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Wonder Woman [shortish script]
ocpmovie
Registered User
Registered User
About 20 minutes of a partial Wonder Woman pilot which I wrote for fun.
Over at a screenwriting site, they were discussing David E. Kelley's unsuccessful pilot, and making fun of the Wonder Woman character and superheroes in general. How Wonder Woman and Superman are incredibly boring characters, the costumes are a joke, etc.
Myself, I love a comic book hero, or heroine. An archetypal character is such a gift. These are characters who will be dazzling readers long after we're gone.
In 2007 I wrote and directed a low-budget [under 10k] feature starring the She-Hulk, a character I like for her intelligence and sense of humor about herself. I don't see Wonder Woman as a wisecracking character like that, but at times I wound up writing her in a similar way. It was the jokes which inspired me to actually put the idea to paper.
[Wonder Woman isn't in the first few scenes, so be a little bit patient there.]
Written quickly, in one night. A fun little piece, I think ...
Over at a screenwriting site, they were discussing David E. Kelley's unsuccessful pilot, and making fun of the Wonder Woman character and superheroes in general. How Wonder Woman and Superman are incredibly boring characters, the costumes are a joke, etc.
Myself, I love a comic book hero, or heroine. An archetypal character is such a gift. These are characters who will be dazzling readers long after we're gone.
In 2007 I wrote and directed a low-budget [under 10k] feature starring the She-Hulk, a character I like for her intelligence and sense of humor about herself. I don't see Wonder Woman as a wisecracking character like that, but at times I wound up writing her in a similar way. It was the jokes which inspired me to actually put the idea to paper.
[Wonder Woman isn't in the first few scenes, so be a little bit patient there.]
Written quickly, in one night. A fun little piece, I think ...
Spoiler:
INT. HANGAR - DAY
The hangar is dark and largely empty, apart from several bodies on the floor. ESPERANZA, 28, pretty, crying, sits at a table with a gun to her head- held by CARLOS. There are three tough-looking THUGS there- MARCO and JOSE carry uzis. There are three stone tablets in front of the poor woman.
ESPERANZA (to self)
Santa María madre de Dios ...
CARLOS
You understand this shit?
ESPERANZA
Yo no sé nada. Por favor - no me mates ...
Carlos pushes the gun into her head roughly.
CARLOS
I said, you understand this shit? Cos that's the only reason you're still alive. Start reading, bitch. Out loud.
ESPERANZA
Cut ... I cut my hand. Your body ... my body ... is your body. I don't ...
GRACE
In the original language, please.
Esperanza looks up.
ESPERANZA
This isn't Nahuatl. It reads like some kind of Aztec gibberish.
Across from her is GRACE, 30, imposing, sitting in a golden Aztec throne in full golden regalia worthy of Cleopatra. The design isn't Aztec- but is one hell of a sight. There is a skull in her lap.
GRACE
Just read the words out loud as you see them. The meaning will come to you in time.
EXT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
A six-passenger plane soars through the clouds.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
TERRY ARNOLD, 32, tweedily academic and socially-awkward, sits with a briefcase on his knee, and an empty glass on the table in front of him. He is tapping his foot and shaking his knee nervously.
VINCENZO BATTALI walks up the aisle next to him - 34, dark slicked-back hair, seeming so urbanely laid-back as to almost be asleep. But there's greed in his eyes.
VINCENZO
Can I get you another drink?
TERRY
No, thank you.
VINCENZO
I've had too many myself. Otherwise I'd be in the pilot's chair.
TERRY
You fly?
Vincenzo looks at the back of the pilot's head a moment, and sits down.
VINCENZO
You never know what freedom feels like until you've flown over the ocean. You should try it sometime.
TERRY (smiles)
I'll put it on my list of a hundred thousand things I won't get around to before I die.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
Tears pour down Esperanza's face as she reads, haltingly, a gun still held to her head.
ESPERANZA
Atuimoteh xitcaquila. Nilacozquit mochipa. Tlacoti otlaticot.
GRACE
Louder, please.
ESPERANZA
Tenicqui teezio. Inacayo quieza.
GRACE
Louder!
ESPERANZA
Timotenimiz! Nitemiz! Tiyoliz!
The skull in Grace's lap begins to glow with supernatural power. And now Esperanza's eyes are glowing.
ESPERANZA
Colicotecoahuan mimiqui. Toyaohuan miquitlal.
GRACE
Louder! Scream it!
Esperanza screams, her eyes streaming with light, overcome by a power not of this earth.
ESPERANZA
Atuimoteh quitcotizla! Atuimoteh quitcotizla!
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry opens his briefcase to reveal A GOLDEN IDOL - a large head with a toothy grin, and a tiny fat body.
TERRY
The goddess Atuimoteh. Or the god, if you like. Atuimoteh wasn't particularly tied to one gender or the other, and this representation seems to have caught her on one of her masculine days.
VINCENZO BATTALI, 34, dark slicked-back hair, seems so urbanely laid-back as to almost be asleep. But there's greed in his eyes.
VINCENZO
Ugly bitch. Can I hold her?
TERRY
Just for a moment, and please be careful.
Vincenzo examines the idol.
VINCENZO
Aztec, early 15th century?
Terry nods.
VINCENZO
And in immaculate condition. Should fetch a pretty penny.
TERRY
The Professor isn't really interested in money. He's got more than he needs already.
VINCENZO
Yes. It's about the thrill of the chase, really. It's an incredible piece. It's a shame it's a fake.
Terry reacts.
TERRY
This piece has been carbon-dated and authenticated seventy-nine different ways. Where do you get the nerve to qu--
VINCENZO
For one thing, it's made of chocolate.
He peels off the top gold layer, exposing chocolate beneath. He breaks off a small bite.
VINCENZO
Mm, delicious. Would you like some? I mean, don't eat the whole thing.
He passes the idol back to Terry, who is in shock.
VINCENZO
Don't feel bad, we all get fooled sometimes. Just last week I was talking to a collector who thought he'd bought the Mona Lisa. Of course the real Mona Lisa is quite safe in my living room.
Vincenzo stands up.
VINCENZO
It's a shame you don't fly. You should really give it a shot.
Vincenzo draws a gun and SHOOTS the PILOT in the back of his head. Blood splatters, and the plane goes into freefall.
VINCENZO
Things to do before you die, and all.
Vincenzo calmly puts on a coat and a parachute, and opens the side door.
VINCENZO
And yes, this is the only parachute, but don't worry about Atuimoteh ... she'll be safe in my pocket. Good luck!
He pats his pocket, and jumps -
EXT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Vincenzo leaps out of the plane with the grace of a veteran skydiver.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry, standing, looks around him, terrified. No idea what to do.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
The skull in Grace's lap is glowing, but that glow soon fades. Esperanza is unconscious on the table, smoking and spent.
CARLOS
It's not working.
GRACE
It's already worked. She is here. We need only one more piece of the puzzle to make the goddess flesh.
EXT. SKY - DAY
Vincenzo falls through the air gracefully. He pulls the cord and his parachute deploys.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry struggles to lift the dead body of the pilot out of his chair. He's covered in blood, and now so is Terry.
TERRY
Oh God. Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God.
He sees a detachable intercom. He grabs it.
TERRY
Hello? Somebody? Anybody? The pilot's dead and there's blood and there's brains and I can't fly a plane. This is ...
The intercom's cord has been crudely cut. His heart sinks.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Vincenzo falls toward a field, his parachute cushioning the landing - but he hits the ground HARD, with a GOLDEN SHOCKWAVE which BURNS the GROUND.
He lands on his fist, and his eyes glow. He opens his mouth, and smoke comes out of it.
His lower right coat pocket is burning. The golden idol BURNS THROUGH and falls to the ground, rolling, before coming to an upright stop. Gleaming. Gold. Smiling.
Vincenzo's position on the ground matches that of the idol - his eyes glowing, his mouth on fire.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry is still holding the intercom.
TERRY
I'm gonna die.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Hello?
Terry jumps, scared.
TERRY
Hello?
WOMAN'S VOICE
Who is this?
TERRY
Who is this?
WOMAN'S VOICE
If you're gonna just repeat what I say, I'm gonna let you crash.
TERRY
How are you talking to me? The radio's disconnected.
WOMAN'S VOICE
You're probably just hallucinating.
TERRY
Okay.
Terry walks out into the main body of the plane.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Is there anyone else alive?
TERRY
No, it's just me.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Okay, open the door on the side of the plane.
TERRY
It's already open.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Good. Now, what you need to do now is jump.
TERRY
Excuse me?
WOMAN'S VOICE
Jump out of the plane.
TERRY
Uh, I'm not gonna do that.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Jump out of the plane. I swear I'll catch you.
TERRY
Not a chance in hell.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Look out the door. Do you see my plane?
TERRY
No. I don't see anything.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Well, you won't. My plane is invisible.
Terry, defeated, bangs his head against the plane wall.
WOMAN'S VOICE
You still there?
TERRY
You'll catch me ... with your invisible plane.
WOMAN'S VOICE
I told you you were hallucinating. Do you trust me?
TERRY
Of course not.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Good. Now jump.
Terry thinks this over, and looks out the door. He's shocked at what he sees.
EXT. SKY - DAY
An INVISIBLE PLANE soars toward us at incredible speed, catching the light like shimmering crystal and glass. The pilot is WONDER WOMAN, a goddess of superhuman beauty and strength, wearing her iconic partly-armored costume in red, gold, white and blue. The plane now quickly changes direction to match the downward spiral of Terry's plane.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry has no idea what he's looking at. He shakes, baffled.
WONDER WOMAN'S VOICE
Jump!
Terry jumps.
EXT. SKY - DAY
Terry falls from the plane. The Invisible Plane dives to catch him. Wonder Woman hits a few buttons, and JUMPS up on the WING as the plane flies itself in cruise control.
She CATCHES a shocked Terry in her arms.
TERRY
So I'm hallucinating?
WONDER WOMAN
No. But that would make sense.
TERRY
It's okay. I don't need things to make sense. What's the fun in that? Invisible plane, that doesn't make sense. It's very you. You don't strike me as the kind of person that makes a lot of sense.
WONDER WOMAN
Please stop talking.
She sets him down.
They watch the Private Plane crash to a field below.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
The Private Plane crashes - there's flaming wreckage everywhere.
Also, there are sheep. All around.
Vincenzo, POSSESSED and glowing gold, holds the idol in one hand as he walks robotically forward.
A sheep stands in his way. He has to stop walking for a moment. It looks at him. Baaa.
He lifts his finger, and points.
The sheep EXPLODES. Blood and entrails everywhere.
Vincenzo keeps walking.
EXT. INVISIBLE PLANE - DAY
Wonder Woman and Terry sit down into the pilot and copilot seats of the Invisible Plane.
WONDER WOMAN
What happened to the thing you were carrying?
TERRY
Stolen. How did you know about that?
Something explodes on the distant ground below.
WONDER WOMAN
Hang on a sec.
She turns the plane round and dives.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Sheep bleat. Vincenzo looks up. The Invisible Plane is high up in the air, but diving straight toward him. He points his finger at it.
EXPLOSION.
EXT. INVISIBLE PLANE - DAY
The plane is rocked by an EXPLOSION. And ANOTHER.
TERRY
What the hell-
And ANOTHER - Wonder Woman stands up out of her seat.
WONDER WOMAN
Hey, I gotta take care of this. Gimme a call if you run into any more trouble.
TERRY
Call you? What's your number?
WONDER WOMAN (smiles)
Yeah, like I'm gonna fall for that one twice. Hey, you don't know how to fly a plane, do you?
TERRY
We've established that I don't.
She jumps up on the wing.
WONDER WOMAN
You'll be fine. Thing practically flies itself.
She dives gracefully off the wing- a swimmer's dive, down into freefall -
Terry, terrified, looks at the mostly-invisible controls in front of him.
TERRY
Oh God. Oh God Oh God Oh Goooooooooood ....
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Wonder Woman dives through the air, aiming straight for Vincenzo.
He points at her - an EXPLOSION ricochets off her body. And ANOTHER.
She flips her body round - she's now falling feet first and slightly sideways.
That is, a perfect flying KICK -
CRACK - right into Vincenzo's FACE. He flies backward and falls to the grass, unconscious.
Landing on her feet, she raises her arm, hits a button on her metal bracelet and talks into it.
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
How you doing up there?
EXT. INVISIBLE PLANE - DAY - INTERCUT
The plane is in a tailspin.
TERRY
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!
EXT. FIELD - DAY - INTERCUT
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Calm down, you'll be fine. Hit the red button.
TERRY
There is no red button!
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Then hit the green button.
TERRY
There is no green button! They're all invisible colored buttons! And even if I could see them, I don't know how to fly this thing!
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Then take your hands off the controls!
TERRY
What?
He takes his hands off seconds before the plane would have crashed. It immediately rights itself and starts circling calmly over the field.
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
I told you. The thing basically flies itself! Basically.
Terry catches his breath.
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Except you still don't know how to land. That's the tricky part. Yeah, you're pretty much screwed there. Sorry about that.
TERRY
What??
Vincenzo's head is bleeding, but it HEALS itself with a golden glow. His glowing eyes open.
His body ramrod-straight, he tilts up off the ground like a plank of wood standing up.
He PUNCHES her. She's knocked back several feet.
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Hang on a sec.
She KICKS Vincenzo with tremendous force, and he flies back a few feet, but stays upright.
He's still holding the idol in his left hand. She looks at it. He points at her.
EXPLOSION. She falls to the ground, and doesn't look happy.
His mouth opens, emitting smoke. He makes a strange HISSING noise at her.
But her focus is on the idol.
She leaps to her feet and FIGHTS him - he's strong, and fast, and fighting her one-handed.
She tries to KICK the idol out of his hand. Hammering him as hard as she can.
Doesn't work. The idol is attached to his hand. He PUNCHES her. She flies back a few feet, landing on her knees, looking at him.
Eyes and mouth glowing, he hisses at her. ENERGY is streaming out of his mouth. He raises his arms. His power seems to be growing.
She unfastens the golden lariat she wears on her belt.
She ties the lasso and swings it over her head like a rodeo champion.
Vincenzo is about to attack with impossible power and fury.
The lasso falls round his neck and Wonder Woman pulls it tight. He chokes and falls to his knees.
The golden glow fades. His eyes stop glowing. He gasps and chokes. The idol falls out of his hand, which is covered in burn marks and smoking.
She loosens the lasso and he falls to the ground, unconscious, on his stomach.
She picks up the idol and hefts it in her hand like a softball.
The Invisible Plane zooms by overhead - out of control again.
A burst of static from her bracelet.
TERRY
Help me! For God's sake, help me!
WONDER WOMAN (into bracelet)
Oh, don't be such a baby.
She ties part of her lariat round the idol, then swings the lasso above her head, this time letting it go slack - very slack. She's roping a very large steer- so to speak.
She swings the lasso round and lets go, letting it fly free - toward the Invisible Plane.
The lasso catches something under the right side of the plane - the landing gear deploy and the lasso catches round one of the wheels.
She pulls the lasso tight -
- and as the plane screams by overhead (Terry is screaming too) -
- she is caught up in the plane's flight, first running to match the plane's speed, then lifting up off the ground, her legs still kicking, as she holds on tight to the lasso.
As the plane flies out of control, she's hanging by a golden rope behind it, wind whipping past at incredible speed. She climbs slowly up the rope, closer to the plane, one hand at a time.
She reaches the back of the plane and hops up onto it- coiling her lasso back onto her belt with superhuman speed. She then sits casually in the pilot's chair.
Terry is hyperventilating. Wonder Woman looks at him.
WONDER WOMAN
Honestly, do I have to do everything for you?
She yanks the controls and the plane comes in for a landing -
- light as a feather.
In his first moment of quiet, without the fear of death, Terry catches his breath.
Wonder Woman hops up to exit the plane.
TERRY
Wait -- what's your name?
She extends her hand for him to shake.
WONDER WOMAN
Diana. But you can call me Wonder Woman.
EXT. HANGAR - DAY
Walking haltingly with heavy feet, like a zombie, Vincenzo limps toward the hangar.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Wonder Woman runs.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
A small door opens.
Vincenzo, pale, stands in the doorway.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Wonder Woman runs.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
Grace stands up from her throne, furious. Vincenzo limps forward, heavy-footed.
GRACE
You don't HAVE IT?
VINCENZO
It was taken from me by one more powerful than even the goddess Atuimoteh.
GRACE
You're an idiot. Atuimoteh will bring this world to its knees, no thanks to garbage like you.
VINCENZO
I became possessed by the idol's power. It took me over, body and soul. My memories are vague. Like living in a dream. But there was a woman of power unequaled. She bound me with a lariat of truth, and the false goddess fell from my heart like a discarded skin.
GRACE
Saints preserve me. I think the man's in love.
Grace HITS Vincenzo- a strong but very human slap. He falls to his knees, weak as he is.
GRACE
Where is it?
VINCENZO
It is with her, as it should be.
She HITS him again. She's ready to kill him.
GRACE
Where is it? Where is she?
VINCENZO
Look behind you.
Grace glares at him. She won't fall for that one.
WONDER WOMAN (O.S.)
Were you looking for this?
Grace turns. Vincenzo runs.
Wonder Woman, holding the idol casually in one hand, puts the other hand on her hip, defiant.
Marco and Jose FIRE their Uzis. A barrage of bullets ricochet off of Wonder Woman's armor. She barely even reacts.
GRACE
Stop shooting, you morons, you'll hit the idol.
Grace notices that Vincenzo has gotten away, and growls- but she has bigger things to worry about now.
WONDER WOMAN
Atuimoteh. Or Tulenah to her friends. Not one of my favorite goddesses. Massive armpit hair, and boy did she smell.
Grace notices that her fingertips are now crackling with golden electricity. The idol, even in Wonder Woman's hands, is working.
GRACE
You will not shake my faith. I am prepared for you. I have seen you in my dreams.
WONDER WOMAN
I'm flattered, but I really don't swing that way. I swing more like this.
Wonder Woman takes a swing to punch Grace - but hits a spherical field of electricity, which glows gold at the point of impact. She tries to punch again - and again.
GRACE
You see the goddess protects me. My body belongs to her, and she doesn't want it to be damaged.
WONDER WOMAN
Sure, you're a step up. She used to be fat with a big nose. The other goddesses made fun of her. Beautiful singing voice, though.
Wonder Woman hooks the idol back onto her belt. Grace raises a finger, which crackles with golden electricity.
GRACE
You are no goddess.
Grace points - an EXPLOSION ricochets off Wonder Woman's armor - she stumbles backward, but recovers.
GRACE
Marco. Jose. I've changed my mind. Feel free to shoot her.
Marco and Jose FIRE their Uzis - a volley of bullets ricochets off Wonder Woman's armor and skin.
WONDER WOMAN
Seriously guys, that's really not gonna work.
Grace calmly raises a hand and spreads her palm out. From her other wrist she extends a golden chain, glowing with energy, which she coils around her palm in strange snaking patterns.
Wonder Woman, annoyed, walks over to Marco and CRUNCHES his Uzi up in one hand. Little explosions go off and the Uzi crumbles in bits to the ground. She then does the same to Jose's Uzi.
Grace's golden chain snakes around her, glowing, like it has a mind of its own. She throws her head back and her arms up, her eyes closed, giving in to supernatural power.
Marco gets up the nerve to punch Wonder Woman - He takes a swing and - CRACK - he breaks his hand. He cries out in pain, clutching his wrist.
WONDER WOMAN
You're really not thinking this through, are you? Duh, shooting her doesn't work, so maybe I'll punch her. Yeah, that works much better than a bullet.
MARCO
Go to hell.
WONDER WOMAN
Go to sleep.
Wonder Woman taps Marco's head with her finger. He falls to the ground, unconscious.
Jose grabs a steel beam and hits Wonder Woman over the head with it. CLANG. She reacts only a little. The steel beam vibrates like mad - and by extension Jose vibrates too. She takes the beam from his hands, and bends it into a circular shape around him.
He falls, sitting, to the ground, the steel beam wrapped tightly around his body.
BANG! Three bullets bounce off Wonder Woman's shoulder.
Carlos has fired the last of his ammunition. He drops the gun and runs away.
WONDER WOMAN
See, this guy's smart. He knows when to run. Not that that works, really.
EXT. HANGAR - DAY
Carlos runs out of the hangar, scared and gasping.
-- A red and gold STREAK and suddenly there's a feminine fist in his way --
BANG - he runs straight into her fist and falls unconscious on his back.
Wonder Woman shrugs.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
The door opens. Wonder Woman is backlit. It's showdown time.
Grace is now taken over by the supernatural power. A golden glow surrounds her, a ball of energy. Golden chains snake around her, reaching out like tentacles, trying to steal the idol off Wonder Woman's belt.
Wonder Woman takes the idol and holds it tight in her hands.
WONDER WOMAN
Who are you? What's your name?
GRACE
Grace.
WONDER WOMAN
You're making a big mistake, Grace. Atuimoteh doesn't want you.
GRACE
She wants my body.
WONDER WOMAN
I'm sure there's a lot of nice women who want your body, and won't kill you to get it.
GRACE
The goddess will live.
WONDER WOMAN
And you'll die. She'll hollow you out like a honeydew melon. There'll be nothing of you left.
GRACE
If that is my fate. The time of the goddess is upon us. You cannot stop her now.
WONDER WOMAN
I can't? You say I can't? Every day there's a thousand things I can't do. And I do them anyway.
Wonder Woman PUNCHES Grace, SHATTERING her protective golden ball like glass. Wonder Woman PUNCHES her again, knocking her back.
Angry, Grace's snakelike chains coil all around her, gathering up strength.
She stands up, hate in her eyes, and her chains ATTACK, shooting out and COILING round and round Wonder Woman's neck.
Wonder Woman struggles, being choked by the burning chains. The chains force her to her knees as she tries to pull herself free.
She drops the idol, and it rolls toward Grace.
Laughing, Grace takes the idol in her hands, and becomes one with it.
A FLASH OF LIGHT. A SWIRL OF ENERGY.
A transformation.
Grace has become a goddess.
She laughs in a low-pitched way, rising from the ground, floating, her garments swirling round in wind she's generated herself. Again, a golden ball of energy surrounds her.
In the corner, Esperanza has regained consciousness and looks on with shock.
The chains are tight around Wonder Woman's neck.
She gathers them up into her hands and pulls them all together. She's now tied to Grace with one knotted-up chain.
She gives it one good YANK.
Grace SCREAMS and FLIES forward. Wonder Woman WHIPS the chain round, sending Grace FLYING through the air. Grace CRASHES through the wall and lands on the ground outside.
The chains relax and uncoil from round Wonder Woman's neck.
Wonder Woman coughs and takes a deep breath.
Grace, shaking, recovers slowly, her chains gathering round her like tentacles ready to strike.
Wonder Woman now notices the terrified Esperanza in the corner.
WONDER WOMAN
Are you all right?
ESPERANZA
Dios mio ...
WONDER WOMAN
Are you one of them?
ESPERANZA
I'm a schoolteacher.
Grace's tentacles BREAK THROUGH THE WALL, attacking Wonder Woman and knocking her back. The chains COIL round Wonder Woman's entire body, lifting her up off the ground. Wonder Woman struggles as the coils grow tighter and tighter.
WONDER WOMAN
Where is Grace? Is she still in there?
GRACE
What do you care?
WONDER WOMAN
I don't. I'm just curious. Also if we start talking and get into a whole conversation it distracts you enough for me to do this.
Wonder Woman struggles hard, knocking herself to the ground, where she LANDS on her HEAD, and bounces back to where she can propel herself feetfirst at Grace in some approximation of a flying KICK --
WHACK - Grace is knocked back and the coils loosen enough for Wonder Woman to SHATTER THE CHAINS and BREAK FREE.
And now Wonder Woman fights with all her strength. PUNCH! PUNCH! KICK! Grace is knocked back, even as her chain-tentacles reform themselves.
With one good KICK Grace is knocked flat on her back, and Wonder Woman takes the moment to swing her lariat- the lasso falls round Grace's neck and Wonder Woman TIGHTENS it.
WONDER WOMAN
Who are you?
GRACE
I am Atuimoteh. I am eternity.
Wonder Woman TIGHTENS the noose even tighter. Grace chokes and gasps.
WONDER WOMAN
Who are you?
GRACE
I am no one. I am a lump of gold that wanted to be a man. I am not Atuimoteh. I don't know who I am.
Wonder Woman YANKS the noose, hurting Grace.
WONDER WOMAN
Do you know who I am?
GRACE
Of course I do.
WONDER WOMAN
Who sent you to kill me?
Wonder Woman YANKS the noose, choking Grace.
WONDER WOMAN
Who sent you?
GRACE
He cannot be named. Not with this tongue. I would die first.
Wonder Woman YANKS the noose - tighter and tighter.
WONDER WOMAN
Who sent you? Tell me!
Grace's tentacle-chains fall limp. She drops the idol. The energy around her fades and she passes out, unconscious, to the floor, flat on her face.
Silence. It's over.
Esperanza comes out of hiding.
ESPERANZA
Is she dead?
Wonder Woman checks Grace's pulse.
WONDER WOMAN
I don't know. The body's alive. Beyond that, I can't say.
ESPERANZA
So what are you? Some kind of superwoman?
Wonder Woman steps on the idol and it flattens out like a cracked pancake. A very faint, muffled scream can be heard as some sort of supernatural gas issues out from the destroyed artifact.
ESPERANZA
You couldn't have done that an hour ago?
Wonder Woman smiles.
WONDER WOMAN
Wouldn't have worked. The energy had to dissipate first. Funny thing about gods and goddesses. Trap them in a human body and they're much easier to beat. You think they'd have learned that by now.
ESPERANZA
But she wasn't a goddess. Not really.
WONDER WOMAN
No.
Wonder Woman is lost in thought.
ESPERANZA
What was she? Where did she come from?
WONDER WOMAN
Williford's Diner.
ESPERANZA
Down the street? She came from Williford's Diner --
WONDER WOMAN
No, I'm hungry. You want to get something to eat? Anything but Mexican. Actually, I know this little place you're going to love.
EXT. INVISIBLE PLANE - DAY
The Invisible Plane soars through the clouds, piloted by Wonder Woman and carrying two passengers - Terry and Esperanza. They look at each other for a moment, catching their breath.
Wonder Woman pulls on the controls and the plane soars ever higher ...
The hangar is dark and largely empty, apart from several bodies on the floor. ESPERANZA, 28, pretty, crying, sits at a table with a gun to her head- held by CARLOS. There are three tough-looking THUGS there- MARCO and JOSE carry uzis. There are three stone tablets in front of the poor woman.
ESPERANZA (to self)
Santa María madre de Dios ...
CARLOS
You understand this shit?
ESPERANZA
Yo no sé nada. Por favor - no me mates ...
Carlos pushes the gun into her head roughly.
CARLOS
I said, you understand this shit? Cos that's the only reason you're still alive. Start reading, bitch. Out loud.
ESPERANZA
Cut ... I cut my hand. Your body ... my body ... is your body. I don't ...
GRACE
In the original language, please.
Esperanza looks up.
ESPERANZA
This isn't Nahuatl. It reads like some kind of Aztec gibberish.
Across from her is GRACE, 30, imposing, sitting in a golden Aztec throne in full golden regalia worthy of Cleopatra. The design isn't Aztec- but is one hell of a sight. There is a skull in her lap.
GRACE
Just read the words out loud as you see them. The meaning will come to you in time.
EXT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
A six-passenger plane soars through the clouds.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
TERRY ARNOLD, 32, tweedily academic and socially-awkward, sits with a briefcase on his knee, and an empty glass on the table in front of him. He is tapping his foot and shaking his knee nervously.
VINCENZO BATTALI walks up the aisle next to him - 34, dark slicked-back hair, seeming so urbanely laid-back as to almost be asleep. But there's greed in his eyes.
VINCENZO
Can I get you another drink?
TERRY
No, thank you.
VINCENZO
I've had too many myself. Otherwise I'd be in the pilot's chair.
TERRY
You fly?
Vincenzo looks at the back of the pilot's head a moment, and sits down.
VINCENZO
You never know what freedom feels like until you've flown over the ocean. You should try it sometime.
TERRY (smiles)
I'll put it on my list of a hundred thousand things I won't get around to before I die.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
Tears pour down Esperanza's face as she reads, haltingly, a gun still held to her head.
ESPERANZA
Atuimoteh xitcaquila. Nilacozquit mochipa. Tlacoti otlaticot.
GRACE
Louder, please.
ESPERANZA
Tenicqui teezio. Inacayo quieza.
GRACE
Louder!
ESPERANZA
Timotenimiz! Nitemiz! Tiyoliz!
The skull in Grace's lap begins to glow with supernatural power. And now Esperanza's eyes are glowing.
ESPERANZA
Colicotecoahuan mimiqui. Toyaohuan miquitlal.
GRACE
Louder! Scream it!
Esperanza screams, her eyes streaming with light, overcome by a power not of this earth.
ESPERANZA
Atuimoteh quitcotizla! Atuimoteh quitcotizla!
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry opens his briefcase to reveal A GOLDEN IDOL - a large head with a toothy grin, and a tiny fat body.
TERRY
The goddess Atuimoteh. Or the god, if you like. Atuimoteh wasn't particularly tied to one gender or the other, and this representation seems to have caught her on one of her masculine days.
VINCENZO BATTALI, 34, dark slicked-back hair, seems so urbanely laid-back as to almost be asleep. But there's greed in his eyes.
VINCENZO
Ugly bitch. Can I hold her?
TERRY
Just for a moment, and please be careful.
Vincenzo examines the idol.
VINCENZO
Aztec, early 15th century?
Terry nods.
VINCENZO
And in immaculate condition. Should fetch a pretty penny.
TERRY
The Professor isn't really interested in money. He's got more than he needs already.
VINCENZO
Yes. It's about the thrill of the chase, really. It's an incredible piece. It's a shame it's a fake.
Terry reacts.
TERRY
This piece has been carbon-dated and authenticated seventy-nine different ways. Where do you get the nerve to qu--
VINCENZO
For one thing, it's made of chocolate.
He peels off the top gold layer, exposing chocolate beneath. He breaks off a small bite.
VINCENZO
Mm, delicious. Would you like some? I mean, don't eat the whole thing.
He passes the idol back to Terry, who is in shock.
VINCENZO
Don't feel bad, we all get fooled sometimes. Just last week I was talking to a collector who thought he'd bought the Mona Lisa. Of course the real Mona Lisa is quite safe in my living room.
Vincenzo stands up.
VINCENZO
It's a shame you don't fly. You should really give it a shot.
Vincenzo draws a gun and SHOOTS the PILOT in the back of his head. Blood splatters, and the plane goes into freefall.
VINCENZO
Things to do before you die, and all.
Vincenzo calmly puts on a coat and a parachute, and opens the side door.
VINCENZO
And yes, this is the only parachute, but don't worry about Atuimoteh ... she'll be safe in my pocket. Good luck!
He pats his pocket, and jumps -
EXT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Vincenzo leaps out of the plane with the grace of a veteran skydiver.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry, standing, looks around him, terrified. No idea what to do.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
The skull in Grace's lap is glowing, but that glow soon fades. Esperanza is unconscious on the table, smoking and spent.
CARLOS
It's not working.
GRACE
It's already worked. She is here. We need only one more piece of the puzzle to make the goddess flesh.
EXT. SKY - DAY
Vincenzo falls through the air gracefully. He pulls the cord and his parachute deploys.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry struggles to lift the dead body of the pilot out of his chair. He's covered in blood, and now so is Terry.
TERRY
Oh God. Oh God. Oh God oh God oh God.
He sees a detachable intercom. He grabs it.
TERRY
Hello? Somebody? Anybody? The pilot's dead and there's blood and there's brains and I can't fly a plane. This is ...
The intercom's cord has been crudely cut. His heart sinks.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Vincenzo falls toward a field, his parachute cushioning the landing - but he hits the ground HARD, with a GOLDEN SHOCKWAVE which BURNS the GROUND.
He lands on his fist, and his eyes glow. He opens his mouth, and smoke comes out of it.
His lower right coat pocket is burning. The golden idol BURNS THROUGH and falls to the ground, rolling, before coming to an upright stop. Gleaming. Gold. Smiling.
Vincenzo's position on the ground matches that of the idol - his eyes glowing, his mouth on fire.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry is still holding the intercom.
TERRY
I'm gonna die.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Hello?
Terry jumps, scared.
TERRY
Hello?
WOMAN'S VOICE
Who is this?
TERRY
Who is this?
WOMAN'S VOICE
If you're gonna just repeat what I say, I'm gonna let you crash.
TERRY
How are you talking to me? The radio's disconnected.
WOMAN'S VOICE
You're probably just hallucinating.
TERRY
Okay.
Terry walks out into the main body of the plane.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Is there anyone else alive?
TERRY
No, it's just me.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Okay, open the door on the side of the plane.
TERRY
It's already open.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Good. Now, what you need to do now is jump.
TERRY
Excuse me?
WOMAN'S VOICE
Jump out of the plane.
TERRY
Uh, I'm not gonna do that.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Jump out of the plane. I swear I'll catch you.
TERRY
Not a chance in hell.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Look out the door. Do you see my plane?
TERRY
No. I don't see anything.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Well, you won't. My plane is invisible.
Terry, defeated, bangs his head against the plane wall.
WOMAN'S VOICE
You still there?
TERRY
You'll catch me ... with your invisible plane.
WOMAN'S VOICE
I told you you were hallucinating. Do you trust me?
TERRY
Of course not.
WOMAN'S VOICE
Good. Now jump.
Terry thinks this over, and looks out the door. He's shocked at what he sees.
EXT. SKY - DAY
An INVISIBLE PLANE soars toward us at incredible speed, catching the light like shimmering crystal and glass. The pilot is WONDER WOMAN, a goddess of superhuman beauty and strength, wearing her iconic partly-armored costume in red, gold, white and blue. The plane now quickly changes direction to match the downward spiral of Terry's plane.
INT. PRIVATE PLANE - DAY
Terry has no idea what he's looking at. He shakes, baffled.
WONDER WOMAN'S VOICE
Jump!
Terry jumps.
EXT. SKY - DAY
Terry falls from the plane. The Invisible Plane dives to catch him. Wonder Woman hits a few buttons, and JUMPS up on the WING as the plane flies itself in cruise control.
She CATCHES a shocked Terry in her arms.
TERRY
So I'm hallucinating?
WONDER WOMAN
No. But that would make sense.
TERRY
It's okay. I don't need things to make sense. What's the fun in that? Invisible plane, that doesn't make sense. It's very you. You don't strike me as the kind of person that makes a lot of sense.
WONDER WOMAN
Please stop talking.
She sets him down.
They watch the Private Plane crash to a field below.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
The Private Plane crashes - there's flaming wreckage everywhere.
Also, there are sheep. All around.
Vincenzo, POSSESSED and glowing gold, holds the idol in one hand as he walks robotically forward.
A sheep stands in his way. He has to stop walking for a moment. It looks at him. Baaa.
He lifts his finger, and points.
The sheep EXPLODES. Blood and entrails everywhere.
Vincenzo keeps walking.
EXT. INVISIBLE PLANE - DAY
Wonder Woman and Terry sit down into the pilot and copilot seats of the Invisible Plane.
WONDER WOMAN
What happened to the thing you were carrying?
TERRY
Stolen. How did you know about that?
Something explodes on the distant ground below.
WONDER WOMAN
Hang on a sec.
She turns the plane round and dives.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Sheep bleat. Vincenzo looks up. The Invisible Plane is high up in the air, but diving straight toward him. He points his finger at it.
EXPLOSION.
EXT. INVISIBLE PLANE - DAY
The plane is rocked by an EXPLOSION. And ANOTHER.
TERRY
What the hell-
And ANOTHER - Wonder Woman stands up out of her seat.
WONDER WOMAN
Hey, I gotta take care of this. Gimme a call if you run into any more trouble.
TERRY
Call you? What's your number?
WONDER WOMAN (smiles)
Yeah, like I'm gonna fall for that one twice. Hey, you don't know how to fly a plane, do you?
TERRY
We've established that I don't.
She jumps up on the wing.
WONDER WOMAN
You'll be fine. Thing practically flies itself.
She dives gracefully off the wing- a swimmer's dive, down into freefall -
Terry, terrified, looks at the mostly-invisible controls in front of him.
TERRY
Oh God. Oh God Oh God Oh Goooooooooood ....
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Wonder Woman dives through the air, aiming straight for Vincenzo.
He points at her - an EXPLOSION ricochets off her body. And ANOTHER.
She flips her body round - she's now falling feet first and slightly sideways.
That is, a perfect flying KICK -
CRACK - right into Vincenzo's FACE. He flies backward and falls to the grass, unconscious.
Landing on her feet, she raises her arm, hits a button on her metal bracelet and talks into it.
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
How you doing up there?
EXT. INVISIBLE PLANE - DAY - INTERCUT
The plane is in a tailspin.
TERRY
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!
EXT. FIELD - DAY - INTERCUT
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Calm down, you'll be fine. Hit the red button.
TERRY
There is no red button!
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Then hit the green button.
TERRY
There is no green button! They're all invisible colored buttons! And even if I could see them, I don't know how to fly this thing!
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Then take your hands off the controls!
TERRY
What?
He takes his hands off seconds before the plane would have crashed. It immediately rights itself and starts circling calmly over the field.
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
I told you. The thing basically flies itself! Basically.
Terry catches his breath.
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Except you still don't know how to land. That's the tricky part. Yeah, you're pretty much screwed there. Sorry about that.
TERRY
What??
Vincenzo's head is bleeding, but it HEALS itself with a golden glow. His glowing eyes open.
His body ramrod-straight, he tilts up off the ground like a plank of wood standing up.
He PUNCHES her. She's knocked back several feet.
WONDER WOMAN (to bracelet)
Hang on a sec.
She KICKS Vincenzo with tremendous force, and he flies back a few feet, but stays upright.
He's still holding the idol in his left hand. She looks at it. He points at her.
EXPLOSION. She falls to the ground, and doesn't look happy.
His mouth opens, emitting smoke. He makes a strange HISSING noise at her.
But her focus is on the idol.
She leaps to her feet and FIGHTS him - he's strong, and fast, and fighting her one-handed.
She tries to KICK the idol out of his hand. Hammering him as hard as she can.
Doesn't work. The idol is attached to his hand. He PUNCHES her. She flies back a few feet, landing on her knees, looking at him.
Eyes and mouth glowing, he hisses at her. ENERGY is streaming out of his mouth. He raises his arms. His power seems to be growing.
She unfastens the golden lariat she wears on her belt.
She ties the lasso and swings it over her head like a rodeo champion.
Vincenzo is about to attack with impossible power and fury.
The lasso falls round his neck and Wonder Woman pulls it tight. He chokes and falls to his knees.
The golden glow fades. His eyes stop glowing. He gasps and chokes. The idol falls out of his hand, which is covered in burn marks and smoking.
She loosens the lasso and he falls to the ground, unconscious, on his stomach.
She picks up the idol and hefts it in her hand like a softball.
The Invisible Plane zooms by overhead - out of control again.
A burst of static from her bracelet.
TERRY
Help me! For God's sake, help me!
WONDER WOMAN (into bracelet)
Oh, don't be such a baby.
She ties part of her lariat round the idol, then swings the lasso above her head, this time letting it go slack - very slack. She's roping a very large steer- so to speak.
She swings the lasso round and lets go, letting it fly free - toward the Invisible Plane.
The lasso catches something under the right side of the plane - the landing gear deploy and the lasso catches round one of the wheels.
She pulls the lasso tight -
- and as the plane screams by overhead (Terry is screaming too) -
- she is caught up in the plane's flight, first running to match the plane's speed, then lifting up off the ground, her legs still kicking, as she holds on tight to the lasso.
As the plane flies out of control, she's hanging by a golden rope behind it, wind whipping past at incredible speed. She climbs slowly up the rope, closer to the plane, one hand at a time.
She reaches the back of the plane and hops up onto it- coiling her lasso back onto her belt with superhuman speed. She then sits casually in the pilot's chair.
Terry is hyperventilating. Wonder Woman looks at him.
WONDER WOMAN
Honestly, do I have to do everything for you?
She yanks the controls and the plane comes in for a landing -
- light as a feather.
In his first moment of quiet, without the fear of death, Terry catches his breath.
Wonder Woman hops up to exit the plane.
TERRY
Wait -- what's your name?
She extends her hand for him to shake.
WONDER WOMAN
Diana. But you can call me Wonder Woman.
EXT. HANGAR - DAY
Walking haltingly with heavy feet, like a zombie, Vincenzo limps toward the hangar.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Wonder Woman runs.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
A small door opens.
Vincenzo, pale, stands in the doorway.
EXT. FIELD - DAY
Wonder Woman runs.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
Grace stands up from her throne, furious. Vincenzo limps forward, heavy-footed.
GRACE
You don't HAVE IT?
VINCENZO
It was taken from me by one more powerful than even the goddess Atuimoteh.
GRACE
You're an idiot. Atuimoteh will bring this world to its knees, no thanks to garbage like you.
VINCENZO
I became possessed by the idol's power. It took me over, body and soul. My memories are vague. Like living in a dream. But there was a woman of power unequaled. She bound me with a lariat of truth, and the false goddess fell from my heart like a discarded skin.
GRACE
Saints preserve me. I think the man's in love.
Grace HITS Vincenzo- a strong but very human slap. He falls to his knees, weak as he is.
GRACE
Where is it?
VINCENZO
It is with her, as it should be.
She HITS him again. She's ready to kill him.
GRACE
Where is it? Where is she?
VINCENZO
Look behind you.
Grace glares at him. She won't fall for that one.
WONDER WOMAN (O.S.)
Were you looking for this?
Grace turns. Vincenzo runs.
Wonder Woman, holding the idol casually in one hand, puts the other hand on her hip, defiant.
Marco and Jose FIRE their Uzis. A barrage of bullets ricochet off of Wonder Woman's armor. She barely even reacts.
GRACE
Stop shooting, you morons, you'll hit the idol.
Grace notices that Vincenzo has gotten away, and growls- but she has bigger things to worry about now.
WONDER WOMAN
Atuimoteh. Or Tulenah to her friends. Not one of my favorite goddesses. Massive armpit hair, and boy did she smell.
Grace notices that her fingertips are now crackling with golden electricity. The idol, even in Wonder Woman's hands, is working.
GRACE
You will not shake my faith. I am prepared for you. I have seen you in my dreams.
WONDER WOMAN
I'm flattered, but I really don't swing that way. I swing more like this.
Wonder Woman takes a swing to punch Grace - but hits a spherical field of electricity, which glows gold at the point of impact. She tries to punch again - and again.
GRACE
You see the goddess protects me. My body belongs to her, and she doesn't want it to be damaged.
WONDER WOMAN
Sure, you're a step up. She used to be fat with a big nose. The other goddesses made fun of her. Beautiful singing voice, though.
Wonder Woman hooks the idol back onto her belt. Grace raises a finger, which crackles with golden electricity.
GRACE
You are no goddess.
Grace points - an EXPLOSION ricochets off Wonder Woman's armor - she stumbles backward, but recovers.
GRACE
Marco. Jose. I've changed my mind. Feel free to shoot her.
Marco and Jose FIRE their Uzis - a volley of bullets ricochets off Wonder Woman's armor and skin.
WONDER WOMAN
Seriously guys, that's really not gonna work.
Grace calmly raises a hand and spreads her palm out. From her other wrist she extends a golden chain, glowing with energy, which she coils around her palm in strange snaking patterns.
Wonder Woman, annoyed, walks over to Marco and CRUNCHES his Uzi up in one hand. Little explosions go off and the Uzi crumbles in bits to the ground. She then does the same to Jose's Uzi.
Grace's golden chain snakes around her, glowing, like it has a mind of its own. She throws her head back and her arms up, her eyes closed, giving in to supernatural power.
Marco gets up the nerve to punch Wonder Woman - He takes a swing and - CRACK - he breaks his hand. He cries out in pain, clutching his wrist.
WONDER WOMAN
You're really not thinking this through, are you? Duh, shooting her doesn't work, so maybe I'll punch her. Yeah, that works much better than a bullet.
MARCO
Go to hell.
WONDER WOMAN
Go to sleep.
Wonder Woman taps Marco's head with her finger. He falls to the ground, unconscious.
Jose grabs a steel beam and hits Wonder Woman over the head with it. CLANG. She reacts only a little. The steel beam vibrates like mad - and by extension Jose vibrates too. She takes the beam from his hands, and bends it into a circular shape around him.
He falls, sitting, to the ground, the steel beam wrapped tightly around his body.
BANG! Three bullets bounce off Wonder Woman's shoulder.
Carlos has fired the last of his ammunition. He drops the gun and runs away.
WONDER WOMAN
See, this guy's smart. He knows when to run. Not that that works, really.
EXT. HANGAR - DAY
Carlos runs out of the hangar, scared and gasping.
-- A red and gold STREAK and suddenly there's a feminine fist in his way --
BANG - he runs straight into her fist and falls unconscious on his back.
Wonder Woman shrugs.
INT. HANGAR - DAY
The door opens. Wonder Woman is backlit. It's showdown time.
Grace is now taken over by the supernatural power. A golden glow surrounds her, a ball of energy. Golden chains snake around her, reaching out like tentacles, trying to steal the idol off Wonder Woman's belt.
Wonder Woman takes the idol and holds it tight in her hands.
WONDER WOMAN
Who are you? What's your name?
GRACE
Grace.
WONDER WOMAN
You're making a big mistake, Grace. Atuimoteh doesn't want you.
GRACE
She wants my body.
WONDER WOMAN
I'm sure there's a lot of nice women who want your body, and won't kill you to get it.
GRACE
The goddess will live.
WONDER WOMAN
And you'll die. She'll hollow you out like a honeydew melon. There'll be nothing of you left.
GRACE
If that is my fate. The time of the goddess is upon us. You cannot stop her now.
WONDER WOMAN
I can't? You say I can't? Every day there's a thousand things I can't do. And I do them anyway.
Wonder Woman PUNCHES Grace, SHATTERING her protective golden ball like glass. Wonder Woman PUNCHES her again, knocking her back.
Angry, Grace's snakelike chains coil all around her, gathering up strength.
She stands up, hate in her eyes, and her chains ATTACK, shooting out and COILING round and round Wonder Woman's neck.
Wonder Woman struggles, being choked by the burning chains. The chains force her to her knees as she tries to pull herself free.
She drops the idol, and it rolls toward Grace.
Laughing, Grace takes the idol in her hands, and becomes one with it.
A FLASH OF LIGHT. A SWIRL OF ENERGY.
A transformation.
Grace has become a goddess.
She laughs in a low-pitched way, rising from the ground, floating, her garments swirling round in wind she's generated herself. Again, a golden ball of energy surrounds her.
In the corner, Esperanza has regained consciousness and looks on with shock.
The chains are tight around Wonder Woman's neck.
She gathers them up into her hands and pulls them all together. She's now tied to Grace with one knotted-up chain.
She gives it one good YANK.
Grace SCREAMS and FLIES forward. Wonder Woman WHIPS the chain round, sending Grace FLYING through the air. Grace CRASHES through the wall and lands on the ground outside.
The chains relax and uncoil from round Wonder Woman's neck.
Wonder Woman coughs and takes a deep breath.
Grace, shaking, recovers slowly, her chains gathering round her like tentacles ready to strike.
Wonder Woman now notices the terrified Esperanza in the corner.
WONDER WOMAN
Are you all right?
ESPERANZA
Dios mio ...
WONDER WOMAN
Are you one of them?
ESPERANZA
I'm a schoolteacher.
Grace's tentacles BREAK THROUGH THE WALL, attacking Wonder Woman and knocking her back. The chains COIL round Wonder Woman's entire body, lifting her up off the ground. Wonder Woman struggles as the coils grow tighter and tighter.
WONDER WOMAN
Where is Grace? Is she still in there?
GRACE
What do you care?
WONDER WOMAN
I don't. I'm just curious. Also if we start talking and get into a whole conversation it distracts you enough for me to do this.
Wonder Woman struggles hard, knocking herself to the ground, where she LANDS on her HEAD, and bounces back to where she can propel herself feetfirst at Grace in some approximation of a flying KICK --
WHACK - Grace is knocked back and the coils loosen enough for Wonder Woman to SHATTER THE CHAINS and BREAK FREE.
And now Wonder Woman fights with all her strength. PUNCH! PUNCH! KICK! Grace is knocked back, even as her chain-tentacles reform themselves.
With one good KICK Grace is knocked flat on her back, and Wonder Woman takes the moment to swing her lariat- the lasso falls round Grace's neck and Wonder Woman TIGHTENS it.
WONDER WOMAN
Who are you?
GRACE
I am Atuimoteh. I am eternity.
Wonder Woman TIGHTENS the noose even tighter. Grace chokes and gasps.
WONDER WOMAN
Who are you?
GRACE
I am no one. I am a lump of gold that wanted to be a man. I am not Atuimoteh. I don't know who I am.
Wonder Woman YANKS the noose, hurting Grace.
WONDER WOMAN
Do you know who I am?
GRACE
Of course I do.
WONDER WOMAN
Who sent you to kill me?
Wonder Woman YANKS the noose, choking Grace.
WONDER WOMAN
Who sent you?
GRACE
He cannot be named. Not with this tongue. I would die first.
Wonder Woman YANKS the noose - tighter and tighter.
WONDER WOMAN
Who sent you? Tell me!
Grace's tentacle-chains fall limp. She drops the idol. The energy around her fades and she passes out, unconscious, to the floor, flat on her face.
Silence. It's over.
Esperanza comes out of hiding.
ESPERANZA
Is she dead?
Wonder Woman checks Grace's pulse.
WONDER WOMAN
I don't know. The body's alive. Beyond that, I can't say.
ESPERANZA
So what are you? Some kind of superwoman?
Wonder Woman steps on the idol and it flattens out like a cracked pancake. A very faint, muffled scream can be heard as some sort of supernatural gas issues out from the destroyed artifact.
ESPERANZA
You couldn't have done that an hour ago?
Wonder Woman smiles.
WONDER WOMAN
Wouldn't have worked. The energy had to dissipate first. Funny thing about gods and goddesses. Trap them in a human body and they're much easier to beat. You think they'd have learned that by now.
ESPERANZA
But she wasn't a goddess. Not really.
WONDER WOMAN
No.
Wonder Woman is lost in thought.
ESPERANZA
What was she? Where did she come from?
WONDER WOMAN
Williford's Diner.
ESPERANZA
Down the street? She came from Williford's Diner --
WONDER WOMAN
No, I'm hungry. You want to get something to eat? Anything but Mexican. Actually, I know this little place you're going to love.
EXT. INVISIBLE PLANE - DAY
The Invisible Plane soars through the clouds, piloted by Wonder Woman and carrying two passengers - Terry and Esperanza. They look at each other for a moment, catching their breath.
Wonder Woman pulls on the controls and the plane soars ever higher ...