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THROUGH A BROKEN MIRROR Written by Alan Jessup

Fade In: Sounds of battle gunfire, indistinct men shouting are audible in background until waking up/aircraft scene. EXTERIOR PLAYGROUND DAY JASON CAMPIONE (8) stands on a playground, beaten. Hes standing between several bullies and crying kid, clearly acting as a protector. INTERIOR BOXING RING DAY Jason (15) fighting a man nearly twice his size. Already has a black eye, body covered in bruises. Fights toe-totoe. Jason is smiling as they trade blows. EXTERIOR BASIC TRAINING DAY Jason (18) running on a track while his Drill Sergeant shouts. The rest of his squad is held at attention watching him. Jason is loaded down with heavy bags-one for each squadmate. EXTERIOR FALLUJAH NIGHT Jason (22)leads squad. Sergeant stripes on uniform. Theyre rushing down a crowded ally; a helicopter is visible in the distance. A straggler in the squad is badly wounded by a sniper. We see his last name on his uniform. Jason waves squad forward, sprints back to get injured troop. All of squad gets to helicopter. Jason waits till last to get on the helicopter - sniper round hits leg. INTERIOR MILITARY HOSPITAL NIGHT Jason stands outside a hospital room. Injured soldiers name is on the files outside the door. Doctor talks to Jason, then shakes his head. Jason is using crutches; leg bandage is beginning to bleed through.

EXTERIOR JASONS HOUSE MORNING Jason limps out of cab, cane in one hand, roses in other. Walks towards house, catches a glimpse of his wife through upstairs bedroom window. Jason smiles, which changes to shock as he sees a man pass the window, kissing his wife. INTERIOR JASONS HOUSE DAY Jason and his wife arguing, obviously the same day. Shes shouting at him. V.O. MICKEY and VICTORIA CAMPIONE Come home, kid. You can sta Voices are cut off, turn into screams. INTERIOR AIRCRAFT DAY Jason wakes up. Hes a bit disheveled, three-days stubble on his chin. Clothes are comfortable civilian attire, but heavily wrinkled. Otherwise, still every bit the soldier in appearance; clean cut black hair, muscled. Covered in sweat, breathing a bit heavy. The seats around him are empty, and a FLIGHT ATTENDENT is standing next to him, looking worried. FLIGHT ATTENDENT Sir, are you ok? Jason flashes her a quick smile, transforming him from a scared man to charming, if disheveled, man. JASON Yeah, Im good. Just some bad dreams. He looks around at the empty seats. JASON Hell, Im sorrywas i?

FLIGHT ATTENDENT Its ok, sir. If you want, first class is nearly empty as well, we can move you to first class. JASON Im fine, maam. Thank you, though. For what its worth, Im sorry for Distur.. She smiles at him FLIGHT ATTENDENT Its ok, sir. Enjoy the rest of your flight. As soon as her back is turned, Jasons smile drops. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a single dog tag on a chain, with a chipped wedding ring on it. The name on the tag isnt his. His eyes close after a second, and he fades back to sleep. FLIGHT ATTENDENT (V.O.) Ladies and Gentlemen, we hope youve enjoyed your flight from Dallas, Texas to Elmira, NY. INTERIOR AIRPORT DAY Jason walks with a slight limp to a baggage claim, grabbing a battered duffle bag from the conveyer belt. As he does, his cell rings. Fumbling for it, he breaks into a smile when he sees the caller name; JAMES FRANKLIN. JASON Hey man, long time. How are you and Sarah doing? JAMES Not too bad, man. Just calling to make sure you were doing ok.

JASON Course I am. Flight wasnt that bad. JAMES Thats not what I meant. Look, Sarah and I have some vacation time coming up, as well as plenty of air vouchers saved; we can be in New York within a few da Jason cuts him off, laughing a bit. JASON Its ok, man. I promise, Im fine. Youre acting like my life has completely turned to shit in the course of a week. JAMES Youre never going to change, are you? Look, thisyou dont need to go at it alone all the time. You can have others help you. Doesnt make you weak. JASON For the last time, man. Im fine. Just going to take some time out with the folks, remind myself why I never come home if I can help it. Ill be back to Dallas in a month. Just need time to get used to civilian life, you know? Besides, all my stuffs there. JAMES Alright, Jason. You need anything JASON Ill call, man. I promise. You and

Sarah take care, yeah? Tell the Kid his Uncle said hey. JAMES I will. Take care. EXTERIOR TOWN EVENING Jason drives through town in a rental car. While the car is beautiful, the town outside has clearly seen better days. Buildings are derelict, factories empty, residential areas are full of wandering hoodlums, shadows, and boarded up windows. JASON Wellhome again, home again, jiggity jig. EXTERIOR MICKEY/VICTORIAS HOUSE EVENING Jason pulls up to a house that seems untouched by the decay around it. The garden up front is obviously well cared for, flowers in full bloom. The house itself is older, but still kept in good repair, fresh paint. A canopy has been set up outside, dozens of people milling about. A kid sees him pull up, and starts frantically waving to the car. KID Hes here! As Jason gets out, his family swarms around him. UNCLE Welcome back from the sandbox, kid. GRANDMA Were so glad your back. GRANDFATHER Thought youd have written more. The whole family walks back from the car with Jason, everyone talking at once. Throughout the evening, Jason wanders the party, barely touching the food. Whenever hes

with a group, hes the life of the party; laughing, joking, entertaining. However, whenever hes alone, his expression turns grim. His hand keeps darting to his pocket, where we can see the chain from the dog tag and wedding ring barely poking out. RICHARD Hey, douchebag! What, email dont work in the desert? A young man walks up to Jason, his hair spiked and dyed white. A ripped band t-shirt covers his bony chest, and his jeans are several sizes too big. Two slashes cut across the back of the shirt near his shoulder blades; stylized wing tattoos can be glimpsed. On his left forearm are the words Fortitudo, Honorem, Familia. His right arm has a full-sleeve tattoo of a clown wielding a longsword wreathed in white flame, wading in a lake of fire. JASON Hey, watch the language, man. He laughs JASON Long time, man. Surprised you got time off from the band to swing by. RICHARD For you? Damn right I did, bro. The two men hug, laughing. RICHARD How long is your goofy ass gonna be in town this time? Weve missed your stupid ass around here. JASON Just a month. Got accepted to a college back in Texas, figure

Ill use my G.I. Bill at try and get edumacated.

RICHARD In Texas? What are you gonna major in, cow-screwing? JASON Hey, if theyll pay RICHARD Hell, youre never gonna change, are you man? So, gone in a month, huh? Hey, up for some gaming? Been planning a quick one-shot D&D thing for a bit now, be good to have ya back in. Help ya get your mind off shit. JASON Im not sure, man. RICHARD Oh, what? Big tough guy too busy doing pushups to hang with us geeks? Youre playing, man. Dont make me kick your ass. Jason laughs JASON Well, when you put it that way. Just try and keep the lesbian bar-maids to a minimum this time, huh? Richard gets a stricken look on his face. RICHARD Butbut theyre the best part!

Richard leaves. After a moment, Victoria walks up with a beer and hands it to Jason. Her raven hair is lightly streaked with grey. Shes still strikingly beautiful. In the background, we see Richard looking up and down Victoria from behind, before grinning at Jason and turning back to his conversation. VICTORIA Your father told me to give this to you. Jason grins and pops it open. VICTORIA Are you doing ok, Jason? I know everything has been a big shock With a touch of exasperation to his voice JASON Mom, Im fine. Honest. Ive dealt with worse, Im sure. VERONICA THATS NOT THE POINT, JASON, AND you know it, kid. Everything thats happenedits a lot to deal with. JASON I know, mom. And Im dealing with it, as much as I can. VERONICA Have you thought about coming back? The family misses you up here.

JASON Ive thought about it. Maybe I dont know.

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VICTORIA Well, just think about it, ok? Now, go mingle before your Grandmother yells at me for hogging you. She hugs him VICTORIA I love you kid. JASON Love you too, mom.

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UPDATE: this is a scene Im mostly keeping, but obviously not in correct chronological order right now. Will remove this update as I keep writing. Sorry for the inconvenience. -AJ

INTERIOR CLASSROOM DAY While battered, this classroom seems to have been reinforced-the door is rusted iron, the windows are all barred. A young boy, DIERO, and girl, NORA, are watching both Jason and Richard wake up. Jason is laying face-down, Richard on his back. The children (both 10) are dressed identically, both holding hobbled-together crossbows. Bolts (mostly straight, sharp metal)are in battered quivers on their backs. Theyre standing next to the iron door, weapons trained on the two men. Nora looks ready to flee, and keeps sneaking glances at Diero whenever Jason/Richard arent focused on her. RICHARD Uhhhhthe fuck are we? As Richard speaks, Jason snaps awake, and reaches behind him for the club he used earlier. Its not there. NORA Ghaa! She fires a bolt at Jason, and barely misses. He freezes. JASON Easy, were not going to hurt you At the same time RICHARD Easy, Rugrat!

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NORA Shut up, Domonio! She fumbles for another bolt. DIERO Nora, easy. Both children take a deep breath, then recite as one DIERO AND NORA Through our partner, we stand against the dark. We are brave for the one next to us. While one draws breath, the other lives free. RICHARD Wellthats not fucking creepy. JASON Easy, mandont taunt the kids. DIERO You should listen to your friend, Painted Man. He speaks wisdom. RICHARD Wisdom aint really my thing, Oompa. JASON Richard Richard grins quickly back at Jason, then holds up his hands. NORA What were you doing in the Casa dei Dannati?

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Her tone has changed after the speech; she is now completely calm. RICHARD The huh? JASON ItalianThe Home of the Dam DIERO Dont say the name. She might hear. JASON She? DIERO The one who controls the beasts. The Amante Sanguinosa. Richard glances back at Jason for explanation, but Jason just shakes his head. NORA Allena will want to see them, Diero. DIERO Agreed. Can you two walk? Richard springs up. Jason gets up slowly, favoring his reinjured leg. NORA The beast injured your leg? Jason nods, and Nora glares at Richard. NORA You should help your partner move quicker.

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INTERIOR GYM DAY Richard and Jason walk into the gym. Nora and Diero are behind the two, weapons pointed at them. Inside, 30 people ranging from 5 to 50 are training in martial arts. The thirty people are split into 15 groups of 2, each person mimics his/her partners movements. Two women in their late 20s stalk between the groups, never more than 10 away from each other. They are dressed identically. Clothes are still clearly salvaged, put in better repair than anyone elses. One of the women, ALLENATORE, stops in front of a pair of 10 year old girls. Her partner, PADRONA, stops and moves behind the group silently. ALLENATORE What exactly was that punch, child? The girl stutters; shes thrown a high punch while her opponent threw a center punch. GIRL 1 II thought ALLENATORE Both of you, step forward. Allentore stalks away from them several paces, then turns and faces both children. The children hesitantly take two steps forward. RICHARD What the hell is going DIERO AND NORA Shhhh. The four stay at the entrance, watching the scene unfold.

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Allenatore and both children bow to one another. Behind the children, Padrona bows as well. ALLENATORA, PADRONA, BOTH GIRLS Noi che siamo sul punto di morire, salutiamo Both children spring foward immediately, wildly throwing punches and kicks at Allenatore. They try to surround her, be she slowly walks back, knocking their blows out of the air with ease. ALLENATORE I did not train you to be weak. Fight together, damnit. Her words are unheeded. One girl manages to duck behind Allenatora and throws a vicious sweeping kick/spin fist combo. Allenatora looks sad for a brief second as she grab the girls fist and spins with her, using the momentum to throw her into her partner. ALLENATORE Why did you fail? GIRL 2 It... it was my fault. I didnt distract you while she attacked. ALLENATORE Good. Again. Both girls disentangle themselves from eachother, and prepare to fight again. Girl 1s left arm hangs limp. JASON Shes injured. DIERO And?

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The children attack again, and the results are the same. This time, its girl 2 who makes the mistake, trying to jump and kick Allenatore in the stomach. Her leg is caught and she is used as a club against her partner. JASON ENOUGH! All eyes turn towards Jason, who is limping foward, fists balled. JASON Back away from the kids, bitch. Allenatore glares at Jason, then looks at Diero/Nora. ALLENATORE Bows down, children. She glances at the two girls she just fought. ALLENATORE Back in line. They scramble in line, trying to ignore their injuries. Allenatore doesnt move away from them, however. ALLENATORE Most would consider it rude to swear in front of children. Or to make demands without introducing yourself. JASON My names Jason Campione. Now back away from them, or i make you. Padrona balls her fists and looks alarmed, but relaxes at a look from Allenatore. ALLENATORE Campione?

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Jason finishes limping up to her and stands mere inches from her face, his look determined. JASON Yeah. Campione. Last warning. Back away. ALLENATORE You should not give threats when your partner is on the other side of the room. That is poor strategy. Jason jabs quickly, catching her in the face. She rocks back a step, then smiles, apparently uninjured. JASON I warned you. You dont treat kids like that. The words are barely out of his mouth when Padrona kicks his injured leg hard. He drops to one knee, and a blade appaers in one smooth motion from Padronas sleeve and presses against Jasons throat. PADRONA Do not move against my partner. Yours would not be the first blood to cover this floor. ALLENATORA Easy, Padrona. To Jason ALLENATORA Why are you upset with my training methods? From the other side of the room RICHARD Because he hates bullying bitches?

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ALLENATORE A...bully? Is that what you think I am? After a moment ALLENATORE Padrona, please. Padrona removes her blade from Jasons throat, hiding it back up her sleeve in one movement. Richard walks over towards the three of them, and moves to help Jason up, keeping his back away from Padrona. Jason refuses his help, and stands. JASON What do you call someone who beats Children half their age and size? ALLENATORA Someone training them to fight creatures five times their age and size. JASON You dont do it like this. ALLENATORE Others thought like you, once. JASON You should have listened to them. ALLENATORE We did. Then we picked through their ruined cities, and burned their corpses to prevent the Sanguinosa from using them as fuel against us.

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JASON Then you find... ALLENATORE There is no other way! Now be silent. You have been trespassing on our lands, and caught in the Casa dei Dannati. Be thankful we have not put you out of your misery already. JASON Not while you keep beating on children. Allenatore sighs, then turns to Richard. ALLENATORE He is your partner, yes? Remind him that he his injured and surrounded. This is not a wise fight. RICHARD Ha! Sorry Amazonia, he aint Backing down. Guess Im not either. He slips into a fighting stance, then freezes when Jason speaks. JASON Back down. My fight. RICHARD I dont think so, Captain Freedom. Your legs damn near clawed in two. We could see the bone for christ sake. You back the fuck down.

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Everyone except Jason and Richard in the room watches in shock.

ALLENATORE You would deny the help of your partner when injured? JASON *I* make *my* choices. Not letting someone else get hurt because of me. ALLENATORE Campione Rotto... She pauses, then her face hardens. ALLENATORE If that is what you wish, fine. Follow me, both of you. Everyone else, spar another group. Allenatore strides out with Padrona, Richard and Jason in tow. Behind them, everyone breaks into groups of four, two partners against two more. EXTERIOR PLAYGROUND DAY