V for Vendetta (2005)

FADE IN:

In the darkness, we hear a voice, a woman's voice.  Her name
is Evey.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	"Remember, remember, the fifth of
	November, the gunpowder treason and
	plot.  I know of now reason why the
	gunpowder treason should ever be
	forgot."

Her voice has a strength that is metered by a calmness, a
deep centered peace that we can feel.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Those were almost the very first
	words he spoke to me and, in a way,
	that is where this story began,
	four hundred years ago, in a cellar
	beneath the Houses of Parliament.

In the darkness, we find a lantern.  Guy Fawkes, a dangerous
man who wears a goatee, is struggling with a wheelbarrow
stacked with barrels of gunpowder.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	In 1605, Guy Fawkes attempted to
	blow up the Houses of Parliament.

The wheelbarrow bumps over the heavy stone mortar of the
cellar floor.  From the dark depths, we hear the sound of
dogs.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	He was caught in the cellars with
	enough gunpowder to level most of
	London.

Guy sees lanterns coming from both sides.  He tries to run as
the dogs reach him first.  He grabs for his sword as dozens
of pole axes pin him against the tunnel's stone wall.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Sometimes I wonder where we would
	be if he hadn't failed.  I wonder
	if it would have mattered.

In the dim pre-dawn light, Guy is led to the gallows.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I suppose the answer is in the
	rhyme.  More than the man, what we
	must remember is the plot itself.

The coarse noose of rope is snugged up to Guy's throat.  He
looks into the crowd until he finds a face, a woman's face,
staring up at him.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	For in the plot we find more than
	just a man, we find the idea of
	that man, the spirit of that man,
	and that is what we must never
	forget.

The lever is thrown and the woman looks down, a tear falling
down her face.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	This, then, is the story of that
	idea, of that spirit that began
	with an anarchist's plot four
	hundred years ago.

Guy's body hangs in silhouette, lifeless against a red
morning sun.

				        FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

INT.  SUBURBAN HOUSE

A young Evey sits on her father's lap, combing her Barbie's
hair.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I was born near the end of the
	millennium, the year 1997.  My
	father used to say that people were
	so afraid that the world was going
	to end that they were willing it to
	happen.

Her father sits beside her mother on the living room couch,
watching the news.  From the look on their faces, the news is
bad.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I don't remember much of the
	century's turn.  I don't remember
	the market crash or the plague or
	any of the Trafalgar riots.

The television flickers with images of heavily armed soldiers
fighting in a shelled city.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I've read about them since but I
	don't recall how any of them
	impacted my life except for the
	fear.  They would hide it from me,
	like a secret between them.

Little Evey sees her father staring at her mother.  They
take hold of each other's hand, clasping them tight.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	But I could feel it.

EXT.  CITY STREET

It is a new day.  People are gathered along the street as if
they were waiting for a parade.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Of the chaos that seemed to swallow
	the beginning of the 21st century,
	there is one thing I do remember.

Evey holds her father's hand.  Unable to see what is coming,
she can hear it.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Very clearly, I can remember that
	sound.

We hear them, hundreds of marching soldiers.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	And I remember those boots, black
	leather that gleamed bright in the
	morning sun.  I had never seen such
	boots.  All moving in perfect
	unison.

Little Evey hides in the forest of adults, clinging to her
father's leg, staring as row after row of boots march by with
military precision.

EXT.  CITY STREET

In the midst of a political rally for the emerging new party
calling itself Norsefire, we find little Evey now on her
father's shoulders.

Dascombe, a young man, paces the podium, inciting the crowd.

		DASCOMBE
	The time has come, London, to
	return to a bygone age, an age of
	tradition, an age of values that
	have been disparaged and all but
	forgotten.  What this country needs
	is a leader!  A true leader to
	remind us of that age.  A righteous
	leader with the strength of his
	moral convictions to do what must
	be done.  I give you that man!  I
	give you our leader!  Adam Susan!

Adam Susan rises and the crowd cheers.  Evey's father looks
at her mother and again they clasp hands.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	It must have seemed so easy to
	them.  They offered such a simple
	deal; give up control and we will
	restore order.

INT.  SUBURBAN HOUSE

Little Evey is asleep in her bedroom.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	At first, the arrests were
	political.  Dissidents.  Radicals. 
	Liberals.

A loud crash of splintering wood wakes her up.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	When my parents were younger, they
	had been activists.  They had
	marched with Labor in the great
	train strike.

The sound of heavy boots swarms through the house.

		LITTLE EVEY
	Mommy?

Her bedroom door bursts open and a heavily armed soldier
scoops her up.

She is carried through the dark house which is filled with
soldiers.  On the floor of the living room, she sees her
parents being bound with plastic zip-ties.

		MOTHER
	My daughter!  Don't take my
	daughter!

		FATHER
	Evey!  Evey!

		LITTLE EVEY
	Mommy!  Daddy!

A heavy black hood is pulled over each of her parent's heads
as Evey is carried out of the house.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I never saw them again.  Overnight,
	my life, my entire world was
	erased.

INT.  BATHROOM

A nun with a switch in her crossed arms watches as Evey and
several other little girls scrub the floor of a dormitory
bathroom.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	It was done so quickly and
	violently, so completely, that it
	began to seem that it had never
	even existed.

A tear rolls down Little Evey's cheek.

EXT.  HOUSE

A gay man is dragged violently from his Piccadilly home. 
Outside, he sees his lover being forced to the cobblestones.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	The homosexuals were next.  What
	God had started with AIDS had to be
	finished by man.  It was God's
	work.  That's what we were told.

He reaches for him as the clubs rise and fall, vicious and
bloody.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	But once they were gone, there was
	someone else.  Someone different.

In another neighborhood, we see the police arresting
Pakistanis.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Someone dangerous.

In a different area, young black men are packed into a caged
van so tightly they are unable to move.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	There were those who understood
	what was happening, who knew it was
	wrong but who kept silent.

A young detective named Finch looks down as the van pulls
away.  When he looks up, another man in a military uniform
whose name is Almond is watching him.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	And in the vacuum of that silence,
	order was imposed.

Finch sticks his pipe in his mouth and turns away.

EXT.  STREET

Again, we see the marching boots.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Order that was like those boots,
	order that required rigorous
	discipline.  Order that is exactly
	the same, where each single step
	falls with every step.  The order
	of the many shaped into one.

We move through the columns of marching soldiers to a wall
where a poster has been plastered up.  The poster reads,
"Strength Through Purity, Purity Through Faith."

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Somehow in my heart, I knew it
	wouldn't last.

As the sound of the marching fades, a shadow falls over the
sign.

After a moment, we hear the hiss of spray paint.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	What they thought they had crushed,
	the spirit they believed trampled
	and ground beneath the marching of
	their boots, rose up, rose as if
	from a four hundred year old grave,
	rose to remind us all that day.

The shadow sprays a "V" over the poster.

				        FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

Close on a loudspeaker.  There is one on every major street
corner.

		FATE (V.O.)
	Good evening, London.  It's nine
	o'clock, the fourth of November in
	the year 2019 and this is the voice
	of Fate broadcasting on 275 and 285
	of the medium wave.

Beneath the loudspeaker is a surveillance system labeled,
"For your protection."

Bubble eyed lenses iris at the end of stalks that move,
insect-like, racheting and clicking as they watch a little
girl pedal her bicycle.  The little girl glances nervously
over her shoulder up at the mechanical eyes watching her.

		FATE (V.O.)
	People of London, be advised --

EXT.  EVEY'S APARTMENT

There is a radio on a small makeup table.

		FATE (V.O.)
	-- that Braxton and Streathon are
	quarantine zones as of today.

Evey is now a young woman.  She slips into a dress that is
little more than a nightgown.  She tries to adjust it,
pulling it down at the hem, pulling it up at the thin
shoulder straps, but it is like trying to hide behind a
lamppost.

		FATE (V.O.)
	It is suggested that these area be
	avoided for reasons of health and
	safety.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

Another radio in a room that seems to be of another world.

		FATE (V.O.)
	Good news following the
	productivity reports from
	Herefordshire indicating a possible
	end to meat rationing starting mid
	February.

A man enters the room as he once entered the world.  His body
is lean and strong and though we do not see his face, there
is a strength in his carriage, a power to his presence.

INT.  EVEY'S APARTMENT

She packs tissue paper into the toes of a pair of high heels
that are too big for her.

		FATE (V.O.)
	Police raided seventeen homes in
	the Birmingham area, uncovering
	what is believed to be a major
	terrorist ring.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

We move over a dressing bureau, past a wig and over a pair of
black leather gloves, moving until we find the mask; it is
like something from the masquerade ball of another era.  It
has an exaggerated goatee, harlequin cheeks and a smile,
forever fixed, at once be-guiling and be-deviling.

		FATE (V.O.)
	Twenty eight people, eight of them
	women, are currently in detention
	awaiting trial.

INT.  EVEY'S APARTMENT

Evey coats her lips with a lascivious red.  She stares into
the mirror, her makeup like a mask over her own face.

		FATE (V.O.)
	And that is the face of London
	tonight.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

The man, now fully dressed in cloak, hat, and mask gazes into
the mirror.

This is V.

		FATE (V.O.)
	And this is the voice of Fate
	signing off and bidding you a
	pleasant evening.

EXT.  CITY STREET

Close on Evey's high heels, stumbling and awkward as she
walks down a dark cobblestoned street.

EXT.  CITY STREET

Close on V's boots walking in the opposite direction so that
it seems they are walking towards each other.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I don't know what brought us
	together that night.  I had never
	been to that part of Westminster
	but ever since I've known him, I've
	stopped believing in coincidence.

EXT.  CITY STREET

Evey looks up and sees a man standing mostly in shadow.

		EVEY
	Excuse me?  Uh... excuse me,
	Mister?

The man turns around.  It is not V.

		EVEY
	Would you like... uh, would you
	like to sleep with me?

He smiles.

		EVEY
	I mean, for money.

		MAN
	That is the clumsiest bit of
	propositioning I've ever heard.

		EVEY
	Oh god, I'm sorry.

		MAN
	Is this your first time, darling?

		EVEY
	Yes, no, I mean for money.  But I
	know what you want and I'll do it.

She presses her body to his, using her little girl eyes and
her woman's mouth.

		EVEY
	Anything you want, mister.  Please,
	I need the money.  I know I'm young
	but I promise I know what I'm
	doing.

		MAN
	No.  You don't know what you're
	doing.

He pulls out his wallet and shows her a badge.  The sight of
it knocks the breath out of her.

		EVEY
	Christ, you're a Fingerman.

		FINGERMAN 1
	Give the little lady a prize.

		FINGERMAN 2
	I've got something to give her.

Evey turns and there are more Fingermen behind her.

		FINGERMAN 1
	Prostitution is a class H offense. 
	Know what that means?  It means
	that we get to exercise our own
	judicial discretion --

		FINGERMAN 2
	And you get to swallow it.

The Fingermen laugh.

		EVEY
	Oh god, please.  It's my first
	time.  Please don't hurt me.

		FINGERMAN 1
	Gosh, fellas, look at those big
	innocent eyes.  What do you think?

		FINGERMAN 3
	Spare the rod, spoil the child.

Fingerman 2 laughs hard as he drops his pants.

		EVEY
	Oh no!

He shoves her face first against a brick wall, lifting her
dress to expose her bottom.

		EVEY
	Please, don't!

		FINGERMAN 3
	You heard the man, sweetie.  This
	rod's for your own good.

Suddenly, they are no longer alone.

		V
	"The multiplying villainies of
	nature do swarm upon him."

		FINGERMAN 3
	What the hell --

		V
	"And fortune, on his damned
	quarrel, smiling, showed like a
	rebel's whore."

		FINGERMAN 1
	We're police officers, pal.

		FINGERMAN 4
	We're with the Finger.

		FINGERMAN 3
	So bugger off!

		V
	"Disdaining fortune with his
	brandished steel, which smoked with
	bloody execution."

In the clenched fist of black leather, we see a flash of
steel.

		FINGERMAN 1
	He's got a knife!

V attacks and at once we know this is no normal human being. 
A single blow sends the largest of the Fingermen flying
backwards.

But more than his strength, it is his speed.

A gun is cocked but before the hammer falls, a knife is
buried in the Fingerman's chest and --

Before the body falls, the knife is gone.

It takes a handful of seconds and three bodies lay on the
ground.  V turns to the last Fingerman who is struggling to
pull his pants up.

		FINGERMAN 3
	Jesus Christ!  Don't hurt me!

V steps forward and he screams, bolting while holding his
pants up.

		V
	Good evening.

		EVEY
	Who -- Who are you?

		V
	Me?  I imagine all manner of names
	shall be heaped upon my humble
	visage but, for now, let us simply
	say I am the villain.

He throws wide his cloak and bows deeply to her.

		V
	And you would be?

		EVEY
	Evey.

		V
	Of course.

They hear sirens rushing towards them.  In a blink, he scoops
her up and dashes into the shadows of a narrow alleyway.

EXT.  ROOFTOPS

Police cars and several ambulances swarm over the area with
the dead Fingermen.

V watches them from above.

		EVEY
	Why did you do that?  Why did
	you... help me?

		V
	Why indeed?

He takes out an old antique pocket watch.  It is almost
midnight.

		V
	Almost time.

		EVEY
	For what?

		V
	For the music.

		EVEY
	Music?

		V
	Yes, music.  My music.  You see. 
	Evey, I am a performer.

		EVEY
	Is that why you're wearing a mask?

		V
	We all wear masks.  Life creates
	them and forces us to find the one
	that fits.  Do you know what day it
	is?

		EVEY
	Uh... November fourth.

		V
	Not for long.

He looks out where, rising above the rooftops, he can see Big
Ben.

		V
	"Remember, remember, the fifth of
	November, the gunpowder treason and
	plot.  I know of no reason why the
	gunpowder treason should ever be
	forgot."

The second hand sweeps into the final minute.

		V
	Tell me, Evey, what good is an
	actor that plays his part to an
	empty theatre?

		EVEY
	I don't know.

		V
	Nor do I.  That's why you are here. 
	I need you, Evey.  I need someone
	to listen.

		EVEY
	To your music?

		V
	Yes.  Yes, to my music.

From his sleeve, he pulls a conductor's wand.

		V
	Can you hear it?  It's already
	begun.

He begins to lightly tap the wand in the air and, very
faintly, we hear it.

		EVEY
	I can't hear anything.

		V
	At first, you have to listen very
	carefully...

He continues to conduct and we begin to hear the music,
violins and horns that seem almost like a whisper or a wind
that steadily swells.

		V
	Ahh, yes.  There it is.  Beautiful,
	is it not?

He turns to the parapet, his gestures growing grander as the
music rises and we recognize Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture.

The music mounts a climax and V points the wand at Big Ben as
cymbals crash --

Big Ben explodes with such force the world seems to shake,
while --

V, smiling, always smiling, points again with another
crescendo and --

The statue of justice is blown to smithereens.

V nods in appreciation while mustering the music towards it's
finale as fireworks begin lighting up the sky.

		EVEY
	Oh my...

Everywhere across the city, people stand transfixed by the
dazzling shimmer of the fireworks until --

A strobing final blitz leaves a single, starry image floating
in the smoke filled sky.

It is the letter V.

		EVEY
	It's beautiful...

		V
	Thank you.

From every direction, the city screams with the panicked
sound of sirens.

EXT.  NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

A massive modern building that is the seat of the new
government.

A long, black car pulls up to the entrance.  Adam Susan gets
out, wearing a long black trenchcoat over his pajamas.  He is
the Leader and he looks older, heavier, and meaner.

He hurries past the heavily armed guards, barely
acknowledging the snap and cock of their Nazi-like salute.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader enters his main chambers and we see the Fate
computer system.

It is a cerebral cortex for a vast intelligence network. 
Information can almost be felt coursing through its hard
drives.

The Leader sits, at once regaining a measure of composure. 
He takes a deep calming breath and accesses the system.

Dozens of monitors fill with images from all across the city,
most of them are of the damage caused by V.

		LEADER
	Gentlemen, I will hear your reports
	now.  Mr. Heyer, speak for the Eye.

Conrad Heyer appears on one of the screens.  He is at his
desk inside the command center for the Eye, the governmental
organization responsible for the visual surveillance systems.

		CONRAD
	We have less than two minutes of
	usable footage, Leader.  It took
	the suspect less than a minute to
	dispatch the Finger's vice patrol.

On an insert screen, we see grainy footage of V rescuing Evey
from one of the pole-mounted cameras.

		CONRAD
	As you can see, the suspect's
	reflex speed is extraordinary.  As
	is his strength.

As the last body falls, V seems to pause and looks back over
his shoulder straight into the camera.

		LEADER
	Freeze it!

The Leader stares at the smiling face.

		CONRAD
	I'm afraid the mask makes retinal
	identification impossible.

		LEADER
	Mr. Etheridge, report for the Ear!

Bunny Etheridge appears on another screen.  Behind him, huge
spooling reels of audiotape wind constantly.

		ETHERIDGE
	We were able to triangulate the
	origin of the fireworks.  We also
	are currently monitoring a lot of
	phone surveillance indicating a
	high percentage of conversation
	concerned with the explosions.  All
	suspect or significant transcripts
	are being forwarded to Mr. Almond.

		LEADER
	Very good.  Mr. Finch, speak for
	the Nose.

Finch, no longer the same young man, stands at the site of
the fireworks launch.

		FINCH
	Thanks to Etheridge, we found the
	launch for the fireworks.  These
	appear to be individually weighted
	flares and we have found traces of
	the same chemicals at both of the
	detonation sites which leads us to
	conclude that, despite a level of
	sophistication, these devices are
	all home-made with over the counter
	chemicals, making them impossible
	to trace.  Whoever he is, Leader,
	he's good.

		LEADER
	Thank you for that professional
	annotation.

An intercom opens.

		LIEUTENANT (V.O.)
	Leader, Mr. Almond has arrived.

		LEADER
	Very good.  Gentlemen, keep me
	informed of any further
	developments.  England prevails.

They answer in unison as Almond enters the office.  His face
is harder but he has the same violent gleam in his eye.

The Leader turns in his chair.

		LEADER
	Mr. Almond, do you know what this
	is behind me?

		ALMOND
	Uh... the Fate computer system,
	sir?

		LEADER
	No.  No sir.  It's more than that. 
	This, this computer is a symbol,
	Mr. Almond.  A symbol of the
	highest attainable goal of mankind. 
	Do you know what that goal is, Mr.
	Almond?

Almond does not.  The Leader leaps from his chair while
pounding the desk.

		LEADER
	Control, Mr. Almond!  Control!  The
	world around us is a changing,
	directionless, amoral morass and it
	is up to man and man alone to set
	things right!

He moves around the desk at Almond.

		LEADER
	Without control, man is nothing
	more than any other stinking,
	sweating, brute animal.  Control,
	Mr. Almond.  The control that we
	have painstakingly built up over
	the last ten years.  Now, do you
	understand what happened last
	night?

		ALMOND
	We... lost control.

		LEADER
	Yes, Mr. Almond.  Last night
	someone did the unthinkable. 
	Someone hurt us.  It is imperative
	that we act swiftly and precisely. 
	I want that man found, Mr. Almond. 
	I want his head or, by god, I'll
	have yours.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

Evey is wearing a blindfold and V leads her by her
fingertips, guiding her almost as if they were dancing...

His fingers slip free of her and she reaches out.

		EVEY
	Wait.  I've lost you.

		V
	No, you haven't.

He is behind her and he removes the blindfold, revealing his
house to her.

		EVEY
	Oh...

It is a labyrinth of interconnecting underground tunnels and
rooms.

The gallery is the main room as it is filled with an amazing
collection of human culture.  There is art that spans from
the renaissance to the painted covers of Eerie comics,
literature that ranges from Shakespeare to Spillane,
philosophy from Plato to Bukowski, and a vast collection of
nonfiction.

There are movie posters everywhere and an entire wall is
lined with videocassettes.

A jukebox stands in front of an enormous vinyl and CD
collection of music.

		EVEY
	A jukebox?  Where did you get it?

		V
	I saved it.  Like everything here.

She punches a button and Billie Holiday begins to sing.

		EVEY
	Oh, it's beautiful.  I've never
	heard anything like it.

		V
	Of course not.  You grew up in
	their world.  Art is created by
	individuals and there are no
	individuals in a world where you
	are told what to think.

		EVEY
	This place is amazing.

		V
	You're welcome to stay.

She stops suddenly and looks at him.  The offer is terribly
exciting but it is so unlike anything she has ever done that
it's almost impossible to imagine.

		EVEY
	Stay here... with you?

		V
	Yes.  If you like.

		EVEY
	I... I don't even know your name.

		V
	I don't have a name.  But you can
	call me V.

		EVEY
	V?  V... I like that.

And she returns his smile.

EXT.  JORDAN TOWER

The only operating broadcast tower in London; home of the
Mouth.

INT.  RADIO BROADCAST BOOTH

Lewis Prothero leans forward and lets his voice pour like
syrup over the microphone.

		PROTHERO
	Good morning, London.  This is the
	voice of Fate -- Damn.

He stops and coughs.

		PROTHERO
	Good morning -- ack.  Good morning
	Lond-- Goddammit!  Where is my
	bloody tea?!

In the control booth, Roger Dascombe, his hair thinner now,
rubs his temple.

		DASCOMBE
	Would someone get his lordship his
	bloody tea?

He clicks on the microphone.

		DASCOMBE
	Lewis, they want this report on the
	first hour --

		PROTHERO
	I know.  I know.  Damned
	inconvenient this entire affair. 
	Fine.  Let's try again.

He clears his voice and the red "record" light turns on.

		PROTHERO
	Good morning, London.  It is 6 am,
	the fifth of November 2019 and this
	is the voice of Fate.  The new day
	brings good news and bright
	prospects from overseas, where
	negotiations with New China are
	moving in a positive direction. 
	Last night's scheduled demolition
	of two deteriorating landmarks went
	off without a hitch.

Dascombe is unable to stop himself from smiling.

		PROTHERO
	Spokesman for the Interior ministry
	said both structures were severely
	damaged and judged to be a danger
	to the unsuspecting public.  Plans
	for new landmarks are well
	underway.

Prothero sits back, shaking his head.

		PROTHERO
	Do you believe this crap, Dascombe?

		DASCOMBE
	It's not our job to believe it,
	Lewis.  Our job is to tell the
	people --

		PROTHERO
	"Exactly what they tell us."  I
	Know but do you think that people
	will believe it?

		DASCOMBE
	They will if it's you that's
	telling it to them.  Now let's try
	it again.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

V is alone, listening to the first morning broadcast.

		PROTHERO (V.O.)
	... plans for new landmarks are
	already well underway.

He clicks off the radio.  Walking down a hall, he stops and
peers into Evey's new bedroom.

She is fast asleep, looking remarkably at peace.  Quietly, he
shuts the door.

EXT.  TRAIN STATION

People are hurrying to board a departing train.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Prothero is staring out his window.

		PROTHERO
	"Remember, remember, the fifth of
	November..."

He talks to his bodyguards almost as if talking to himself.

		PROTHERO
	Do you suppose that's why he did
	it?

		BODYGUARD 1
	Sir, who did what, sir?

		PROTHERO
	Guy Fawkes.  He tried to blow up
	Parliament.

The guards look at each other, confused.

		PROTHERO
	Don't they teach history in school
	anymore?

		BODYGUARD 1
	Sir, we're both straight military,
	sir.

		BODYGUARD 2
	Sir, yes, sir.  I was fighting in
	Ireland by the time I was sixteen.

		PROTHERO
	Yes, of course.  My mistake.

He turns back to his window.

EXT.  RAILROAD

The train rumbles along, heading for a tunnel.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Prothero watches the countryside rolling past.

		PROTHERO
	I love trains.  I remember riding
	the underground with my father. 
	Shame they shut them all down.

Bodyguard 1 looks out the opposite window just as the train
enters the tunnel.

		BODYGUARD 1
	What the hell's that!

EXT.  TRAIN

For a flashing instant, we see V in silhouette, cloak
swirling around him like dark wings as he jumps from the
bridge onto the train.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Prothero and Bodyguard 2 stare at Bodyguard 1.

		BODYGUARD 1
	I thought I saw a man jumping onto
	the train.

		BODYGUARD 2
	The train's doing almost seventy. 
	It would break his legs.

		BODYGUARD 1
	You're right, I... It must have
	been rags.

EXT.  TRAIN

Deep in the tunnel, a dark figure glides across the rooftops.

INT.  CONDUCTOR'S CAB

The conductor hears something on the roof.  He peers up just
as V swings down, smashing feet first into the cab.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

The brakes suddenly lock, throwing Bodyguard 2 into Prothero.

		PROTHERO
	Get off of me!

A moment later, the lights are cut off and the entire train
is plunged into complete darkness.

		BODYGUARD 2
	What the fuck is going on?

		BODYGUARD 1
	Lock the car doors.

		PROTHERO
	I have a lighter... somewhere...

		BODYGUARD 2
	I can't find the lock -- wait.  Hey
	wha--

There is a muffled shriek followed by a sharp snap.

		BODYGUARD 1
	What's happening --

There is another sound, like the leather slap of a boxer
pounding a heavy bag, followed by the sound of the heavy bag
collapsing onto the floor.

		PROTHERO
	I found it!

He flicks on the lighter and, in the dim light of its flame,
he sees the smiling face.

		PROTHERO
	Oh god.

V sits casually, arms folded, across from Prothero.  The
bodyguards lay dead on the floor.

		PROTHERO
	Who are you?  What do you want? 
	Money?  Is that it?

V just smiles.

		PROTHERO
	Wait, wait.  You're, you're the one
	that blew the Bailey.

V nods and Prothero's eyes go wide.

		PROTHERO
	You're making a mistake.  I'm
	nobody --

On the floor, he sees the bodyguard's gun.  He kills the
lighter and dives for it.

In the darkness, we hear the struggle.  It ends quickly. 
When the lighter flicks back on, V is holding it and the gun.

		PROTHERO
	Oh god, what do you want?

		V
	I've come to offer you a choice. 
	Commander Prothero.

		PROTHERO
	What -- What did you call me?

		V
	Commander Prothero.

Prothero's heart begins to pound.

		V
	That was your title at Larkhill. 
	You remember Larkhill, don't you,
	Commander?

EXT.  LARKHILL RESETTLEMENT CAMP - FLASHBACK

A sign reads, "Larkhill Resettlement Camp."

		V (V.O.)
	Where they sent the undesirables.

A caged truck packed with minorities rolls into the gates
which are topped with spools of razor wire.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Prothero is sweating.

		PROTHERO
	I don't know what you're talking
	about.

		V
	Maybe I can help your memory. 
	Let's see.  Larkhill opened in the
	summer of 2009.  You were appointed
	it commander.  You wore a uniform
	in those days.  You looked very
	good in it.

INT.  LARKHILL - PROTHERO'S OFFICE - FLASHBACK

Prothero admires his uniform in the mirror.

		V (V.O.)
	You were a man of many
	responsibilities.  You made sure
	Larkhill made all its quotas,
	especially the oven quotas even
	though they required an excessive
	amount of maintenance.

EXT.  LARKHILL OVENS - FLASHBACK

We see a detail of black and Indian men, shoveling mounds of
black ash from a series of furnace like ovens.

As the shovels lift, we see blackened bones and burnt skulls.

EXT.  LARKHILL MAIN YARD - FLASHBACK

Prothero saunters through the lines of camp prisoners.

		V (V.O.)
	But there was one task you took to
	with exceptional relish.  Remember
	the medical block, Commander?  I
	believe you called it the funny
	farm.  You were the one that
	selected the prisoners.  You hand
	picked each one.

Prothero steps in front of a woman who remains beautiful
despite the suffering she has endured.  Prothero smiles.

		PROTHERO
	Her.

As the guards grab her, we become aware of a man that is
staring at Prothero.  He is one of the prisoners but we do
not see his face.

Prothero notices the man.  He doesn't like the way the man is
staring at him.

		PROTHERO
	You.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Prothero is terrified.

		PROTHERO
	You!  You're him, aren't you?

V nods.

		PROTHERO
	Oh my god!  What are you going to
	do?

		V
	You gave us a choice, remember,
	Commander?  You said we could
	cooperate with the doctors or...

V cocks the gun.

		V
	Hold out your hand.

Trembling, Prothero sticks out his hand.  V lets the light
die for a moment.

When he flicks it back on, Prothero is holding a long, metal
syringe filled with a murky liquid.

		PROTHERO
	Oh no, no!  Please I was just doing
	what I was told!

		V
	Of course you were.  Now I'm
	telling you to make a choice. 
	Either you stick that syringe into
	your neck or --

He presses the gun barrel to Prothero's forehead.

		V
	I can kill you right now.

Prothero begins to blubber.

		V
	Crying doesn't help, Commander.  I
	remember there was a woman who had
	been screaming for two days.  You
	winked at the doctor and laughed,
	"All in the name of science."

		PROTHERO
	Please, don't make me do this...

		V
	It's a difficult choice, isn't it? 
	Certain death versus something that
	might be... worse.  But you never
	know.  There is still a chance. 
	You could survive.  Look at me. 
	Now, time's up, Commander.  Choose.

Anger galvanizes his fear and steadily Prothero lifts the
needle towards his neck.

		PROTHERO
	I'll see you in hell.

He jams the needle in and sinks the plunger.

		V
	Yes.  I'm quite sure you will.

INT.  TRAIN

Train workers with flashlights hurry through the cars.

		TRAIN MAN
	This door's locked!

He slams a shoulder against it and the door gives in.

		TRAIN MAN
	Holy Christ!

Flashlights sweep over the dead bodyguards.  The train man
hears a strange gurgling rasp and he turns, finding Prothero
in his light.

		TRAIN MAN
	What happened here?

Prothero is foaming at the mouth while a thick mucus bubbles
from his nose.  His breath comes in tiny rasps.

		TRAIN MAN
	Good lord!  I need a medic here.

Prothero becomes more animate, trying to tell the man
something.

		PROTHERO
	Fi... Fi... Fi...

		TRAIN MAN 2
	He's trying to say something.

		PROTHERO
	Five.

		TRAIN MAN 1
	Five?  Where's the goddamn medic?

		PROTHERO
	Room five.

Suddenly, his body convulses and blood pours out his ears. 
His body slumps over.

		TRAIN MAN 2
	I think he needs a priest.

EXT.  TRAIN STATION

The station is swarming with police.  A stretcher wheels a
body in a black plastic bag out from Prothero's car.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Finch puffs on his pipe, staring at something spray painted
on the wall of the train car: a "V" with a circle around it.

		DOMINIC
	What do you make of this, Mr.
	Finch?

Dominic, Finch's younger assistant, is holding a flower in
his rubber gloved hand.

		FINCH
	Hmm.  It's a rose.  A violet
	carson, I believe.  Strange.

		DOMINIC
	Strange?

		FINCH
	I didn't think they still existed.

		SOLDIER
	Mr. Finch!  Sir!

Finch turns as a soldier with a radio steps into the car.

		SOLDIER
	Sir, they want you at headquarters,
	sir.

		FINCH
	Now?

		SOLDIER
	Yes, sir.  I'm to transport you
	immediately.

		FINCH
	Send the rose to the lab.  Also,
	scrape a sample of this paint and
	have it analyzed as well.  I'll be
	back as soon as I can.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

The door opens and Finch steps in.

		LEADER
	Ah, Mr. Finch.  I sent for you
	because what I have to say cannot
	be said over a phone or a radio. 
	What I have to say cannot leave
	these four walls.  Do I make myself
	clear?

		FINCH
	Yes, sir.

		LEADER
	I believe in a few things, Mr.
	Finch.  I believe in god.  I
	believe in the destiny of the
	Nordic race.  And I believe in
	fascism.  The romans invented
	fascism.  They had a symbol for it;
	a bundle of twigs bound together. 
	One twig could be broken but a
	bundle would prevail.  That is the
	heart and soul of fascism. 
	Strength in unity.  I tell you
	these things knowing full well that
	they make you uncomfortable.

		FINCH
	Well, I...

		LEADER
	You have in fact expressed your
	discomfort in several arrest
	reports, arrests that were, in your
	opinion, "unnecessary."  The fact
	that you are here, that you are not
	rotting in a prison cell, is a mark
	of my respect and admiration for
	you, for your craft, and for what
	you have done for this country.

Finch looks at the ground.

		LEADER
	It is also because I know you,
	Finch.  I know what you are. 
	You're a man like me.  A man who
	understands when they are given a
	job what must be done.  I
	understand you, Finch, and that is
	why I can trust you.

He moves in close to Finch.

		LEADER
	This terrorist knows us, Finch. 
	These attacks are perfectly
	calculated and they are divisive. 
	He knows what he's doing, Finch. 
	He knows us all too well.

		FINCH
	You think he's an insider?

		LEADER
	What I think is that this man must
	be stopped.  Stopped at all costs
	and no one, I repeat, no one is to
	be placed above suspicion.  Do I
	make myself clear?

		FINCH
	Perfectly.

		LEADER
	England prevails, Mr. Finch.

		FINCH
	England prevails.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

Evey, alone in the Shadow Gallery, stares up at the
inscription above the crooked staircase.

		EVEY
	V, v, v, v, v.

		V
	I hear your summons, my lady.  And
	obey.

She jumps, V suddenly appearing behind her.

		EVEY
	Oh, V, you scared me.

She turns back to the carving.

		EVEY
	I was reading the inscription. 
	What is it?

		V
	A Latin quotation.  A motto.  "Vi
	veri veniversum vivus vici."  "By
	the power of truth, I, while
	living, have conquered the
	universe."

She nods.

		EVEY
	Yes, I suppose you have.  This
	place is the only universe I have
	right now.

		V
	Does that bother you?

		EVEY
	I don't know.  I'm so grateful to
	you -- I just feel I should help
	you, you know, the way you're
	helping me.  I mean, that's the
	deal, isn't it?

V drifts over to the big old Wurlitzer, fingers scanning the
song list.

		V
	No deals, Evey.  Not unless you
	want them.

She looks up at the inscription as an old blues song begins
to play.

		EVEY
	I think I do.  Part of me wants to
	stay here forever and never have to
	face what's going on outside.  But
	that's not right.  Is it?  That's
	not taking responsibility.  Not
	conquering my universe.

She turns to him.

		EVEY
	I want to help you, V.  I want to
	do something.  Can we make a deal?

		V
	Yes.  I think we can make a deal if
	you like.  I think I know a way you
	could help me very soon indeed.

Evey smiles nervously.

		EVEY
	Good.  That's that, then.

The blues song curls in the air around them like a heavy
incense.

		EVEY
	V, you said that Latin thing was a
	quote.  Who said it?

		V
	Nobody you'd have heard of.  A
	German gentleman named Dr. John
	Faust.

He spins her.

		V
	He made a deal too.

EXT.  WESTMINSTER ABBEY - DAY

The church doors have opened with the flow of parishioners as
the final mass of the day has ended.

The tide slowly pours out onto the sidewalk, separating
around the clumps of people that conglomerate to network and
gossip.

Church bells toll in the orange dusk above them.

Helen Heyer, a woman whose spite and guile are hidden behind
her looks and clothes she drapes them with, charges into the
gossipers, her trophy husband in tow, a timid looking man
that we recognize as Conrad Heyer.

		CONRAD
	Hello, Rosemary.  Derek, how --

Helen's head snaps over at the mention of the name.

		HELEN
	Derek!

She pushes past Conrad, giving Derek Almond an exuberant kiss
on both cheeks.

		HELEN
	Darling, how are you?  Hello,
	Rosemary.

Always behind her husband, Rosemary Almond smiles nervously
as she straightens her drab church dress.

		ROSEMARY
	Hello.

		DEREK
	It's so good to see you.  Since
	this bloody terrorist business, the
	old man has me literally chained to
	the office.

Helen pouts at him.

		HELEN
	Oh, you poor dear.

Derek taps the bottom of his cigarette box, drawing one with
his lips.

		DEREK
	It comes with the job.  How are
	things in the Eye, Conrad?

		CONRAD
	Well, we've been working some bugs
	out of the new Mark IX fiber optic
	network, actually --

		HELEN
	Oh, Conrad, don't be such a bloody
	bore.  Do tell us about the
	terrorist, Derek.  Is it true he
	blew up Big Ben and the old Bailey?

		DEREK
	I'm afraid so.  We're dealing with
	a pathological psychotic in the
	most extreme case.  We'll catch him
	though.  I promise.

Helen rubs her white sable against her body.

		HELEN
	Oh, it sounds dreadfully exciting. 
	Aren't you glad you've got such a
	ruthless, implacable brute for a
	husband, Rosemary?

		ROSEMARY
	Yes, well --

		HELEN
	Believe me, you're lucky.  You
	could be struck with a professional
	peeping tom like Conrad.  England's
	highest paid voyeur, aren't you
	darling?

		CONRAD
	Helen, I think we'd better --

		HELEN
	Oh yes, of course.  We have to get
	back so the little pervert can
	watch what the neighbors do after
	Sunday lunch.  He's so exciting.

Derek laughs as they climb into their car.

		HELEN
	Ciao!

		DEREK
	Goodbye, Helen.  Conrad.

Rosemary waves as it pulls off.

		ROSEMARY
	She's a bit hard on him, isn't she?

Derek sneers at her.

		DEREK
	Until you're half the woman of
	Helen's sophistication, I'd keep
	your little mouth shut.

He throws the cigarette at her feet.

		DEREK
	Really, just look at the way you
	dress.

INT.  WESTMINSTER ABBEY

From above, a hand sweeps aside the red plush curtain.

		LILLIMAN
	Ah, there they go.  My happy and
	contented flock.  Spiritually
	refreshed and ready to face the
	world again.

Bishop Anthony Lilliman is a slender man of pious elegance
with a warm, beautiful smile.

He turns from the window to his valet, Dennis, as Derek and
Rosemary get in their car.

		LILLIMAN
	Did you enjoy the sermon today,
	Dennis?

		DENNIS
	Very inspiring, your grace.  Though
	the segue of the forces of Satan
	among us did strike me as a bit of
	a curious digression.

He whisks a lint brush over the Bishop's robes before putting
them away.

		LILLIMAN
	Hmm, yes.  A trifle purple, I
	thought.  Still, Fate wanted it
	included and who are we to question
	the will of the almighty, miserable
	sinners that we are?

A gentle smile spreads across his mouth.

		LILLIMAN
	And speaking of sin, I wonder which
	of the seven deadlies the good lord
	will see fit to tempt me with
	today.

Dennis finishes with the Bishop's robes and sweeps the closet
door shut.

		DENNIS
	Perhaps pride, your grace.

Lilliman chuckles.

		LILLIMAN
	I was thinking of something a
	little less ethereal.  Has the
	young lady arrived?

		DENNIS
	The agency informed me she'll be
	here directly.  However, there was
	a mixup.  It's not one of the usual
	girls.  She's a little older.

		LILLIMAN
	Oh dear.  Oh dear.  Not too old, I
	trust?

		DENNIS
	They promise me she's no more than
	fifteen.

		LILLIMAN
	Fifteen, hmm.

The Bishop rubs his cheek, ponderously.

		LILLIMAN
	Ah well, if Job could bear his
	disappointments, I suppose I must
	have the good grace to bear mine. 
	Show her in when she arrives.

		DENNIS
	Yes, your grace.

EXT.  WESTMINSTER ABBEY - NIGHT

A pair of headlights melt through the heavy night's fog as a
taxicab pulls into the circle drive.

INT.  BISHOP'S QUARTERS

Dennis peers into the Bishop's living quarters.

		DENNIS
	The young lady, your grace.

		LILLIMAN
	Oh my!

Standing next to Dennis is Evey, wearing a frilly pink summer
dress, pigtails and bows and white ruffled socks.

		LILLIMAN
	And to think I doubted your
	loveliness for even an instant. 
	Mea culpa, my child, mea culpa. 
	You are a vision.  An angel.

Evey smiles awkwardly.

		EVEY
	Uh... thank you.

EXT.  WESTMINSTER ABBEY - NIGHT

A shadow begins moving across the manicured grounds borne on
the thick mist like a dark phantom.  V glides toward the
rectory, cloak undulating against the dark, wet wind.

INT.  BISHOP'S BEDROOM

It is extravagantly furnished, somewhere between posh and
pimp.  The Bishop is sitting very close to Evey on his plush
water bed.

		LILLIMAN
	Of course, "hate the sin, love the
	sinner."  I always say.  Take your
	dress off, please.

Evey stammers, backing up along the bedside.

		EVEY
	Listen -- I was kind of hoping --

He paws at her, groping hands pushing the front of her dress
down as she backs up against the nightstand.

		EVEY
	No --

EXT.  MAIN GATE - NIGHT

The guards look out into the night, fear suddenly gripping
their faces.

V emerges demonically through the parting veils of fog, the
white smiling mask bobbing eerily up and down as he rushes
them.

A cigarette drops from the first guard's mouth, red embers
exploding when it hits the wet cement.

Close as the two guards claw for their arms and the white hot
flash of V's knives --

That slice like talons.

The two men crumple to the ground, clutching their gaping,
gurgling wounds.  A whisper.  V sprints into the courtyard.

INT.  BISHOP'S BEDROOM

Evey grabs a metal table lamp and swings it down on the
Bishop's head.  There is a shuddering clank and he collapses
to the floor.

		LILLIMAN
	You -- You filthy whore!

His blood speckles the white bearskin throw rug as the Bishop
slowly rises after the retreating Evey.

		LILLIMAN
	I'll kill you, you fucking sow.

He charges after her but freezes dead in his tracks as V
swings around the corner in front of him.

		LILLIMAN
	What's this?  Who --

		V
	Please allow me to introduce
	myself...

V bows.

		V
	I'm a man of wealth and taste.

		LILLIMAN
	Dennis?

Instantly, the point of one of V's knives is against the
Bishop's throat.  V presses a finger to his frozen smile.

		V
	Shh.  It isn't polite to disturb
	the dead on their journey.

Evey watches from around the corner.

		V
	A courtesy I'll most respectfully
	extend to his grace.

		EVEY
	V?

Lilliman swallows audibly.

		EVEY
	V, what are you doing?

		V
	Vi veri veniversum vivus vici,
	Evey.

Evey looks down at the knives on his belt, dripping blood.

		EVEY
	Oh no.

She begins backing to the door.

		EVEY
	You can't kill him!

		V
	Death has followed his grace the
	whole of his career.  Is it any
	coincidence it has finally followed
	him here?

		EVEY
	Oh god, V.  I can't -- I can't --

V turns back to Lilliman as Evey runs.

		V
	Let us pray.

EXT.  WESTMINSTER ABBEY - NIGHT

Evey sprints past the dead guards at the man gate and into
the fog.

INT.  THE EAR

A cramped control room that looks like something between a
radio and television switching room, though it does not
broadcast.  It receives.

Two operators sit at the main substation as the sounds of
lovemaking come over the speakers.  The moans are stifled and
low, however, as if they were afraid someone was listening.

		OPERATOR 1
	Bloody hell.  Doesn't anybody fuck
	with feeling anymore?

Operator 2 does not look at him, scrolling through an
intricate city map on his computer.

		OPERATOR 2
	Hey, it's Sunday.  Children's hour
	over at the Abbey.

		OPERATOR 1
	Let's see what that filthy old
	pervert is up to.

Operator 1 punches in some coordinates and the sound over the
speakers changes to a garbled fart of noise.  Two voices
drown beneath a cacophony of classical music.

		OPERATOR 1
	What the --

He tries to dial out the background and suddenly the voices
rise clearly above the din.

		VOICE 1
	... And I saw a black shape against
	the flames.  Oh god.  It's you. 
	The man from room five.  You've
	come --

		VOICE 2
	To collect what's mine.

		VOICE 1
	I beg you!  I don't want to die! 
	Please have mercy!

The two men look at each other, Operator 1 lunging for a red
phone.

		OPERATOR 1
	Get me the Finger.  This is an
	emergency!

EXT.  BISHOP'S QUARTERS - NIGHT

Close on a stain of white vomit and blood on the thick pile
of a Persian rug.  It is encircled in police chalk.

Pull back to reveal the chalk outline where the body of
Bishop Lilliman was found.  The circled bloodstain floats
above the head like the last word balloon of a crude comic
strip character.

The Bishop's quarters is slowly being picked over by a
forensic team from the Nose.  A photographer's flash bursts
against a painted "V" on the wall near the body outline.

At the window, Finch chews on his pipe, staring at a plastic
evidence bag that contains a single violet carson rose.

		DOMINIC
	No prints yet, sir.  Just like
	Prothero.

		FINCH
	I want those tapes from the Ear in
	my office tonight, Dominic.

		DOMINIC
	Yes, sir.  They're on top of it.

Finch turns to a muscular man named Creedy, second in command
at the Finger.

		FINCH
	Any word from your superior, Mr.
	Creedy?

		CREEDY
	Mr. Almond doesn't seem to be
	answering his page, sir.  I'm sure
	he's in the field.

		FINCH
	Quite.

INT.  CONRAD HEYER'S BEDROOM

Grunting like an animal, Derek's face is frozen, locked in
the rigor of a violent orgasm.  After a moment, he collapses
beside Helen onto the sweat soaked sheets.

		HELEN
	There you go, baby.  Now my baby
	boy can think so much clearer. 
	Can't he?

She grabs her cigarette case and her lighter.

		HELEN
	You have been thinking, haven't
	you?

She straddles his chest then lights two cigarettes.

		HELEN
	I know you have.  Ever since this
	terrorist appeared.

He smiles as she puts one of the cigarettes in his mouth.

		HELEN
	Oh jesus, that smile.  That smile
	turns me on like nothing else.

She whispers in his ear.

		HELEN
	Tell me.  Tell me what's going on
	in that ruthless sadistic brain of
	yours.

		DEREK
	Everyone is so worried about the
	terrorist.  Especially Susan.  You
	know why?  Because nobody knows
	what he's going to do.

He exhales through his grinding teeth.

		DEREK
	If I were him, I know what I'd do.

He whispers.

		DEREK
	I'd blow that fat bastard to
	kingdom come.

Helen bolts up.

		HELEN
	No.  You're kidding.

		DEREK
	Am I?

He smiles, blowing more smoke.

		DEREK
	There's an old train line under the
	New Government Building.  It
	collapsed when they poured the
	foundation.  You could haul in
	enough TNT to launch our Leader's
	ass all the way to the moon.

Helen's eyes gleam as he laughs.

		HELEN
	You're serious, aren't you?

He eyes her sucking on the cigarette.

		DEREK
	You need to be careful, Helen. 
	Your mouth is going to get you into
	trouble one day.

		HELEN
	Is that the same trouble you love
	putting in my mouth?

		DEREK
	You never know who might be
	listening.

		 HELEN
	I know, Derek.  You love your
	country and you love your party,
	just like you love your wife.

He glares at her.

		HELEN
	Derek.  I'm sorry.  I know I can be
	a bitch.  But that's why you're
	here, isn't it?

He smiles again and she presses her body to his.

		HELEN
	This is it, isn't it, Derek?  What
	we've been waiting for.  At last,
	you'll be rid of Susan.  I'll be
	rid of Conrad.  And we'll be free. 
	Free, won't we?

His eyes close as he grinds his hips into hers and we rise,
drifting up to the ceiling light fixture --

Where we see a tiny hidden microphone.

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE - THE NOSE

Finch sits at his desk, staring into the silence of his
notepad.  He has doodled a little "V" with a circle around
it.

He looks up as Dominic enters, holding up a portable cassette
player.

		DOMINIC
	Sorry it took so long.  The boys
	had a devil of a time trying to
	filter out the background noise.

		FINCH
	Background noise?

		DOMINIC
	The perpetrator apparently turned
	on the Bishop's stereo. 
	Subsequently, a great deal of the
	tape is useless.

He hands the player to Finch.

		FINCH
	What music did he play?

		DOMINIC
	Beethoven.  The fifth, I believe.

Finch smiles.

		FINCH
	Da, da, da, dum.  That's code. 
	Morse code.

		DOMINIC
	Sir?

		FINCH
	For the letter "V".

Finch punches "play".

Over the small speaker, we sear Evey protesting to V, then
run.  He stops it.

		FINCH
	Anything on the girl yet?

		DOMINIC
	No.  The agency said somebody
	claiming to be Lilliman's valet
	canceled his Sunday appointment.

Finch starts it again and this time the tape is very fuzzy.

		FINCH
	What is it?

		DOMINIC
	23rd Psalm.

We recognize some of the words though muted and crackly.

		TAPE (V.O.)
	Though I walk through the valley of
	the shadow of death...

		DOMINIC
	It goes on like that for a while. 
	Fairly incoherent except we could
	make out a few words in this part. 
	Transubstantiation.

Finch nods, understanding.

		DOMINIC
	That miracle business when the
	wafer transform into the body of
	Christ.

		FINCH
	He made him eat a host.

		DOMINIC
	Yes, listen to this part.

The tape becomes somewhat clearer as the music rests.

		TAPE (V.O.)
	... And at the moment this enters
	your mouth it becomes the flesh of
	the savior?  Yes... please... And
	whatever it is made of now it will
	become the body of Christ?  Yes...
	yes...

They eye each other.

		TAPE (V.O.)
	I want you to swallow it.

		DOMINIC
	There's a couple of funny human
	noises...

		FINCH
	And then just Beethoven's fifth.

He shuts off the tape.

		FINCH
	We have got the initial path report
	back.  The host was full of
	cyanide.

Finch picks up the bag with the violet carson.

		FINCH
	And do you know what?

He rises, sliding into his jacket.

		FINCH
	When it reached his abdomen, it was
	still cyanide.

INT.  MORGUE

Close on the heavy stitching of a "Y" incision sewn into the
chest of a corpse.  It is one of the Bishop's guards.

		DELIA
	Do you have a motive?

Finch is standing next to the cadaver gurney with the
coroner, Delia Surridge.  She is a serious woman, hair wound
tight behind her head in a severe bun.

		DELIA
	I mean, was anything taken?

She fills the dead man's head with cotton and replaces the
top of his skull.

		FINCH
	Just lives.

Pulling at the man's scalp, she stretches it over the
replaced skull piece.

		FINCH
	I know it's too early for your
	profile but do you have any initial
	impressions?

		DELIA
	Well...

She points at a jagged puncture wound at the base of the
man's sternum with a ball point pen.

		DELIA
	He's incredibly powerful.  This
	man's sternum was split like dry
	wood from the base all the way up
	to the manubrium.

Finch peers into the hole.

		DELIA
	And he's resourceful.  On that
	table behind you is a breakdown of
	all the chemicals found in
	Prothero's blood stream.

Finch hefts the pile of computer paper.

		FINCH
	Bloody hell.

		DELIA
	There were hundreds of different
	chemicals in him.  From
	trinitrotoluene to estrogen to
	motor oil.

He flips through the document, biting into the wooden end of
his pipe.

		FINCH
	Perhaps Fate will make something
	more of all this.  I certainly
	can't.

		DELIA
	The Leader finally authorized an
	uplink for you?  He must be getting
	nervous.

		FINCH
	Quite.  Government directed
	terrorism never sews healthy ideas
	into the public.  Oh, that reminds
	me.

Finch pulls the evidence bag from his pocket.

		FINCH
	Can you tell us anything about
	this?

Delia's eyes lock onto the violet carson.

		FINCH
	We found one in the carriage with
	Prothero and this one in the
	Bishop's quarters.  A violet
	carson.

He hands it to her.

		FINCH
	I heard that strain had died off. 
	Thought a botanist might shed some
	light on it.  Delia?

Delia, riveted to the rose, suddenly looks up to him.

		DELIA
	Yes -- Yes, of course.

		FINCH
	Magic.  I'll drop by tomorrow then.

He turns, leaving her with the rose.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

V relaxes with a book in an overstuffed reading chair, a
violet carson rose resting on a table next to him.  He begins
to read a passage aloud.

		V
	"There is more behind and inside of
	V than any of us had suspected. 
	Not who, but what: what is she?"

He places the book down.  Thomas Pynchon's "V".

V rises, lifting the rose and moving into the darkness of the
Shadow Gallery.

EXT.  EMPTY STREET

A small figure moves down the dark wet street, the
cobblestones glistening like black scales.

The huddled figure arcs across the street in the shadows,
avoiding the pools of streetlight.  It is Evey, a frightened
look on her face.

INT.  KITTY KAT KELLER

A woman in combat boots, fishnets, and a tight fitting
soldier's uniform is in the middle of a cheeky number on
stage in this smoky burlesque bar.  It is a popular place
with locals and Fingermen.

Peter Creedy squeezes through the crowd, angling for the back
of the bar where a number of loud Fingermen are drinking.

		CREEDY
	What's all this, then, Harper?  I
	get a radio that a man's down and
	in need of assistance?

		HARPER
	I ain't gone down yet but I sure do
	need some assistance.

Creedy leans in.

		CREEDY
	Are you flat broke already?

They break up in laughter, led by Creedy who sits next to
Harper, pouring himself a drink.

		LOUT
	How'd you sneak away, Creedy? 
	Almond off buggering that blonde
	chippy?

		HARPER
	The one with the tits?

They all begin to hoot and whistle.

		CREEDY
	What I wouldn't give for a piece of
	that.

		LOUT
	She could serve a tray of drinks on
	those thingies.

		HARPER
	I bet you get your chance with her
	sooner than later, Creedy, with the
	way Almond's crackin' up.

		LOUT
	Bloody bugger's losing his marbles.

		HARPER
	Terrorist or no, if that bastard
	gives me another double shift, I'll
	stomp his fucking head.

Creedy raises his drink.

		CREEDY
	Aye.  This nonsense has put a
	serious strain on my drinking.  I
	think I was actually sober today.

		LOUT
	I'll drink to that.

		HARPER
	We need to get a real man of the
	people in that director's position. 
	Like Creedy here.

Everyone cheers in agreement.

		CREEDY
	Well, it's good to know when the
	shit hits the fan who your real
	friends are.

They salute and drink.

INT.  ALMOND HOME

Derek Almond sits hunched under a desk lamp, pumping the
cylinders of his revolver with a wire brush.

Rosemary shuffles up to him, her frumpy gown gathered around
her.

		ROSEMARY
	Derek --

He blows down one of the cylinders, not looking up.

		DEREK
	I don't want to hear it, Rosemary.

		ROSEMARY
	Derek, please!  We can't carry on
	like this.

Derek stares at the gun, rage building.

		ROSEMARY
	You don't talk to me.  You don't
	eat with me.  You don't have sex --

Derek leaps up, slugging her.

Rosemary clatters to the ground in tears.  Derek glowering
over her.

		DEREK
	I don't have to take any crap from
	you!  I have that fat bastard
	riding me all day.  I don't want to
	listen to you, so shut your fat
	gob!

He leans into her face.

		DEREK
	And me not wanting to fuck you is
	obvious.  Take a look at yourself.

He sits back in front of the gun, wiping it down.

		DEREK
	Get out of my sight.  I'm cleaning
	my gun.

INT.  DELIA SURRIDGE'S HOME

Dr. Surridge sits somberly in the dark, street light
filtering in from the open curtains.

Her eyes fixed on the violet carson as she slowly turns it
over in her hands, fingers tracing the soft petals.

After a moment, she stands, letting it fall from her lap.

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE - THE NOSE

Finch turns as Dominic bursts in.

		DOMINIC
	I got it!

		FINCH
	A connection?

Dominic waves a printout.

		DOMINIC
	Larkhill Resettlement Camp. 
	Prothero's and Lilliman's
	employment records show they both
	help positions there at similar
	times.

		FINCH
	What about codename V?

		DOMINIC
	Most of Larkhill's records were
	destroyed for security reasons but
	I did uncover an old standard
	procedures and operations manual.

Dominic smiles.

		DOMINIC
	In special case studies, medical
	research groups used roman numerals
	to identify test inmates.

		FINCH
	Five is the letter V.  Brilliant,
	Dominic.

Finch slides in front of his computer.

		FINCH
	All we need is Larkhill's
	employment records.

INT.  DELIA SURRIDGE'S BEDROOM

The covers pulled protectively up around her, Delia rests in
a light, uneasy sleep.

Suddenly, an eye pops open as she awakens, catching a
familiar scent.  She slowly sits up and inhales.

		DELIA
	Roses.

She closes her eyes.

		DELIA
	It's you, isn't it?  You've come to
	kill me.

From the shadows, V answers.

		V
	Yes.

Tears begin to streak her face.

		DELIA
	Oh thank god.  Thank god.

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE - THE NOSE

Dominic hangs over Finch's shoulder as Larkhill's employment
record comes up.

Finch's mouth falls open.

		FINCH
	Oh my god.

Row after row of names scroll by at the end of each bio are
the words: deceased, file closed.

		FINCH
	Oh bloody hell.

The data banks unfurl like a mass grave.

		DOMINIC
	He's killed them all?  It's not
	possible.

Finch stops, staring at the one name whose file is not
closed --

		FINCH
	Oh no.

Dr. Delia Surridge.

INT.  DELIA SURRIDGE'S BEDROOM

V floats on the edge of the room's shadows, a dark angel.

		V
	Are you afraid?

		DELIA
	No, no.  I thought I would be, but
	I'm not.  I'm --

She looks at the hovering, smiling mask.

		DELIA
	Relieved.

She starts to cry again.

		DELIA
	Oh god, all these years.  All this
	waiting.  And somehow I always knew
	you'd come back.

Delia thinks back.

		DELIA
	When I saw you that night -- the
	night you escaped, you were
	standing against the flames and you
	looked straight at me.

The mask almost nods.

		DELIA
	I knew then that one day you'd come
	looking for me, that you'd find me.

Her voice drops to an almost confessional whisper.

		DELIA
	What -- what happened at Larkhill. 
	What we did -- What I did.  That
	terrible knowledge, it's been with
	me so long.  That I could do things
	like that.

Delia rubs the salty tears from her eyes.

		DELIA
	For years, I blamed it on the
	government, on the authority I
	could never stand up to.  But
	living so long with the knowledge
	of what I did has made me
	understand otherwise.  I alone was
	accountable.

V watches her.

		DELIA
	There is something wrong with us. 
	With all of mankind.  With me. 
	Something evil that made me enjoy
	what I did.  Some hideous flaw.

Her voice almost trails off.

		DELIA
	We deserve to be culled.  We
	deserve it.

INT.  ALMOND BEDROOM

Light sweeps across Rosemary from the opening bedroom door as
she sobs softly in bed.  Derek enters, holding a bottle of
whiskey and his clean gun.

She sits up as Derek looms over her.

		ROSEMARY
	Derek?  What?

He lifts the gun into her bruised face.  Her eyebrows cringe
as he slowly pulls the trigger.

		DEREK
	Bang.

Click.  It is empty.

		DEREK
	Don't worry, Rose.  I didn't load
	it.

The phone rings.

		DEREK
	Not tonight.

He grins evilly at her and answers the bedside phone.

		DEREK
	Almond.  What?!  Where?

Derek's drunk eyes light up.

		DEREK
	Oh god, yes!  God, thank you!

He slams the phone down, charging out of the room.

EXT.  KITTY KAT KELLER

A gaggle of drunks exit the bar, laughing and singing as they
pass a small figure.

INT.  KITTY KAT KELLER

Evey wanders into the bar amidst the lustful screams and cat
calls for the line of high stepping, semi-clothed girls on
stage.

She stares out into the crowd, not sure why she is here when
a man approaches her: Creedy.  His sloppy smile indicates he
has had a few drinks.

		CREEDY
	You look lost.

She looks blankly at him.

		CREEDY
	Can I buy you a drink?

		EVEY
	No... I made a mistake.

She turns for the door.

		EVEY
	I have to find someone.

Creedy frowns as his radio crackles.

		CREEDY
	Well I didn't like the looks of you
	anyway --

		RADIO (V.O.)
	All units, all units.  Code red. 
	Converge in Plaistow to apprehend
	codename V.

		CREEDY
	Bloody hell!

He screams to the Fingermen at the back.

		CREEDY
	It's him!  We got him!

Evey watches as they storm out of the bar, then follows.

EXT.  CITY STREET

The emergency lights blaring, Finch's car squeals around a
corner.

INT.  DELIA SURRIDGE'S BEDROOM

V hovers ghostly at Delia's bedside.

		DELIA
	It's funny, I was given one of your
	roses today.  I wasn't sure you
	were the terrorist until I saw it.

She manages a smile.

		DELIA
	What a strange coincidence.  That I
	should be given it today.

		V
	There are no coincidences, Delia. 
	Only the illusion of coincidence.

He reaches into his cloak.

		V
	I have another rose.  This one is
	for you.

He hands it to her.

		DELIA
	Then you are going to kill me now?

V produces an empty syringe.

		V
	I killed you ten minutes ago. 
	While you slept.

		DELIA
	Is there any pain?

V sits on the bed.

		V
	No.  No pain.

		DELIA
	Thank you.

She stares at the mask.

		DELIA
	Can I -- Can I see your face again?

V slowly pulls off his hat and lifts his mask.  Delia stares
into his face.

		DELIA
	It's beautiful...

The rose falls from her hands.

INT.  HALL

V quietly shuts the door as if not to wake her and turns just
as --

Derek Almond reaches the top of the stairs.

		DEREK
	Don't move an inch, you bloody
	bastard.

He trains his gun.

		DEREK
	You didn't hear me arrive, did you? 
	Didn't know we'd rumbled you?

He squints.

		DEREK
	It's all finished, chummy.  All of
	it.  The old man told me it was my
	head or yours and what do you know. 
	It's yours.

The smiling mask stares.

		DEREK
	Because you're standing over there
	with your bloody stupid knives and
	your fancy karate gimmicks --

Derek pulls back the hammer.

		DEREK
	And I've got a gun.

He smiles.

		DEREK
	Bang.

Click.  He never loaded it.

There is an awkward moment of silence, then V moves --

Cloak opening, filling the hall like a black tidal wave that
envelopes Derek.  He chokes a scream as V embraces him,
slipping a knife above his floating rib.

Derek Almond sputters as he claws at V's mask.

		DEREK
	Who -- Who are you?

		V
	Yes, look.  Look and tell me what
	you see.

He rips V's mask off as V thrusts the knife in deeper.

Derek's eyes widen in horror as his life pours out the knife
wound.

		DEREK
	Horrible!  God, it's horrible!

V jerks his blade free, letting Derek slip to the ground.

EXT.  DELIA SURRIDGE'S HOME

Finch's car bucks up onto the sidewalk.

Finch and Dominic tear out of the car and barrel into the
house.

INT.  DELIA SURRIDGE'S HOME

At the top of the stairs, they find the dead Derek.  Finch
rushes past him for the bedroom.

		FINCH
	Delia?

Inside, he finds her.  Her eyes fixed, cold, and dead, a
single violet carson in her lap.

		FINCH
	Get an ambulance.

EXT.  DELIA SURRIDGE'S HOME

Evey rushes around a corner to see a crime scene bathed in
siren light.  She pushes up to the police barricade as the
M.E.'s load a draped body into their van.

		EVEY
	Oh no... V?

She tries to angle around to get a better look when a man in
a brown overcoat grabs her from behind and drags her into the
alley.

INT.  DELIA SURRIDGE'S BEDROOM

From the corner of the room, Finch sits, watching as the
M.E.'s wheel out Delia's body.

Dominic squeezes past the gurney and crosses toward Finch.

		DOMINIC
	I'm sorry, sir.  You knew the
	doctor pretty well?

Finch nods.

		DOMINIC
	We found this on her bureau, sir. 
	It's Dr. Surridge's journal.  It
	covers her years at Larkhill.  It
	might contain the whole story.

Dominic searches for something more to say when Finch does
not answer.

After a moment, Finch looks at the book in Dominic's hand,
then takes it, leafing through the pages.  They flip by, a
breathy sigh, rising to a cold wind.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	May 23rd...

INT.  LARKHILL MEDICAL RESEARCH BLOCK - DAY - FLASHBACK

A younger Dr. Surridge, one by one, administers a series of
injections to her research stock.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	Prothero has hand picked my
	subjects.  Four dozen of them, none
	of which will be any use to me if I
	don't get to work soon.

She finishes an injection, Prothero encouraging the next
subject.  We recognize her as the woman Prothero pointed at.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	They're so weak and pathetic I find
	myself hating them.

Delia prepares the next dose, a sour look on her face.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	They don't fight or struggle.  Just
	stare at you with weak eyes.

		PROTHERO
	Next.

INT.  LARKHILL OVENS - DAY - FLASHBACK

Two inmate orderlies are hefting sacked cadavers from a cart
into an incinerator.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	June 9th: Of the original four
	dozen, over 75% are now deceased. 
	Strangely, no clear patterns have
	emerged as of yet.

Another body thuds onto the pile.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	Batch 5 seems to have no common
	discernible effect on any specific
	group though the men seem slightly
	more resilient than the women.

When it is full, they move to the next door until the cart is
empty.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	I'm hoping the survivors will
	provide more answers or my time
	here will have gone to waste.

Red heat suddenly glows from the oven vents as the orderly
throws a series of switches.

INT.  LARKHILL MEDICAL RESEARCH BLOCK - DAY - FLASHBACK

Dr. Surridge moves down the drab aseptic hallway accompanied
by an armed guard.  Roman numerals on the doors to each cell
ascend to five.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	June 18: And only five left now. 
	Two men and three women.  Which
	tends to contradict my entry on the
	9th.

She pauses at room five.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	The man in room five is a
	fascinating case.

She looks through the small chicken wire glass window in the
door.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	Physically, there doesn't seem to
	be anything wrong with him.  No
	cellular anomalies, nothing.

In the back, just on the edge of the room's shadow, sits the
man in room five, silently staring back.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	Batch five, however, seems to have
	brought on some kind of psychotic
	breakdown.  He's quite insane.

Dr. Surridge can't seem to break her stare.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	He has this way of looking through
	you.  Reverend Lilliman won't go
	near him.  He claims that it is the
	devil in room five.  I see him
	cross himself whenever he passes
	his door.  Still, there's something
	about him...

EXT.  LARKHILL GARDEN - DAY - FLASHBACK

Dr. Surridge slowly moves through the Larkhill garden, an
incredible abundance of fruits, vegetables and violet carson
roses.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	I'm glad Prothero let room five
	have a go at the gardening project. 
	He is quite proficient.  Prothero
	was reluctant to allow an inmate
	access to the tool and chemical
	supply at first but now the fat
	toad is delighted.  The crop has
	almost doubled.

She traces the petals of a rose with her finger.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	He also grows roses.  Beautiful
	roses.

INT.  LARKHILL LOUNGE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Dr. Surridge and several other Larkhill appointees relax
after dinner.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	December 24th: I was in the mess. 
	It was about half past ten when we
	heard the first explosion.

A massive explosion shakes the building to its very core, its
windows shattering and hooded pendulum lights swinging.

EXT.  LARKHILL LOUNGE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Men and women clutch at their throats as they tumble out into
the yard.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	The ones at the front ran straight
	into the gas.  It was horrible.

They drop to the ground, gasping and vomiting.

The back door is kicked open, Dr. Surridge following two
guards.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	A few of us made it out through the
	rear door.  You could hear men
	screaming everywhere.  I hate the
	sound of men screaming.

She looks out, men running, collapsing, dying in a yellow
green haze that seems everywhere.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	In the center of the camp,
	everything was on fire.  Everyone
	running in all directions.  We had
	hardly enough time to get our
	bearings when the ovens exploded.

Another explosion wracks the compound.  The pillar of flame
rises into the black sky, dwarfing the men in the camp.

Dr. Surridge sees a gaping hole in the medical block, its
insides turned out like an unholy birth.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	It was the man in room rive.  I
	couldn't have known.  The chemical
	supplies, grease solvents, ammonia,
	fertilizer.  He'd been making
	things with them.

Close on a soldier, doubled over, hacking up bile.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	Mustard gas...

A sticky blue fire licks up from a blackened body like a dura
flame.

		DELIA
	And napalm.

Dr. Surridge turns as a silhouette crosses the yard, backlit
by a curtain of fire.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	And in the yard, I saw him.  He had
	the flames behind him.  He was
	naked.

The man stops.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	He looked at me...

Dr. Surridge seems to wilt under his stare but cannot look
away.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	As if I were an insect.  Oh god. 
	As if I were something mounted on a
	slide.

The flames convulse hypnotically behind him.

		DELIA (V.O.)
	He looked at me.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

Finch snaps Dr. Surridge's journal shut.

He sits in front of the Leader's desk puffing on his pipe
while Susan stares coldly.

		FINCH
	That's the last entry until six
	months later when Dr. Surridge is
	back in London.  There is no
	mention of the man in room five
	again.  End of story.

He tosses the journal on Susan's desk.

		FINCH
	Except that it wasn't the end of
	the story.

Finch rises, crossing to the wastebasket.

		FINCH
	Between 2009 and 2012, over forty
	men and women who were previously
	stationed at Larkhill met with what
	were believed to be accidental
	deaths.  Eventually, only three
	remained.

He taps his pipe into his hand, pouring the contents into the
wastebasket.

		FINCH
	The three he'd been saving until
	last.

Finch brushes the ashes from his hands and begins repacking
his pipe.

		FINCH
	Everyone who worked at Larkhill. 
	Everyone who could have identified
	him.  You see there are two
	possible motives here.  Not one.

Susan raises his head.

		FINCH
	The first is revenge.  He escapes
	from Larkhill and vows to get even
	with his tormentors.  The whole
	exercise an elaborate, chilling
	vendetta.

When he finishes repacking the pipe, he replaces it in his
mouth.

		FINCH
	That's the explanation that I find
	most reassuring, funnily enough. 
	Because that means he's finished. 
	It's over now.

Finch begins relighting his pipe.

		FINCH
	The second motive is more sinister. 
	Like I said, everyone who could
	have identified him is dead.

A flame leaps into the air.

		FINCH
	What if he's just been clearing the
	ground?

Another burst.

		FINCH
	What if he's planning something
	else?

The lighter slips back into his pocket.

		FINCH
	You see, the diary we found was in
	full view.  We didn't have to
	search for it.  He left it there. 
	He wanted us to find it.  He wanted
	us to know the story.  Or...

Finch returns to his chair, letting out a huge cloud.

		FINCH
	For all we know, the diary could be
	a complete and utter fake. 
	Codename V could have written it
	himself.

Finch leans forward.

		FINCH
	He's playing games with us.  He
	might never have been at Larkhill
	at all.  Do you see?  It could all
	be another smoke screen, a false
	trail, another cover story --

		LEADER
	Enough!

Susan punches the desk.

		LEADER
	Mr. Finch, would you please explain
	to me the nature of this meeting?! 
	Because I was under the impression
	that you had some information about
	the terrorist, codename V!

And punches it again until his fist hurts.

		LEADER
	No more questions, understand!  I
	want answers!  I am not interested
	in where he grew up, what kind of
	flowers he likes or his favorite
	color!

Susan's collar chokes his face to an unnatural crimson.

		LEADER
	Do I make myself clear?

		FINCH
	Yes, Leader.

After a moment, Finch stands, Susan hanging on his last word.

		LEADER
	Dismissed.  England prevails, Mr.
	Finch.

Finch turns, Susan calling after him as he leaves.

		LEADER
	Mr. Finch, the girl.  Do you have
	anything on the girl?

Finch pauses at the door.

		FINCH
	No, Leader.  Not yet.

INT.  CELL

Evey stirs as voices drift in from the hall outside her door.

		MAN
	Wake up, cow.

Three guards are silhouetted in the doorway of a cramped jail
cell.  Still sluggish from the chloroform, Evey looks down at
the coarse slipover she's now wearing.

One of the men, Rossiter, crosses toward Evey, swinging a
pair of shackles.  He grabs Evey, slamming her face down into
the hard cot, driving a knee between her shoulder blades.

Evey screams.

		GUARD 1
	Tsk.  This pathetic whore is the
	famous Miss Hammond?

The shackles bite down on her wrists as they laugh in the
hall.

		EVEY
	You've made a mistake.

Rossiter stands her up, shoving her into the wall.

		ROSSITER
	Shut up.

		EVEY
	Please.  I haven't done anything --

He slides a thick hood over her head.

		ROSSITER
	I said shut your hole!

INT.  INTERROGATION ROOM

The hood is lifted from her head.  Evey squints hard, awash
in a blinding, burning light.

A man sits, unmoving, at a desk across from her, a guard at
his side, both backlit by a harsh white kliegs.

Evey's eyes start to water as she blinks.

		INTERROGATOR
	Do you know why you're here.  Evey
	Hammond?

		EVEY
	No, please, I didn't do anything.

		INTERROGATOR
	Allow me to be more precise.  Did
	you participate in the murder of
	Dr. Delia Surridge?

		EVEY
	No.

		INTERROGATOR
	Did you participate in the murder
	of Derek Almond, director of the
	Finger?

		EVEY
	No, I --

		INTERROGATOR
	Did you participate in the murder
	of Bishop Anthony Lilliman?

		EVEY
	Oh god, I don't --

		INTERROGATOR
	Have you ever participated in a
	terrorist act against your country?

		EVEY
	No --

		INTERROGATOR
	What is the identity of codename V?

		EVEY
	I don't know.

		INTERROGATOR
	You are a lying cunt.

A monitor next to the desk lights up.  From the snowy static,
an image begins to form.

A girl is talking to a man.  She is shoving her hips at him,
propositioning him.  When more men appear from the alley,
Evey realizes she is watching herself.

		EVEY
	They were going to rape me, kill
	me --

Rossiter grabs a handful of her hair.

		ROSSITER
	Shut up.

She swallows hard when she sees V emerge on the screen.  The
image freezes on his smiling face.

		INTERROGATOR
	This board will not tolerate any
	more of your lies, Miss Hammond. 
	We have over 120 minutes of audio
	and videotape and 75 pages of
	testimonials from eye witness that
	identify you as an accomplice to
	the terrorist, codename V.

The monitor blinks off.

		INTERROGATOR
	Do you want to know why you're
	here?  You are formally being
	brought up on charges of murder on
	fourteen counts and sedition
	against your Leader and country
	which brings an automatic sentence
	of death.

		EVEY
	Please.  I didn't do anything.

		INTERROGATOR
	Process the prisoner and return her
	to her cell until she is more
	cooperative.

Rossiter slips the hood back over Evey's head.

INT.  PROCESSING ROOM

Evey cries as a rough hand runs a pair of electric clippers
over her head.  Huge sheaves of her hair fall to the ground.

				     DISSOLVE TO:

INT.  CELL

Evey lies crumpled on the hard floor, unmoving, as a tray of
food is slid through a slot at the bottom of the door.

She watches as a rat crosses from a hole in the wall,
sniffing the murky rendered gelatin in the wooden bowl.

				     DISSOLVE TO:

INT.  PROCESSING ROOM

Evey hangs limply from a set of manacles as she is washed and
deloused by heavy hands.

She coughs in the yellow bug powder cloud as it burns her
eyes and the red welts on her back.

				     DISSOLVE TO:

INT.  CELL

Evey is curled up on the cot like a dry fetus, now gaunt arms
wrapped around her legs.  She blinks when she hears something
moving in the rat hole.

Evey raises her head as something is pushed through the
crevice.

Tentative fingers search the hole, pulling out a length of
toilet paper.  Over every inch of it is a delicately scrawled
message.

We move into the rathole, its edges slowly filling the frame
until black.

EXT.  INTERROGATION ROOM

Pull back from a shadow, the outline of the interrogator's
silhouette against sharp light coming into frame.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I read her letter.  Hid it.  Slept. 
	Woke.  They questioned me.  And I
	read her letter again.

Rossiter is buckling Evey's thin arms and legs into a chair. 
Her now frail frame can barely hold up the frayed brown
slipover.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Over and over...

On the table in front of her, there is a large wash basin of
water.  Rossiter dunks her head into it.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Her name was Valerie.

INT.  CLASSROOM - DAY - FLASHBACK

A teacher reads from her lesson plan in front of rows and
rows of uniformed pubescences in this all girl private
school.  Her voice drones on and on like Muzak.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	I was born in a rainy burg in
	Nottingham in 1975.  I passed my
	eleven plus and went to girl's
	grammar.

A blonde tomboy sneaks a smile to her curly haired friend
next to her.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	I met my first girlfriend at
	school.  Her name was Sara.  Her
	wrists.  Her wrists were beautiful.

Her hand slides across the desk, fingers tickling the young
flesh of Sara's wrist.

The teacher's voice slows, dropping octaves, becoming --

INT.  BIOLOGY LAB - DAY - FLASHBACK

A man's voice.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	I sat in biology class staring at
	the pickled rabbit fetus while Mr.
	Herd said it was an adolescent
	phase that people outgrew.

Valerie looks at Sara across the room, her head down in
shame.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	Sara did.  I didn't.

INT.  LIVING ROOM - DAY - FLASHBACK

Two teenage girls stand in front of a middle aged couple. 
They are holding hands.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	In 1994, I stopped pretending and
	took a girl called Christine home
	to meet my parents.

The greying woman repeats the sign of the cross over and
over, sobbing into a handkerchief.  Her husband's face is
contorted in disgust.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	A week later I moved to London to
	go to college and study drama.  My
	mother said I broke her heart.

EXT.  PARK - DAY - FLASHBACK

Two young women cuddle on a park bench under a London summer
sky, feeding the pigeons.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	But it was my integrity that was
	important.  Is that so selfish?  It
	sells for so little but it's all we
	have left in this place...

The black haired girl nibbles on the blonde's ear.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	It is the very last inch of us...

INT.  INTERROGATION ROOM

Evey struggles against Rossiter's weight who keeps her head
submerged.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	But within that inch we are free.

		INTERROGATOR
	Enough.

Rossiter wrenches back and Evey sucks hard for air, coughing
out water.

		INTERROGATOR
	Now Miss Hammond, let us review the
	facts.

Evey stares at him, eyes red, heart pounding in her ears.

		INTERROGATOR
	You work for codename V.  Codename
	V killed Delia Surridge and then
	Derek Almond with your help and
	that is why you were found outside
	her home.

Evey begins to shake her head, water sluicing off her thin
face.

		INTERROGATOR
	Isn't that what happened, Miss
	Hammond?

		EVEY
	No.  No, that isn't true --

		INTERROGATOR
	Oh dear, Rossiter?

Rossiter grabs Evey's neck --

		EVEY
	No, wait!

Plunging her head into the bowl.  Water fills Evey's nose and
ears.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	London.  I was happy in London.

INT.  THEATRE - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

The packed house watches as a Prince kneels before a woman's
bare foot with a slipper of glass.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	I played Dandini in Cinderella.

The woman glances into the dark sea of faces.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	The world was strange and rustling
	with invisible crowds behind the
	hot lights and all that breathless
	glamour.

EXT.  MEADOW - DAY - FLASHBACK

Two women weep in each other's arms, embracing in a perfect
knee high meadow.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	Work improved.  I got small film
	roles, then bigger ones.

The blonde woman brushes away a tear from the other's cheek.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	In 2006, I starred in "The Salt
	Flats."  That's where I met Ruth. 
	We fell in love.

We pull back and see we are on location for a movie and the
two women are being filmed.

INT.  CONDO - NIGHT - FLASHBACK

Ruth and Valerie sit on the couch watching television.  On
the table behind them is a bouquet of violet carson roses.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	Every Valentine's Day she sent me
	roses and, oh god, we had so much. 
	Those were the best three years of
	my life.

The two women stare at the newscast in tears, the sound of
marching coming from the set's speakers.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	In 2010, they came.

EXT.  LONDON STREET - DAY - FLASHBACK

The sound of marching explodes as columns of men in brown
uniforms and jack boots fill the streets.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	And after that there were no more
	roses...

INT.  INTERROGATION ROOM

Rossiter presses his elbow onto Evey's neck, holding her
submerged.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	Not for anybody.

Rossiter lets Evey up.  Her red burnt lungs gulp at the air.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	After the takeover, they started
	rounding up the gays.  They took
	Ruth while she was out looking for
	food.

Evey blinks hard, black fireworks exploding in her eyes.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	Why are they so frightened of us?

She wheezes, on the edge of unconsciousness.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	They burned her face with
	cigarettes and made her give them
	my name.  She signed a statement
	saying I'd seduced her.

The interrogator's voice melts into a slag heap of sound with
the hot, rhythmic pounding in her ears.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	I didn't blame her.  God, I loved
	her but I didn't blame her.

Rossiter uncuffs Evey, slipping the black bag over her head.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	But she did.

Evey's knees buckle as he forces her to stand.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	She killed herself in her cell. 
	She couldn't live with betraying
	me, with giving up that last inch. 
	Oh, Ruth.

Evey weaves down the hall.  Rossiter shoving her from behind.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	They came for me.  They shaved off
	my hair.  They held my head down a
	toilet and told lesbian jokes. 
	They brought me here and pumped me
	full of chemicals.

The cell door swings open.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	I can't feel my tongue.  I can't
	speak.

Rossiter yanks the hood from her head and pushes her in.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	It is strange that my life should
	end in such a terrible place but
	for three years I had roses and
	apologized to nobody.

The iron door slams shut, lock ringing in the stale air.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	I shall die here.  Every inch of me
	shall perish...

Evey rolls to her knees.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	Except one.

She crawls for the rat hole.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	An inch.  It is small and fragile
	and it's the only thing in the
	world that's worth having.

Her shaking hand pulls the letter from the stone crevice.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	We must never lose it or sell it or
	give it away.  We must never let
	them take it from us.

Evey clutches it like a rosary as she begins to cry.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	I don't know who you are but I hope
	you escape this place.  I hope that
	the world turns and things get
	better and that one day people have
	roses again.

She holds the note to her face, her tears soaking into the
fragile paper.

		VALERIE (V.O.)
	I don't know who you are but I love
	you.  I love you.  Valerie.

Slowly, Evey slips away, succumbing to blackness.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I had come to know every inch of
	those four walls in that dark hell
	and they knew every inch of me. 
	Every inch...

INT.  INTERROGATION ROOM

Loud lights blare against Evey's solemn face.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Except one.

A typed document sits on a small tray table in front of her.

		INTERROGATOR
	"My name is Evey Hammond.  On the
	5th of November 2019, I was
	abducted by the terrorist known as
	codename V and then taken against
	my will to an unknown location."

Rossiter hovers just behind her as the Interrogator reads her
confession.

		INTERROGATOR
	"Once there, I was systematically
	brainwashed by means physical and
	psychological.  I was frequently
	subjected to sexual abuse during
	this period."

Evey's expression is unchanging.

		INTERROGATOR
	"Eventually I was terrorized into
	helping him commit the murders of
	Derek Almond, Dr. Delia Surridge,
	and Anthony Lilliman, Bishop of
	Westminster."

Rossiter drops a pen on the table.

		INTERROGATOR
	"I, the undersigned, swear that the
	above statement is genuine and that
	it was not signed by means of
	intimidation."

The pen slowly rocks to a stop.

		INTERROGATOR
	We'd like you to sign that for us,
	Miss Hammond.  Where we've put the
	little cross.

She blinks.

		EVEY
	No.

		INTERROGATOR
	As you wish.

Rossiter begins unbuckling Evey's restraints.

		INTERROGATOR
	Escort Miss Hammond back to her
	cell, Rossiter, where she will wait
	while you arrange a wet detail of
	six men.

He forces Evey to her feet.

		INTERROGATOR
	Then take her out behind the
	chemical sheds and shoot her.

INT.  CELL

The door opens behind Evey as she rereads Valerie's letter
for the last time.

		ROSSITER
	It's time, unless you want to
	change your mind.

She holds the tattered piece of toilet paper to her chest.

		ROSSITER
	Sign that statement.  You could be
	out inside three years.  Perhaps
	they'd find you a job with the
	Finger.

Evey closes her eyes.

		EVEY
	Thank you but I'd rather die behind
	the chemical sheds.

Her last words hang in the air.

		ROSSITER
	Then there's nothing left to
	threaten you with, is there?  You
	are free.

He turns and leaves.

		EVEY
	What?

She listens as his footsteps fade down the hall, the door
hanging weirdly open.

Evey takes a few tentative steps toward the door and sticks
her head out into the empty hall, peering down both ways.

Slowly, she emerges from her cell, retracing her path down
the hall that her blindfold never allowed her to see.

Quietly inching along the wall, Evey peeks around a corner,
gasping at the rigid guard standing off to the side.  There
is something about the man's frozen stare that keeps her from
running.

Evey straightens and crosses to the guard.

It is a mannequin.

She touches him, the wheeled platform he is mounted on
rolling back against the wall.

INT.  INTERROGATION ROOM

The door creaks open as Evey enters the room where for so
long she was questioned and tortured.

She crosses to the frozen Interrogator sitting at his desk.

Her finger brushes lightly against the plastic hand, then
Evey raps a knuckle on his hollow wooden head.  Around his
neck a small speaker hangs from a cord.

Evey drifts uneasily into a back room where a discarded
prison guard's uniform hangs on a rack.  On a table next to a
wig and pair of gloves, the rat looks up at her through the
bars of its tiny cage.

She moves through another door, the wind suddenly knocked
from her chest as she finally sees where her prison was
built --

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

V steps from the shadows.

		V
	Welcome home, Evey.

		EVEY
	You...

Her mouth hangs open.

		EVEY
	You did this... to me.

Evey's rail thin figure begins to shake.

		EVEY
	You did this to me!

She stumbles against the wall, unable to support herself.

		EVEY
	You -- You hit me and -- and cut my
	hair.  It was you.  It was just you
	all this time.

She doubles over, covering her face as she bursts into tears.

		EVEY
	You tortured me.  You tortured me --

Evey looks up at him, body shivering as he quietly glides
toward her.

		EVEY
	Oh god, why?

		V
	Because I love you, Evey.  Because
	I wanted to set you free.

		EVEY
	Love?

A look of horror twists her starved face.

		EVEY
	Set me free?  Don't you realize?

Slender fingers ball into fists.

		EVEY
	Don't you realize what you did to
	me?  You nearly drove me mad!

Disgust and anger light up her eyes.

		EVEY
	I hate you.

Her little, wiry body coils tight as she circles him.

		EVEY
	I hate you!  Set me free?  You put
	me in a prison to set me free?!

		V
	You were already in a prison. 
	You've been in a prison all your
	life.

		EVEY
	Shut up!  I don't want to hear it. 
	I wasn't in a prison.  I was happy! 
	I was happy here --

		V
	Happiness is the most insidious
	prison of all, Evey.

		EVEY
	That's warped!  That's evil and
	it's wrong!  What gives you the
	right to judge?  Who are you to say
	what's not good enough?!

		V
	You were born in a prison, Evey.  I
	didn't put you there.  I just
	showed you the bars.  You've been
	in a prison so long, you no longer
	believe there's an outside world.

She wheels away from him, covering her ears, trying to get
away from his voice.

		EVEY
	Shut up!  You're mad!  I don't want
	to hear it!

		V
	That's because you're afraid, Evey. 
	You're afraid because you can feel
	freedom closing in on you.  You're
	afraid because freedom is
	terrifying.

Evey falls, stumbling through the labyrinth of the Shadow
Gallery.

		EVEY
	I can't feel anything!  There's
	nothing left to feel!  Don't you
	understand?

		V
	Don't back away from it, Evey. 
	Part of you understands the truth
	even as part pretends not to.

She collapses, head pounding.

		V
	Woman, this is the most important
	moment in your life.  Don't run
	from it.

		EVEY
	I don't know what -- Oh god -- I
	can't breathe --

V couches next to her.

		V
	Good.  You're almost there.  Go
	closer.  Feel the shape of it.

		EVEY
	What are you doing to me?  I can't
	breathe --

		V
	You were in a cell.  They offered
	you a choice between the death of
	your principles and the death of
	your body.

He cradles her as she hyperventilates, tears streaming down
her face.

		EVEY
	I feel -- I feel like I'm going to
	burst.

		V
	You said you'd rather die.  You
	faced the fear of your own death
	and you were calm.  Try to feel now
	what you felt then.

		EVEY
	Oh god -- I felt --

The mask hovers over her.

		EVEY
	Like an angel --

He squeezes her shuddering body.

		EVEY
	Oh god, V, I'm so scared.  What's
	happening to me?

		V
	The door of the cage is open, Evey. 
	All that you feel is the wind from
	outside.  Don't be afraid.

Gently, he lifts her.

		V
	Try to walk.  The lift will take us
	to the roof.

		EVEY
	The roof?  Outside?

He helps her to an open elevator.

		EVEY
	I -- I don't want to be
	blindfolded.

		V
	No, Evey.  No more blindfolds.

The cage in the elevator rattles shut.

EXT.  ROOF - NIGHT

The two figures stand in the door of the roof access, a
raging tempest oozing from a split sky.

Something draws Evey out into the storm.

Slowly, she walks beneath it, the wind and rain pounding
against her thin frame.  Evey lets the coarse slipover fall
to the ground and stares straight up into the storm, naked,
the elements soaking into her very being.

V moves up behind her.

		V
	Do you feel it?

		EVEY
	Everything's so -- different.

		V
	I know.  Five years ago, I too
	stared beneath a night like this. 
	Naked under a roaring sky.

A low rumble of thunder washes over London.

		V
	The night is yours, Evey.  Seize
	it.  Encircle it within your arms.

His words buffet against her with the sheets of rain.

		V
	Bury it in your heart up to the
	hilt.

She raises her arms to embrace the raging torrent.

		V
	Become transfixed and
	transfigured -- 
	
A jagged bolt of lightning shatters the sky.

		V
	Forever.

EXT.  NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

Finch gets out of a police car and looks up the black face of
the modern building.  He sighs and taps his pipe against the
heel of his shoe.

		DASCOMBE
	Finch!

Finch turns to find Dascombe hurrying towards him.

		DASCOMBE
	Do you know what this is all about?

		FINCH
	No, but I can guess.

		DASCOMBE
	What?

		FINCH
	"Remember, remember, the fifth of
	November."

		DASCOMBE
	Oh come on.  He's long gone.  He
	has to be.  He did what he came to
	do and it's over.

Finch chews on his pipe.

		DASCOMBE
	Isn't it?

		FINCH
	Not for us.

He turns and heads into the building.

				        FADE OUT.

FADE IN:

EXT.  NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING - DAY

A dark November sky hangs like a shroud over the building.

		LEADER (V.O.)
	A year, gentlemen.

INT.  COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM

The heads of each department are gathered around a table of
black granite.

Peter Creedy, sitting back out of the lights, is the new head
of the Finger.

		LEADER
	I have given you almost a year and
	you have given me nothing. 
	Nothing!

He glares at Finch.

		DASCOMBE
	Now Adam, there is no one better
	than Finch and you know it.

		LEADER
	Yes, Mr. Dascombe, I do know it. 
	It is that very fact that keeps me
	awake at night, wondering if
	perhaps there is a reason that Mr.
	Finch has failed.

		FINCH
	What are you saying?

		LEADER
	I'm saying that perhaps I don't
	know you as well as I thought I
	did.

		FINCH
	Are you asking for my resignation?

		LEADER
	No, I am asking for some goddamn
	results!

		DASCOMBE
	It's not Finch's fault, Adam.

		CONRAD
	We've all been looking.  The man
	simply disappeared.

		ETHERIDGE
	Vanished.

		DASCOMBE
	He's gone, Adam.  It's over.

The Leader trembles like a volcano set to blow.

		LEADER
	It's over, is it?  He's gone. 
	Vanished, you say?

The Leader grabs a large box from the floor and hurls reams
of computer printout across the table.

		LEADER
	Transcripts recorded over the last
	thirty days in which the terrorist
	was talked about or mentioned in a
	positive context.  This is only
	thirty days!

He punches a "play" button and a wall of monitors blink on. 
It is a recording of a television variety show.

A character that is made to look like Adam Susan is giving a
speech.  A woman is dressed like V except that the only thing
she is wearing under her cloak is a garter belt, stockings
and high heels.

V sneaks up behind Susan and yanks his pants down.  Susan is
outraged but when he gives chase he trips over his pants. 
The audience hoots and howls.

The Leader kills the tape.

		LEADER
	Is this what you consider,
	"disappeared?"

		DASCOMBE
	For god's sake, Adam, it's a stupid
	variety show.

		LEADER
	Mr. Creedy, I want the producers,
	writers, and actors of that "stupid
	variety show" arrested and charged
	with sedition.

		CREEDY
	Yes, sir.

		DASCOMBE
	You can't be serious --

		LEADER
	Push me, Roger, push me and you'll
	find out how serious I am.

He stares each of them to silence.

		LEADER
	This, this V is still out there.  I
	can feel him like a sickness
	worming its way into the hearts and
	minds of the public.  Something
	must be done, and done quickly, to
	exorcise this demon for the very
	soul of this country is at stake.

He pauses.

		LEADER
	That is why I am compelled to give
	each and every one of you notice
	that if by the fifth of November
	you are still giving me nothing
	more than excuses, I will have to
	revoke your party status and
	terminate your positions.

Everyone is stunned.

		LEADER
	Mr. Creedy, I will speak with you
	in private.  The rest of you are
	dismissed.  England prevails.

INT.  LEADER'S PRIVATE QUARTERS

The Leader stands at the window.

		LEADER
	Mr. Creedy, as the new head of the
	Finger, you are the most important
	member of my cabinet.

		CREEDY
	I, uh, appreciate your faith in me.

		LEADER
	Your predecessor, Mr. Almond, was a
	good man, a man who understood what
	strength in unity meant, a man who,
	above all, loved his country.  I
	need to know if you are such a man.

His eyes bore into him.

		LEADER
	Do you love your country, Mr.
	Creedy?

EXT.  ALLEYWAY

A police car is parked in a dark alley.  It is raining and
the windows of the car are completely steamed.

		CREEDY
	Oh god, yes!

He is sweating, his knuckles white as he squeezes the
steering wheel, panting.

We hear a noise like a very wet kiss and then a woman's
voice.

		HELEN
	"The most important member of my
	cabinet."  Yes it is, isn't it,
	dear?

Helen lifts her head out of his lap.  Her lipstick is smeared
about her mouth.

		CREEDY
	Oh, don't stop.

		HELEN
	I stop when you stop.  What did he
	say next?

		CREEDY
	I can't --

She whispers in his ear while playing with his lap.

		HELEN
	Come on, Peter, what are you afraid
	of?  Almond used to tell me
	everything and you're twice the man
	he was.

		CREEDY
	He asked me... if I loved my
	country.

		HELEN
	Oh yes, I can tell you do love your
	country, almost as much as you love
	this...

She lowers her head into this lap.

		CREEDY
	Oh god...

		HELEN
	Go on.

		CREEDY
	Then he asked me to do something...
	oh, oh...

		HELEN
	What?

		CREEDY
	Helen, I can't.  I can't tell you.

Helen lifts her head.

		HELEN
	He told you to frame someone as the
	terrorist.

		CREEDY
	My god?!  How did you know that?

		HELEN
	I know Adam Susan.  Now who was it?

		CREEDY
	No way.  I can't tell you that.

		HELEN
	Yes you can, honey.  You can and
	you will.  You have to trust me,
	love.  We're going to help each
	other.

		CREEDY
	Helen, please.

		HELEN
	Look at that face.  You see? 
	You're just bursting to tell me.

Her head drops back down.  Creedy moans.

		HELEN
	Now who was it?

		CREEDY
	It was... Fi... Fi... FINCH!

The name seems to orgasm from his mouth.

INT.  FINCH'S APARTMENT

Finch sits alone in his modest apartment, reading a book. 
The book is Koesterler's, "The Roots of Coincidence."

An old CD player is playing music, a Bach piano concerto.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

V is playing the exact same concerto on his piano, his gloved
fingers gracefully flitting across the keys.

Evey enters the gallery.  Her hair has grown out but is still
short.  She projects a kind of strength that comes from a
deep inner peace.

V coaxes the final delicate notes and lets them softly fade.

		EVEY
	That was beautiful.

She walks up to him and takes the smiling face in her hands.

		EVEY
	I've wanted to do this for a long
	time.

She bends and gently kisses the frozen lips.

		EVEY
	Thank you, V.  Thank you for
	everything you've done for me.

		V
	You did it all yourself, Evey.  I
	just provided the backdrop but the
	drama was all your own.

		EVEY
	It was a good backdrop.  I believed
	it.  I really did.  It's still a
	bit hard for me to accept that it
	wasn't real.  That it was just you. 
	Especially the letter.

She takes the letter from her pocket.

		EVEY
	It is a beautiful letter, V.  Every
	time I read it I could feel
	Valerie, almost like she was
	holding me.  I believed in her most
	of all.  I believed that she loved
	me and I loved her back.

She looks down.

		EVEY
	I feel a bit foolish telling you
	this.  I know that you must have
	written it and thought you should
	have it back.

		V
	But I didn't write that letter,
	Evey.

		EVEY
	What?

		V
	Come with me.

INT.  VALERIE'S ROOM

It is a shrine.  The walls are covered with movie posters and
reviews and pictures of an actresses named Valerie Page.  We
recognize her as the woman chosen for the medical block just
before V.

Everywhere there are flower boxes filled with blooming roses;
violet carsons.

		EVEY
	Valerie?

		V
	Yes.  Valerie Page.  She was the
	woman in room four.

		EVEY
	She's beautiful.

		V
	She wrote the letter just before
	she died.  I delivered it to you as
	it was delivered to me.  The words
	you wept over were the same words
	that transformed me.

Evey smiles and bends to smell the roses.

		EVEY
	Roses.  You grew them for her.

		V
	Yes.

		EVEY
	They're beautiful.

		V
	Evey, do you know what day it is?

		EVEY
	Two days before the first day we
	met.

		V
	You remembered.

		EVEY
	You're planning something, aren't
	you, V?

		V
	You know me too well now.

		EVEY
	What are you going to do?

		V
	I'm going to fulfill an old
	promise.

Evey cocks an eyebrow.

		V
	I'll show you.

INT.  UNDERGROUND STAIRWELL

Carrying a lantern, V leads Evey down a dark stone staircase.

		EVEY
	I've never been here before.

		V
	Yes.  It is the deepest part of my
	home.  Once you know it, I should
	think you'll know everything.

He pushes a button and a secret passage opens in a heavy
stone wall.

There is a small narrow series of passageways that he guides
her through, leading to another door.  Evey steps out into an
underground subway station.

INT.  VICTORIA STATION

Parked beside the concrete platform is a beautiful antique
train car.

		EVEY
	Oh, V, it's lovely.  Where on earth
	did you find it?

		V
	In a way, I suppose it really found
	me.

Evey steps into the train car and finds it filled with little
packages wrapped in wax paper.

		EVEY
	What's in these packages?

		V
	Gelignite.

She screams and almost drops one.

		V
	Careful.

		EVEY
	What are you going to do with all
	of it?

		V
	I told you.  I'm going to finish
	what was started four hundred years
	ago.

		EVEY
	Where does this train go?

		V
	This is the old Victoria line but
	it is blocked, blocked somewhere
	between Whitehall and St. James.

		EVEY
	Whitehall... V, that's the New
	Government Building.

V nods.

		EVEY
	But the underground has been shut
	down for years.  How are you going
	to make it run without any power?

		V
	I just thought I might ask them to
	turn it on for me.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader sits bathed in the flickering images of the Fate
computer.

		LEADER
	Yes, Mr. Creedy?

		CREEDY
	Everything's set, sir.  No worries.

		LEADER
	When?

		CREEDY
	Tonight.

On one of the screens, a television program has just begun.

		ANNOUNCER
	Tonight on Tales from the Bible, a
	story of treachery and betrayal
	from the Book of Daniel.

We cut from that screen to another screen --

INT.  JORDAN TOWER - CONTROL BOOTH

The television studio where Roger Dascombe surveys a large
bank of monitors filled with the images of typically vapid
television entertainment.

		DASCOMBE
	All of London's waiting.  Ready,
	two.  And here we go --

A player locks on as a recorded program begins.  We move in
as the logo slashes across the screen: Storm Saxon.

		ANNOUNCER
	Tonight, England's greatest hero
	repels the forces of darkness in a
	brand new episode.

We pull back from the show's opening teaser and find
ourselves looking at a small television.

INT.  JORDAN TOWER

In the delivery bay at the back of Jordan tower, five
security guards are riveted to the heroic actions of Storm
Saxon.

		HEIDI
	Oh, Storm.  Save me!  Save me!

		STORM
	You mongrel trash, if you harm her!

		MONGREL TRASH
	Look out, de white debil has a
	laser lugar!

Behind them, a shadowy figure in a cloak and tall hat enters
the loading bay.

		GUARD
	Hey, what the -- ?

They all turn and find a smiling V.

They go for their weapons.  V goes for them.  It is brutal
and quick, knives slicing in bloody arcs, bodies kicked and
thrown with superhuman power.

The TV crashes to the ground and we move in at it as Storm
Saxon stands triumphant beside his buxom lass.

		HEIDI
	Oh Storm, hold me.  Hold me tight.

We pull back on another television screen inside --

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE

Dominic is chewing on a hamburger, engrossed in Storm Saxon. 
Across the room, Finch is reading the "Roots of Coincidence."

		FINCH
	I don't know how you stand that
	tripe.

Dominic answers with a mouthful of cheeseburger.

		DOMINIC
	Es gooh.

Finch shakes his head, reaching for his pipe.  He realizes he
is out of tobacco.  He slides open the bottom desk drawer and
his eyes almost pop out of his head.

He stares into the drawer like someone staring at his own
tombstone.

		DOMINIC
	Finch?  Finch, what's wrong?

Slowly, he lifts something from the drawer.  On his desk, he
lays out several knives, a cloak, a hat, and a smiling mask.

		DOMINIC
	What the hell?

Finch lifts the mask and almost has to laugh.

		FINCH
	Don't you see, Dominic?

He puts the mask to his face.

		FINCH
	I'm V.

INT.  JORDAN TOWER

V emerges from an elevator and immediately attacks several
more guards.  A surveillance camera watches as V steps over
their slumped, broken bodies.

INT.  CONTROL CENTER

The security guard sees V on the monitor coming directly down
the hall.

		GUARD
	Bloody hell!

He grabs the machine gun, aiming it just as V kicks open the
door.

		GUARD
	Freeze!

V stops.  At least five guards have trained their weapons on
him.  He is surrounded.

Slowly, he lifts his arms as though surrendering.  His cloak
opens, revealing enough TNT to level the entire building.  In
his hand is the plunger detonator.

		GUARD
	Fuck all.

V nods.

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE

The door bursts open as Creedy and a group of heavily armed
Fingermen muscle in.

		DOMINIC
	Creedy?  What the hell's going on?

		CREEDY
	I'm here to arrest Mr. Finch for
	acts of treason and terrorism.

		DOMINIC
	You can't be serious.

		CREEDY
	If I were you, boy, I'd shut my
	hole unless you want to start
	explaining why you didn't say
	nothing about Mr. Finch's secret
	identity.

INT.  JORDAN TOWER

V follows Roger Dascombe into the main control booth.  The
door shuts behind them and they are alone.

All around them are the laugh tracks and gunshots of the
evening's entertainment.

V puts his hand into his cloak and pulls out a videotape.  He
hands it to Dascombe.

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE

Finch glares at Creedy.

		FINCH
	Why don't you just shoot me,
	Creedy?  Wouldn't that make
	everything a lot simpler?

		CREEDY
	Yeah, I suppose it would.

Creedy smiles, his finger tightening on the trigger when --

		DOMINIC
	Holy Christ!  Creedy, you stupid
	ape!  If Finch is V then tell me
	who is that?

He points at the television where V sits calmly at a desk in
front of the "VTV" logo.

		V
	Good evening, London.

		CREEDY
	Bloody fuckin' hell.

		V
	I thought it was time we had a
	little talk.

		FINCH
	He has to be at Jordan tower.  Come
	on!

Finch and Dominic rush out of the room.  Creedy looks at his
confused men.

		CREEDY
	Don't just stand there!  Follow
	them!

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

V smiles at the horrified Adam Susan.

		V
	Are you sitting comfortably?  Good. 
	Then I'll begin.

The Leader screams, pounding on Fate.

		LEADER
	Damn you!  Damn you!

He hits the intercom.

		LEADER
	Lieutenant, ready my transport.  I
	want every armed man within a
	hundred miles at Jordan tower. 
	Now!

We move in at VTV.

		V
	Right now, I imagine there are
	hundreds of soldiers rushing here
	to kill me because someone does not
	want us to talk.

We pull back in --

INT.  LIVING ROOM

A family watching television.  In the background, two
children are squabbling.

		MOTHER
	Hush.  Turn it up.

The husband does.  V's voice gets louder as we move towards
him.

		V
	They are afraid that I am going to
	say the things that are not
	supposed to be said.  They are
	afraid that I am going to say the
	truth.

INT.  APARTMENT

A man sits on his couch, mesmerized by V.

		V
	The truth is that there is
	something terribly wrong with this
	country, isn't there?  If you look
	about, you witness cruelty,
	injustice and despotism.  But what
	do you do about it?  What can you
	do?

He pops his beer tab and the beer foams over the couch but he
doesn't seem to notice.

INT.  FINCH'S POLICE CAR

The car races wildly towards Jordan tower as Finch and
Dominic listen to the broadcast on the radio.

		V (V.O.)
	You are but a single individual. 
	How can you possible make any
	difference?  Individuals have no
	power in this modern world. 
	That is what you've been taught
	because that is what they need you
	to believe.  But it is not true.

INT.  LEADER'S TRANSPORT

The Leader seethes, staring at three television monitors in
his limo which are all filled with V.

		V
	This is why they are afraid and the
	reason that I am here; to remind
	you that it is individuals who
	always hold the power.  The real
	power.  Individuals like me.  And
	individuals like you.

INT.  KITTY KAT KELLER

The bar is almost completely soundless except for the voice
of V.  People stare at the television as if the moment were
somehow suspended in time.

		V
	I have come to offer you a deal. 
	If you accept, I will give you a
	different world.  A world without
	curfews, without soldiers and
	surveillance systems.  A world that
	is not run by other men but that is
	run by you.  I am offering you a
	second chance.

EXT.  JORDAN TOWER

The military forces have begun to swarm.

		V
	Four hundred years ago, a great
	citizen made a most significant
	contribution to our common culture. 
	It was a contribution forged in
	secrecy and stealth although it is
	best remembered in noise and bright
	light.

EXT.  TELEVISION STORE

A crowd has gathered, watching through the window.

		V
	To commemorate that glorious night
	at precisely the stroke of
	midnight, the edifice of their
	world will erupt with enough sound
	and fury to shake the earth.  All I
	ask is that you join me at the
	gates to watch as the past is
	erased, the pathway cleared so that
	together we can start toward a new
	day.

EXT.  JORDAN TOWER

The Leader climbs out of his limo and is met by one of his
captains.

		LEADER
	I want this man dead!  I want him
	shot on sight!

		CAPTAIN
	Yes, sir.

INT.  FINCH'S CAR

Finch can see the forces gathering outside Jordan tower.

		V (V.O.)
	But, you ask, who am I to make such
	promises?  A fair question but
	hardly necessary as you know me
	already.  To know me any more you
	need only look to a mirror.

Finch catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

INT.  CONTROL BOOTH

VTV fills every screen.

		V
	Truth be told, this wasn't even my
	idea, was it?  If you think back,
	you'll remember that night,
	whispering in your lover's arms.  I
	became a part of your plan just as
	you have now become part of mine. 
	Give me the line of the queen and
	I'll give you your secret dream.

INT.  JORDAN TOWER - HALLWAY

A heavy battering ram is rushed down the hall, carried by
four soldiers.

		V (V.O.)
	On the twelfth stroke of the fifth
	day of the eleventh month, I hope
	we shall all meet again.

EXT.  TELEVISION STORE

The crowd is much larger.

		V
	Until then, I bid you goodnight.

Every screen suddenly goes black.  The crowd turns to each
other, unsure of what to do.

INT.  CONTROL BOOTH

The door explodes open.  V is standing alone, almost as if
waiting for them.

Before he can even move, they shoot.  Machine gun fire lights
up the room.  V's body dances and jerks backward, smashing
through an observation window --

Falling to the television stage below.

INT.  HALL

A path is cleared for the Leader.  As he heads into the
television studio, an armed soldier is heading in the
opposite direction.

It is impossible to tell because of the dark face plate but
it looks like the soldier is smiling.

The Leader shoves his way onto the main stage.  A group of
soldiers is gathered around the body.

		LEADER
	Who was it?  Who was he?

The mask is pried off, revealing the lifeless face of Roger
Dascombe.  To the Leader, it is an obvious revelation.

		LEADER
	Roger Dascombe!  Of course.  Of
	course!  It makes such perfect
	sense.

		CAPTAIN
	Sir, I think there has been a
	mistake.

		LEADER
	No!  There is no mistake!

		CAPTAIN
	But sir, there are people that say
	they saw both the terrorist and
	Dascombe together --

		LEADER
	Who?  Who are these people?  They
	must be detained immediately. 
	Whatever they saw or whatever they
	think they saw is subordinate to
	the truth and that truth is that
	Roger Dascombe is the terrorist and
	the terrorist is dead!

		FINCH
	But I thought I was the terrorist.

Finch's voice stops the Leader cold.

		LEADER
	Finch, what are you doing here?

		FINCH
	Since I'm not in jail and since you
	have another, even more convenient
	suspect.  I'm guessing the charges
	have been dropped.

		LEADER
	Be careful, Finch.

		FINCH
	I am careful, sir.  Always.  That
	is why I suggest that a search of
	this building begin immediately.

		LEADER
	The terrorist is dead!

		FINCH
	With all due respect, I disagree
	and I believe that he is presently
	trying to get out of this building
	disguised as one of us.

		LEADER
	Are you challenging my authority?

		FINCH
	No sir, I'm trying to run an
	investigation --

		LEADER
	I am trying to run a country!  When
	I tell you, Mr. Finch, the
	terrorist is dead, then the
	terrorist is dead!  If you continue
	to suggest otherwise then you will
	leave me no choice but to have you
	arrested on charges of sedition. 
	Do I make myself clear?

He eyes the room.  Everyone is silent.

		LEADER
	Now, it is imperative for the
	people of London to know that they
	are safe, that the terrorist is
	dead and everything is under
	control.

The Leader storms past Finch who looks at Dascombe and bites
down on his pipe.

EXT.  CITY STREET

One of the Ear's black vans has been modified with large
speakers wired to the roof.  As the van rolls down the
street, the speakers drone with a looped message.

		SPEAKERS
	The terrorist is dead.  No further
	threat exists.  Everything is under
	control.

Out of the back, soldiers hurl leaflets that swirl and
flutter in the van's wake.

The little girl on the bicycle that we saw earlier stops and
picks up one of the leaflets.

It has a picture with the body of Roger Dascombe beneath the
headline, "The terrorist is dead!  London is safe once
again!"

		LITTLE GIRL
	Bollocks.

She crumbles the leaflet and throws it.

		LITTLE GIRL
	Bollocks!

She gets off her bike and takes something out of the
backpack.

		LITTLE GIRL
	He's not dead!  It's all bollocks!

Turning to a nearby wall, she spray paints a large circle
around a "V".

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE

A recording of VTV plays on the small television.

		V
	... if you give me the line of the
	queen, I'll give you your secret
	dream.

Dominic freezes the image; V stares at them, smiling.

		FINCH
	Play it again.

		DOMINIC
	Come on, Finch.  We've seen it
	fifty times.  I mean, after what
	they done to you, I don't know why
	we're even trying to stop him.

Finch stares out the window.

		FINCH
	I don't know.  For twenty seven
	years, I've been at this job. 
	Twenty seven years, I've done what
	I've been told to do.  Maybe that's
	all there is to it.  I'm just a
	dumb old dog.  A dumb old dog that
	only knows one trick.

		DOMINIC
	That ain't it, Finch.  It's more
	than that.  I know you.  It's
	something personal with this one.

Finch smiles.

		FINCH
	Maybe.  And maybe I'm not ready for
	a revolution.

		DOMINIC
	Well, we got less than thirty hours
	to stop it.

		FINCH
	We will.

		DOMINIC
	How?

		FINCH
	It's on the tape.  I know it.  I
	can feel it.  He did this for a
	reason.  He needs something.

		DOMINIC
	What?

		FINCH
	The line of the Queen?

		DOMINIC
	But what does that mean?

		FINCH
	Maybe it's a line from Shakespeare. 
	Or a book.  I don't know.

He rewinds and starts the tape.

		V
	... This wasn't even my idea, was
	it?

		FINCH
	But right here.  He's talking to
	someone.  Someone specific. 
	Someone who knows what he wants.

		V
	If you think back, you'll --

INT.  CONRAD'S BEDROOM

V continues on a different television.

		V
	Remember that night, whispering in
	your lover's arms.

Helen Heyer is lying on her bed, eating chocolates, watching
V through calculating eyes.

At her feet, we hear a suckling noise that suddenly stops.

		CONRAD
	Helen?  Helen, why did you want
	that tape?

		HELEN
	Shut up, Conrad.  I'm thinking.

She shoves her foot back into his mouth and he continues to
suck on it and each of her toes.

		V
	... now you've become a part of
	mine.

		HELEN
	How?  How did you know that?

Conrad moves up her ankle, licking and kissing his way to her
knee.

		CONRAD
	Know what, my love?

		V
	Give me the line of the Queen and
	I'll give you your secret dream.

She freezes the tape.  Her eyes light up and she smiles back
at him.

		HELEN
	All right.  You have a deal.

Conrad licks along the inside of her thigh until she slaps
him.

		HELEN
	Oh no!  Not you.  Conrad.  Not yet. 
	Here you can have a chocolate. 
	Open up.  Open!

She shoves the candy in his mouth.

		HELEN
	Good boy.  As for the rest of the
	box, perhaps when you're Leader.

She smiles.

		HELEN
	Right now I need something else
	Conrad.  I need you to use that
	pretty little brain for me.  You
	know all about the old underground,
	don't you?

He nods still gagged with the candy.

		HELEN
	I need to know everything,
	understand?  Everything.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

There are cameras set in front of the large black leather
chair so that the flashing images and data of the Fate
computer system can be seen behind the Leader.

A makeup artist mattes down the Leader's lipstick.

		ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
	Ready in five, Leader.

The makeup artist adjusts one last hair and scurries off.

		ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
	In four, three...

He points and the camera's red light goes on.

INT.  LIVING ROOM

The same family, the same squabbling children watching as a
"Special Bulletin" interrupts a laugh track.

		LEADER
	Good evening London.  As Leader of
	this great country, I felt it
	imperative to speak with you and to
	assure you once and for all that
	the shadow that recently fell
	across our land has indeed passed.

		WOMAN
	Oh, for fuck's sake.

EXT.  TELEVISION STORE - NIGHT

No one is watching.

		LEADER
	What we have endured this long year
	was no accident, no mere
	coincidence.  This was not a simple
	act of terror conducted by a
	singular madman.  No, this was a
	test.

INT.  KITTY KAT KELLER

A drunk struggles up onto his bar stool blocking the TV.

		LEADER
	It was not me, nor the Party, nor
	the government that was threatened
	this year.  It was our beliefs. 
	Our faith.  I believe that God
	himself bore witness to our
	struggle and like Job I believe
	that we have been vindicated.

The drunk raises his glass.

		DRUNK
	Remember fifth of November!

The bar cheers.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader reaches for his Bible.

		LEADER
	How do I know this?  Let me read to
	you where I found the answer, where
	I so often find the answer.  In the
	Scripture.  Revelations.

EXT.  STREET CORNER - NIGHT

The megaphones blast the Leader's voice.

		LEADER (V.O.)
	"If any man have an ear, let him
	hear."

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE

There are stacks of printout everywhere.

		LEADER (V.O.)
	"He that leadeth into captivity
	shall go into captivity; he that
	killeth with the sword shall be
	killed with the sword.  Here is the
	patience and faith of the Saints."

Finch stops reading, listening to the radio.

		LEADER (V.O.)
	"And I beheld another beast coming
	out of the Earth; and he had two
	horns like a lamb and he spake as a
	dragon."

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

Another radio crackles with the Leader's voice.

		LEADER (V.O.)
	"And he doeth great wonders, so
	that he maketh fire come down from
	Heaven on the Earth in the sight of
	men."

V nods, almost laughing as Evey enters the gallery.

		LEADER (V.O.)
	"And he deceiveth them that dwell
	on the Earth by the means of those
	miracles which he had the power to
	do --"

		EVEY
	Oh, V, turn it off, please.

		V
	Of course, my dear.

He reaches over and changes the frequency.  We hear voices,
hushed and secret but we recognize them.

		CREEDY (V.O.)
	But how does he know?

		HELEN (V.O.)
	I don't know.  All I know is he
	does... And I know what he wants.

The voices are labored, punctuated by gasps and moans.

		EVEY
	What is that, V?

		V
	That, Evey, is what I have been
	waiting for.

		CREEDY (V.O.)
	Do you know what I want?  I want
	you just like this... Bent over
	that black leather chair...

We are pulled by the radio into --

INT.  CREEDY'S BEDROOM

Where we see a tiny microphone hidden in the ceiling light
above the bed.

Helen moans as we drift down, glimpsing Helen, her arms
reaching for the edges of the bed, her back arching up
towards Creedy, behind her, smiling.

		CREEDY
	What about Conrad?

		HELEN
	I told you, I'll handle Conrad and
	V will take care of Susan.  The mob
	will take care of the guard and
	then... You can use the Finger to
	take over.

		CREEDY
	Use the Finger?  You mean like
	this?

He inserts a finger into her.

		HELEN
	Oh... oh... that is vulgar...

		CREEDY
	But you like it?

		HELEN
	Yes, oh yes, oh you're a pig,
	Peter...

		CREEDY
	That I am, misses.  But I'm the pig
	that's gonna be running this
	country.

That sends a shiver through Helen's body.

		HELEN
	Yes and I'm... I'm going to be
	Eva... Oh Eva...

Her eyes close and her fists knot the sheets.

		HELEN
	"Don't cry for me Argen... oh
	Argen... Argen... tina!

The word is almost lost in her orgasm.

EXT.  LONDON

The sun rises over London.  It is the morning of the fourth.

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE

Finch looks through the blinds at the morning sun.  He has
been up all night.  He checks his watch: 6:00am.

		FINCH
	Eighteen hours.

Rubbing the knot in his neck, he turns back to his office
which is now buried beneath mounds of paper.

Dominic is passed out, sprawled on the couch, and clutching a
printout from Spencer's "Fairy Queen."

		FINCH
	Dominic!

Dominic jumps, immediately searching the printout.

		FINCH
	Dominic, go home.

		DOMINIC
	But I've still got over three
	hundred lines from The Fairy Queen.

		FINCH
	Forget it.  There's no more time. 
	You go home and get some rest. 
	You're going to need it tonight.

Dominic lets the papers fall to the floor.

		DOMINIC
	He's got us, doesn't he, Finch?

		FINCH
	Yes, he does.

EXT.  NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

Conrad pulls his car into his reserved space.

INT.  CAR

Helen holds Conrad's chin the way a mother holds a child when
she is telling them something important.

		HELEN
	Now listen to me, Conrad.  This is
	the most important moment of our
	lives.  Everything I've worked and
	hoped for comes to this.  Susan is
	a very dangerous man, especially
	now, that's why I need you, Conrad. 
	I need you to be stronger than him. 
	I need you to be the better man. 
	Understand?

Conrad nods.

		HELEN
	If you do this Conrad, and you do
	it right, I'm going to turn you
	from the little man I married into
	the man of my dreams.

		CONRAD
	Oh, Helen.

He embraces her to kiss but she turns her perfectly painted
lips.

		HELEN
	Not on the lips.

Ardently, he kisses her cheek.

INT.  FINCH'S OFFICE

Finch sits alone, palms pressed to his bleary eyes.

		FINCH
	Give it up, old man.  You're not
	even sure you want to stop him.

With a red pen, he begins absently drawing red circles around
any V he sees on any piece of paper.

Victims.  Vectors.  Values.  Victory.  Words from quotes and
lists.

Suddenly, he stops.  Carefully, as if reaching to touch a
butterfly, he slips a single sheet out from the sheaves
covering his desk.

The paper has a long list: the names of all the Queens of
England.  He has circled in red the V in Victoria.

When it hits him, it hits him like a falling safe.

		FINCH
	Christ!  That's it!  It's got to be
	it!

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

The intercom clicks on.

		LIEUTENANT (V.O.)
	Sir, Mr. Heyer is here to see you. 
	Says it's urgent.  And he's here
	with his wife, sir.

		LEADER
	His wife?

		LIEUTENANT (V.O.)
	Sir, yes, sir -- Wait, you can't
	go --

The door slaps open.

		HELEN
	Leader, I'm terribly sorry but I
	absolutely must speak with you.

The Leader waves the Lieutenant off.

		HELEN
	I have something to tell you,
	something important but --

She glances at Conrad.

		HELEN
	I can tell you and only you.  In
	private.

The Leader studies her.

		HELEN
	It is a matter of national
	security.

EXT.  CITY STREET

In his car, Finch races to a corner and slams on the brakes. 
He gets out, staring at a shadow on the ground: a "V" in a
circle.

The shadow is cast by a sign for Victoria Station, part of
the abandoned subway.

The gates are chained shut.  He fires his pistol into the
lock, kicks open the rusting gates, and descends into the
underground.

INT.  LEADER'S PRIVATE QUARTERS

The Leader closes the door behind them.

		LEADER
	Now what's this all about, Mrs.
	Heyer?

		HELEN
	Please, forgive me.  I've been so
	afraid, afraid to come here to talk
	to you.  I thought he must know.  I
	was terrified he knew but I had to
	come because I knew you were the
	only one that can protect me.

		LEADER
	Protect you from what?

She is unable to go on, seemingly about to burst into tears.

		LEADER
	Come now, Mrs. Heyer.

He touches her and it is all she needs.  She buries her face
into his chest.

		HELEN
	You won't let him hurt me, will
	you?

		LEADER
	Let who hurt you?

		HELEN
	The terrorist.

		LEADER
	The terrorist is dead.

		HELEN
	Oh, how I wanted to believe it,
	Leader, but I know it's not true.

		LEADER
	How?

		HELEN
	Because I know who the terrorist
	is.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

Conrad is alone with Fate.  He glances about nervously,
moving closer and closer.  His fingers reach out and graze
the main keyboard.  Taking a deep breath, he turns and begins
to type.

INT.  PRIVATE QUARTERS

The Leader takes hold of Helen by her shoulders.

		LEADER
	Who?  Who is it, woman?

		HELEN
	It's Conrad, Leader.  Conrad.  My
	husband is the terrorist.

		LEADER
	What?!

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

Conrad accesses the department of water and power.  He finds
the correct file and begins rerouting power to a once dead
system.

INT.  V'S TRAIN STATION

A hanging light suddenly sizzles to life.  V looks up,
smiling.

INT.  LEADER'S PRIVATE QUARTERS

The Leader stares hard at Helen.

		LEADER
	How do you know?

		HELEN
	I saw him, Leader.  In the middle
	of the night.  I heard something. 
	I went to the landing and that's
	when I saw it.

She clutches him.

		HELEN
	That mask.  That hideous smiling
	mask.

		LEADER
	But how did you know it was Heyer?

		HELEN
	I know, Leader.  I know the way a
	woman knows.

		LEADER
	But you have no proof?

		HELEN
	Proof?

		LEADER
	Yes, proof?  This is an extremely
	delicate situation, Mrs. Heyer.  It
	has been reported that the
	terrorist is dead.  It would be a
	catastrophe to arrest a man now
	without concrete, conclusive proof. 
	Do you have any evidence at all?

Tears well up in Helen's eyes as she shakes her head.

		LEADER
	But if you're right, if Heyer is
	indeed the terrorist...

His eyes fly wide and he spins away from her, throwing open
the door.

		HELEN
	Leader!  Wait!

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

Conrad sits calmly across the room.

		CONRAD
	Is everything all right?  Helen?

		LEADER
	Yes, Mr. Heyer, your wife has done
	her duty to her country.

He turns to Helen.

		LEADER
	Don't worry, Mrs. Heyer.  You will
	be taken care of.  I will launch an
	immediate investigation and I
	promise, you will be the first to
	know when an arrest will be made.

		CONRAD
	Investigation of what?

		LEADER
	Subversion, Mr. Heyer.  Your wife
	was privy to the dialogue of
	subversives.  That's all you need
	to know at this time.  Lieutenant!

The Lieutenant appears almost instantly.

		LEADER
	The Heyers are leaving.  I need to
	see Mr. Creedy at once.

Helen looks up at the Leader, a smile hidden near the corners
of her perfect red lips.

		HELEN
	Thank you, sir.

The Leader nods.

INT.  NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

Helen and Conrad get out of the elevator, standing beneath
the rows of new party flags that line the lobby.

		HELEN
	I want you to go straight to your
	office and wait for me to call. 
	When I do, I want you to come
	immediately home.  Understood?

		CONRAD
	Yes, Helen.

She embraces him, pressing her body against his.

		HELEN
	Oh, Conrad, I'm so proud of you.

		CONRAD
	I did it, Helen.  I did it, didn't
	I?

		HELEN
	Tonight, Conrad.

		CONRAD
	Tonight.

		HELEN
	I promise you will never forget
	tonight.

She almost kisses him.

		HELEN
	Goodbye, Conrad.

Smiling, she pivots on her heel and heads for the door.  He
reaches for her when --

		GUARD
	Mr. Heyer!  Mr. Heyer!

The front desk guard rushes towards him.

		CONRAD
	Yes?

		GUARD
	Sir, this package arrived for you,
	sir.

He hands him a small, brown wrapped box.

		CONRAD
	Thank you.

He looks back for Helen but she is already gone.

INT.  SUBWAY

A single flashlight beam creeps toward us as Finch searches
the detritus of the dead train line.

INT.  CONRAD'S CAR

Sitting at a stoplight, Conrad decides to open the package. 
Inside is a cassette tape.  The light changes and a car
behind him honks.  He starts forward and inserts the tape.

INT.  SUBWAY

Finch crawls up onto the platform of V's hidden station,
staring at the beautiful old train car.

INT.  CONRAD'S CAR

Strangling the steering wheel, Conrad listens to the tape. 
The speedometer climbs as everything seems to accelerate.

		TAPE (V.O.)
	Do you know what I want?  I want
	you just like this... bent over
	that black leather chair.

Helen moans.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Finch steps inside the car, his flashlight sweeping over the
stacks of gelignite.

		FINCH
	Oh my god.

INT.  CONRAD'S CAR

A scream builds in Conrad.  With tears in his eyes, he stares
out the windshield but sees only the images created by the
tape.

		TAPE (V.O.)
	Use the Finger?... You mean like
	this?... Oh... That's vulgar... But
	you like it?... Yes... oh yes.

Conrad loses control and the car careens up onto the sidewalk
and smashes into a brick wall.

Lifting his bloodied forehead, Conrad looks out and sees the
ubiquitous poster partially destroyed by the crash: "Strength
through purity, purity through faith."

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Finch hears something and jerks back, almost falling out of
the car.  Aiming his gun, he finds no one.  He turns and
bolts.

As the sound of his footsteps fade, V steps out of the
shadows.

INT.  NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

The Leader's Lieutenant looks up from his desk and sees Finch
rushing towards him.

		FINCH
	Is the Leader in?

		LIEUTENANT
	Yes, but he's meeting with the
	Captain of the Guard.

		FINCH
	Perfect.

		LIEUTENANT
	Mr. Finch, you can't go in --

Finch charges through the doors.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader and his Captain turn.

		LEADER
	Mr. Finch?

		FINCH
	Leader, I need as many men the
	Captain can spare and I need them
	right now.

		CAPTAIN
	What for?

		FINCH
	To capture codename V.

EXT.  CONRAD'S HOUSE

Creedy opens the trunk of his car.  In the phosphorescent
glow of the streetlight, the set of knives gleam.  He bundles
the costume that he tried to planet on Finch into his arms,
then slams the trunk.

Above, a window blind that was cracked open snaps shut.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader moves towards Finch.

		FINCH
	He's underground.  The old subway. 
	I know exactly what he's going to
	do.  If we move quickly, we can be
	there, waiting for him.

INT.  CONRAD'S HOUSE

Conrad waits, hidden inside a bedroom closet.  He hears the
front door close and his grip tightens around the handle of a
long, steel-necked hammer.

INT.  LEADER'S OFFICE

The Leader is steadily convincing himself of something.

		FINCH
	Leader, every second we delay...

The Leader lifts his hand, silencing Finch.

		LEADER
	I'm coming with you.

		GUARD
	Sir --

		LEADER
	There will be no discussion --

		GUARD
	But if Mr. Finch is right --

		LEADER
	I am sick to death of this
	terrorist being everywhere and
	nowhere!  I will judge whether Mr.
	Finch is right and I will judge it
	with my own eyes!  Do I make myself
	clear, Captain?

		CAPTAIN
	Sir, yes, sir!

Finch is suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling that is common to
chess players.  It is the disturbing sense that you have just
done exactly what your opponent wanted.

		LEADER
	Is there a problem, Mr. Finch?

		FINCH
	No... no sir.

		LEADER
	Good.  Captain, mobilize your men.

		CAPTAIN
	Sir, yes, sir.

		LEADER
	We'll find this bloody bastard and
	we will finish him.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

Evey sits in the gallery, reading Pynchon's "V" just as V had
done.  She suddenly feels V watching her.

		EVEY
	V?

		V
	Yes.

Evey smiles as V steps out of the shadows.

		EVEY
	V, what's going to happen?

		V
	Change, Evey.  That's all.  Just
	change.

		EVEY
	Is it going to be violent?

		V
	Yes, I suppose it will.

INT.  CONRAD'S HOUSE

Creedy empties a bottom drawer, making room to hide the
costume.  As he does, the closet door behind him slowly
creeps open.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

V stands at the jukebox.

		EVEY
	But why?  Why must is be violent?

		V
	Because, Evey, that is the nature
	of change.  She is a temperamental
	creature that appears in earnest
	rarely but, when she does, she will
	wear one of two faces.  The first
	face is the destroyer.  It is
	lamentable but all true change
	begins with death.

INT.  CONRAD'S HOUSE

A dark figure stands over Creedy.  The hammer raises, a slash
of silver against the velvety darkness.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

V punches a button on the jukebox just as --

INT.  CONRAD'S HOUSE

The hammer falls with a sickening soft crunch.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

The song begins to play; a melancholy song that says goodbye
to love.

INT.  CONRAD'S HOUSE

Blood pours down Creedy's snarling face, he snatches one of
V's knives as another hammer blow cracks through his collar
bone.

He screams, lunging at Conrad.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

V listens to the song, the smiling eyes somehow knowing.

INT.  CONRAD'S HOUSE

The hammer falls again and again until the metal head is
slick with blood and meat.

Conrad stumbles back, dropping the hammer.  He looks down at
the hilt of the knife protruding from his stomach.  He yanks
it out and holds V's knife which is bright red with his own
blood.

He collapses to the floor.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

The song continues.

		EVEY
	What is the other face, V?

		V
	The other face?  She is the true
	face of change.  The face of the
	creator.  She is the one that
	remakes the world.  Evey?

		EVEY
	Yes, V?

		V
	May I ask you for a favor?

		EVEY
	Of course.

		V
	It is a small thing but it would
	mean a great deal to me.

		EVEY
	Tell me.

		V
	I've never danced before.  I've
	thought about it many times, here
	in this room, listening to the
	music.  But I've always been alone.

Evey smiles and crosses to him.

		EVEY
	It would be my pleasure.

He opens his arms and she steps into them.  They dance,
standing very close, his gloved hand holding tightly to hers,
her smile against his.

EXT.  CITY STREET

Dozens of military vehicles swarm around the entrance to
Victoria Station while heavily armed men pour through the
gates of the underground.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

The song ends.

		V
	Thank you, Evey.  You are an
	excellent dancer.

		EVEY
	All it takes is a little practice.

		V
	Alas, I have run out of time.

He bows, pressing his frozen lips to her hand.  Evey is
suddenly nervous.

		EVEY
	V?  What are you going to do?

		V
	Don't you remember?  I have a date
	tonight, Evey.

		EVEY
	You're coming back though, aren't
	you?

She seizes hold of his hand.

		EVEY
	V, I won't let you leave unless you
	promise me that you will come back.

		V
	Of course, I'll be back.  You don't
	think you can be rid of me now, do
	you?

		EVEY
	Just promise.

		V
	I promise.

She lets him go.

INT.  TRAIN STATION

Soldiers swarm through the station.  Susan stares in shock,
outraged by the mere presence of the train.

		LEADER
	Mark my words, Mr. Finch, this man
	is going to become an example so
	that every man, woman, and child in
	this country will remember what
	happens to those who would ever
	think to stand against the state.

He turns to the Captain.

		LEADER
	Captain, I need a gas unit down
	here with enough nerve gas to fill
	every rat-hole in these tunnels.

Suddenly the lights go out.

		FINCH
	I don't think that will be
	necessary.

The Leader smiles.

		LEADER
	There are over one hundred of the
	best trained soldiers in this
	country down here.  Let him come.

INT.  TRAIN TUNNELS

Five soldiers creep forward in a tight formation, their
flashlights probing every nook and cranny.

Behind them, a secret passage opens and V steps out.

He is among them with frightful speed, a grinning dervish
with blades like metal fangs ripping and rending flesh,
slashing bright in the flashlight.

Other soldiers rush towards the screams and gunfire but they
find only five bodies and warm blood running down the walls.

		LEADER
	Captain, what's happening?

		RADIO (V.O.)
	No sign sir.  Repeat, no sign of
	him.

		CAPTAIN
	They lost him.

From the opposite end, there is another series of screams and
machine gun fire that lights up the dark tunnel for a moment. 
Then, nothing.

		FINCH
	This... this is a mistake.

		LEADER
	Don't tell me you're a coward, Mr.
	Finch.

Back in the tunnels, V drops from above, his cloak a swirling
cloud of squid ink that hides him in the darkness.

Again, quicksilver knives lash out, drawing fonts of blood.

INT.  TRAIN STATION

Finch can feel the panic that is spreading through the
tunnel.

		FINCH
	Leader, we have to get out of here!

		LEADER
	This was your idea.

		FINCH
	It was a mistake.  This is what he
	wants.  He knows us, Leader.  He
	knows us too well.  We have to get
	out of here before it's too late --

A voice rings out from hidden speakers, echoing through the
tunnels.

		V (V.O.)
	Good evening citizens of London. 
	This is the voice of Fate.  Your
	fate...

		LEADER
	What trick is this?

		V (V.O.)
	Tonight, the face of London is
	going to change and I am going to
	offer you the chance to change with
	her.  Your Leader is finished.  He
	will not leave these tunnels alive.

The Leader screams to be heard over the resonant voice of V.

		LEADER
	This is an outrage!  I order you
	not to listen to this!

		V (V.O.)
	At midnight tonight, the Head will
	be destroyed and a new era will
	begin.  You must now decide if you
	are going to be a part of that era.

Everywhere, terrified soldiers listen to the voice.

		V (V.O.)
	You can choose to stay here and die
	with your Leader or you can choose
	to be free.  The decision is yours
	and yours alone.

		LEADER
	Captain, order all your men to fall
	back and secure this position!

		V (V.O.)
	Some of you have wives.  Some of
	you have families.  All of you have
	lives.  Consider each of them as
	you ask yourself, are they a part
	of the past, or are they a part of
	the future?

		CAPTAIN
	Fall back.  Fall back and secure
	the central platform.

Deep in the tunnel, two soldiers look at each other. 
Simultaneously, they drop their guns and run.

		LEADER
	Any man that disobeys this order
	will be court marshaled!

Groups of solders drop their weapons and disappear into the
shadows.

		LEADER
	Captain!  Captain, where are your
	men?

The station fills with the sound of boots running wildly
away.

		LEADER
	Goddammit, I will not tolerate this
	insubordination!  I want those
	deserters shot, Captain.

Finch slowly draws back away from the Leader.

		LEADER
	Shot on sight!

The few men on the platform are soon the only men left.

		CAPTAIN
	You!  You!  Point position.  We're
	getting out of here!  Now!

A knife sings through the air and buries itself in the
Captain's chest.  With a tiny rasp, he falls to the ground.

The remaining men bolt.

		LEADER
	Traitors!  You cowards!

He grabs for the Captain's machine gun.

		LEADER
	I know who you are!  I'll see you
	hang!  Every last one of you!

"You" echoes down the dark empty throat of the tunnel.

The Leader looks around, his flashlight sweeping in big arcs
as he realizes that he is alone.

		LEADER
	Finch?  Finch!  Finch, goddammit,
	you can't leave me!  Don't leave
	me!

		V
	You are going to die as you ruled --

The Leader screams, whipping around towards the voice.

		V
	Alone.

The smile is as cold and as sharp as the knife that flicks
from his hand.

The Leader raises his gun just when the knife sinks into his
shoulder.

Howling in pain, he drops the gun.

		LEADER
	Damn you!  Damn you!

V smiles into the spot of his flashlight.

		LEADER
	Conrad?  Is that you?  You're
	working with Finch, aren't you? 
	And Creedy!  You're all in this
	together!

V closes in.

		LEADER
	Who are you?

		V
	You, most of all, should know,
	Leader.  You created me.  Without
	you, I would never be.  More than
	life, Leader, you gave me purpose.

V draws his final blade.

		V
	"He that killeth with the sword,
	shall be killed with the sword."

V raises the knife.

		LEADER
	Noooo!

		FINCH
	Don't move!

V and the Leader turn to find Finch aiming a machine gun at
V.

		LEADER
	Mr. Finch!  Oh god, Mr. Finch!

		FINCH
	Drop the knife.

V does and Susan begins an almost hysterical laugh.

		LEADER
	Oh, I knew it, Mr. Finch.  I knew
	you wouldn't desert me.  You're a
	good man, Finch.  A damn good man.

		FINCH
	No, Mr. Susan.  No, I'm not.  I'm a
	man who does his job and does what
	he's told.  For twenty seven years,
	that's all I've been.

He steps toward V, staring into his smiling black eyes.

		LEADER
	Careful, Mr. Finch.  He's quick as
	the devil.

Finch ignores the Leader.

		FINCH
	I've read Delia's diary over and
	over all year.  It sickens me but I
	am unable to judge her.  I am as
	guilty as she.

		LEADER
	Mr. Finch, what are you doing? 
	Shoot him.  Kill the bastard,
	Finch.

		FINCH
	I have no excuse.  I did what I was
	told to do.

		LEADER
	Finch, I order you to shoot him! 
	Finch!

		FINCH
	My job was to find you and catch
	you.  I've done my job.  I've done
	it for the last time.  I'm tired of
	it.  I'm tired of it all.

He tosses the gun to the Leader.

		FINCH
	Kill him yourself if you can.

The Leader seethes, his eyes boring into Finch.

		FINCH
	Thank you, V.  And goodbye.

		V
	Goodbye, Mr. Finch.

The machine gun burst shatters the quiet concrete silence. 
Finch falls dead at V's feet.

		LEADER
	I warned you, Finch, the penalty
	for treason is death.

He aims the gun at V.

		LEADER
	Are you ready to die?

		V
	The real question is, are you?

The Leader laughs.

		LEADER
	Do you really believe you can pick
	up that knife before I pull this
	trigger?

		V
	No.  But I don't have to.

Almost casually, V bends down to pick up the knife --

The Leader screams and fires.

Bullets knock V back a bit but he continues, grabbing the
knife and standing.

Eyes widening with disbelief, the Leader fires another blast
as V begins walking towards him.

The machine gun roars, bullets shredding out through the back
of V's cloak as he continues with short deliberate steps
until --

The hammer clicks against the pin.  The gun is empty.

V stands before him.

		V
	You see?  You cannot kill me. 
	There is no flesh and blood within
	this cloak to kill.  There is only
	an idea.

V smiles.

		V
	And ideas are bulletproof.

The Leader screams.

V drives the knife into his heart, killing him instantly.

V stands alone amidst the carnage and seeping pools of red.

His body wavers.  He takes his hands out from beneath his
cloak and reveals his gloves, wet with blood.

INT.  CONRAD'S HOUSE

The front door opens and Helen enters.

		HELEN
	Creedy?  Creedy, you dumb bastard,
	you left your car parked in front.

She walks up the stairs to the bedroom.

		HELEN
	What did I tell you?  Creedy.

INT.  BEDROOM

She steps into the room, her sole and heel sinking into the
plush carpet soaked with blood.

		HELEN
	Oh my god.

When she sees Creedy's head mashed open, she covers her
mouth.

		CONRAD
	Helen...

Conrad has propped himself against the bed.

		HELEN
	Conrad!  What have you done?

		CONRAD
	I won, Helen.  I did it.  I won. 
	I'm the better man.

He crawls toward her, slipping on the wet carpet.

		CONRAD
	We've been through a bad patch,
	Helen.  But now, he's gone...
	There's nothing to come between
	us...

He reaches for her foot, his hand gloved with wet red.

		HELEN
	Don't touch me!  You stupid piece
	of shit!  You've ruined it!  I had
	it all planned perfectly and you've
	ruined it!

She checks her watch; two hours to midnight.

		HELEN
	I have to get out of here!  I have
	to get away!

Conrad seizes hold of her ankle.

		CONRAD
	Helen --

		HELEN
	No!  Let go!  Now!

The look in his eyes frightens her.  She tries to kick free
of him but he won't let go.  Twisting, she reaches for the
door but slips on the carpet.

		HELEN
	Conrad, damn you!  Let me go!

		CONRAD
	No, Helen, you're not leaving me...
	not this time... not ever.

He crawls up her body still clutching the bloody knife.

		HELEN
	No, please!  Oh god, no!  Oh god,
	please help me!

Conrad raises the knife.

		CONRAD
	No one can help us, Helen.  God is
	dead.

The knife falls.

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

Evey hears V on the spiral staircase.

		EVEY
	V?

Scarlet footprints trail behind V as he struggles down the
stairs.

		EVEY
	You came back.

He nods and then collapses, rolling down the rest of the
stairs.

		EVEY
	V!  V!

Running to him, she falls to his side.  His clothes are slick
with blood.

		EVEY
	Oh god, what happened?

		V
	Evey...

		EVEY
	You need a doctor.

		V
	It's too late for that...

		EVEY
	No, don't say that!

		V
	Evey, listen to me.  I've not long
	and there are things that must be
	said.

His voice strains beneath the mask.

		V
	I have done that which I came to
	do.  Now, it is time for me to rest
	and with me the past will, at last,
	find peace.

Trembling, Evey holds him.

		V
	But the world, the world is not
	saved... Do not think that, when
	the fires die and the smoke clears,
	there is no miracle... there is
	only a path... upon which they must
	learn to rule themselves.

		EVEY
	Yes, they need you, V.

		V
	Not me, Evey, not me.  I told you I
	am the villain.  The destroyer...
	But yes, they will need help...

He reaches up and wipes a tear from her cheek.

		V
	I kept my promise to you, Evey...
	Now you must promise me.

		EVEY
	What?

		V
	Promise me... you will discover the
	face under this mask... but you
	will never look beneath it.

		EVEY
	I don't understand.

		V
	Promise me.  Please...

		EVEY
	I promise.

		V
	Sweet Eve.  Wherever I shall go, I
	shall always love you.

		EVEY
	V, you are not going anywhere!

		V
	Midnight... Midnight.  Eve... Make
	them remember...

		EVEY
	You're not going to die, V!

		V
	Let me be there, Evey, when it
	begins... Please, let me hear the
	music, one last time... my music...

		EVEY
	I won't let you die!

		V
	I know you won't... I know...

		EVEY
	V!

		V
	My love... Ave Atque vale...

Holding him as tight as she can, she feels his life drain
away, slipping through her arms in the way the last grains of
sand pour through the neck of the hourglass.

She buries her face beside his and weeps.

EXT.  CITY STREET

An enormous crowd has begun to gather in the streets
surrounding the New Government Building.  With the crowd, a
restlessness swells against each barricade erected by the
military.

A sergeant stands on an armored car, speaking through a
megaphone.

		SERGEANT
	Return to your homes!  There is
	nothing to see!  The terrorist is
	dead!

		RABBLE ROUSER 1
	He ain't dead!

		RABBLE ROUSER 2
	He'll be here, just like he said!

INT.  SHADOW GALLERY

Evey huddles against the stair railing, her face tear
stained, staring at the lifeless body of V.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I remember... I remember staring at
	the mask, at that smile.

She touches the mask, her fingers finding its edge.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Part of me couldn't believe he was
	dead and maybe that was why.  The
	smile was still the same. 
	It made me want to tear it off so I
	could see the face, so I could see
	that he was dead.

Her fingers stop.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	But I had promised.

		V (V.O.)
	You will discover the face under
	this mask but you will never look
	beneath it.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I began to try to imagine his face. 
	Of course, I had long pictured my
	father behind that smile but I knew
	in my heart that V was not my
	father.

Evey stares into the eyes, the dark, empty eyes.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	Yet every time I pictured another
	face, any face, something was lost,
	something important was somehow
	diminished.  V was more than a
	face.  V was V.

Her expression changes.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	And then, quite suddenly, quite
	naturally, I realized whose face
	must be beneath that mask.  It was
	the only face that mattered.

		EVEY
	I won't let you die.

		V (V.O.)
	I know you won't... I know.

A small smile creeps across her face.

EXT.  CITY STREET

Midnight approaches and the crowd feels it.  Spilling
everywhere, they fill the streets like a flood.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Evey sets a final violet carson on the chest of V.  He is
lying on a bed made of gelignite, covered in roses.

Touching his mask, she bends over him.

		EVEY
	Goodbye, my love.

Tenderly, she presses her lips to the smile, her eyes
closing, her final tears blinking free.

She backs away and V smiles, his lips wet with her kiss, his
cheek wet with her tears.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	"Ave Atque vale."

On the train platform, Evey reaches through the window and
starts the train.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I looked it up the next morning.

The wheels churn as the train lurches forward.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	"Hail and farewell."

		V (V.O.)
	"Make them remember..."

She watches the train disappear into the tunnel.

		EVEY
	They will, my love.  They will.

EXT.  CITY STREET

The crowd surges against a barricade when a voice cries out
across the city echoing through the megaphone on every
corner.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	"Remember, remember, the fifth of
	November!"

High above the gathered mass, a masked figure steps out onto
a roof parapet.

The crowd explodes.

INT.  SUBWAY

The train barrels along, screaming against its rusted rails.

EXT.  ROOFTOP

Dressed as V, Evey stands on the roof's edge, speaking into a
microphone.

		EVEY
	I have come here tonight to keep a
	promise.  A promise that is over
	four hundred years old.  Tonight I
	am here to give you your freedom!

Again, the crowd bursts into a frenzy.

		EVEY
	Since mankind's dawn a handful of
	oppressors have accepted the
	responsibility over our lives,
	responsibility that we should have
	accepted ourselves.  By doing so,
	they took our power.  By doing
	nothing, we gave it away.

The voice booms over the mesmerized crowd.

		EVEY
	Tonight, our world will change. 
	Our leaders will be gone and we
	must choose what comes next.  A
	return to the chains of others or
	lives of our own.  A world of the
	past or one of the future.

She feels the sea of humanity beneath her, almost channeling
their energy.

		EVEY
	Let us choose carefully, London,
	and when we do, let us mark well
	and remember, remember this fifth
	of November!

The crowd screams as one and their scream becomes --

INT.  SUBWAY

The train hurling like a bullet through a gun barrel.  Ahead
the tracks end, buried beneath the rubble of the collapsed
tunnel.

INT.  TRAIN CAR

Inside the rattling train, V lays in perfect repose.

		V (V.O.)
	Let me be there, Evey, when it
	begins...

EXT.  ROOFTOPS

Hidden and alone, Evey pulls the mask from her face.

		V (V.O.)
	Please let me hear the music... one
	last time... my music.

Almost unconsciously, Evey raises her hand and coaxes the
first soft notes as he had once done.

		V (V.O.)
	At first, you have to listen
	carefully.

The violins of the 1812 overture steadily rise.

		V (V.O.)
	Ah, yes.  There it is.  Beautiful,
	is it not?

Evey smiles, her hand still gently conducting.

		EVEY
	Yes, my love.  Yes it is.

INT.  SUBWAY

With the clash of cymbals, the train crashes into the wall of
rubble.

EXT.  NEW GOVERNMENT BUILDING

The entire building opens like a time-lapsed rose blooming
with brilliant orange petals of flame.

EXT.  CITY STREET

The crowd is awash in the baptismal glow of erupting flame.

EXT.  ROOFTOP

Evey watches the explosion, a star-burst of flaming debris
searing against the night sky like fireworks.

EXT.  CITY STREET

The masses burst through the barricades with a euphoric
frenzy.

EXT.  ROOFTOP

The explosion begins to slowly die.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I know that there is only one way
	to repay him for what he did.

She looks down at the mask.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	And I know that that way is going
	to take a lot of hard work.

She smiles.

		EVEY (V.O.)
	I know this like I know the sun
	will rise tomorrow and beneath that
	new sun, our work will begin.

The fire fades and Evey turns, cradling the mask, and walks
away.

				        FADE OUT.