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