THE FOUR LADYBUGS

[FIRST 5 PAGES, TEASER] EXT. DARK ALLEY - NIGHT A dark figure stands on the ledge of a single story rooftop. The slim, female figure wears all black, except for a bright red LADYBUG on her chest. Her long, blonde hair is tied back behind her head and she wears a small black band across her eyes. She also has on a small black back-pack. Her name is KAYLEE. She is about 23. Heavy rain falls from the sky. A scream is heard in the alley below. KAYLEE - SEATTLE Down in the street, a MUGGER holds a gun to a WOMAN. The woman screams again. MUGGER Shut up! Give me your purse, now! The mugger hits the woman in the face. The woman falls to the ground. The mugger grabs the woman’s purse. KAYLEE Hey! The mugger looks up. Kaylee jumps off the rooftop, twists around a flagpole, and kicks the mugger in the face. The mugger falls to the ground. KAYLEE (CONT’D) You’re going to give back her purse and I’m going to give you to the cops. The mugger gets up. He has the purse in one hand and a knife in his other hand behind his back. MUGGER Oh, is that right? KAYLEE Yes, and you aren’t going to give me any problems. MUGGER You sure about that? The mugger lunges at Kaylee. Kaylee does the splits and catches the mugger on her shoulder, launching him over her head and into a brick wall. The knife and purse fall to the ground. MUGGER (CONT’D) What the hell? Kaylee picks up the knife and holds it. She picks up the purse and throws it to the woman. The woman grabs it and runs away. KAYLEE I told you not to give me any problems! Now, you can either be a good boy and come with me willingly, or I can drag you unconscious. The choice is yours. The mugger slowly gets up and then tries to make a break for it. Kaylee throws the knife and it sticks into the back of the mugger’s leg. The mugger screams and falls back to the ground. MUGGER Let’s do it the easy way. KAYLEE Good choice. Now stand and face the wall. Put your hands on the wall and spread your legs. The mugger complies. Kaylee frisks him. She pulls out his keys and wallet. She opens the wallet and looks at his ID. KAYLEE (CONT’D) Hmm, Alex Kent. Well, Al, you should give up crime and stick to an honest job. Kaylee pulls a zip-lock bag out of her back-pack. She puts the wallet and keys into it. She then pulls out her calling-card - a small index card with a picture of a ladybug on the front. She puts it in the bag. Lastly, Kaylee pulls out two large zip-ties and ties the mugger’s hands and feet to a street light. She takes out her phone and dials 911. MUGGER Come on. I’ll be back on the streets by tomorrow night. KAYLEE Me too, and if I see you, I’ll break your arms. (into the phone) There’s been a mugging on Lexington and Rio. Send an ambulance and a police car. The mugger’s name is Alex Kent. He is tied to a street light. You will find ID nearby. Kaylee hangs up and puts her phone away. She places the zip-lock bag just out of his reach. MUGGER Ha! You think I can’t break this zip-tie? KAYLEE You could try. The cops will be here in about five minutes. Good luck. Kaylee pulls out a small digital camera and takes the mugger’s picture. She turns around and walks back down the alley. KAYLEE (CONT’D) And remember, I’ll break your arms next time. MUGGER (yells) At least get this knife out of my leg! Hey! Kaylee pulls a grapple out of her back-pack. She tosses it onto the roof where she was earlier. She attaches the climbing wire to her harness and climbs up. Kaylee disappears over the top of the roof. CUT TO: INT. KAYLEE’S APARTMENT Kaylee enters her apartment. She is soaking wet. Her black ladybug shirt is now inside out, so the picture is not shown. JACK, her boyfriend, is on the couch watching TV. JACK Hey, Kay. Where have you been? KAYLEE Just out for a walk. Kaylee walks into her room and puts her back-pack into the closet. JACK Kaylee, you should see this. I’m watching the news and they’re talking about some vigilante who saved someone from getting mugged like twenty minutes ago. Kaylee enters the room. JACK (CONT’D) The vigilante left the mugger zip-tied to a street light and even left a calling card. They said it was just a card with a picture of a ladybug on it. Kaylee sits down on the couch next to Jack. KAYLEE Where? LA? JACK No, here, like four blocks away. Can you imagine being a vigilante? Walking the dangerous streets at night waiting for some bad guys? KAYLEE Pretty boring. JACK Huh? KAYLEE I mean, how many crimes have you seen in your life? This ladybug must have been waiting and walking around all night. JACK I never thought about that. I guess that’s why Batman has the Bat Signal. KAYLEE I’m going to take a bath. Kaylee gets up and walks into the bathroom. She shuts the door. CUT TO: INT. KAYLEE’S APARTMENT - BATHROOM Kaylee turns on the bath water and lights a candle. She takes off her wet shirt. The ladybug picture can be seen on the inside of the shirt. She takes off the rest of her clothes and gets in the bath. She puts on her ipod. The song “Intro” by ANNIE begins to play. Kaylee closes her eyes and relaxes. FADE OUT. INT. KAYLEE’S APARTMENT - BEDROOM Jack lays on the bed. He is on the phone. JACK I will have the money by Saturday, I swear. Jack hangs up the phone. He looks a little scared. Kaylee enters the room. She wears only a towel. Jack stares at Kaylee’s thighs. JACK (CONT’D) Damn girl, how do you stay in shape? I never see you work out. Kaylee drops the towel. KAYLEE I have my secrets. Kaylee gets on the bed and crawls on top of Jack. Jack puts his arms around Kaylee. They kiss. CUT TO: INT. WAREHOUSE The New York City POLICE CHIEF is tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He is gagged. Three thugs, RICHARD, FAT BILLY, and a burly Mexican named MARCO, stand around him. Fat Billy punches the Police Chief in the face. FAT BILLY See what you get when you cross us! Marco punches the Police Chief in the face. MARCO Downtown belongs to us!