERAL STORE

Corbett and the other trappers drive past Meyerling and park
their jeep as the sun disappears behind the foothills.

23   INT.  KENAI'S GENERAL STORE

A handwritten public notice next to a schedule of church
meetings reads: "Live each day so you can look every damn
man in the eye and tell him to go to hell."  There is a post
office in the corner with some combination boxes and a
wicketless window.

The trappers come in.  Corbett sits in a chair and pulls his
boots off.  One of his wool socks is wet.  He nods to the
man sitting in the other chair, SAM WILDER.  Wilder is short
and tough, with a full head of crewcut grey hair and
weather- ravaged face that makes him look older than his
sixty years.
					
					CORBETT
			Hullo, Sam.  Slow day?
					
					WILDER
			(wary)
			Ben...boys.  Yeah, real slow, and
			I'd like to keep it that way.
					
					CORBETT
			(conciliatory)
			Just passing through.

A chubby Inupiat (interior Eskimo), wearing thick glasses,
several heavy sweaters and battery-heated socks, fusses
behind the counter.  He's EARL KENAI, owner of the hot
springs spa and the general store.

LeMalle chews on a handful of bear jerky.  Kenai stares at
LeMalle until he begrudgingly pays for the jerky.  Corbett
pulls on some sneakers and hands his boots to Kenai.
								
								(CONTINUED)
23   CONTINUED:
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing; re boot)
			Needs patching.
					
					KENAI
			Twenty-five dollar.
					
					CORBETT
			(smiles)
			Sure have learned to worship the
			white man's god.

Kenai nods agreeably and holds his hand out.  Corbett pays
him.  Meyerling comes in and posts some fliers on the
corkboard.
					
					MEYERLING
			I hope I can count on you
			gentlemen to vote for The
			People's Friend this November.
					
					CORBETT
			Share some of that oil company
			money in your pocket and you can.

Meyerling smiles like a toad, then slaps another poster on
the wall.  LeMalle throws his knife and it STICKS in the
poster between Meyerling's spread fingers.  Meyerling jumps
back and the trappers laugh.  Meyerling looks to Wilder for
support.
					
					WILDER
			(to Meyerling)
			One flier comes loose and I shoot
			you for littering.
					
					MEYERLING
			(exiting; grudgeless)
			Have your fun... just remember
			The People's Friend come election
			day.
					
					WILDER
			(shakes his head)
			Oil Company candidate running on
			that slogan makes about as much
			sense as a rat fucking a
			grapefruit.
					
					CORBETT
			Hard to work up an interest in
			politics, way we live.  You're
			the first people we've seen in
			two weeks.
								
								(CONTINUED)
23   CONTINUED:  (2)
					
					LEMALLE
			(to Kenai)
			How about a quart of Jack
			Daniel's?
					
					KENAI
			How about it is right.  Back in
			the primary this town was voted
			dry.
					
					LEMALLE
			(to Corbett)
			Aw, shit.  Let's go.  Leave a
			note for Viking Bob, tell him to
			meet us in Cache.
					
					CORBETT
			Relax.  One more day without
			drink won't kill you.  Right,
			Sam?
					
					WILDER
			I'm living proof of that sad
			fact.
					
					CORBETT
			Can we buy the Marshal some
			dinner?
					
					WILDER
			No, I better stay at my post.

			Even without the hootch riling
			'em up, you know how
			mean-spirited folks get when they
			smell winter coming.

24   EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON VALLEY - LONG SHOT - NIGHT

An early STORM has blown in from the north, bringing
whipping winds and freezing rain.

25   INT.  RENTAL CABIN

Corbett peers out the tiny window, frowning.  LeMalle cleans
his carbine while eating beans and bacon.  Mitchell hunches
over a table.  He's making a scrimshaw -- delicately
engraving, using homemade tools, on a palm-sized piece of
whale bone.  He rubs his eyes and looks up at Corbett.
					
					MITCHELL
			So much for the walking weather
			you predicted.
								
								(CONTINUED)
25   CONTINUED:
					
					CORBETT
			Had no choice...
			(pointedly, at LeMalle)
			...Given the situation.
					
					MITCHELL
			I know.  Least you didn't shoot
			all of them.
					
					LEMALLE
			Fuck you, Mitchell.  Woulda been
			my ass if Ben didn't waste that
			prick.
					
					CORBETT
			(after a beat)
			Mitchell, look, it don't take
			three of us to wait for Viking
			Bob.

Mitchell glances at LeMalle, then at Corbett.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Go ahead.  Take the jeep.  I'll
			come to Cache with Bob when he
			gets here.
					
					MITCHELL
			Okay by me.  You're the one likes
			these hot springs so much.
					
					CORBETT
			Leave my traps.  We'll tag up,
			couple days.

26   EXT.  HAUL ROAD - "THE TURTLE" - DAY

The winds have died down.  The rain has turned to a light
snow.

A mobile arctic dwelling sits on a rise next to the Haul
Road.  It's a double-unit weathertight cocoon of fiberglass
and aluminum, pulled by a diesel rig on oversized tires.
The front module is 12 by 24, the rear 12 by 18.

An extended-cab pickup pulls up and Sam Wilder gets out.
The gravel-and-dirt Haul Road, paralleling the pipeline for
400 miles, is closed to the public.  An arriving vehicle,
therefore, is news.  The front door of the dwelling opens.
Eric and Anne Marie come outside, delighted to see Wilder.
								
								(CONTINUED)
26   CONTINUED:
					
					WILDER
			I was making my rounds, saw your
			hangar wide open, plane getting
			rained on, so I closed it up.
					
					ERIC
			Thanks.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(to Wilder)
			I bet you haven't had lunch.
					
					WILDER
			(smiles)
			Bet you're right.  But I didn't
			come by to wangle a meal --
					
					ERIC
			-- We appreciate the company.
			Anne Marie's getting cabin fever
			already.

Anne Marie shoots a look at Eric but doesn't disagree --
this is obviously an issue with them.  Wilder looks with
amusement at the mobile dwelling.
					
					WILDER
			What'd you say they call these
			spaceships?
					
					ERIC
			Mobile Arctic Dwelling -- MAD.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			I call it 'the Turtle,' as in
			carrying your home on your back.
					
					ERIC
			Best thing is, Meyerling has to
			chase around to find us.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(laughs)
			The little creep hates it that
			Eric actually does what the
			company hired him to do.
					
					WILDER
			Watch it with Meyerling.  Man's
			as mean and corrupt as they get.
			Cut his mother's throat if it'd
			get him a couple votes.
								
								(CONTINUED)
26   CONTINUED:  (2)

Looking past Wilder, Eric points out some smoke on the
horizon.
					
					ERIC
			Hey, Sam, look over there.  Black
			and white smoke.
					
					WILDER
			Damn.  Likely that's an SOS.
			Have to pass on that lunch.
					
					ERIC
			We'll go with you.
									
									CUT TO:

27   EXT.  SPORTSMEN'S CAMP - LATER THAT DAY

Everything seems peaceful enough.  The SOS fire (made from
burning green branches for white smoke and rubber for black
smoke) has burnt down to embers.

Eric, Anne Marie and Wilder pull up in Wilder's pickup.

The two Sportsmen sit in the front seat of the Land Rover,
but they don't react to the arrival of the rescuers.  In the
back seat, a reflective camping blanket covers a large mass.

Something is amiss.  Eric shoots a look of trepidation at
Anne Marie as they get out of the pickup.   Wilder pulls the
door of the Land Rover open.

A Sportsman slumps out onto the ground.  His eyes are open
and his tongue pokes out between his lips.  His skin is
blue-white. (He looks, in fact, much like Eric's nightmare.)

Startled, Eric steps back.  Anne Marie gasps with horror.
Wilder unzips the Sportsman's light windbreaker and listens
for a heartbeat.  Nothing.
					
					WILDER
			Stupid goddamn greenhorns!  Froze
			to death.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			It's not even winter!
					
					WILDER
			They got wet in the rain.  Core
			body temperature dropped, got
			drowsy, probably didn't even know
			what was happening.

Eric stares at the dead Sportsmen.
								
								(CONTINUED)
27   CONTINUED:
					
					WILDER
			(continuing)
			Question is why they sat here
			when the storm moved in.  Check
			their stuff while I sniff around.

Wilder tries the ignition.  The starter TURNS OVER, but the
engine makes a horrendous GRINDING.  He walks to the front
of the vehicle.  Noticing the bullet holes in the grille, he
bends down for a closer look.

NEW ANGLE

Eric opens the rear hatchback and digs through the plentiful
supplies.  Still in their packages are some matchbox-sized
ELT locating beacons.
					
					ERIC
			They had Emergency Locater
			Transmitters, but didn't use
			them.
			(opens one up; shakes his
				head)
			Maybe because they didn't bring
			batteries.

CLOSE

Anne Marie opens the back door of the Land Rover.  She pulls
back the camping blanket... and uncovers the third
Sportsman.  The torn red flesh on his head and his
bugged-out eyes are a hideous sight.

Anne Marie SCREAMS and stumbles away.

28   EXT.  SPORTSMEN'S CAMP - LAND ROVER

Eric runs over to her as she tries to catch her breath.

Wilder looks at the third Sportsman and angrily kicks the
side of the Land Rover.
					
					WILDER
			I'm too old for this shit.
					
					ERIC
			Any idea who could've done it?

Sourly, Wilder points to a patch of frozen mud under the
vehicle.
					
					WILDER
			A certain sonofabitch bastard
					-more-
								
								(CONTINUED)
28   CONTINUED:
					
					WILDER (Cont'd)
			wearing a damaged mountain boot.
			Left a footprint clear as an
			autograph.

Wilder examines the Sportsman, finding the bullet hole in
his chest.
					
					WILDER
			(continuing)
			Even for Ben Corbett, this is
			nasty.  Man's got balls.  He was
			sitting in Devil's Cauldron when
			I left, calm as can be.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Thank God.  You can arrest him.
					
					WILDER
			Not necessarily.  Corbett's awful
			hardbitten these days.

Wilder leans against the Land Rover, feeling tired.
					
					WILDER
			(continuing)
			His old roaming area's all
			private reserve now.  Normally,
			long as he stays civil in my
			jurisdiction, I let him be.
			(beat)
			Won't be able to take him by my
			lonesome, though.  Nobody in
			town'll lift a finger on this.

Eric looks hard at the dead Sportsmen.
					
					ERIC
			(quietly)
			I'll go into town with you.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Eric, leave it alone.  It's not
			your business.
					
					ERIC
			(shakes his head)
			No way can he get away with this.
			I'll be back by tonight.

29   EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - AFTERNOON

The town is quiet.



30   INT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

Corbett soaks in one of the huge wooden tubs with a pudgy
Inupiat hooker, DIXIE.

He looks up as Eric comes into the spa.  Eric holds
Corbett's boots, which have been repaired.  Eric pauses when
he sees Corbett.  There is a flash of recognition between
them.
					
					ERIC
			Ben Corbett?
					
					CORBETT
			Yep.  Afraid you have me at a
			disadvantage.
					
					ERIC
			Kenai at the general store asked
			me to bring these.  Didn't expect
			we'd already met.
					
					CORBETT
			No big deal.  We just got off on
			the wrong foot.  What's your
			name?

Eric glances down at Corbett's duffel bag, which sits on the
floor next to Corbett's tub.  Corbett's magnum rests on top
of it, well within reach.  Corbett notices Eric's interest
in it.  He leans back and smiles.
					
					ERIC
			Desmond.
					
					CORBETT
			New to the country, kid?
					
					ERIC
			Six months.  Ecological study for
			Northland Oil.
					
					CORBETT
			Ecology.  Folks use that term for
			everything but what it means:
			who's eating who.

Putting his hand on Dixie's shoulder, Corbett stands and
gets out of the tub.  His sinewy body, resembling a
scarecrow made of steel cable, is covered with scars.  He
wraps a towel around his waist and crosses to Eric.
								
								(CONTINUED)
30   CONTINUED:
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Now, why don't you get around to
			saying what you want.

Corbett grabs his boots from Eric and finds himself facing a
revolver, which Eric has been hiding inside one of the
boots.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing; smiling)
			You wouldn't shoot anyone...
					
					WILDER (OS)
			But I would.

NEW ANGLE

Wilder has come in the back way and stands behind Corbett
with a 12-gauge shotgun.  He kicks Corbett's magnum out of
reach.
					
					CORBETT
			All this for laying traps on
			private land?
					
					WILDER
			You left a footprint at the
			Sportsmen's camp.  Only pretty
			sight there, Ben, 'cause the two
			men you didn't shoot and mutilate
			died of exposure.

Corbett shakes his head but remains implacable.
					
					CORBETT
			Christ if I shouldn't know better
			than to step in soft earth.  I've
			seen footprints in the tundra a
			hundred years old.
					
					WILDER
			(to Eric)
			I got it from here.  Thanks.
					
					CORBETT
			(to Wilder)
			Sam, give Dixie here fifty bucks
			out of my kit, will you?

31   EXT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

Eric comes outside.  Earl Kenai, overdressed for the weather
in gloves, mukluks and a full-length sealskin coat, stands
								
								(CONTINUED)
31   CONTINUED:

shivering by a woodshed near the hot springs, hacksawing a
piece of meat from a frozen moose carcass.
					
					KENAI
			Before white men came, my people
			lived in sod houses underground
			and laid our dead on the tundra.
			Now we live above ground and bury
			our dead, and we haven't been
			warm since.

Wilder comes out of the spa with his shotgun and Corbett's
duffel bag cradled in his arm.  Handcuffed, Corbett walks in
front of him.

Kenai looks down to avoid eye contact with Corbett as he
goes by.  Corbett stops next to Eric and smiles.

					
					CORBETT
			Nice bluff the other day with the
			tranquilizer gun out your jeep
			window.  See you again, maybe.
					
					ERIC
			(unintimidated)
			Yeah.  Maybe so.

32   EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - FOLLOW WILDER

as he leads Corbett along the boardwalk to the other end of
town.  They approach a prefab house perched on skids under a
tall antenna tower.  Mounted above the shack, a DC wind
charger turbine spins lazily in the faint breeze.  From
within the cabin comes an anomalous SOUND -- MTV.  Wilder
KNOCKS on the door.

ARTHUR NEFF, a pasty-white, 45-year-old ex-Texan, pulls the
door open.  His customary grin fades when he sees Corbett.

33   INT.  NEFF'S HOUSE

Wilder pushes Corbett inside past Neff.
					
					WILDER
			I need to call Fairbanks.

Neff just stares at Corbett.
					
					WILDER
			(continuing)
			Neff!  Dial it up.  State police.

With a "what can I do but oblige?" look to Corbett, Neff
sits in front of the RCA Alascom radio telephone and dials.
								
								(CONTINUED)
33   CONTINUED:
					
					NEFF
			(on phone)
			Fairbanks Alascom?  Patch me
			through to the State Police.

After a moment, he hands the receiver to Wilder.  Wilder
takes it, keeping one eye and the shotgun on Corbett.
					
					WILDER
			(on phone)
			This is Sam Wilder, Marshal in
			Devil's Cauldron.  Had some
			killings here.  I got a suspect;
			be real nice if someone came and
			took him off my hands.
					
					STATE POLICEMAN (VO)
			(thru phone)
			On a good day I couldn't spare a
			crosswalk guard.  But now, no
			way.  Folks're batshit with the
			weather turning sour.  Bring him
			in yourself.
					
					WILDER
			(on phone)
			Next plane's not coming 'til next
			Monday.
					
					STATE POLICEMAN (VO)
			(thru phone)
			Sit your suspect out in the cold.
			He'll keep.
					
					WILDER
			(on phone)
			This man's friends ain't gonna
			look favorably on his
			incarceration.
					
					STATE POLICEMAN (VO)
			(thru phone; Mr. Glib)
			So shoot him.  Won't have to feed
			him that way --

Angry, Wilder slams the receiver down.

34   INT.  WILDER'S CABIN

In one room, there is a wood-burning cookstove and an Ashley
heat stove, a table, a bunk and a small window.  Behind a
cloth partition is an eight by six holding cell.  The frame
of an iron-bar door is securely cemented to the log walls.
Wilder comes in with Corbett and locks him in the cell.
								
								(CONTINUED)
34   CONTINUED:
					
					CORBETT
			Mind if I get some stuff from my
			kit?

Wilder does mind.  He locks the duffel bag and Corbett's .44
in his desk drawer.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Sam, listen -- I shot to defend
			my man.  Other guy drew first.
					
					WILDER
			If that was all, fine.  But
			carving him up, stranding the
			others, that's too fucking much.
			Is everything that walks, crawls,
			flies or swims fair game to you?
					
					CORBETT
			(softly)
			I'll get loose before that plane
			comes.
					
					WILDER
			Don't try me.  I'll kill you if
			it comes to it.

35   EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - AFTERNOON

As Eric walks into Kenai's general store, Neff hurries over.
					
					NEFF
			Mr. Desmond!
			(grins; sticks his hand
				out)
			Arthur Neff.  Area rep for the
			Federal Assistance Plan.  Tell
			the boys in DC to keep those
			goodies coming.
					
					ERIC
			Sure.
					
					NEFF
			Snowplow, generator, TV dish...
			hell, we get the goddamn Playboy
			Channel!  Here, this is for you.

He hands Eric a piece of styrofoam shaped like a commode
seat.
								
								(CONTINUED)
35   CONTINUED:
					
					NEFF
			(continuing)

			Warm to forty below.  Remember,
			anything you want, you ask Arthur
			Neff.

36   EXT.  HAUL ROAD - THE TURTLE - NIGHT

The storm has passed.   A faint CHUGGING emanates from the
small orange generator trailer behind the Turtle.  Eric
pulls up and parks the Scout.

37   INT.  THE TURTLE

Nylon storage netting along the ceiling holds Eric's
research equipment and Anne Marie's photographic supplies.
In one corner of the Turtle are several of her black and
white prints.  All are of man-made objects whose presence is
juxtaposed with the natural surroundings.

Relieved he's home in one piece, Anne Marie meets Eric at
the door and kisses him.  Carrying a brown-paper-wrapped
package, Eric follows her into the kitchen, where she's
preparing dinner.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Did you catch Corbett?
					
					ERIC
			Sure did.  He was one of the
			trappers we rousted from the Haul
			Road.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Was there any trouble?
					
					ERIC
			He was sitting in a hot tub with
			a hooker.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Going after killers isn't the
			same as chasing poachers, Eric.
					
					ERIC
			(grins)
			Can't help myself.  Corbett's
			type always pisses me off.
			(hands her the package)
			Oh, I found this at the post
			office.  Had your name on it.
								
								(CONTINUED)
37   CONTINUED:

Perplexed, she looks at the return address --
Bloomingdale's.  Delighted, she tears it open.  Inside is a
pretty, elegant dress.  Anne Marie kisses him.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Oh, sweetheart.  It's beautiful!
					
					ERIC
			You were looking at it in the
			catalog.  Don't know where you
			can wear it...
					
					ANNE MARIE
			I'll wear it for you.  And I can
			wear it when we go home.  We
			won't be here forever.
					
					ERIC
			(frowning)
			You make it sound like a prison
			sentence.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			That's not what I meant.
					
					ERIC
			It's exactly what you meant.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Look, why get into this again.
			As long as it's working, let's
			leave it alone.  It's been nice
			so far.  We're together --
					
					ERIC
			-- Permanently?
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(sighs)
			Do I want to be with you
			permanently?  Yes, I think I do.
			But be with what you do and the
			way you live?  That I don't know.
			C'mon, Eric, until I met you,
			coming back to Alaska was totally

			out of the question for me.  But
			I'm here.  I'm getting great
			pictures, and I'm having fun.
			(slips her arms around him)
			I love you.
			(kisses him)
			So shut up and let's eat.



38   EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NIGHT

An old primer-grey station wagon rattles into town and
parks.  With an unlit cheroot stuck in his mouth, "VIKING"
BOB CORBETT gets out and stretches.  He's 38, six-foot-six,
with sandy hair, beard, ruddy skin, and his brother's dark
eyes.

He looks around for some sign of life.  He spots Neff
tending one of the windmills and walks over to him.
					
					VIKING BOB
			I'm looking for some trappers.
			Ben Corbett, Mitchell, LeMalle.
			Seen 'em?
					
					NEFF
			Yesterday.  Said they were going
			to Cache.  They were thirsty, but
			we were voted dry.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Shit.

As Viking Bob walks back to his station wagon, he notices
Kenai poking around in front of Wilder's cabin.

VIKING BOB'S POV

Illuminated by a bare bulb is Wilder's typical bush-country
front yard.  Piled are five cords of wood, boxes, tarps,
stove parts, saw horses, 55-gallon drums, dismantled snow
machines, wash tubs, tires, etc.

Bunching his collar around his neck, Kenai shivers and sorts
through Corbett's traps.

NEW ANGLE

Viking Bob ambles over to Kenai.
					
					VIKING BOB
			These yours?
					
					KENAI
			Gonna make an offer.  Man who
			owns them won't need them where
			he's going.

39   INT.  WILDER'S CABIN

Wilder peers out the window and sees Viking Bob, then turns
to Corbett.
								
								(CONTINUED)
39   CONTINUED:
					
					WILDER
			Back against the bars.  Now.

Wilder handcuffs Corbett's hands to the cell door bars, then
quickly wraps a piece of duct tape across Corbett's face,
covering his mouth.

Stuffing a .357 magnum in his belt, Wilder, coatless, slips
outside.

As soon as he's out the door, Corbett cranes his neck and
painfully tries to pry the tape off his face with the corner
of the door hinge.

40   EXT.  WILDER'S CABIN

The look on Wilder's face tells Kenai to shut up.  Viking
Bob realizes something's up.
					
					WILDER
			Your brother and the boys left me
			some traps to sell for them.
			They're gone --
					
					VIKING BOB
			-- To Cache.  So I heard.  Ben
			never said nothing to me about
			selling his gear.

41   INT.  WILDER'S CABIN

Corbett gets the tape partially off his mouth.  He pries one
of his boots off and kicks it through a window.
					
					CORBETT
			Bob!  They got me on a murder
			charge!

42   EXT.  WILDER'S CABIN

Wilder pulls his .357 out.
					
					WILDER
			Sorry, Bob.  I'll have to keep
			you here 'til I ship him south.

Viking Bob responds by flinging a heavy trap at Wilder, then
punching him in the gut.  Wilder sprawls among the junk,
dropping his revolver.  Kenai freezes, not about to take
sides.

Before Viking Bob can come at him again, Wilder grabs for
his .357. Viking Bob jumps back and bolts for his car.
								
								(CONTINUED)
42   CONTINUED:

He dives into his station wagon and starts it up.  As he
drives past, Wilder POPS off a few rounds, but Viking Bob
keeps going.

NEW ANGLE

Kenai helps Wilder up.  Pissed, Wilder shoves him against
the cabin.
					
					WILDER
			(continuing)
			You stupid, greedy, loudmouth
			sonofabitch!  He'll have the
			others here in a few hours.  You
			fucked me up, now you're gonna
			help me move him.
					
					KENAI
			(shakes head)
			Forget it, Sam.  I never work for
			free.

43   INT.  THE TURTLE - NIGHT

Anne Marie sits on the floor, editing one of her VIDEOTAPES.
On the monitor, it SHOWS footage of the traps under the
pipeline piling.  Eric comes out of the back module holding
two ELT pendants.  He glances over at the monitor and nods
approvingly.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			I still can't believe I'm being
			financed by an oil company.
			Especially when they get a look
			at these pictures.  Technology in
			the wilderness; not too pretty.
			(re ELTs)
			What's that?
					
					ERIC
			I thought I should check our
			emergency transmitters.

Eric activates the ELT's.  They emit an SOS pattern of radio
waves -- three short, three long and three short.  This is
visible as rhythmic INTERFERENCE on Anne Marie's video
MONITOR.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Avalanche season is coming.
								
								(CONTINUED)
43   CONTINUED:
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Winter.  Two straight months of
			night -- we may never get out of
			bed.
			(kisses him)
			Which would suit me fine.
					
					ERIC
			Prolonged darkness makes people
			crazy.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Not me.  I'm equipped.

She turns on a small S-VHS video camera and snaps off the
room lights.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(continuing)
			Allow me to give you a practical
			demonstration of low-light
			infrared photography...

She does so by seductively undressing for the camera.  She's
SEEN on the MONITOR, illuminated by the "light" from the hot
stove.  Eric appreciates the show.  He crawls toward her.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(continuing)
			High-tech in the wilderness.
			Gets me excited, too.
					
					ERIC
			Come here...

Laughing, he wrestles her to the rug.

44   EXT.  HILLS ABOVE DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NIGHT

There is a full moon and a clear night sky.  Viking Bob's
station wagon is parked out of sight.  He sits inside,
waiting.

He hears an ENGINE starting in the distance.  Sitting up, he
grabs some binoculars.

HIS POV

Wilder's extended cab truck pulls out, heading west.

45   EXT.  FOOTHILLS - NIGHT

In the bright moonlight, two people are seen in Wilder's
truck as it speeds along a dirt road.

Viking Bob follows at a discreet distance, headlights off.
								
								(CONTINUED)
45   CONTINUED:

NEW ANGLE

Viking Bob turns and takes the literal high road -- a narrow
trail above the roadway that Wilder's truck is on.

He zooms ahead and gets in front of his quarry, then drops
back down onto the road and waits in ambush.

As Wilder's truck approaches, Viking Bob turns on his bright
lights and crouches behind his car door with a shotgun.

Wilder's truck screeches to a stop.

CLOSER

Kenai gets out with his hands up.

Viking Bob slowly approaches Wilder's truck.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Ben?

No answer.  Viking Bob looks in the cab.  Kenai's passenger
is Dixie, the Inupiat hooker.  Viking Bob grabs Kenai and
pushes the barrel of the shotgun hard against his cheek.
					
					VIKING BOB
			(continuing)
			Where's Ben Corbett?
					
					KENAI
			I have no argument with you, Bob.
			Wilder said I could keep his
			truck if I drove it ten miles
			away from town.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Where did they go?
					
					KENAI
			He didn't say, but I would guess
			the opposite way from here.

Viking Bob shoves Kenai against the truck, then punches him
for good measure.  Cussing, he runs back to his station
wagon and drives off.
									
									CUT TO:

46   INT.  THE TURTLE - REAR MODULE - NIGHT

Eric and Anne Marie are asleep.  Eric starts awake at the OS
sound of a high-pitched vehicle HORN and an approaching
ENGINE.




47   EXT.  HAUL ROAD - THE TURTLE

Eric pulls the door open.  Wilder is untying Corbett from
the snowmobile.
					
					WILDER
			I got an emergency on my hands.

Corbett smiles at Eric as he walks inside.

48   INT.  THE TURTLE

Eric, Wilder and Corbett sit in the front module.  Anne
Marie, nervous, wearing a down robe, serves coffee.  She
stares at Corbett, trying to reconcile his quiet demeanor
with what she saw that afternoon.  Corbett smiles at Eric.
					
					WILDER
			(to Eric)
			...You give us a ride in the
			Cessna you got hangared at the
			pumping station, we'll be in
			Fairbanks in a few hours.
					
					ERIC
			That's what we should've done in
			the first place.
					
					WILDER
			I could've sat tight for the
			transport, 'til Bob came poking
			around.
					
					CORBETT
			(to Wilder; re Anne Marie)
			A lot to ask, dragging him away
			from such a good-looking girl --
					
					ERIC
			(irritated)
			-- To take you to jail?  It'll be
			my pleasure.
					
					WILDER
			(to Eric)
			You better get some sleep.
					
					CORBETT
			Good idea.  Flying over mountains
			can give you some nasty
			surprises.  Go too low, one of
			the clouds might have a big rock
			inside it.
								
								(CONTINUED)
48   CONTINUED:
					
					ERIC
			(hard)
			I'll get you there all right.

Eric takes Anne Marie to the rear module, leaving Wilder
with his prisoner.
									
									CUT TO:

49   INT.  THE TURTLE - LATER THAT NIGHT

A bottle of Eric's Scotch sits almost empty on the table
beside Wilder.  Wilder dozes in a chair facing Corbett.

Corbett is awake.  He contorts his body to bring his
handcuff chain under his feet and get his hands in front of
him.  He eyes Wilder's .357.  It's in a lefty Sam Browne
holster.  No way to take it without waking Wilder.

Corbett stands and inches toward the door.  As he pulls it
open, the insulation makes enough NOISE to stir Wilder.

Wilder gets up and pushes Corbett back into his chair.
					
					WILDER
			Goddammit, I don't need this
			aggravation.  I'll shoot you,
			Ben.  Bank on it.
					
					CORBETT
			I don't want to hurt you, Sam.
					
					WILDER
			I'm not too old to knock the snot
			out of you!
					
					CORBETT
			Nothing personal.

Wilder's mind clears enough to realize that Corbett's hands
are in front of him.  He reaches for his .357.  Corbett
butts into Wilder's midsection with his head.  Amazingly,
Wilder stays on his feet.

Corbett hurries back to the door.  Wilder lunges,
bull-determined to hold onto him.  Corbett smashes Wilder
across the face with his clenched hands.  Wilder goes down
hard, hitting his head on the table, and stays there.
Corbett instinctively kneels to see if Wilder is still
breathing.  But then, hearing MOVEMENT in the rear module,
Corbett flees.



50   INT.  THE TURTLE - REAR MODULE

Eric is pulling on his pants.

51   INT.  THE TURTLE - FRONT MODULE

Eric rushes in.  The outside door is open and Wilder lies on
the floor.   His holster is empty.  Anne Marie comes in and
crosses to Wilder.

Eric pulls a floor trap door open and digs through the
company-issue equipment, coming up with a huge Remington
bolt-action bear rifle.  Unfamiliar with weapons, Eric tears
open a box of shells and fumbles to load the rifle.

52   EXT.  THE TURTLE

Corbett is trying to start Eric's Scout.

Eric fires a loud warning SHOT from the Turtle doorway.
					
					ERIC
			You want to try that handgun
			against this rifle, go ahead.

Corbett sits in the Scout for a long moment, weighing his
odds.  He takes his hands off the steering wheel...

Eric SHOOTS again, this time SMASHING the side-view mirror
and window next to Corbett's head.

Still handcuffed, Corbett gets out of the Scout.  Holding
the .357 gingerly by the butt, he puts it on the hood of the
Scout.
					
					CORBETT
			Some day you might have to face
			me without a gun.

53   INT.  THE TURTLE

Eric leads Corbett in.  Anne Marie is cradling Wilder's
head. She's crying.  Eric looks at Wilder.  There is blood
coming from his ear and he's fading fast.
					
					WILDER
			(thickly)
			Fetch him back?
			(Eric nods)
			Don't let him walk...

Eric nods again.  Wilder holds his gaze on Eric, then simply
stops breathing.
								
								(CONTINUED)
53   CONTINUED:

Eric is stunned.  Quietly, Corbett sits down.  Clutching the
rifle, Eric sits on the floor and glares at Corbett.
					
					CORBETT
			(softly)
			Does he have people?
					
					ERIC
			(after a beat)
			A daughter in Oregon.
					
					CORBETT
			Send him down to her.  There's
			money in my duffel bag, back at
			his cabin.

Corbett's benign attitude is chilling.
					
					ERIC
			I better call in.

He turns the shortwave radio on.  It SPARKS and burns out.
The remainder of the liquor has been poured inside it.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Thought of everything, huh?
					

					CORBETT
			Surviving is what I know --
					
					ERIC
			-- Killing is what you know.
			(to Anne Marie)
			Pack some food while I prep for
			the flight.
			(off her look)
			I'm sure not gonna let him go.

Covering Corbett with the rifle, Eric handcuffs him to the
sturdy metal bracket of a wall unit.

54   EXT.  CACHE, ALASKA - (MOVING SHOT) - NIGHT

Viking Bob approaches in his station wagon on a narrow dirt
road.  The huge night sky all but smothers the weak light
from the town up ahead.

Cache seems a mistake -- a jumble of unpainted buildings in
the middle of a big nothing, twenty miles north of the
Arctic Circle.  Still, it's more animated than Devil's
Cauldron.  There are a hundred permanent residents, several
taverns and a three-store, fly-in shopping center.
								
								(CONTINUED)
54   CONTINUED:

Even though it's the middle of the night, people roam the
streets, drinking and socializing.  With only a couple feet
of snow on the ground, this is still summertime.  Under
storefront awnings, drunken INDIANS sleep on the concrete.

Viking Bob cruises the main drag, looking for the other
trappers.  He spots their jeep in front of a
dangerous-looking saloon called the "Bear Sign Inn."

ANGLE WITH VIKING BOB

as he parks and gets out of his station wagon.  He hears a
familiar VOICE around the side of the building.
					
					LEMALLE (OS)
			C'mon, girl, talk to me,
			negotiate with me...

55   EXT.  CACHE - ALLEY

Drunk, LeMalle stands in an alley with a bored, acne-scarred
Oriental PROSTITUTE.  He weaves and leers, his hand stuck
inside her blouse.
					
					VIKING BOB
			LeMalle.  We got a problem.
			Where's Mitchell?
					
					LEMALLE
			Goddamn!  Viking Bob!  Mitchell's
			inside, boring bastard...

Grumbling, Viking Bob separates LeMalle from the Prostitute
and drags him by the collar out of the alley.
									
									CUT TO:

56   INT.  BEAR SIGN INN - NIGHT

Meyerling's campaign posters cover the walls.  Many have
been pulled down and muddied underfoot by the drunken crowd.

In a booth covered with grafitti, Mitchell squints and works
on his scrimshaw.  LeMalle, somewhat sober, eats a plate of
muktuk -- whale blubber.  Viking Bob pours him more coffee.
					
					MITCHELL
			(to Viking Bob)
			...Ben never sent a signal.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Musta never got a chance to
					-more-
								
								(CONTINUED)
56   CONTINUED:
					
					VIKING BOB (Cont'd)
			activate.  Wilder's aiming to
			take him to Fairbanks, we can
			count on that much.
					
					MITCHELL
			Meaning he'll need a plane.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Closest planes for hire are here
			in Cache.
					
					MITCHELL
			Hang on...
			(to LeMalle)
			Remember that Cessna we saw at
			the pumping station on the Haul
			Road?  Belongs to the guy they
			got patrolling the pipeline.
					
					LEMALLE
			There you go.  Wilder's always
			chummy with the fuckin'
			Bambi-lovers.
					
					VIKING BOB
			It's a long shot.
					
					MITCHELL
			You got a better idea?

57   EXT.  HAUL ROAD - THE TURTLE - DAWN

Wisps of light cut across the cold blue sky.

Eric comes out of the Turtle, leaving the front door ajar.
He throws a knapsack of supplies into the back of the Scout.

58   INT.  THE TURTLE

Corbett's right hand is still handcuffed to the wall unit.
Terrified about being alone with Corbett, Anne Marie
cautiously puts a cup of coffee in front of him.
					
					CORBETT
			How long have you been up north?
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(after a beat)
			Six months.
					
					CORBETT
			Can't be.  Too keen a sense of
			this place in your pictures.
								
								(CONTINUED)
58   CONTINUED:
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Six months this time.  I was born
			in the Aleutians.
					
					CORBETT
			Your people Alaskan?

Anne Marie doesn't want to talk to a killer, but Corbett is
so soft-spoken and charming that she answers despite
herself.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			My dad was a Navy doctor.
					
					CORBETT
			Knew you had no native blood,
			even with your dark hair.  Blue
			eyes give you away.  My wife had
			blue eyes.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Had?
					
					CORBETT
			She's dead.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Oh.
					
					CORBETT
			Had some good years.  Met her in
			'66.  She showed up one day in
			Coldfoot.  No one knew her.  One
			Sunday morning, she marched into
			a bar and announced she was
			available as a wife to the
			highest bidder.  Didn't work out
			in three months, she'd return the
			money and leave, no hard
			feelings.
			(off Anne Marie's amazed
				look)
			My bid was eight thousand
			dollars.  Beautiful girl.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			How did she..?
					
					CORBETT
			I was gone, in September, laying
			traplines.  She went to our cache
			for some meat.  Got mauled by a
			bear.  Tore open her skull.
					-more-
								
								(CONTINUED)
58   CONTINUED:  (2)
					
					CORBETT (Cont'd)
			Might've lived if she got help,
			but the exposed part of her brain
			froze.

Anne Marie shudders.  Smiling good-naturedly, Corbett looks
around, spotting the package Anne Marie's new dress came in.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			What about you -- why come back?
			Classy girl like you seems more
			suited to the finer things.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			That's why I left, moved to
			Washington.  When I met Eric I
			was doing day shoots -- products
			and fashion, mostly.  Pretty
			dull.  Eric was teaching college,
			and then he got the job with
			Northland Oil.  We wanted to stay
			together, so we talked them into
			funding some wilderness
			photography... and here I am.

As she's talking, the Turtle ROCKS slightly.  She looks out
the tiny window.

HER POV - THROUGH WINDOW

Eric is putting Wilder's body inside an enclosed storage
compartment built flush into the side of the Turtle.

BACK TO SCENE

Horrified, Anne Marie turns away.
					
					CORBETT
			You should know something.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			I don't want to talk any more.
					
					CORBETT
			Wasn't my intention to hurt
			Wilder.  I'm telling you the
			truth.  I liked the man.  I only
			meant to get loose... to survive.
			Your cheechako boyfriend better
			understand that.
			(beat)
			Listen, I've got some money put
			away --
								
								(CONTINUED)
58   CONTINUED:  (3)
					
					ANNE MARIE
			-- Don't ever think you can buy
			Eric off, Mr. Corbett --
					
					ERIC (OS)
			-- Cheechako?

Eric comes in, none too thrilled about Anne Marie chatting
with Corbett.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(translating)
			Outsider.

He carefully stuffs Wilder's magnum in his belt and ignores
Anne Marie's disparaging look as he does.
					
					ERIC
			(to Corbett)
			Let's go.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Wait a second.

59   INT.  THE TURTLE - REAR MODULE

Anne Marie leads Eric out of earshot from Corbett.  Eric
keeps a cautious eye on him.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Maybe you should drive him into
			Devil's Cauldron, let them decide
			what to do with him.
					
					ERIC
			(reassuringly)
			Fairbanks is a three-hour flight.
			I'll be back by dinnertime.

Realizing he's determined, she sighs and kisses him.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Be careful, okay?
					
					ANNE MARIE
			That's my line.
									
									CUT TO:



60   EXT.  HAUL ROAD & FELDSPAR CREEK - DAWN

Eric and Corbett drive toward the deserted pumping station.
They cross over a prefabricated steel portal bridge spanning
a fast-running creek.

61   INT.  SCOUT - (MOVING SHOT)

The wind whips through the shot-out wing window.  Corbett's
handcuffs are lashed to the seat frame with sturdy nylon
rope.

62   EXT.  PUMPING STATION

The pumping station consists of three corrugated steel
buildings.  The largest is an airplane hangar.

Just beyond the hangar is a narrow blacktop landing strip
running parallel to the Haul Road.

63   INT.  SCOUT - ANGLE THROUGH WINDOW - (MOVING SHOT)

Eric pulls up to the hangar.  Suddenly, LeMalle steps out
from behind the building.

64   EXT.  PUMPING STATION

LeMalle recognizes the International Scout.  He swings his
rifle up to stop it.

Eric slams it in reverse and SCREECHES back around the
hangar.
					
					MITCHELL (OS)
			Aim for the tires!

LeMalle FIRES as the Scout rounds the corner.  He hits a
fender, doing no damage.  Angry, he runs after the vehicle.

65   INT.  SCOUT - (MOVING SHOT)

Eric slams on the brakes and turns the Scout around.
					
					CORBETT
			Let me out and keep going.  They
			catch us, they'll kill you.

Eric doesn't need any convincing of that.  He tears out.

66   EXT.  PUMPING STATION

Mitchell runs out in front of them and BLASTS the front of
the Scout with his .45 Peacemaker.  Steam HISSES out of the
radiator.  Eric floors it and races past Mitchell, almost
hitting him.
								
								(CONTINUED)
66   CONTINUED:

Mitchell and LeMalle SHOOT at the retreating vehicle.  One
of the Scout's back tires gets blown out.

67   INT.  SCOUT - (MOVING SHOT)

Eric slows, shifts into four-wheel drive and continues,
driving on the rim.

68   EXT.  PUMPING STATION

Chewing an unlit cheroot, Viking Bob pulls up next to
Mitchell and LeMalle in the trappers' jeep.  They pile in.

69   EXT.  HAUL ROAD

Eric backtracks as fast as possible in the crippled vehicle.

70   INT.  TRAPPERS' JEEP - THROUGH WINDSHIELD - (MOVING SHOT)

As the Scout heads for the Feldspar Creek bridge, it
disappears from sight over a hill.

71   EXT.  HAUL ROAD & FELDSPAR CREEK

Viking Bob zooms over Feldspar Creek.  They come over the
rise, but the Scout still can't be seen ahead of them.

REVERSE ANGLE

The Scout sits idling in a depression near the creek bed,
below the Haul Road.  Above, the trappers speed past without
noticing.

After giving the trappers time to get around the next bend,
Eric drives the Scout up the embankment and crosses back
over the bridge.

72   INT.  SCOUT

Eric stops the vehicle.  He grabs a five-gallon gas can and
a piece of cloth from the back.

73   EXT.  HAUL ROAD & FELDSPAR CREEK

The prefab bridge is the transportable type used by the Army
Corps of Engineers, left over from the building of the
pipeline.  Eric stuffs the gas can between the abutment and
the honeycombed underside of the bridge.  He puts the rag
inside the spout of the can, lights it with a match and runs
like hell back to the Scout.



74   EXT.  HAUL ROAD

The trappers realize their quarry is missing.  Viking Bob
slams on the brakes and looks around.

75   INT.  SCOUT - (MOVING SHOT)

Eric speeds away.
					
					CORBETT
			They'll still catch us.  All
			you're doing is pissing them off.

76   EXT.  HAUL ROAD & FELDSPAR CREEK

The gasoline can EXPLODES, tearing the bridge couplings away
from the concrete abutment.

77   EXT.  HAUL ROAD

The trappers see the explosion behind them.  They turn
around and head toward it.

78   EXT.  PUMPING STATION - HANGAR

Eric parks the Scout sideways to block the way to the
airstrip.

With the magnum at the ready, Eric cuts Corbett's handcuffs
loose from the seat and hurries him toward the hangar.

The leeward side of the structure is a huge metal door on
rollers.  Eric unlocks it and rolls it back.  Inside is a
Cessna 182, dusted with snow and ice blown through the
cracks by crosswinds.  Eric brushes the windshield with his
sleeve.

79   EXT.  HAUL ROAD & FELDSPAR CREEK

The trappers pull up and find the far side of the bridge
burning and disconnected from the creek bank.

80   INT.  HANGAR - CESSNA

Eric helps Corbett into the cockpit, then secures his
handcuffs to the frame of the seat with more nylon rope.

81   EXT.  HAUL ROAD & FELDSPAR CREEK

Viking Bob assesses the damage to the bridge.  Loose from
the abutments, it wobbles like a diving board.  Below, the
water is too deep and fast-moving to be traversable.



82   INT.  HANGAR - CESSNA

Eric tries to turn the ENGINE over.  The starter is sluggish
from cold and lack of use.

83   EXT.  HAUL ROAD & FELDSPAR CREEK

Viking Bob looks at the others, bursting with frustration.
He climbs into the driver's seat.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Get in.  We can jump it.

They hop in.  He SCREECHES backwards to get a running start,
REVS the engine, pops the clutch, and tears toward the
bridge.

As they reach the midpoint of the bridge it begins to buckle
under them.  With a sickening WRENCHING, the crossbar
supports crumple.

The jeep flies through the still-burning gasoline, becomes
airborne, and SCRAPES to a rude stop on the edge of the
pavement on the other side, the back wheels dangling in
space.

LeMalle and Mitchell gingerly get out and push the ass end
of the jeep onto solid earth.

84   INT.  HANGAR

Eric finally STARTS the plane and taxis out onto the landing
strip.

85   EXT.  PUMPING STATION

The trappers drive up to where the Scout blocks their path.
They pile out of their jeep and run toward the landing
strip.

86   INT.  CESSNA - (AERIAL SHOT)

It picks up speed and takes off.

ANGLE THROUGH WINDOW - (AERIAL SHOT)

Below, the trappers watch the plane zoom over their heads.
LeMalle points his carbine at it, but Viking Bob pushes the
rifle down.

87   INT.  CESSNA - (AERIAL SHOT)

Corbett scowls as he sees the trappers helpless below him.



88   EXT.  PUMPING STATION

Viking Bob watches, wide-eyed with fury.  Mitchell spits.
LeMalle punches the wall.  Then he turns and repeatedly
BLASTS the Scout, parked nearby, with his carbine.

89   INT.  CESSNA - (AERIAL SHOT)

Eric's knapsack, an emergency kit and several five-gallon
cans of aviation fuel are tucked behind the seats.
					
					ERIC
			How the hell were they smart
			enough to find us?
					
					CORBETT
			Smart?  Sure.  That's why I'm
			sitting in this plane and they're
			down there blowing me kisses.

Eric retracts the landing gear and banks toward the
southwest.  Corbett notices that Eric seems a little unsure
of the controls.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Been driving long?
					
					ERIC
			I needed a pilot's license to
			take the job here, so I got one
			in six weeks.
					
					CORBETT
			That makes the flight more
			interesting.

Eric ignores the jibe.  He stays at 2,000 feet, making the
landscape all the more immediate.

Corbett stares out the window and broods.  He spots an open,
snow-covered area where some dark blotches mar the
whiteness.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			See the blood?  Pack of wolves
			took down a moose.  Greedy,
			gut-ripping sons of bitches.  I'd
			kill the last wolf on earth,
			right in front of the President
			of the U.S.  Stinking, cowardly
			predator, the wolf.
								
								(CONTINUED)
89   CONTINUED:
					
					ERIC
			Sounds like professional
			jealousy.
					
					CORBETT
			Hunting and trapping was a damn
			fine life.
			(beat)
			Me and Mitchell, Bob and LeMalle,
			we were teams.  I'd always go
			with Mitchell.  Good man,
			Mitchell.  I'd let Bob worry
			about goddamn LeMalle.  We'd hire
			a plane in October.  On the way
			to a dirt airstrip somewhere,
			we'd drop supplies.  We'd land,
			tell the pilot to come back for
			us a few days before Christmas.

ANOTHER ANGLE - (AERIAL SHOT)

While talking in an even tone, Corbett intently studies the
instrument panel and scans the landscape below.
					
					CORBETT
			The idea was to get to the
			supplies before the bears did.
			Along the route we'd set our
			traps.  Made our year's living in
			three months.

Corbett spots a flat plateau farther in the mountains, above
the tree line.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Lot of times we didn't even have
			a landing strip.  We'd set down
			on a plateau, like that one
			there.  Yeah, that one's easy;
			you could glide right in...

Suddenly, he turns in the seat and pins Eric against the
door with his left foot.

The plane flies erratically.  With his right foot, Corbett
kicks the fuel jettison lever on the instrument panel,
jamming it on.

90   EXT.  CESSNA - (AERIAL SHOT)

The lever, used to empty the fuel tanks in case of
emergency, does so with great expediency.  All the gas is
instantly discharged.



91   INT.  CESSNA - (AERIAL SHOT)

Corbett releases Eric and calmly sits back up in his seat.

Eric rubs his neck, incredulous.  Corbett's move was too
fast and too outrageous.  In a moment, the engine SPUTTERS
to a stop.  Eric struggles to hold the stick steady and
glide the plane down to the plateau Corbett pointed out.
					
					CORBETT
			Hope you got your money's worth
			on those lessons.

92   EXT.  CESSNA - (AERIAL SHOT)

There's an even chance of hitting a mountain instead of the
plateau.  Eric pushes the Cessna's nose down.  The plateau
comes up fast.

The plane drops lower and lower, pitching and yawing in the
wind.

It CRASH LANDS, its metal underbelly SCREECHING as it hits
the jagged granite under the snow.  It stops suddenly,
flipping tail over nose.

93   INT.  CESSNA

It rests upside down in the snow.  The men are dazed.

Behind Eric, one of the extra fuel cans, now hanging upside
down, leaks gas.  In front of him, the engine is ON FIRE.

Eric undoes his seat belt and rights himself, but his leg
gets caught in the tangled belt.  He pulls out a Swiss Army
knife and cuts the rope binding Corbett's handcuffs to the
seat.  Corbett pushes the passenger door open.  Panicking,
Eric tries to pull loose of his seat belt, painfully
wrenching his ankle.

94   EXT.  CESSNA

Corbett rolls out into the snow.  With no time to grab his
supplies, Eric clambers from the wreckage.  He and Corbett
crawl/roll down the incline of the plateau, away from the
plane.

A moment later the leaking gas reaches the burning engine
and the Cessna EXPLODES.

WIDER

Eric tries to stand.  He cries out and falls into the
powdery snow, clutching at his ankle.
								
								(CONTINUED)
94   CONTINUED:

Corbett realizes Eric is at a disadvantage.  But before he
can bolt, Eric grabs for the .357 magnum under his coat.  He
lies on the snow, gasping, pointing the gun at Corbett's
midsection.
					
					ERIC
			Stay put!
					
					CORBETT
			You got the belly to look me in
			the eye and pull the trigger?

Eric cocks the gun's hammer with his thumb.
					
					ERIC
			Be no different than shooting a
			rabid dog.

The men face off for a tense moment.

Corbett smiles and zips up his jacket, dispelling the
tension.  Letting the hammer down, Eric looks back at the
burning plane.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Next time you want to kill
			yourself, don't include me.
					
					CORBETT
			I took the odds on getting down
			in one piece, and I made it.  Now
			we're in my territory.
					
					ERIC
			With light clothing and no
			supplies, this is nobody's
			territory.
					
					CORBETT
			You sound like the tourists.
			Know-it-alls who read about
			survival in a magazine.  Fuck
			you.  You won't make it off this
			mountain.

Corbett drops his facade of conviviality.  Eric is too angry
to be intimidated.  He takes the scarf from around his neck
and wraps his ankle with it.
					
					ERIC
			Let's go.
								
								(CONTINUED)
94   CONTINUED:  (2)
					
					CORBETT
			(re Eric's ankle)
			I'm not gonna carry you out of
			here.
					
					ERIC
			That's right.  You're not.
					
					CORBETT
			Look, take these cuffs off.  We
			need to work together.
					

					ERIC
			Forget it.

Eric holds his wristwatch up, points the hour hand at the
sun, counts forward to noon, and, accordingly, makes an
approximation of their direction.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Last time I checked the flight
			plan, we were forty miles
			northeast of Devil's Cauldron.
			Southwest is that way.  No sense
			waiting for a goddamn taxi.

Grimacing with pain, he gets up.  Clutching the magnum, he
shoves Corbett in front of him and starts walking.  Corbett
frowns -- it's tough to trudge through the snow with his
arms cuffed tightly behind his back.

Eric looks around and tries not to let his emotions register
on his face.  They wouldn't be farther from the rest of
humanity on another planet.  Smelling fear on Eric, Corbett
enjoys the view.  And waits.

95   EXT.  ENDICOTT MOUNTAINS - LATER THAT DAY

The Endicott range is full of jagged peaks, icy streams and
gnarled tundra valleys.  Squinting in the glare of the snow,
Eric and Corbett trek through the grandiose Gates of the
Arctic area.  The smoldering plane wreckage is a hard-won,
snow-covered mile behind them.

Intricate patterns of fragmented rock, strips of scruffy
tundra and bedrock outcrops produce lonely, foreboding
mosaics upon the landscape.  The air is still.  The silence

is itself a disconcerting presence.  Ten miles ahead and two
thousand feet lower, the forest begins.  But here, on the
rock face of the mountains, Eric and Corbett might as well
be in a desert.
								
								(CONTINUED)
95   CONTINUED:
					
					ERIC
			It'll be interesting, trying to
			build a fire without any wood.
					
					CORBETT
			Welcome to the environment, Mr.
			Ecology.  Out here, one mistake
			is all you get.

Determined and dour, Eric pushes on.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Why in hell you care enough about
			me to die taking me in?
					
					ERIC
			I don't plan on dying.

It's all academic.  The sheer magnitude of the surroundings
makes them feel they're the only people in the world.
									
									DISSOLVE TO:

96   EXT.  ENDICOTT MOUNTAINS - DUSK

The sun drops behind the mountains.  A wind whips up,
chilling the men through their clothing.  Eric tries not to
shiver.  He spies a small rock formation with a granite
elbow protruding from it, making an enclosed triangle of
solid rock.
					
					ERIC
			We'll stop here, dig out a snow
			shelter.
					
					CORBETT
			Snow shelter.  Okay.  You dig.
			I'll have a little sit-down.

Corbett sits on his haunches and smiles while Eric digs near
the rocks.  Although he knows Corbett is testing his every
move, Eric refuses to let his patronizing air get to him.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Even in the drifts, this snow's
			too powdery to make a shelter.
			When you're done jerking around,
			reach down the back of my coat.

Eric approaches him suspiciously.  He puts his hand down
through Corbett's collar.  Something is stowed inside a
homemade flap in the lining of his coat.  Eric pulls out a
								
								(CONTINUED)
96   CONTINUED:

folded nylon tarp with twine threaded through corner
eyeholes.  He shakes the eight by eight orange tarp open...
									
									CUT TO:

97   EXT.  NYLON SHELTER - EVENING

Eric and Corbett have stretched the tarp out tent-style next
to the granite rock formation, making a minimal but
functional refuge from the cold night.

98   INT.  NYLON SHELTER

The men huddle inside the tarp.  Eric keeps a wary eye on
Corbett -- at all times he treats him like a rattlesnake.
Eric unwraps his ankle and rubs it.  It's swollen to the
size of a softball.
					
					CORBETT
			Still quite a hike to Devil's
			Cauldron.
			(beat)
			Days.  A long stretch to go
			without sleep, my friend.  You
			can hide behind that pistol for
			now, but take your eyes off me
			long enough to sneeze --
					
					ERIC
			-- Turn around.

While poking the .357 in Corbett's ribs, Eric one-handedly
unlocks Corbett's right manacle, pulls his arm through the
granite elbow, then locks it back up again.  He's learning.
									
									FADE TO:

99   EXT.  HAUL ROAD - DREAM  - (AS IN SCENE 3)

Eric is hurrying along the pipeline in his business suit,
following the predator's paw prints in the snow.  He peers
ahead and his prey becomes visible.  But it isn't a wolf,
it's Corbett.  His hands and face are covered in blood.
									
									END DREAM

100  EXT.  ENDICOTT MOUNTAINS - DAWN

The sun peeks over the mountain tops, drenching them with
light and color.



101  INT.  NYLON SHELTER

The light hits Eric's eyes.  He bolts awake from a fitful
sleep.  Corbett sits, already awake, looking like he'd
uproot the rock to which he's chained if he could.  He waits
for an opportunity -- any opportunity -- with the patience
of a vulture.
									
									CUT TO:

102  EXT.  ENDICOTT MOUNTAINS - SMALL VALLEY - DAY

Eric and Corbett trudge up to the bank of a frozen stream
bisecting their path.  It's simple -- to continue, they have
to cross it.  Corbett takes in the scenery, in no particular
hurry.  Frustrated, but making dead sure he's always got the
drop on Corbett,  Eric puts a tentative foot on the ice.
					
					CORBETT
			Ice is too thin -- you can see
			the water moving underneath.
					
					ERIC
			We're not sitting here 'til
			November.  There's a cargo plane
			coming to Devil's Cauldron in
			four days, and I'm putting you on
			it.
					
					CORBETT
			We get wet, we freeze to death in
			a couple hours.
					
					ERIC
			I've been on ice like this when I
			was a kid, skating.  Spread your
			weight, keep moving.  Go on.

Corbett is not about to be outdone in the guts department by
someone with a Master's Degree.
					
					CORBETT
			(gestures 'you first')
			Be my guest.
					
					ERIC
			(points .357)
			I'm right behind you.

Frowning, Corbett tentatively steps onto the ice and inches
across the fifteen feet to the other bank.

NEW ANGLE

He turns and, indeed, Eric is right behind him.
								
								(CONTINUED)
102  CONTINUED:
					
					CORBETT
			Wait 'til I'm across!

Eric doesn't want to be too far from his prisoner.  He keeps
coming.  The ice GROANS and HISSES under their weight.

Corbett is three feet from solid ground.  He drops to his
knees, then stomach, and rolls like a log the rest of the
way.

Eric splays out on the ice and crabwalks across.  The ice
makes an ominous CRACKING and water begins to seep through
air holes.

Standing, Corbett weighs his chances of bolting from Eric.

Eric crawls doubletime.  He makes it onto solid ground just
as the ice under him breaks off in a big, thin, clear plate.

CLOSER

Eric sits on some rocks.  Corbett glares it him.
					
					CORBETT
			Most dangerous thing in the
			world: A regular Joe, in over his
			head.  You trying to prove how
			tough you are for me, or for
			yourself?
					
					ERIC
			It wasn't my idea to crash the
			plane.
					
					CORBETT
			Let's camp.  There's grayling
			under this ice. I'll snare some
			for dinner.
					
					ERIC
			(standing)
			We've got another two hours of
			daylight.
					
					CORBETT
			Pushing it is flat wrong.  All
			you prove is your ignorance about
			breaking trail.

Eric is not convinced.   Grumbling, Corbett gets up and
takes the lead as they continue southward.



103  INT.  THE TURTLE - DARKROOM - DAY

Trying to keep busy, Anne Marie develops some prints in the
darkroom she's made from the front bathroom.  She glances at
her watch and sighs, her mind on Eric's overdue return.

104  INT.  THE TURTLE - FRONT MODULE

Anne Marie comes out of the darkroom and hangs the prints up
to dry.  Outside, (OS), a car HORN blares a couple of times.
Grinning, she runs to the door.

105  EXT. / INT.  THE TURTLE

Meyerling's Dodge truck pulls up.  Anne Marie comes outside.
Her smile wilts when she sees it's not Eric.  As Meyerling
climbs the embankment to the Turtle, he glances at Wilder's
snowmobile parked alongside the Turtle.
					
					MEYERLING
			I've been trying to raise you on
			the shortwave for two days.

He pushes past Anne Marie and goes into the Turtle.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Have you talked to Eric?
					
					MEYERLING
			I have not, but I very much want
			to.  What do you know about the
			trouble in Devil's Cauldron?
					
					ANNE MARIE
			I was hoping you had some news --
					

					MEYERLING
			-- Get this straight: I'm the
			District Supervisor.  Whatever
			you do reflects on me.  It wasn't
			my idea to bring you people up
			here, but I'm stuck with you.
			You are absolutely not to involve
			yourself in any local disputes.
			Whichever side you take, you
			alienate the other.  Mr. Corbett
			is quite well-known in this
			region.  People admire him --
					
					ANNE MARIE
			-- Corbett's a killer.
								
								(CONTINUED)
105  CONTINUED:
					
					MEYERLING
			I don't care if Ben Corbett makes
			meatloaf out of nuns and babies,
			he's not your concern.
			Understood?

Anne Marie just glares at him.  Meyerling examines the
damaged shortwave.
					
					MEYERLING
			(continuing)
			What happened here?
					
					ANNE MARIE
			The radio's on the fritz.
					
					MEYERLING
			Where'd you say Eric is?
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Somewhere along the pipeline.
					
					MEYERLING
			What about that hotheaded
			marshal, Sam Wilder?  I heard he
			was in the middle of this mess.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Sam?  We haven't seen him.
					
					MEYERLING
			Really.  I thought maybe that was
			his snowmobile outside.
			(beat)
			By the way -- your truck also 'on
			the fritz?'
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(blanching)
			Why?
					
					MEYERLING
			It's out by the pumping station,
			shot full of holes.

Noting Anne Marie's distressed reaction to this news, he
crosses to the door.
					
					MEYERLING
			(continuing)
			Still nothing to tell me?
			(no reply)
			Suit yourself.



106  EXT.  ENDICOTT MOUNTAINS - DAY

Eric limps further down from the mountains.  Corbett keeps
pace in front of him and his magnum.  As their altitude
decreases, there is ever thicker vegetation.

Their tracks in the snow stretch up behind them into the
distance.  The magnificence and grandeur of the surroundings
cannot be overstated.  Picture the most rustic, overwhelming
wilderness imaginable, and then make it ten times larger.

NEW ANGLE - LATER

The men's way is once again interrupted, this time by a
sheer granite drop. The steep decline would be tough to
negotiate with mountaineering equipment and proper footwear.
Corbett peers over the edge and shakes his head.
					
					CORBETT
			Have to backtrack, find another
			way down.
					
					ERIC
			Forget it.  It would take days.
					
					CORBETT
			(assessing the drop)
			Going to be a bit of a challenge
			with handcuffs on.

Eric realizes he's right.  After some deliberation, Eric
cautiously approaches him.  With the .357 cocked and ready,
he undoes one of the cuffs, leaving them hanging from
Corbett's wrist.  He then unthreads the nylon twine from
Corbett's tarp.

ANGLE - GRANITE SHEER

Eric and Corbett are tied, belt to belt, with the nylon
rope.  Corbett inches down first, feet spread for maximum
footing, gloveless hands grasping at anything.

Eric mimics Corbett's moves and follows the same path.
Unable to grasp the rocks effectively, he stops and takes
his gloves off.  Continuing, he winces -- the rock is cold
and sharp.  His hands are soon numb and bloody.  Even in the
dry, below-freezing air, Eric is sweating.

He looks down and hangs on more tightly.  Sliding to level
ground two hundred feet below would pummel him to hamburger.
Corbett pauses and rests his cheek against the rocks.  Eric
is right above him.
								
								(CONTINUED)
106  CONTINUED:

Suddenly, Corbett's foot slips.  His right hand
instinctively goes for a hold.  The dangling handcuffs snare
on a protuberance, knocking him off balance.

The fulcrum of Corbett's body leans out into the empty air.
Eric moves down a little, braces himself and extends his
leg, giving Corbett something to grab.  Corbett takes hold
of Eric's shoe and tries to teeter back against the rock
wall.  Adrenaline screams through Eric's system.

Corbett looks up at Eric.  A careless move will send them
both tumbling.  Eric clutches harder at the rocks and waits
for the worst.

After a long moment, Corbett regains his balance and lets go
of Eric's foot.  He continues his descent.  Eric lets out
his breath and tries to swallow.  His mouth is as dry as the
granite.
									
									CUT TO:

107  EXT.  TREELINE - LATER THAT DAY

Handcuffed again, Corbett hikes in front of Eric along the
top of some foothills.  Now and again he glances behind,
gauging Eric's weariness, waiting for a moment's
carelessness.  Around them there is heavy vegetation now --
snow-covered sedge tussocks, knee-deep muskeg and twisted
thickets that are treacherous and slow to tramp through.
Above them, ominous clouds and sharp, cold winds are coming
down from the north.

But below, a mile ahead, the edge of the forest is like the
hem of a great green garment stretching endlessly southward.
The combination of altitude and latitude creates an
amazingly sharp topographical dividing line.  Within a few
thousand yards, the landscape abruptly changes from scrub
brush to thick coniferous forest.
					
					CORBETT
			Better get into those trees
			before that squall blows down.

Then, Corbett pauses as a walloping sound ECHOES across the
foothills.

Just ahead, two enormous bull moose are fighting.  They ram
each other with six-foot-wide antlers.

Corbett stares, transfixed, admiring.
					
					CORBETT
			You talk about ecology -- there
			it is.
								
								(CONTINUED)
107  CONTINUED:

Eric turns, surprised at Corbett's unabashed awe.

Catching the men's smell the moose bound away, and the spell
is broken.

108  EXT.  MINING SETTLEMENT - EVENING

Viking Bob, Mitchell and LeMalle head somberly back to
Cache.  They drive along a hydraulic gold mining sluice on a
nearby river and come into town.

As the trappers park their jeep, some MINERS greet them,
shouting over the ROAR of the water.
					
					MINER #1
			Where's Ben at?
					
					MITCHELL
			You'll want to hear about it with
			a drink in your mitt.
									
									CUT TO:

109  INT.  BEAR SIGN INN - CACHE - EVENING

Outside, a STORM rages.  LeMalle is drunk, but still able to
stuff himself with a thick steak.  Mitchell drums his
fingers and listens to everyone talk.  With them at the bar
are the Miners, LOGGERS, CAT SKINNERS (bulldozer drivers)
and some leathery WOMEN.
					
					MINER #1
			...Figures, Corbett getting
			hauled off by a Federal marshal.
			God almighty, how I hate the U.S.
			government.
					
					LOGGER
			We should pass a hat.  Send
			Corbett a few bucks.  We owe him.

Someone's hat comes off.  It quickly gets filled with bills.
					
					MINER #1
			Government and business.  They
			ruined this state.
			(re Meyerling poster)
			Like that little weasel, for
			instance.
					
					WOMAN CAT DRIVER
			'People's Friend,' my lily-white
					-more-
								
								(CONTINUED)
109  CONTINUED:
					
					WOMAN CAT DRIVER (Cont'd)
			butt.  I heard Northland got a
			conservation program, up along
			the pipeline.
					
					LOGGER
			Hold it.  Meyerling told me that
			stuff's nothing but P.R. for the
			TV and papers down in Juneau.
					
					LEMALLE
			He's full of shit.  We got run
			out of there by some fuckhead
			driving a Northland truck.

NEW ANGLE

Viking Bob hurries in and whispers something in Mitchell's
ear.  Mitchell shoots LeMalle a look and gets up.  The
threesome hastily exit, leaving behind the hat full of
money.


110  INT.  BEAR SIGN INN

Viking Bob, Mitchell and LeMalle stand in a quiet corner
near the front door.
					
					VIKING BOB
			I called the cops in Fairbanks,
			see when Ben is standing trial.
			They don't know shit about Ben or
			Wilder!
					
					LEMALLE
			Get the fuck out of here.
					
					VIKING BOB
			It's a three-hour flight.  They
			shoulda got there yesterday.
					
					LEMALLE
			Maybe they went back to Devil's
			Cauldron.
					
					MITCHELL
			Naah, Wilder knows we got friends
			in town.
					
					VIKING BOB
			That plane might've been to throw
			us off the track.  Remember the
			bait-and-switch Wilder pulled
			with the Eskimo and his truck?
								
								(CONTINUED)
110  CONTINUED:
					
					LEMALLE
			Wilder still woulda made
			Fairbanks by now.  Fuck a duck!
			Ben musta got loose.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Okay, let's backtrack, try to
			pick up his trail.  You know the
			kid out on the pipeline that
			Wilder's buddies with?
					
					MITCHELL
			(smiles)
			We were just talking about him.

111  EXT.  FOREST - CAMPSITE PREPARATION MONTAGE - EVENING

The STORM brings gusting winds and below-zero temperatures.
Eric and Corbett move through the storm in slow motion.
Both recognize the need for a truce in the face of a common
enemy.  The snow and wind cut through their clothing like
razors.  They poke around for dead wood with which to make a
fire.  The trees are small and healthy; little is found.
					
					CORBETT
			(shouts over WIND)
			Just gather birch.  It'll smoke
			like hell, but it'll burn green.

Awestruck by the intensity of the storm, Eric tears branches
from birch trees and piles them in Corbett's handcuffed
arms.

They hurry back to the nylon tarp, strung between two tree
trunks, FLAPPING violently in the storm.  Hunching against
the wind, Eric pulls off his gloves and reaches in his
pocket for some precious matches.  His fingers are so cold
he can't hold them, and he drops several in the wet snow.

Angry, he shoots a look at Corbett. Corbett is holding his
hands inside his coat.  He pulls them out and quickly takes
the remaining matches from Eric.

Crouching down, back to the wind, Corbett grasps a match
between his numb fingers and awkwardly strikes it.  He holds
the flame next to the kindling.  It doesn't catch fire
immediately.  Corbett lets the match burn out against his
fingers.  He tries another match.  This time, a flame takes
hold but could succumb to the wind at any moment.

On his knees and elbows, Corbett nurses along the tiny fire.
Eric can't control his shivering.  He gets on his knees next
to Corbett and holds his coat open to further baffle the
wind.  Corbett keeps his hands cupped around the flame, not
								
								(CONTINUED)
111  CONTINUED:

caring that it's burning his skin.  Finally the fire begins
to grow.  Relieved, Eric and Corbett look at each other with
a glimmer of a grudging mutual respect.

The fire, now unattended, is smoky as Corbett predicted, but
burns along nicely.
									
									END MONTAGE

112  EXT. / INT.  NYLON SHELTER - NIGHT

Corbett and Eric sit under the nylon shelter.  The STORM
rages outside.  Eric empties his pockets of Eskimo potato,
reindeer lichens, bistsort sorrel and other plants for his
dinner.

Corbett has fashioned a snare from his boot laces and a tree
branch, and placed some crushed roots as aromatic bait next
to a small animal burrow outside the shelter.  A squirrel
sticks his nose out of the burrow to investigate.

Corbett sits catlike, ready to pounce.  Eric grimaces as
Corbett yanks on the snare and the squirrel's SQUEALS (OS)
abruptly cease.

113  INT.  NYLON SHELTER

Corbett pulls his dead dinner inside.
					
					CORBETT
			I need your pocket knife.
			(Eric hesitates)
			I have to eat, too.

After a beat, Eric pulls open the small blade on his Swiss
Army knife and pushes it with his foot to Corbett.  Smiling,
Corbett admires the fancy knife.  Then, BELOW FRAME, he
skins and guts his catch.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Damn lucky this storm didn't blow
			down when we were on those
			baldheaded mountains.  It
			continues, we better stay put.
					
					ERIC
			It could blow over tomorrow, too.
					
					CORBETT
			I'm still figuring: You're either
			real brave or real dumb.
								
								(CONTINUED)
113  CONTINUED:
					
					ERIC
			I just want this over with.
					
					CORBETT
			(laughs)
			Where in hell Meyerling dig you
			up?
					
					ERIC
			You know Meyerling?
					
					CORBETT
			Sure.  The People's Friend.  Kiss
			your ass with precision if
			there's a vote in it.


Corbett eats the squirrel Eskimo-style.  Raw.  He uses the
knife like a native, too, holding the meat in his teeth,
then expertly cutting off a mouthful with a quick slice.
Eric stares, disgusted.  Off his look:
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Always eat your meat raw when the
			weather's cold.  Does you more
			good, long as the entrails look
			clean.

Corbett uses snow and the squirrel's fur to wipe the blood
from his face, then wipes the knife off and lays it, open,
next to his leg.
					
					ERIC
			I'll hold onto that.

With a wry smile, Corbett pushes it back over to Eric.
While Eric eats his dinner, Corbett listens to the STORM and
watches him eat.
					
					CORBETT
			Sure love to know where you fit
			in up here.
					
					ERIC
			I'm here to do my job.
					
					CORBETT
			You want to fool yourself about
			that bullshit job, fine.  Damn
			shame you have to drag your
			girlfriend along.  You think a
			woman like that will be happy
			making moose stew for a man
					-more-
								
								(CONTINUED)
113  CONTINUED:  (2)
					
					CORBETT (Cont'd)
			making your salary?  Look, I'll
			give you five grand.  Take the
			money and go home where you both
			belong.
					
					ERIC
			Don't fucking insult me.

Corbett smiles -- maybe he's beginning to understand Eric.
					
					CORBETT
			Folks come to Alaska for a real
			short list of reasons:  Money.
			Adventure.  Solitude.  Those
			cover most everyone.  But
			frontiers also draw another type
			of man.  One with a demon in his
			gut.  He comes to the edge of the
			world to face that demon, and lay
			it to rest.
					
					ERIC
			Yeah?
					
					CORBETT
			Yep.  Sometimes they do, but
			usually they end up crazy or
			dead.

Eric ponders Corbett's words as he eats.

114  INT.  THE TURTLE - NIGHT

Anne Marie is frantic with worry.  She has the AM/FM RADIO
on for company.
					
					RADIO (VO)
			...This is "Tundra Topics" on
			KFAR.  Remember, as the nights
			get longer, be sure to stay on a
			regular sleep schedule.  The
			depression from the coming of
			winter that doctors call
			'Seasonal Affective Disorder' --
			or 'Arctic Blue' to us lay folk
			-- is preventable.

Anne Marie tunes the radio to "Pipeline of the North" on
KIAK.
								
								(CONTINUED)
114  CONTINUED:
					
					RADIO (VO)
			(continuing)
			...John Byers was hospitalized in
			Fairbanks today for an infection
			in an abscessed tooth.  Mr. Byers
			had a toothache and attempted to
			remove the tooth himself with a
			pair of pliers...

Suddenly, a BUMP rocks the Turtle.  Someone is outside.
Startled, Anne Marie turns the lights off and looks out the
window.

No sign of a vehicle or a person.  As she pulls on her
parka, she glances at the big rifle leaning against the
wall, but doesn't touch it.

115  EXT.  THE TURTLE

Her visitor, whoever it is, is behind the Turtle.  Anne
Marie cautiously rounds the corner and stops dead.

NEW ANGLE

A foraging GRIZZLY sniffs around, attracted by the smell of
fresh carrion -- Wilder.  Eight feet tall and eleven-hundred
pounds, it's used to having its way.  Right now, it's
hungry.

With a casual swipe of its paw, its massive claws puncture
the Turtle's aluminum skin, popping open the door of the

utility compartment.  The bear pokes its head inside, and
Wilder's body slumps out into the snow.  The bear pushes at
the corpse with its snout.  Salivating, it prepares to dig
in.

Anne Marie looks around, wondering what the hell to do nEXT.
Wilder's snowmobile is a few yards behind her, parked
against the side of the Turtle.  She inches toward it.
Testily, the bear looks up, SNIFFING loudly.

Keeping her eyes on the bear, Anne Marie feels for the
snowmobile ignition keys.  They're not there.  She feels
around inside the saddlebags and finds three emergency road
flares.

Anne Marie IGNITES the flares.  They illuminate the area
with an eerie reddish glow.  She YELLS at the bear, wields
the flares like Excalibur and moves forward.

The bear, reluctant to leave so hearty a pre-hibernation
meal, GROWLS and cocks its head back and forth to assess the
threat.  As Anne Marie inches ahead, the bear stands on hind
legs to its full height to meet the challenge.
								
								(CONTINUED)
115  CONTINUED:

Anne Marie tosses a flare toward the bear.  It grunts when
the flare hits it, and shuffles backwards.  Anne Marie
throws another flare.  With a ROAR from hell, the bear
charges.  Anne Marie falls back.  Still holding the last
flare, she's forced into a crawl space under the Turtle.

ANGLE - UNDER THE TURTLE

Anne Marie tries to squeeze out the other side, but she's
pinned in by the unevenness of the hard ground.  The bear
swipes at her, its huge paw inches away.  Anne Marie jabs at
the paw with the flare, but that only makes the bear more
quarrelsome.

She twists around, looking for a defense.  Above her is the
cabling from the generator to the circuit box for the
Turtle's electrical system.  She tugs at it, but it won't
budge.  The bear SNIFFS at Anne Marie with its big wet
snout.  Anne Marie notices warning a sign on a control
valve:
					
					?  DANGER!!
					
					?  BLACK WATER
					
					?  UNTREATED SEWAGE

Grimacing, she tries to turn the valve.  After much effort,
it SNAPS and opens, releasing a stream of fetid sewage.

WIDER

The bear gets a muzzle full of the stuff.  HOWLING
unhappily, it backs away, GRUNTING and SNEEZING.  Greatly
offended, its appetite gone, it lopes into the forest.

Anne Marie squirms out from under the Turtle and, gagging
from the horrible smell, pulls off her wet parka.
									
									CUT TO:

116  EXT.  WOODS NEAR THE TURTLE - SERIES OF SHOTS - NIGHT

Wearing one of Eric's coats, Anne Marie stands in the center
of three similarly-sized trees.  A FLARE supplies the light.
The big Remington rifle leans against the tree closest to
her.

She tosses one end of a hundred feet of nylon rope over a
sturdy tree branch twenty-five feet from the ground.  Then
she throws the other end over an opposing branch and
stretches the rope like a clothesline.
								
								(CONTINUED)
116  CONTINUED:

She attaches a second length of rope perpendicular to the
first and throws it over a third tree branch, midway between
the other two.  She kneels and ties something BELOW FRAME to
the cross-length rope.

Pulling mightily on the perpendicular rope, she hoists
something heavy to the level of the branches.  The flare
burns out, plunging the area into darkness.

Anne Marie wraps the rope around the tree trunk and
nervously tries to LIGHT another flare.  As she does, the
forest seems closer, sinister, filled with lurking ogres.
Seized with an instinctual fear, she grabs the rifle and
runs back to the Turtle.
									
									FADE TO:

117  EXT.  ENDICOTT FOOTHILLS - DAY

The storm has passed, leaving a fresh covering of powdery
snow in drifts like sand dunes.  Eric and Corbett trek
toward Devil's Cauldron through the ever-thickening forest.
Corbett has made them snow goggles by cutting slits in
strips of tree bark worn like sunglasses.  Eric, using a
tree branch as a walking stick, still limps on his sore
ankle.  For the first time, he keeps the magnum stuck in his
waistband.
					
					CORBETT
			There's a cabin, maybe twenty
			miles south of here.
					
					ERIC
			(kneels to adjust his ankle
				wrap)
			Too bad we're heading west.
					
					CORBETT
			There's a snowmobile. Inside a
			day we could be on the Yukon.  I
			got money there.  Remember that
			five thousand?  Make it ten.  Be
			smart.  Take it and walk away.
					
					ERIC
			(bristling)
			You don't get it, do you?

Corbett takes advantage of Eric's poor peripheral vision
from the visor by kneeing Eric in the face.  Eric falls
backwards into the snow.  Corbett takes off like a
jackrabbit.  Eric spits out some blood, shakes the stars out
of his eyes and yanks the .357 from under his coat.
								
								(CONTINUED)
117  CONTINUED:

					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Stop!

Corbett bounds through the snow, dodging trees and
snow-covered rocks.

Eric squeezes off a SHOT, and is startled by the recoil and
the blast.  He scrambles to his feet and SHOOTS again.

Corbett zigzags and disappears from sight over a snowbank.

NEW ANGLE - FOLLOW CORBETT

Corbett runs over a frozen stream, invisible under a cover
of snow.  Suddenly, the ice SHATTERS under him.  Corbett is
immersed in frigid, waist-deep water.  He gasps from the
sudden temperature drop.

ERIC

hobbles after him, CUSSING bitterly to himself.

CORBETT

crawls to solid ground.  Disoriented from the shock to his
system, he rolls over to catch his breath.

WIDER

Eric appears over a snowbank.

Corbett tries to run, but his frozen, waterlogged legs feel
like pig iron.  Stumbling and panting, he looks for a safe
place to cross the stream.  Eric easily catches up to him.
Corbett sits in the snow, shivering.  He looks up as Eric
trots over.

Eric glares at Corbett and rubs the bruise on his cheek.
					
					CORBETT
			Nothing personal.  Just wanted to
			see what you'd do.

Noticing Corbett's sopping legs, Eric becomes furious.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Have to get these wet things off.
					
					ERIC
			You're not going to slow us down!
			Keep moving!
								
								(CONTINUED)
117  CONTINUED:  (2)
					
					CORBETT
			Inside of three hours you'd be
			dragging my dead carcass.

Fuming, Eric helps Corbett up.

118  EXT.  ENDICOTT FOOTHILLS - EVENING

The sun sinks below the horizon, creating across the
mountains a spectacular show of color and shadows.  The wind
HOWLS.

119  INT.  NYLON SHELTER

Eric stokes a fire at the mouth of the shelter.  Corbett's
pants and boots hang to dry from branches next to it.  He
huddles under the tarp, covered by his coat, drowsy and
listless.
					
					ERIC
			Stay awake!  You want to go
			hypothermic?
					
					CORBETT
			If that means freeze my balls
			off, no thanks.
			(yawns)
			I'll be okay.

Eric examines him.  Corbett's skin is white and rigid, his
lips are pale blue.  He scowls at Eric.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Told you I'm fine!
					
					ERIC
			(holds up three fingers)
			How many do you see?
					
					CORBETT
			(irritable)
			What?!  Fuck off.  Save yourself.
					
					ERIC
			You don't feel cold?
					
					CORBETT
			It's a spring day...

He starts to doze off.  The shivering he's been repressing
now racks his body.  Eric sits him up, closer to the fire,
and puts his own parka over Corbett's shoulders.  With his
foot, Eric rolls some hot rocks bordering the fire closer to
								
								(CONTINUED)
119  CONTINUED:

Corbett's legs.  Eric rubs his arms and hands, but it isn't
enough.  Eric loathes the specter of death, even Corbett's.
He shakes him, trying to keep him awake.
					
					ERIC
			Wake up, goddammit!  You've got
			classic hypothermia --
			crankiness, fatigue, can't feel
			your coldness.  Worst thing you
			can do is fade out.

Corbett is headed someplace far away.  Sighing, Eric turns
him so his back faces the fire.  He unbuttons Corbett's
shirt, then unbuttons his own shirt and lies across Corbett.
Eric gasps -- Corbett feels like a slab of ice.  Corbett's
teeth chatter.  He's completely unconscious.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			One more thing -- this doesn't
			mean we're going steady.

DISSOLVE TO:

Later, Corbett rests fitfully.  It could go either way.
Eric chews on some roots and pokes at the fire to keep it
lively.

DISSOLVE TO:

It's night.  Some color has returned to Corbett's skin.
Eric turns as Corbett mumbles and clutches at the front of
his shirt.  His eyes open.  He tries to sit up, but he's too
weak.
					
					ERIC
			Stay still.
					
					CORBETT
			Where's my ELT?
					
					ERIC
			Emergency transmitter?  All your
			gear is back at Wilder's.
					
					CORBETT
			You got one?
					
					ERIC
			It was blown up with the plane.
					
					CORBETT
			Too bad.  We'd be out of here in
			a few hours.
								
								(CONTINUED)
119  CONTINUED:  (2)
					
					ERIC
			How?  Nobody this far north
			monitors that frequency until
			avalanche season.
			(beat)
			Besides, I'm surprised a tough
			guy like you uses fancy
			electronics.
					
					CORBETT
			I'm surprised a flat-ender like
			you knows cold-weather remedies.
					
					ERIC

			Read a lot of adventure stories
			when I was a kid...

Corbett smiles.
					
					CORBETT
			I'm hungry.  Go kill me some
			dinner.
					
					ERIC
			An appetite.  Maybe you won't die
			after all.
					
					CORBETT
			Hate to disappoint you.

120  EXT.  HAUL ROAD - THE TURTLE - NIGHT

The AURORA makes a dazzling display in the cold clear sky.
Below, the only light on the endless expanse of dark earth
comes from the Turtle.

CLOSER

Flashlight in hand, wearing one of Eric's coats, Anne Marie
refuels the generator.  Something catches her eye --

ANNE MARIE'S POV

In the distance, headlight beams jostle along the Haul Road.

BACK TO SCENE

Anne Marie caps the diesel fuel can and stows it away.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(grinning)
			It's about time...

She hurries back into the Turtle.



121  INT.  THE TURTLE

Anne Marie brushes her hair and makes herself presentable.

122  EXT.  THE TURTLE

The vehicle gets closer.  It's the trappers' jeep.  It slows
and parks on the Haul Road next to the Turtle.

123  INT.  THE TURTLE

Anne Marie peers out the window.  She gasps as she
recognizes the jeep.  Ducking from sight below the window,
she grabs Eric's coat and hurries into the rear module.

124  EXT.  THE TURTLE

Mitchell stays in the jeep.  Viking Bob and LeMalle get out
and walk cautiously toward the Turtle.

LeMalle stands midway between the jeep and the Turtle,
cradling his carbine.  Viking Bob goes up the steps.

125  INT.  THE TURTLE - REAR MODULE

Anne Marie remembers something she should've taken with her:
the rifle.  Too late.  She hears Viking Bob's FOOTSTEPS (OS)
come up the wooden stairs outside.

126  EXT.  THE TURTLE

Viking Bob knocks on the front door.  He peers through the
sheer curtain on the window, into the front module.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Hullo?

He shrugs to the others, then tries the door.  It's
unlocked.

Mitchell gets out of the jeep, spits and follows the others
in, his hand close to the Colt Peacemaker strapped to his
leg.

127  INT.  THE TURTLE

Anne Marie climbs out a window in the back.  She closes it
behind her just as Viking Bob pokes his head in the rear
module.

The trappers snoop around, noticing that the coffee pot is
still warm, etc.  The emptiness is ominous.  LeMalle picks
up the big Remington bear rifle.  He opens the breech to
determine if it's loaded, and sniffs the barrel to see if
								
								(CONTINUED)
127  CONTINUED:

it's recently been fired.  Viking Bob notices the damaged
radio.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Somebody left in a big hurry.
			(to LeMalle)
			Check outside.

128  EXT.  THE TURTLE

LeMalle goes outside and shines his flashlight around.

NEW ANGLE

In the back, Anne Marie drags an evergreen tree branch
behind her to cover her tracks in the snow, then climbs into
the utility compartment where Wilder's body was stored.

A moment later, LeMalle comes around the corner.  He notices
bear tracks and scat from the prior night's visit.
					
					LEMALLE
			(calls out to others)
			Grizzly sign.  Looks fresh.

Viking Bob and Mitchell converge with LeMalle.  They point
their flashlights around, spotting footprints and marks
going off into the woods.

129  EXT.  WOODS NEAR THE TURTLE

Tense and silent, the trappers follow the marks.  A breeze
RUSTLES the needles of the evergreens around them.  They
stop at the point the footprints end.  A rhythmic CREAKING
above them makes LeMalle shine his light upward.

NEW ANGLE

The light REVEALS Wilder's feet swinging back and forth
above their heads.  His body is suspended in the manner of a
trail cache.  Viking Bob lets out a startled grunt.  He and
Mitchell shine their lights on Wilder's face.
					
					MITCHELL
			It's Sam Wilder!
					
					VIKING BOB
			Musta wanted to keep him from the
			bears.  If Ben killed him, he
			sure as hell wouldn't hang him up
			like this.
					
					MITCHELL
			Where's the kid?
								
								(CONTINUED)
129  CONTINUED:
					
					LEMALLE
			Who gives a husky fuck?  Where's
			Ben?

The trappers look glumly at one another.

130  INT.  UTILITY COMPARTMENT - THE TURTLE

Anne Marie jams herself behind a pile of her photo
equipment.  She stops as she hears the trappers' boots (OS)
CRUNCH in the snow past her and go inside the Turtle.

131  INT.  THE TURTLE

The trappers peel off their overcoats.  They look around at
the comfortable surroundings.
					
					MITCHELL
			I should get me a job with an oil
			company.

He sits on the couch and lays his scrimshaw and engraving
tools out on the coffee table.  LeMalle helps himself in the
well-stocked larder.
					
					LEMALLE
			I say we eat, torch this fuckin'
			thing, and move on.

LeMalle digs through the cupboards and comes up with a fresh
bottle of Scotch.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Go easy.
					
					LEMALLE
			Cool out.  I ain't about to get
			blasted.
									
									CUT TO:

132  EXT.  THE TURTLE - LATER THAT NIGHT

Flashlight in hand, gloriously drunk, LeMalle stumbles
outside.  He crosses to the jeep to grab a box of Twinkies
and, as long as he's at it, take a leak in a snowbank.
Bleary-eyed, he notices the damage to the utility
compartment inflicted by the bear.

He walks to it, stepping over the bear scat.  He marvels at
the size and depth of the clawmarks.
								
								(CONTINUED)
132  CONTINUED:
					
					LEMALLE
			Big mother musta wanted something
			real bad in here...

LeMalle tries the door, but it's jammed shut.  He tucks his
flashlight under his arm and gives another tug.  This time
the door cracks open.

CLOSER - HIS POV

He peers through the opening and shines his flashlight in.
A pair of eyes stare back at him.

WIDER

LeMalle jumps back, startled, and pulls out his knife.   He
tries the door again.  It WRENCHES open...

...He's looking at his own face in one of Anne Marie's
mirrored photo reflector boards.

Letting his breath out, LeMalle pokes around the equipment
in the compartment.  Ever larcenous, he pulls a few items
out, examines them, and, disinterested, leaves them in the
snow.  Doing so, he comes close to uncovering Anne Marie,
who sits motionless and terrified in the back of the
compartment.

Nothing in the compartment catches LeMalle's fancy.  Leaving
the door hanging open, he wanders away.

133  INT.  UTILITY COMPARTMENT - THE TURTLE

After he's gone, Anne Marie reaches over and closes the
door.  She can hear the trappers' (OS) CONVERSATION inside:
					
					VIKING BOB (OS)
			I know in my gut he was here.
			First light, we try to get scent
			of his trail.

Sighing, Anne Marie stuffs her hands inside her parka and
tries to get comfortable.  It's going to be a long night.
									
									FADE TO:

134  EXT.  ENDICOTT FOOTHILLS - DAWN

Eric and Corbett wearily trudge through the woods.  Corbett
has the tarp wrapped around him for extra warmth.  As he
walks, he sniffs at one of Eric's Eskimo potato roots and
takes a tentative nibble.
								
								(CONTINUED)
134  CONTINUED:
					
					CORBETT
			Used to see the natives eating
			roots when I was a kid in Nome.
					
					ERIC
			Nome?  I figure you'd be a
			whaler, coming from there.
					
					CORBETT
			Told that's what our old man was.
			Planned on going to sea, me and
			Bob, 'til I read Jack London.
			Started trapping when I was ten.
			Mailed the furs to Sears.  Eight
			bucks for a skunk, three for a
			muskrat.
			(off Eric's look)
			That was fine money.
					
					ERIC
			Killing wildlife not good enough
			anymore, so you go on to bigger
			and better things.
					
					CORBETT
			You got a knack for seeing things
			the way you want to see them.

They walk in silence.  Corbett tightens the tarp against the
cold air and looks at Eric.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Don't judge me.  You're a joke,
			coming here from a fucked-up
			culture, telling us what to do!
					
					ERIC
			Yeah, it is fucked up -- but it's
			not too late to keep that from
			happening here.
					
					CORBETT
			(temper flaring)
			All you do is keep folks from
			working the land, living like
			they're meant to.  You don't
			understand shit!  Trappers,
			hunters -- we're part of the
			environment.  Who's protecting
			us?
			(sourly)
			I've seen plenty like you.  So
					-more-
								
								(CONTINUED)
134  CONTINUED:  (2)
					
					CORBETT (Cont'd)
			full of yourselves there's no
			room for other people's way of
			life.
					
					ERIC
			What do you know about people?
			You live like an animal!  A
			savage goddamn throwback like you
			belongs out here, as far away
			from the rest of us as possible.
					
					CORBETT
			I'm real sad you don't approve of
			me.

He shoves Eric with his handcuffed hands.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Tell me what I should do,
			Professor.  You got all the
			answers.  I shouldn't hunt?
			Fine, I'll just phone up and have
			a salad delivered.

Livid, Eric backs away and knocks Corbett's hands away from
him.
					
					ERIC
			Don't push me..!
					
					CORBETT
			Cowardly bastard.  I'm in
			handcuffs and I still scare the
			piss out of you.

Eric smashes his fist into Corbett's face.  Corbett reels
back, more surprised than hurt.  Eric moves in, furiously
throwing punches.  Corbett plows his clenched fists into
Eric's midsection, doubling him over.  Gasping, Eric rams
his head into Corbett and they fall into the snow.

Despite the handcuffs, Corbett gets a few blows in.  They
wrestle fiercely, and Eric ends up on top of Corbett.  He's
about to throw another punch when Corbett looks up at him.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			First you save my ass, now you
			want to kill me.  Make up your
			goddamn mind.
								
								(CONTINUED)
134  CONTINUED:  (3)

Eric lowers his fist and climbs off of Corbett.  Corbett
gets up and they continue on their way in sullen silence.

135  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - DAY

Sunday morning.  Chimney smoke rises straight up in the
still morning air and mingles with the wisps of fog hanging
above the Devil's Cauldron valley.

A scratchy RECORDING of a HYMN ("We Will Gather at the
River") plays through a PA system, ECHOING forlornly off the
hills.  The PEOPLE of Devil's Cauldron walk through the new
snow to the center of the settlement.  Some, older Women
mostly, head for the dance hall, where the HYMN originates.

136  INT.  DANCE HALL

The Women SING along with the HYMN.  They face a shelf
holding the PA, a rusty TV and record player.  And, in front
of the shelf, an unmanned pulpit.

137  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON

The Men, including Neff, split off from their mates and go
into the Maqi.

138  INT.  MAQI

Neff joins some other Men sweating on benches in the
primitive steam bath.   Kenai sits closest to the fire.  His
thick glasses are steamed up, but he finally looks warm.
					
					NEFF
			Wilder's missing church services;
			you believe it?
					
					KENAI
			I just as soon he stay gone.
			Fool could've got us all killed,
			arresting Ben Corbett here in
			town.

139  EXT.  FOOTHILLS ABOVE DEVIL'S CAULDRON - DAY

Exhausted, Corbett and Eric climb across the last set of
foothills before the Devil's Cauldron valley.  The town
comes into view below them; faintly the MUSIC carries from
below.  Corbett looks at Eric and breaks the silence:
					
					CORBETT
			What makes you so sure my boys
			won't be waiting for us?
								
								(CONTINUED)
139  CONTINUED:
					
					ERIC
			They think you're in Fairbanks.
			If not, they still won't find you
			before the plane comes tomorrow.
					
					CORBETT
			Don't bet on it.
					
					ERIC
			I already have.
					
					CORBETT
			You don't know how true that is.

Eric sweeps the snow from between two rocks and sits down.
					
					ERIC
			We'll wait here until nightfall.
			No fire, no tarp.

Corbett sits next to him.  After a long moment:
					
					CORBETT
			Didn't mean it, you being a
			coward.  You're a lot of things,

			but chickenshit isn't one of
			them.
					
					ERIC
			Maybe...maybe not.  I'll tell you
			what scares me -- stumbling
			through life, like an ordinary
			jerk.  That's why I want to work
			on the front lines, where what I
			do means something.
			(beat)
			Soon as I got here, I realized my
			job was bullshit.  Oil company
			propaganda.  I was ready to
			leave, then I thought screw it,
			I'll outsmart them, do the work
			anyway.
			(beat)
			I don't know anymore.  Maybe I am
			fooling myself.  That's what I'm
			afraid of most of all.
					
					CORBETT
			Hell, I still get a knot in my
			gut every season, wondering how
			much longer I can go on.  No
			'Home for Retired Trappers' that
					-more-
								
								(CONTINUED)
139  CONTINUED:  (2)
					
					CORBETT (Cont'd)
			I ever saw.  We're like Eskimos
			-- get too old to be useful,
			we're left on the ice to die.

The men listen to the faint MUSIC echoing through the silent
foothills.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing; softly)
			My wife used to go to chapel on
			Sundays.  See her friends, 'cause
			I was away so much.
			(beat)
			Should've been home that day.
			She'd be getting dressed right
			about now...

Eric glances over as a look of utter desolation crosses
Corbett's face.

140  EXT.  HAUL ROAD - THE TURTLE - DAY

The trappers file out the front door.
					
					VIKING BOB
			My guess is he's loose and
			heading for Chukfoktulik.  He'll
			need supplies; that's the closest
			settlement without a lawman.

LeMalle carries his booty with him.  Viking Bob looks at him
disapprovingly as he puts the big Remington rifle in the
jeep.
					
					LEMALLE
			I ain't gonna leave a seven-
			hundred-dollar Remington behind.
					
					VIKING BOB
			(exasperated)
			What you gonna do with it?  Large
			bore's for shit on small game.
					
					LEMALLE
			Not in the right hands it ain't.

To demonstrate, he rapid-fires several SHOTS from the hip,
taking the radio antenna off the roof of the Turtle,
shattering panes of glass in an accurate succession, and
blasting the door latch off the utility compartment.
								
								(CONTINUED)
140  CONTINUED:

Pleased, LeMalle slams back the bolt, ejecting a spent
shell.  He glances curiously at the door of the utility
compartment and starts toward it.
					
					LEMALLE
			(continuing)
			Thought that door was open last
			night...
					
					VIKING BOB
			Quit fucking around.  Get in.

LeMalle climbs into the back of the jeep.  With Viking Bob
driving, they pull away.

141  EXT.  TRAPPERS' JEEP - (MOVING SHOT)

Grinning maliciously, LeMalle hangs the Remington out the
window as they retreat.  Taking careful aim, he SHOOTS.

142  EXT.  THE TURTLE

LeMalle's bullet hits the metal fuel tank of the generator.
The kerosene fumes EXPLODE, splattering BURNING KEROSENE on
the rear module of the Turtle.

The trappers don't slow down to enjoy the show.  Viking Bob
hurries on to more important business.

143  INT.  UTILITY COMPARTMENT - THE TURTLE

As soon as the SOUND of the jeep fades away, Anne Marie
clambers out of the utility compartment.  Haggard and numb
with cold, she helplessly watches as the fire ravenously
devours the rear module.  Shielding her face from the
flames, Anne Marie reaches under the accordion cover between
the modules.  With great effort, she unbolts the coupling
bracket.

144  INT.  DIESEL RIG - THE TURTLE

Anne Marie STARTS the engine, SLAMS it into gear, and
lurches the front module away from the burning rear module.
She shuts the motor off and, trying to hold back the tears,
watches the rear module BURNING.
									
									DISSOLVE TO:

145  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NIGHT

Bone weary, Eric and Corbett walk toward town, staying on
the outskirts to avoid being seen.  They look at one another
-- this moment seemed impossible not very long ago.  No one
seems to notice as they limp into Wilder's cabin.



146  INT.  WILDER'S CABIN

It's dark.  Eric locks Corbett up in the holding cell, not
noticing that Corbett seems almost pleased to be there.  He
blocks the windows, pumps up the pressure on the white gas
lantern and heads back outside again.

147  INT.  NEFF'S HOUSE

Neff pries himself from his MTV to answer a KNOCK at the
door.  Eric hobbles in.  Neff notes Eric's weatherbeaten
condition.
					
					NEFF
			You don't mind me saying, Mr.
			Desmond, you look like hell.
					
					ERIC
			Have you heard anything from the
			girl staying with me, Anne Marie?
					
					NEFF
			Not a damn thing.  What's going
			on?  Mr. Meyerling was here, all
			steamed up, looking for you.
					
					ERIC
			Look, Neff, I've got Ben Corbett
			with me --
					
					NEFF
			-- Here?!  Where's Wilder?
					
					ERIC
			Back at my place... he, uh, broke
			his leg.

					
					NEFF
			If Corbett's men find out --
					
					ERIC
			-- I'm putting him on the plane
			to Fairbanks, eleven tomorrow.
					
					NEFF
			Jiminy Christmas.
			(beat)
			What do you want from me?
					
					ERIC
			Corbett ruined my two-way.  Go to
			my place on the Haul Road, tell
			Anne Marie I'm okay and to sit
			tight.
								
								(CONTINUED)
147  CONTINUED:
					
					NEFF
			I'll go at dawn.
					
					ERIC
			Thanks.  Don't tell anyone you
			saw me.

After Eric goes, Neff closes his door and bolts it.

148  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - VARIOUS ANGLES - NIGHT

The temperature dips as the winds shifts and blows down from
the north.  Another storm approaches.  The temperate days of
last week seem ages ago.

Kenai, Neff, and other TOWNSMEN batten Devil's Cauldron down
for the STORM.  Kenai is bundled up in the cold.  The men
tighten guy wires on the radio tower, windmills and caches;
bring firewood indoors; close off unused rooms in the
general store and spa.  Then Neff and Kenai split off from
the others.

149  INT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

Via a catwalk, Neff and Kenai climb up into the ceiling
struts above the partitioned cubicles in the spa to caulk a
roof leak with pitch.  Neff is sullen from his conversation
with Eric. Kenai, however, is smiling at Neff.
					
					NEFF
			Why the smirk?
					
					KENAI
			Bet I could make some money
			turning Ben Corbett in.  Maybe
			more for lettin' him loose.
			(off Neff's flustered look)
			I was up in my cache.  Saw the
			Northland man come talk to you.
					
					NEFF
			You're out of your greedy goddamn
			mind.
					
					KENAI
			Corbett coming here stinks of
			trouble.  We should make the best
			of it before it turns around and
			bites us in the ass.
					
					NEFF
			Stay out of it.



150  INT.  WILDER'S CABIN - NIGHT

Eric stirs a pot of beans on the cookstove.  Corbett watches
from the cot in the cell.
					
					CORBETT
			Talk to that good-looking girl of
			yours?
					
					ERIC
			You broke the radio, remember?
					
					CORBETT
			(smiles)
			I'm sure she's fine.  Seemed like
			a clever kid.

Corbett sits up as Eric hands him a plate of beans.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			You were real resourceful out
			there.  Got me thinking of this
			perimeter man, froze all his
			fingers one winter.  So he hacked
			the tips off and sharpened the
			exposed bones.  Gets along better
			than ever.  Yeah, maybe I
			underestimated you.
					
					ERIC
			I liked you better frozen.  You
			didn't talk so much.
					
					CORBETT
			You're damn lucky, glimpsing this
			country before it's ruined, gone
			for good.  You saw wonders you'd
			only dreamed of.  That alone
			makes you different than the
			sorry bastards back where you
			came from, because you have
			dreamt them.

Corbett sees he's hit a nerve with Eric.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing)
			Remember that demon in the gut?
			Sometimes it's nothing more than
			wondering if the so-called
			civilized life has bred the balls
			and brains out of you.  That's
			what you want out of this, isn't
			it?
								
								(CONTINUED)
150  CONTINUED:
					
					ERIC
			All I want want is you in jail --

A KNOCK at the door interrupts.  Eric lowers the flame on
the gas lantern and peers out through a corner of the
cardboard in the front window.  Frowning, he cracks the door
open and slips outside.

151  EXT.  WILDER'S CABIN

It's Neff and Kenai.  Neff looks guiltily at Eric.
					
					NEFF
			(explaining)
			He saw you and Corbett come in...
					
					KENAI
			Dixie's waiting at the infirmary.
			She'll put a splint on that
			injured leg.

Eric is skeptical of Kenai's concern.
					
					NEFF
			Don't let him fool you.  Real
			reason he's here is to buy
			Corbett's traps.

Eric looks at Kenai, then at Neff.  Neff nods that it's
okay.  As extra precaution, Eric handcuffs Corbett's right
wrist to the frame of the cot inside the cell.
					
					ERIC
			(to Kenai)
			Okay.  You can talk to him.  But
			I'll keep the keys with me.

152  INT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA - NIGHT

Outside the wind HOWLS.  Eric enters and walks into the
hallway connecting the bath partitions.  A hand grabs his
arm.  Startled, he turns around.

It's Dixie, wearing a threadbare flannel robe.
					
					DIXIE
			Earl says you get discount.
			Twenty-five dollar.

Eric shakes his head -- typical Kenai.  He gives her three
tens.  She smiles and leads Eric toward the "infirmary."
It's actually a bath partition outfitted with an examining
table and a first-aid kit.



153  INT.  WILDER'S CABIN - NIGHT


Neff paces nervously.  Corbett smiles at him and Kenai.
					
					NEFF
			(apologetically)
			Look, Ben, we don't want any
			trouble.  The kid's got the key,
			and besides, he looks edgy enough
			to use that magnum he's carrying.
					
					CORBETT
			Relax.  I'll get loose in time.
					
					KENAI
			Any traps you don't want, I'll
			pay cash money.
					
					CORBETT
			Guess someone should use them.
			Open the bottom drawer in
			Wilder's desk.  My kit's in
			there.  Might as well unload
			everything.

Kenai tugs on the drawer.  It's locked.  Undaunted, he
jimmies it open with a knife.  Neff groans.  Kenai goes to
throw Corbett the duffel bag, but Neff grabs it.  He checks
for weapons, pulling out a hunting knife.  Satisfied, he
hands Corbett the bag through the bars.

With his free hand, Corbett digs through his belongings:
clothing, freeze-dried provisions, jerky, paperback books.
He looks up and shrugs.

154  INT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA - NIGHT

Eric's ankle is in a resin cast.  His foot rests on a stool.
While waiting for the cast to set he soaks in the bathtub, a
hot towel draped over his face.  Above him, on a wall
bracket, a closed circuit TV plays a war-surplus PORNO FILM.

The door CREAKS open and Dixie comes in.  She impassively
checks his cast -- which is interesting, as she's now
wearing panties, clog shoes and nothing else.  Eric takes
the towel off his face and sits up, astonished.
					
					DIXIE
			I wash your back for you.  You
			will like it.

Before Eric can protest, the door OPENS again.  It's
Meyerling.  He snaps his fingers at Dixie to shoo her and
she scurries away.
								
								(CONTINUED)
154  CONTINUED:
					
					MEYERLING
			I hate to interrupt playtime, but
			why the hell are you caught up in
			a local matter when I gave you
			express instructions to the
			contrary?!
					
					ERIC
			Cut the shit, Leo.  I might need
			your help...

155  EXT.  CHUKFOKTULIK, ALASKA - NIGHT

Consisting of a handful of sod-roof cabins, mostly bars,
Chukfoktulik is a way station in the coniferous forest,
sixty miles southeast of Devil's Cauldron.

156  INT.  TRAPPERS' JEEP

With the seats pushed back, LeMalle peels the town's lone
WHORE out of her parka.  He's got the motor running for
warmth.  Her gold tooth glints in the light from the
building next to them.  The locating screen on the beat-up
radio beacon receiver bolted to the dash GLOWS
phosphorescent green.
					
					WHORE
			They got nice beds upstairs,
			honey.
					
					LEMALLE
			I'm standin' guard duty.
			Besides, rather spend the room
			money on sloppy seconds.

Over the sound of LeMalle's exertions there begins an
insistent succession of BEEPS.  The Whore looks over
LeMalle's shoulder at the locating device.
					
					WHORE
			Hey, Tiger --

LeMalle turns and immediately loses interest in the Whore.
Pushing her off of him, he blows the jeep's HORN three
times.

157  INT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA - NIGHT

Eric and Meyerling are in the middle of an argument.
					
					ERIC
			...I won't let a killer walk!
								
								(CONTINUED)
157  CONTINUED:
					
					MEYERLING
			Alleged killer.
					
					ERIC
			What does this matter to you?
					
					MEYERLING
			(sneering)
			You can't see past your lousy
			little assignment, sniffing
			around the pipeline.  The few
			voters there are in this district
			look up to Corbett, and I'm not
			about to alienate them.
					
					ERIC
			I should release Corbett because
			you want some votes?
					
					MEYERLING
			This miserable wilderness is a
			state of the union.  Policy's
			made here the same way as in the
			civilized world: at the ballot
			box.  That's the beauty of it --
			these icebox cowboys are living a
			century too late.  Get them on
			your side, it's like buying
			Manhattan for beads.  With a
			handful of votes you control the
			greatest frontier since white men
			stumbled onto the New World.
					
					ERIC
			Some day these people'll wake up,
			and you'll be the first one
			they'll run out of here.

Eric's attention turns to a rhythmic INTERFERENCE on the TV
screen.  There are three short bursts, followed by three
long bursts.  Something about it is very familiar.
Scowling, he sits up.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Shit...
			(to Meyerling; distracted)
			Do what you have to.  So will I.

Eric climbs out of the water and pulls his pants on.



158  INT.  WILDER'S CABIN - NIGHT

Kenai sorts through the tangle of Corbett's traps.   The
door bursts open and Eric hobbles in.  Gun drawn, Eric
unlocks the cell door.  He rips Corbett's shirt open.
Looking around, he sees Corbett's duffel bag sitting by the
cot.  Digging through it, he finds at the bottom of the bag
an ELT with a small red LED flashing on it.

Furious, he flings it against the wall, smashing it.


159  INT.  TRAPPERS' JEEP - CHUKFOKTULIK - NIGHT

The green dot on the screen and rhythmic BLEEP go suddenly
dead, just as Viking Bob and Mitchell run up to the jeep.
					
					LEMALLE
			Northwest.  Devil's Cauldron.

LeMalle dumps the half-naked Whore out onto the snow.
Viking Bob starts the jeep and they roar off.

160  INT.  WILDER'S CABIN - NIGHT

Eric shoves Kenai and Neff out the door.
					
					NEFF
			What's wrong?
					
					ERIC
			Just stay out of my face until
			I'm gone!

He slams the door.  Corbett smiles his Cheshire smile.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing; picks up ELT)
			Emergency transmitter?  What
			happened to signal mirrors or
			two-tone smoke fires?
					
					CORBETT
			Lets us watch each other's backs
			over a wide area.  Only thing
			messed me up this time was
			getting arrested in the baths.
			ELT was in my duffel bag, not
			around my neck where it should've
			been.
					
					ERIC
			No way they'll find you on a
			five-minute signal.  And no way
					-more-
								
								(CONTINUED)
160  CONTINUED:
					
					ERIC (Cont'd)
			they'll get here in eight hours
			in this weather, unless they're
			right around the corner.
					
					CORBETT
			They haven't disappointed me yet.

161  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - DAWN

Fat, dry snowflakes pour through the still air.  Gloomy
clouds hang immediately overhead.  Visibility is ten feet;
the temperature is below zero.

162  INT.  WILDER'S CABIN

It's 5:30 AM.  Sitting at Wilder's desk, Eric pries the tops
from some bullets and dumps the gunpowder into a styrofoam
cup. He rings the top of the cup with bluetip matches, then
seals it with masking tape.  Watching him from the cell,
Corbett smiles.
					
					CORBETT
			Flashbomb, eh?

Eric doesn't answer.  He pulls on a heavy overcoat of
Wilder's.  Putting the unused bullets back in Wilder's desk,
Eric finds Corbett's .44 magnum.  He puts it and some
speedloaders full of .357 hollowpoints in his pockets.

163  EXT. / INT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - MONTAGE

Eric hobbles across town to the hot springs under cover of
the early hour and heavy snowfall.  He paces out several
circuitous routes from the rental cabins to the airstrip at
the edge of town, pausing now and again along the way.

He hears a door SQUEAK open and someone COUGH nearby, so he
stands motionless in the snow.

Bundled in wool blankets, Kenai trundles down to his
outhouse.

After Kenai passes by, Eric sneaks inside the spa.  He
climbs up into the catwalk.

As Kenai goes back to his cabin, he notices that the antique
bear traps on display in front of the general store are
missing.  Suddenly, Eric grabs him and pulls him into the
spa doorway.
									
									END MONTAGE



164  INT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

Eric's unexpected appearance startles Kenai.
					
					ERIC
			I need to rent a cabin.
					
					KENAI
			What's the problem with Sam
			Wilder's place?
					
					ERIC
			Will you rent me a cabin, or not?
					
					KENAI
			Pretty clever:  If the trappers
			got that signal beacon and get
			here in time, Sam's is the first
			place they'll look.  They may
			figure you're waiting for an
			airplane, so you can't stay in
			the shack by the airstrip.  Last
			place they'd expect you is on the
			far side of town.
			(shakes his head)
			I can't afford any trouble --
					
					ERIC
			(takes out all his cash)
			-- Here's a hundred dollars.  And
			if you or anyone else will back
			me up on this --
					
					KENAI
			(grabs money)
			-- Forget it.  And try not to
			bleed on my throw rugs.
			(walks away, then turns
				back)
			Why do this?
					
					ERIC
			If you have to ask, you wouldn't
			understand.

NEW ANGLE

Outside, there is the high-pitched WHINE of a snowmobile
(OS) driving into town.  Eric cautiously follows the SOUND.

165  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - CLOSE ON ERIC

He listens as the vehicle cuts across town toward Neff's
house.  The snowfall is too thick to see who it is.  Eric
								
								(CONTINUED)
165  CONTINUED:

moves in as close as he dares.  The ENGINE stops (OS) and
FOOTSTEPS crunch up Neff's driveway.

WIDER ANGLE - NEFF'S HOUSE

A person in a hooded parka stands on Neff's stoop, about to
knock.  Magnum drawn, Eric suddenly appears from the curtain
of falling snow.  He shoves the person against the side of
the house.

NEW ANGLE

It's Anne Marie.  She gasps.  Seeing Eric, she's more angry
than relieved.  Eric puts the gun back in his waistband.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Eric!  Why aren't you in
			Fairbanks?

He pulls her away from Neff's doorstep.  Her anger
dissolving, she wraps her arms around him.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(continuing)
			Oh, Christ, sweetheart.  Four
			days!  I thought you were dead,
			or worse.
					
					ERIC
			You can't stay here.  Go back to
			the Turtle.  I'll meet you back
			there in a few hours.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(stung by his coolness)
			What's going on?
					
					ERIC
			I'll tell you everything later.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Where's Corbett?
					
					ERIC
			Here.  A transport plane is due
			at eleven.  Once I put him on it,
			it's all over.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			So what's the problem?
								
								(CONTINUED)
165  CONTINUED:  (2)
					
					ERIC
			There isn't one, unless Corbett's
			men get here before the plane
			does.

Anne Marie grasps the situation with a sickening clarity.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Let the people here handle it.
			It's their marshal Corbett
			killed!

CUTAWAY - NEFF

has been eavesdropping on the conversation through his
window.  The news about Wilder stuns him.

BACK TO SCENE
					
					ERIC
			Please, Anne Marie, you being
			here only complicates things.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			I'm staying.

Eric knows she won't relent.
					
					ERIC
			Take the snowmobile, park it
			behind Wilder's cabin.

Sighing, she STARTS the snow machine.  Most of her photo
gear is lashed to the saddlebags.  As she pulls away, Eric
limps back to Neff's house and knocks on the door.
			INT.  NEFF'S HOUSE

Shaken, Neff opens the door and lets Eric in.
					
					NEFF
			I was just on my way to your
			ladyfriend's, but I guess she
			found you.
					
					ERIC
			Yeah.  Sorry I barked at you last
			night.
					
					NEFF
			I'm the one should be sorry...
			Goddamn Kenai, always out for a
			score.  I never should've let him
			go over there.
								
								(CONTINUED)
165  CONTINUED:  (3)
					
					ERIC
			I'd sure like that favor you
			offered a while back.

Neff gets a seasick look on his face.
					
					NEFF
			Look, Mr. Desmond, I didn't count
			on it turning this ugly.
					
					ERIC
			What are you talking about?
					
					NEFF
			Bastards killed Sam, you think
			they won't kill the rest of us?
					
					ERIC
			There'll be three, four men at
			the most.  I have some backup,
			nothing will happen.
					
					NEFF
			I'm real sorry.  In a while,
			you're gone from this country.
			But we live here.  No one wants
			to mix it up with those hombres.

Neff opens the door for Eric.
					
					ERIC
			(angry)
			You don't care enough about Sam
			to --
					
					NEFF
			-- Sam Wilder was my cousin.
			He's why I came to Alaska.  All
			his letters, saying what a
			paradise it is.  But me ending up
			dead won't do Sam a lick of good.

166  EXT.  WILDER'S CABIN

Anne Marie waits in front as Eric hobbles up.  She looks at
his bad ankle.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			You're hurt.
					
					ERIC
			Nothing broken.  C'mon, we have
			to hurry.

He leads her inside.



167  INT.  WILDER'S CABIN

Corbett is calmly reclining on the cot in the holding cell.
					
					CORBETT
			Could've told you no one would
			help...

Seeing Anne Marie, he smiles.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing; to Anne Marie)
			Maybe you can talk sense into
			your boyfriend.
					
					ERIC
			Shut up!
					
					CORBETT
			(to Anne Marie)

			Either way, you better clear out.
			I don't want anyone innocent
			getting harmed.

This comment has the intended effect on Anne Marie.  Angry,
Eric throws Corbett a coat.  Corbett puts it on.  Reaching
through the bars, Eric cuffs Corbett's hands together.
					
					ERIC
			We're moving.  Let's go.

As they exit, Corbett's sardonic look makes Anne Marie
shiver.

168  INT.  RENTAL CABIN

The ten-by-ten cabin is furnished with two sagging cots, a
beat-up color TV set, a cookstove and a half-drum heat
stove.  Built into the rear wall is a rustic dumb waiter
that once lowered perishables into the icy waters of a
now-dry stream.

Eric checks his watch.  6:15 AM.  He bolts the door and
blocks the windows, opening one enough to let sound in from
outside.  He extinguishes the Benman lantern and douses the
fire in the heat stove so no smoke will emit from the
chimney.  Anne Marie slumps into the corner next to the dumb
waiter.
					
					ERIC
			You'll catch a chill by that dumb
			waiter shaft.  Sit on the cot.
			(hands her the .44)
			Keep this pointed at him if I get
			preoccupied.
								
								(CONTINUED)
168  CONTINUED:

Anne Marie reluctantly takes the huge gun.  Trying to allay
her fears, Eric sits and brushes the hair from her face.
Corbett intently watches them.  Before he can say anything,
Eric shoots him a cold look.  Corbett stays quiet.

169  EXT. / INT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - VARIOUS ANGLES - DAY

A pall hangs over the town.  People know to stay inside.
Time crawls by.

In his house, Neff, for once, has his TV turned off.  He
tries to read and listens for sounds outside.

In the spa, water DRIPS somewhere.  All the stalls are
empty.

In his sod house, Kenai looks out his one tiny window at the
curtain of snow.  Dixie comes up behind him and puts her
hands on his shoulders.  He looks up at her, glum.

In Wilder's empty cabin, his belongings are scattered about
as if expecting his imminent return.

In the rental cabin, Eric checks his watch.  10:45 AM.

170  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NEAR WILDER'S CABIN - DAY

The sound of a MOTOR grows in volume, then abruptly ceases.
The trappers' jeep APPEARS in the snowfall on the road into
town.  It coasts quietly in and stops behind the cover of a
woodpile across from Wilder's cabin.

The trappers get out of the jeep.  LeMalle has Eric's
Remington, Mitchell has his Peacemaker, and Viking Bob
carries LeMalle's old carbine.  Mitchell spits.  It's so
cold outside that the spittle freezes and CRACKS before it
hits the ground.

They fan out and approach Wilder's cabin.

ANGLE WITH TRAPPERS

The cabin comes more clearly into view as the trappers move
closer.  There is no sign of life.  Viking Bob gestures for
the others, now positioned on either side of the cabin, to
crouch down for cover.
					
					VIKING BOB
			(calls out)
			Ben?  Ben Corbett?

No response.  Carbine held at his hip, Viking Bob walks up
to the door and, with a mighty kick, BREAKS it in.
								
								(CONTINUED)
170  CONTINUED:

REVERSE ANGLE - THROUGH WILDER'S CABIN DOOR

Viking Bob points the carbine at an empty room.  He notices,
however, Corbett's duffel bag on the floor of the cell.

171  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON

The trappers march through town like an advancing army,
looking for some sign of Corbett.  LeMalle stops to dig
through his pockets for some food.  All he comes up with is
the stump of a candy bar.  Viking Bob looks at him
impatiently.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Look, we pull Ben's ass out of
			the fire, I'll get you a whole
			damn crate of Snickers bars.
					
					LEMALLE
			(insulted)
			I'm right fuckin' here with you.

To prove his point, LeMalle trots from dwelling to dwelling,
looking through windows and letting himself in through any
unlocked door.  This proves fruitless, so he lets out a
frustrated YELL.  Pointing the Remington skyward, he lets
off a couple thunderous SHOTS that ECHO back off the
foothills.

172  INT.  RENTAL CABIN

Hearing the shots, Eric pushes Anne Marie against the floor.
Cautioning her to stay put, he crawls to the window and
tries to see through the snowfall.  After a moment of
silence, from outside, not too far away:
					
					LEMALLE (OS)
			Ben!  Speak out before I torch
			every dump in town!

Eric points the magnum at Corbett.
					
					ERIC
			Answer and I'll shoot!
					
					CORBETT
			You kill me, you sign your death
			warrant.
			(re Anne Marie)
			And hers.



173  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NEAR MAQI

Viking Bob and Mitchell come running over to LeMalle.
LeMalle fires another couple SHOTS for emphasis.
					
					LEMALLE
			(calls out)
			You hear me?  Ben?
					
					VIKING BOB
			(to LeMalle)
			Ease off.  We do this my way.

He and the others strain their ears for a clue.
					
					VIKING BOB
			(continuing; calls out)
			Whoever's holding Ben Corbett,
			listen to me: we just want to
			know he's okay.  He is, nobody
			gets hurt.

174  INT.  RENTAL CABIN

His mind racing, Eric stares at Corbett.  Despite the
freezing temperature of the room, he's sweating.
					
					CORBETT
			They know I'm here.  I don't say
			something, they'll plow this town
			under.  You willing to accept
			that responsibility?

Setting his resolve, Eric drags Corbett to the window.  He
pushes the barrel of the magnum against Corbett's cheek.
					
					ERIC
			Say you're okay.  Tell them I'll
			kill you if they rush us.

Anne Marie bites her lip and tries to maintain a brave
front.  Despite the gun in his face, Corbett remains calm.
					
					CORBETT
			(shouts through window)
			Bob?

175  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NEAR MAQI

Hearing Corbett's voice, the trappers spin around, trying to
ascertain its direction.
					
					CORBETT (OS)
			Relax.  I got a nervous man here
			with a magnum up my nose.
								
								(CONTINUED)
175  CONTINUED:

The trappers follow his VOICE toward the rental cabins.
					
					VIKING BOB
			You in one piece?
					
					CORBETT (OS)
			I'm fine.  Look forward to seeing
			you...
					
					VIKING BOB
			Count on it.

176  INT.  RENTAL CABIN

Eric pulls Corbett away from the window.  He shoots a look
at Anne Marie.  They're in a bind and she knows it.

177  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NEAR MAQI

LeMalle grabs Viking Bob's arm.
					
					LEMALLE
			(to Viking Bob)
			Sweet-talk won't get shit.
			(calls out)
			Choose it, asswipe -- cut Corbett
			loose, or soon as you come
			outside, I put a fuckin' bullet
			through your eye!

178  INT.  RENTAL CABIN

Eric glances at Corbett, whose grim look certifies LeMalle's
boast.
					
					CORBETT
			Snow's to their advantage, kid.
			You can't see them, but soon as
			that plane comes, they'll sure as
			hell know where we're going.
			Wise up.  Take me to the Yukon.
			I'll give you that money and
			guarantee you'll walk away.
					
					ERIC
			Why offer a buyoff with your
			gunmen waiting outside?
					
					CORBETT
			The time has passed for men like
			them and me.  I know it.  But
			they're still fighting for
			survival, like cornered animals.
			That's why they'll kill you.
					-more-
								
								(CONTINUED)
178  CONTINUED:
					
					CORBETT (Cont'd)
			(smiles)
			Be rude to let that happen after
			you kept me from freezing back
			there.

Anne Marie tries to hide how tempted she is by Corbett's
offer.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(to Eric)
			He's right about the snow.  We're
			blind.

Eric sighs -- is she against him, too?  From outside:
					
					VIKING BOB (OS)
			Ben?

The trappers are obviously much closer.  Eric signals to
Corbett not to answer.

NEW ANGLE

Eric and Corbett face the window.  They don't notice as Anne
Marie quietly shimmies outside through the narrow dumb
waiter shaft to the back of the rental cabin.  Eric turns,
gasping as he realizes she's gone.  Corbett smiles
sardonically.
					
					CORBETT
			At least your girl had the sense
			to jump ship.  Too bad she's the
			only one small enough to fit
			through that dumb waiter.

179  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - FOLLOW ANNE MARIE

Using the cover of the snowfall, Anne Marie circles around
the outside edge of town toward Wilder's cabin.  She takes
some of her photo gear from the snowmobile.

180  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NEAR MAQI

Unaware of Anne Marie's maneuver, the trappers wait for a
response from Corbett.  None comes.  Viking Bob places a
calming hand on LeMalle's shoulder.
					
					VIKING BOB
			Just wait, we don't know what
			this guy's up to.  Ben'll let us
			know what to do.



181  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - ANTENNA TOWER

With a camera bag slung over her shoulder, Anne Marie climbs
up the metal antenna tower behind Neff's house on the edge
of town. She grits her teeth and fights back a wave of
vertigo. The ground disappears from sight, hidden by the
snow and fog.

Fifty feet up, she attaches her infrared video camera to the
tower crossbars and, using a length of coaxial cable, hooks
its RF output to the feedline of the community TV antenna.

182  INT.  RENTAL CABIN

Eric looks at his watch.  10:55 AM.

183  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NEAR MAQI

A CRACKING twig behind the cabins gets the trappers'
attention.  Clutching his rifle, LeMalle goes to
investigate.

WITH LEMALLE

as he probes through the snow, listening.  He reaches the
edge of the woods and, finding nothing, returns to the
others.

NEW ANGLE

Anne Marie crouches behind a tree, twenty feet behind
LeMalle.  After a moment, she tiptoes back toward the rental
cabin.

184  INT.  RENTAL CABIN

Eric and Corbett turn as Anne Marie's camera bag suddenly
drops from the dumb waiter shaft.  Anne Marie wriggles back
inside.  Before Eric can say anything, she puts her fingers
over his mouth.  She turns on the TV set and tunes it to
channel 3.

ANGLE ON TV

A fuzzy IMAGE comes into view.  It's Devil's Cauldron from
the vantage of Anne Marie's infrared video camera.  The
falling snow shows up as a translucent yellow wash over the
scene.  Buildings are distinguishable as bluish silhouettes.
Heat-producing objects -- warm walls, chimney smoke, etc. --
are pink and red.  And there are three clearly-definable
human figures standing near the Maqi.  The trappers.

BACK TO SCENE

Corbett is amazed.  Eric smiles at Anne Marie.
								
								(CONTINUED)
184  CONTINUED:
					
					ERIC
			Your infrared camera?
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(nods)
			Technology in the wilderness.
			Only problem is talking to you on
			your way to the landing strip.
					
					ERIC
			I've got an idea.  We'll have to
			work fast.

He digs through Anne Marie's bag of equipment and supplies,
then stops and looks up.  Outside, there is an OS SOUND that
is felt before it is HEARD.  The cargo PLANE approaches in
the distance.

185  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - NEAR MAQI

The trappers look at each other as the SOUND of the plane
grows louder.
					
					VIKING BOB
			There's what they're waiting on!
					
					MITCHELL
			(smiles tightly)
			They'll have to come right past
			us.

186  EXT.  RENTAL CABIN

Eric quietly pulls the door open.  Holding the pistol to
Corbett's head, he pushes Corbett out in front of him.

Anne Marie and Eric exchange a long look.  Fighting back
tears, she reaches up and touches his face.
					
					ERIC
			When you ran off, I thought you'd
			keep going 'til you were back
			home in Washington.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			My home is here.  With you.

He smiles.  Then he and Corbett are gone, lost from sight in
the snowfall.   After a beat, Anne Marie takes a deep breath
and slinks away in the other direction, toward the dance
hall.
								
								(CONTINUED)
186  CONTINUED:

ANGLE NEAR THE MAQI

The trappers wait, twenty-five feet from Eric and Corbett.
The DRONE of the plane grows louder.

ERIC AND CORBETT

start toward the airstrip.  Corbett sees a patch of bare
dirt and SCUFFS his feet in it.

ANGLE NEAR MAQI

The trappers turn to the SOUND, heard under the RUMBLE of
the still-distant plane.  Converging, they head in that
direction.  Suddenly, Anne Marie's VOICE booms through the
town:
					
					ANNE MARIE (OS)
			(over PA)
			They're moving toward you!

WIDER

Eric SHOOTS a couple times, then backtracks and pulls
Corbett behind one of the rental cabins.

Ducking the bullets, the trappers sprawl onto the ground.

187  INT.  DANCE HALL

Anne Marie has turned on the rusty TV near the pulpit.
While watching the infrared IMAGE of the action outside, she
holds the microphone wired to the old PA.

ANGLE - THE TRAPPERS

Viking Bob gestures to Mitchell and LeMalle to separate.
					
					ANNE MARIE (OS)
			(over PA)
			They're fanning out.

Angry, LeMalle BLASTS his rifle in direction of her VOICE.
					
					LEMALLE
			(to Viking Bob)
			Kenai's PA -- but how the fuck
			she seein' us?
					
					VIKING BOB
			Doesn't matter.  We know where
			they're going.  C'mon.

Stalking, anxious, LeMalle follows Viking Bob.
								
								(CONTINUED)
187  CONTINUED:


MITCHELL

splits off from them and looks for footprints in the snow.

188  EXT.  ALLEY

Eric pushes Corbett through a narrow pass between two
buildings in the center of town.  He walks in Corbett's
footprints.  Almost through to the other side, he suddenly
stops.  Pulling Corbett with him, Eric walks backwards,
still carefully placing each foot in an existing footprINT.
Corbett can't help but smile.

189  INT.  DANCE HALL

Watching the TV screen, Anne Marie sees one of the red blips
change direction and head toward her.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(into mic)
			One is moving back toward the
			cabins.

190  EXT.  DANCE HALL

It's LeMalle.  He crosses to Kenai's generator.  With a
well-placed rifle SHOT to its innards, he GRINDS it to a
halt.

191  INT.  DANCE HALL

The TV PICTURE disappears as the power dies.  Anne Marie
keys the PA microphone; it's dead, too.

192  EXT.  ALLEY

Eric and Corbett emerge from between the buildings.  Eric
backtracks toward the hot springs spa, now leaving an
obvious trail.

193  EXT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

Eric and Corbett go inside.  Eric pulls the door closed
behind them, but leaves it ajar.

194  INT.  KENAI'S HOUSE

The DRONE of the approaching plane is ever louder.  Kenai
stands and pulls on a succession of sweaters.  Dixie looks
at him.
					
					DIXIE
			Earl, it's crazy to go out there.
								
								(CONTINUED)
194  CONTINUED:
					
					KENAI
			I hear someone in the spa.

He straps on a holster under his sealskin coat.

195  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - AIRSTRIP - LONG SHOT

The big 4-prop plane is about to touch down on the far side
of the snow-covered airstrip.

196  INT.  DANCE HALL

Anne Marie zips up her parka and cautiously goes outside.

197  EXT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

LeMalle follows the footprints to the door Eric left ajar.
He peers inside.

198  INT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

It's tomb-quiet except for water DRIPPING and pipes
CREAKING.  LeMalle looks around.  The sound of a small DING
against metal above him gets his attention.

He sees a fleeting shadow cut across the catwalk above him.
He finds a metal ladder, slings his rifle over his shoulder
and climbs up.  Hearing another SOUND on the far side of the
catwalk, he hurries across, holding onto the pipes for
balance.

LeMalle is directly above the huge central pool.  He ducks
to go under a long piece of twine running from the ceiling
to a dark corner below.  Suddenly, the twine snaps tight,
pulling open a heavy trap door on the ceiling.  The door
swings down and knocks LeMalle off the catwalk.  With a
yelp, he splashes into the water below.

NEW ANGLE

Hidden in the shadows, Eric drops the end of the twine and
rushes toward the front door with Corbett in tow.
					
					ERIC
			(to Corbett)
			That'll keep him out of the cold.

LEMALLE

climbs out of the central pool, soaked.   He pulls his wet
jacket off and furiously throws it down.



199  EXT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

Eric leads Corbett around the back of the spa.  A GUNSHOT
rings out nearby and a BULLET hits the wall above Eric's
head.

MITCHELL

has seen their faint silhouettes through the snow.  He
purposely SHOOTS over their heads so he doesn't hit Corbett.

ANGLE BEHIND HOT SPRINGS SPA

Eric and Corbett crouch down and double back.   They are
once again swallowed up by the snowfall.

200  EXT.  ALLEY

Viking Bob follows their footprints in between the
buildings.  He continues to a point where they converge to
one set, then stop.  He smiles at the naivete of Eric's
ploy.  Looking at the boardwalk railing above, he assumes
Eric and Corbett have swung over it onto the iced-over
boardwalk.  Pleased with his deduction, Viking Bob continues
along the alley.

SNAP!  Viking Bob lets out a horrible HOWL and falls on his
back in the snow.  Biting into his right calf is a huge
conibear leg trap.  In extreme pain, he struggles to lever
it open with the barrel of his rifle.

201  EXT.  KENAI'S GENERAL STORE

Corbett shoots Eric a dangerous look as Viking Bob's CRIES
carry though the town.
					
					ERIC
			He'll live.

202  EXT.  ALLEY

Hearing Viking Bob's cries, Mitchell backtracks and rushes
to Viking Bob's aid.  Between them, they manage to yawn open
the jaws of the trap and free Viking Bob's leg.  Viking Bob
tries to walk but the leg won't support him -- the bone is
broken.  Bitterly frustrated, he waves Mitchell on.  In
agony, Viking Bob eases down in the snow.  He tears a strip
of lining from his coat and wraps his leg to stop the
bleeding.

203  EXT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

Anne Marie scurries by on her way to the airstrip.
Suddenly, the hot springs door bursts open and LeMalle
lunges at her.  Stripped of his wet clothes, he's wrapped
								
								(CONTINUED)
203  CONTINUED:

in blankets and furs, his feet protected by sacks lashed to
them.  His wet body and hair steams in the frigid air.

Anne Marie lets out a startled cry and springs away from
him.  She falls hard on her back, knocking her wind out.
Scrambling for footing in the snow, LeMalle drops his rifle.
He comes at her again.  Anne Marie moves away and pulls the
.44 magnum out.  LeMalle stops and glares at her.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(gasping)
			Don't make me shoot.

She gets up, keeping the magnum pointed shakily toward him.
LeMalle glowers menacingly.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			(continuing)
			We're going to Sam's cabin.  You
			can stay in the jail until this
			is over.

LeMalle slowly crouches down for his rifle.  Anne Marie
wields the handgun at him, but he doesn't stop.
					
					LEMALLE
			Want to chance it with that
			hog-leg?  You can't even hold it
			up.  Better drop me first shot,
			bitch, or I'll rip your fuckin'
			lungs out.

Taunting, sneering, LeMalle stares her down.  Anne Marie is
paralyzed.  Feeling that he's won, LeMalle wraps his bony
fingers around the stock of the Remington.

Anne Marie closes her eyes and FIRES.  Pulling the rifle
close, LeMalle tucks and rolls and jumps to his feet.  Anne
Marie FIRES again, and AGAIN.  Shot, LeMalle hobbles away,
leaving a trail of blood in the snow.  Numb, Anne Marie lets
her arm fall.

204  EXT.  BOARDWALK NEAR WILDER'S CABIN

Eric looks around at the sound of the shooting, fearing the
worst.  He pulls Corbett off the boardwalk and they cut
across open ground toward the airstrip depot.

205  INT.  HOT SPRINGS SPA

Kenai looks around at the messy RESULTS of LeMalle's
ransacking for things to wear.  Kenai turns, startled, when
he hears footsteps.  It's Neff and Meyerling.
								
								(CONTINUED)
205  CONTINUED:
					
					KENAI
			(disgusted)
			Lookit this damn mess.  Where in
			hell's Wilder?
					
					NEFF
			(after a beat)
			Dead.  Trappers killed him.
					
					KENAI
			Aw, Jesus.  Told you this was
			trouble.
			(to Meyerling)
			What about you, big shot?  Do
			something.  Who's side are you
			on, anyway?
					
					MEYERLING
			Hey, I thought you people loved
			Corbett and his wild men!
					
					KENAI
			This shoot-'em-up shit is bad for
			business.  I'm sick of it.
					
					MEYERLING
			What about you, Neff?
					
					NEFF
			Well... two of the trappers are
			down already --
					
					MEYERLING
			(suddenly on the bandwagon)
			-- One left; three of us.  Let's
			finish it.
					
					NEFF
			What about Eric Desmond?
					
					MEYERLING
			I'll handle him.

206  EXT.  YARDS BEHIND AIRSTRIP DEPOT

Through the snow, Eric can see the faint outline of the
plane on the runway.  He and Corbett hurry toward the back
of the airstrip depot.

As they wend their way through the junk-filled yards, Eric
catches a glimpse of movement around a corner, REFLECTED in
a pane of glass leaning against a roll of tar paper.
								
								(CONTINUED)
206  CONTINUED:

ERIC'S POV - REFLECTION

Peacemaker in hand, Mitchell is behind the depot, coming
right for them.

WIDER

Eric takes out the homemade flashbomb.  He lights it, tosses
it toward Mitchell and covers his eyes.  It EXPLODES with a
muffled pop and a bright flash of white light.

Mitchell stumbles backwards and blinks his eyes.  The flash
has temporarily clouded his vision.

Eric moves Corbett to another approach to the depot and
waits for Mitchell to move on.

207  EXT.  REAR WALL OF AIRSTRIP DEPOT

Mitchell is about to do just that when a hand on his
shoulder stops him.  It's LeMalle, oblivious to the profuse
bleeding from his right shoulder.  Mitchell blinks, still
having trouble seeing.  LeMalle gestures for him to be quiet
and points in Eric and Corbett's direction.
					
					LEMALLE
			(whispers)
			Over there...

He hoists his Remington.
					
					MITCHELL
			(whispers)
			Hold it.  You might hit Ben.
					
					LEMALLE
			Bullshit.  I hit what I'm aiming
			at.
					
					MITCHELL
			Let 'em come closer first...

But LeMalle is too anxious.  He swings the rifle up,
left-handed, and SHOOTS.

NEW ANGLE

The bullet just misses Eric.  He panics and wildly returns
FIRE with the .357.

208  EXT.  REAR WALL OF AIRSTRIP DEPOT

Mitchell and LeMalle scatter under the hail of bullets.
								
								(CONTINUED)
208  CONTINUED:

ANGLE ON ERIC AND CORBETT

as they HEAR LeMalle's labored footsteps run past them,
nearby.  Eric peers cautiously around the corner toward the
depot.  There is no further movement.

Eric waits a moment, then leads Corbett cautiously toward
the depot.

209  EXT.  REAR WALL OF AIRSTRIP DEPOT

Reaching the rear wall, they practically stumble over
something.  It's Mitchell, lying on the ground near the
wall, badly wounded by Eric's barrage.  Eric gasps.
Anguished, Corbett kneels next to Mitchell.  Mitchell pulls
him closer.
					
					MITCHELL
			Glad to see you're okay.  I told
			LeMalle not to shoot.
			(tries to smile)
			Had some fine seasons, didn't
			we...

Mitchell's grasp on Corbett's coat relaxes as he dies.
Horrified, Eric stares at the man he killed.  Noticing the
scrimshaw lying on the snow where it slipped from Mitchell's
pocket, Corbett picks it up.
					
					CORBETT
			(to Eric)
			Fifteen years on the trail with
			this man, I never saw him rise to
			anger.

Glaring at Eric, Corbett dips his hand in Mitchell's blood,
and suddenly smears it across Eric's mouth.  Repelled, Eric
pulls back.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing; bitterly)
			Your first kill.  How does it
			taste?

Wiping his face, sickened and desolate, Eric has no reply.

WIDER

Then, from somewhere close by, LeMalle FIRES at them.  Eric
stuffs the .357 in his belt and uses a brick to knock the
padlock off the back door of the depot.  He pushes Corbett
inside.



210  INT.  CARGO PLANE - COCKPIT

The pony-tailed, ex-hippie PILOT shuts his engines off and
removes his Walkman headphones.  Hearing LeMalle's
continuing GUNSHOTS, the Pilot pulls his door closed and
turns on his two-way radio.
					
					PILOT
			(into radio mic)
			Circle, this is BMY-955.  I just
			touched down in Devil's Cauldron.
			Nobody's here to greet me like
			usual, and there's gunfire.  I'm
			getting scarce.

With that, he STARTS his engines up again.

CUT TO ERIC IN DEPOT

who turns, startled, when he hears the ENGINES coughing to
life OS.

211  INT.  CARGO PLANE - COCKPIT

The Pilot fiddles with his controls and prepares to take
off.  He looks up, surprised, as the passenger door suddenly
opens.

WIDER

Anne Marie slides onto the seat.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			You can't leave yet.
					
					PILOT
			It's my responsibility to get
			this aircraft out of here safely.

Anne Marie points the .44 at him.
					
					PILOT
			(continuing)
			You got to be kidding.
					
					ANNE MARIE
			Leave the engines idling.  Go
			back and open the side door.


Shaking his head and muttering, the Pilot unfastens his seat
belt, climbs between the two seats to the cargo compartment,
and obliges the little lady with the big gun.



212  INT.  AIRSTRIP DEPOT

The depot, as temporary-looking as the rest of Devil's
Cauldron, is a boxcar-shaped loading dock and warehouse with
a corrugated steel roof.  Boxes, wood palettes and hand
dollies are piled haphazardly about.

Eric and Corbett navigate through the piles of boxes,
inching toward the front door -- the door leading to the
plane.

Suddenly, a string of overhead lights come on.  Eric goes
for the .357, then stops when he sees Meyerling, Kenai and
Neff have come in the front door.  Kenai stomps his feet and
shivers.  Grandstanding for the others, Meyerling steps
forward.
					
					MEYERLING
			Nobody wants any more killings;
			we all agree to that, correct?
			(no one argues)
			That's good.  Now, Eric, you're
			gonna hand your prisoner over to
			us.
					
					ERIC
			Fuck you.
					
					MEYERLING
			This isn't your concern.  It's
			over, here and now.
					
					CORBETT
			(to Meyerling)
			Sure, when you put a bullet in my
			back on the way out.  Easier for
			all involved.
					
					MEYERLING
			Not a bad idea.  Face it, Ben.
			There's no room in Alaska for you
			any more.

Meyerling pokes with his foot at a tipped-over rack of
Eskimo paraphernalia -- masks, furs, big skin drums, fish-
and bear-spears.
					
					MEYERLING
			(continuing)
			You're as antiquated as this
			shit.

Meyerling moves toward Corbett, but Eric stands in his way.
								
								(CONTINUED)
212  CONTINUED:
					
					ERIC
			Keep back.
					
					CORBETT
			You're quite a piece of work,
			Meyerling.  The tide changes, you
			ride right along with it.

Eric looks at Neff.
					
					ERIC
			Neff, you know better than
			this...
					
					NEFF
			You're an outsider, Mr. Desmond.
			Step aside; stay out of it.

Kenai and Neff move in with Meyerling.  Eric stands his
ground and reaches for the .357 in his belt.

NEW ANGLE

Suddenly, LeMalle stumbles into the depot, the blankets and
furs dragging at his feet.  His right side is bathed in
blood.  Half-frozen, bled dry, he looks ready to drop down
dead.  In his left hand, impossibly, he still clutches the
massive Remington.

He hoists it to his hip and grits his teeth as he BOLTS a
round into the chamber with his injured right arm.  Bracing
himself, he levels the rifle at Eric.

Hearing the ACTION of the rifle, Eric turns.

Corbett reaches down, grabs a rusty Eskimo spear in both his
handcuffed hands, and hurls it.

There is a deafening ROAR as LeMalle's rifle discharges.

LeMalle flies back from the recoil -- and from the spear
stuck clear through his chest.

Some packing material above Eric's head smolders, ignited by
the muzzle blast.

NEW ANGLE

There is a moment of silence.  Corbett looks at the other
weapons near him, and then at Meyerling.  Threatened,
Meyerling pulls out a .380 automatic.  Before Eric can do
anything, Meyerling FIRES.

The IMPACT of the bullet throws Corbett against some boxes.
								
								(CONTINUED)
212  CONTINUED:  (2)

With a YELL, Eric jumps Meyerling and rips the gun from his
grasp.  Enraged, he pummels Meyerling with it until Kenai
and Neff pull them apart.  Eric wrenches away from them and
scrambles to his feet with Meyerling's gun in his hand.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Anybody moves and I'll shoot!

Holding the .380 on them, Eric crosses to Corbett.  Bleeding
from the abdomen, he's trying to stand up.
					
					ERIC
			(continuing)
			Can you walk?
					
					CORBETT
			Wound's a through-and-through.
			Missed my liver, I think.
					
					ERIC
			Let's get out of here.

Cautiously backing away from the others, Eric helps Corbett
get up and shuffle toward the OS SOUND of the cargo plane.

213  EXT.  DEVIL'S CAULDRON - AIRSTRIP

Anne Marie jumps down from the cockpit.  She and Eric lift
Corbett into the plane.

214  EXT.  CARGO PLANE

as it taxis and lifts off.

215  INT.  CARGO PLANE - (AERIAL SHOT)

While Eric takes Corbett's handcuffs off, Anne Marie looks
at his wound.  He waves her away.
					
					ERIC
			How come you didn't let him shoot
			me?
					
					CORBETT
			(softly)
			Like I said, I'd still be up on
			that mountain, frozen solid, it
			wasn't for you.
					
					ERIC
			We'll get you to a hospital, soon
			as we get to Fairbanks.
								
								(CONTINUED)
215  CONTINUED:
					
					CORBETT
			So they can patch me up and put
			me in a cage?  Forget it.
			Meyerling's right -- I'm a
			dinosaur.  Greedy bastards like
			him, it's their turn with this
			land.  Put me in the woods, let
			me live or die on my own.

He painfully pulls himself into a sitting position.
					
					CORBETT
			(continuing; peers out
				window)
			Look down there, tell me what any
			of this matters.  Struggles of
			men get swallowed by the bigness.
			Soon there won't be a trace of
			our troubles... or us.
					
					ERIC
			You're wrong.  Everything we do
			leaves its mark.  You said it
			yourself -- there are hundred-
			year-old footprints in the
			tundra.

Too tired to argue, Corbett leans back against the window.
He takes Mitchell's scrimshaw out of his pocket and looks at
it.

EXTREME CLOSE UP - THE SCRIMSHAW

The exquisitely beautiful and detailed engraving depicts a
grizzly beside a wilderness creek, with trees and mountains
in the background.

CORBETT

clutches the scrimshaw in his hand and closes his eyes.

NEW ANGLE - (AERIAL SHOT)

Eric sighs as he looks at the blood -- Mitchell's blood --
on the back of his hand.  He stares at Corbett for a long
moment.  Then, resolved, he climbs up front and says
something to the Pilot.  Grumbling, the Pilot adjusts his
controls.
									
									CUT TO:



216  EXT.  HAUL ROAD - PUMPING STATION - DAY

The snow clouds are dissipating.  The cargo plane comes down
through them and lands on the airstrip behind the pumping
station.

217  INT.  CARGO PLANE

As it rolls to a stop, Eric throws open the cargo door.
Corbett sits up, surprised.  He and Eric exchange a long
look, then Corbett crosses to the open door and gingerly
steps down onto the snow-covered runway.

218  EXT.  CARGO PLANE

Eric and Anne Marie watch from the door of the plane as
Corbett limps across the runway toward the treeline.  As he
goes, his footprints are dusted over by the snow and wind.

Corbett stops, turns and looks back at Eric, then continues
onward, disappearing into the forest.

ANGLE ON CARGO PLANE

Eric closes the cargo door as the Pilot turns the plane
around and taxis back down the runway.

219  INT.  CARGO PLANE - (AERIAL SHOT)

Eric wearily sits next to Anne Marie.  She kisses him.

The Pilot glances over his shoulder and frowns.
					
					PILOT
			(to himself)
			Too damn crazy in this state
			anymore.  I'm moving back to L.A.

220  INT.  CARGO PLANE - ANGLE THROUGH WINDOW - (AERIAL SHOT)

The plane climbs above the fog and snow clouds into a sunny,
ice blue sky.  It banks and turns south.  Behind it, the
mountains roll on toward the Arctic wasteland, forever.
									
									FADE OUT