EXT. KENNEDY AIRPORT - DAY

JP's large private jet comes to a halt on the ramp and a
small contingent of armed guards surround it, accompanied by
an APC.

Steps are quickly wheeled to the aircraft and the door
opens.

JP's four wives emerge looking around, holding hats to heads
and talking excitedly.

Misty joins them but stands aloof, holding herself with
dignity.

JP emerges deep in talk with his aide, looking up as a
squadron of fighters make a flyby.

                   JP
             (to aide)
         Send message to President. Thank
         him for escort. Ask if anything he
         wants for the airforce.

ARRIVALS

The party -- complete with circle of bodyguards -- walk
through arrivals.

                   JP
         What's she doing, rushing ahead
         like that?

                   WIFE#2
             (snearing)
         Ah! She thinks she's better than
         the rest of us.

                   JP
             (calling sharply)
         Misty!

She stops, shooting a look at the ceiling. A rumpus breaks
out not far away in departures, which attracts attention from
the whole party.

                   JP
             (tensing)
         What's that!

There are shouts and tears as a couple get roughly arrested.

His aide presses a few practiced keys on a palmtop.

                   AID
         Just a couple of monogamous love
         birds somebody reported. Nothing of
         interest.

JP looks away with mild disgust and the party walk on, but
Misty is transfixed and lags behind.

                   JP
             (calling back)
         Misty! God-damn-it!

EXT. EXIT.

The party stroll through the doors being held open by
stewards, and they all climb into the waiting limo that is
part of a five vehicle convoy, including an APC on point
duty.

INT. LIMO - LATER

JP gazes out of the window as they pass a park, with a few
model boats being sailed an a pond.

                   JP
             (whimsical)
         Used to love sailing, in the days
         when less old and grumpy.

He turns to Misty who has her head in a book. He seems hurt
that she isn't paying attention, so turns to wife#1.

                   JP
             (petulant)
         You think I'm grumpy?

                   WIFE#1
             (squeezing his thigh)
         Certainly not darling. I've never
         known you in such a good mood.

He taps her knee in thanks, then turns to Misty with more
confidence.

                   JP
         Misty? Bet you don't even know
         what's talked about!

                   WIFE#2
         She's had her nose in that book
         since she got it.

                   WIFE#3
         She took it off somebody who was
         gonna burn it.

                   WIFE#4
         Yeah - I bet it's one of your
         banned ones.

                   JP
         Misty? Did you save that from fire?

                   MISTY
         I did yes. I wanted to know what
         all the fuss was about, and
         basically I think you're all just a
         little misguided. Did you ever read
         any of those books you burned last
         night?

                   JP
             (defensive)
         Don't need to. If they applaud
         romance, they burn.

                   MISTY
         But romance -- love -- seems to
         bring out the most beautiful, the
         most expressive lines I can ever
         remember reading. Listen to this.
             (Recites from book)
         Love is a smoke raised with the
         fume of sighs;  Being purged, a
         fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
         Being vex'd a sea nourish'd with
         lovers' tears:  What is it else? a
         madness most discreet, A choking
         gall and a preserving sweet.

Her fellow wives look at her with contempt. JP shows only
mild concern.

                   JP
         Poetry!

                   MISTY
         Actually it's
             (quotes from book cover)
         A play, by William Shakespeare.

JP throws his head back and pulls at his hair with both
hands.

                   JP
         Oh that I too suffered from
         amnesia, so that blasted name
         sounded as alien to my ears as to
         yours.

He holds his hand out to her expectantly, and she reluctantly
passes him the book.

                   JP
             (impatient)
         Misty, you must re-learn an awful
         lot about this society, if you want
         to fit in again. Learn from other
         wives here, and remember: romance
         bad, greed good.

He fondles the book in his hands.

                   JP
             (delight)
         Could kiss you for this one,
         nonetheless. If ever a book I'd
         want in my hand it's this one.
             (to his other wives)
         Romeo and Juliet.

He lets them hold it. They pass it briefly from hand to hand
as if scared of catching a disease, then pass it back to JP.

                   JP
         Open window somebody.

Two of them scrabble to be the first to obey.

                   JP
             (holding book up to Misty)
         Romeo and Juliet! Two rather stupid
         lovers who kill themselves over a
         simple breakdown of communication.
         Now, if they'd been business
         partners who lost a contract for
         similar reasons, I wouldn't have to
         do this.

Gets out a cigarette lighter and sets fire to the pages. When
the book is burning nicely he tosses it out of the open
window.

The burning book hits the windscreen of a parked wedding limo
and ricochets to land amongst a bride and two grooms having
their photos taken.

                   JP
         There! Rather fitting end to such
         words as those, you think?

Misty is close to tears.

Her four fellow spouses are all looking through the rear
window.

                   WIFE#1
             (exhilarated)
         Hey! That's something you don't see
         often! One bride and two grooms.

                   JP
             (vicious to misty)
         See! That's something old romantics
         wouldn't have allowed. What profits
         they missed.

An alarm suddenly goes off, and JP comes close to panic.

                   JP
             (to intercom)
         Situation?

                   INTERCOM (V.O.)
         RV's. Three. Intercepting us.

JP searches out of the windows then sees them.

EXT. FITH STREET

Three tripod machines equipped with machine gun turrets strut
towards them.

The escort APC skids into action as it accelerates towards
the machines. A man holding an anti-tank weapon squirming
through an open hatch.

BACK TO INT. LIMO

                   JP
             (screaming at intercom)
         Transmit the virus damn it.

                   INTERCOM (V.O.)
         Trying to counter some jamming.

JP looks around, a mixture of panic and frustration.

                   INTERCOM (V.O.)
         Okay. We've done it. Virus
         transmitted.

EXT. FITH STREET

Rocket fired from APC misses and detonates against a tower
block, but the tripods have lost control as the virus attacks
their on-board systems. One trips over a car, one walks into
a lamp-post and topples backwards. The last one walks blindly
into a shop-front -- smashing its window and getting stuck,
its legs moonwalking on the sidewalk.

BACK TO INT. LIMO

JP watches, unable to believe his eyes or his luck.

                   JP
         Shit. Another close one.