So something's wrong on Scribd, at least for me. My files are being corrupted, or they aren't loading. So, if you will allow me, we're back to our old format! Hooray! *worthy applause* Actually, no, it sucks, because a lot of you guys have preferred the Scribd format. But whatever. I'm hoping that by the time World's Finest is done, Scribd will be working. But if not, I'll just cry myself to sleep. Pity me.
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F L A S H : R O U G E S
DARK SCREEN
(V.O)
“Every story is the same.”
INT- KEYSTONE PRISON
IRIS WEST is sitting at a table in a brightly lit room. two police officers are with her. Sitting across from her is LEONARD SNART.
IRIS
“How so?”
SNART
“I’ve talked to everyone in here. We’re all the same. Criminals. Felons. Villains. Obviously. They all have the same story.”
IRIS
“Can you tell me one?”
SNART
“I can tell you my own. I think it would cheer a lot of people up when they read your column.”
IRIS
“Mr. Snart, I can detect sarcasm.”
SNART
“I wanted you to. Let’s begin.”
IRIS
“Why not?”
SNART
“I was five when I first rode in my grandfather’s ice cream truck. I loved it. He would give me a scoop of ice cream, and put it in my mouth. Then he would put in whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Do you know how good that feels, swallowing what would be a bowl of ice cream, but in your mouth, and your grandfather doing the same? And then you get a brainfreeze, and you both laugh to make the pain go away? Do you know how it feels, doing that every other week, for three years? It feels good. Do you know what being in a car crash feels like? Do you know what a fire in a car that you are in feels like. Do you know what gallons of melted ice cream pouring onto tall grass in the woods just off your street feels like? Do you know what screaming and crying for hours next to your dead, bleeding grandfather feels like until the authorities finally free you from that prison, while you scream and cry and wail while you are being dragged away, shouting for your grandfather. Just wanting him to come back really feels like?”
At this point, Snart has leaned in close enough to Iris so that he breathes onto her neck.
SNART
“It doesn’t feel very good.”
Snart sits back, leaving Iris stunned at what he has said.
IRIS
“Mr. Snart, I’m sorr-”
SNART
“Don’t say that! You aren’t sorry. People like you never are. I’ve said the exact same thing I’ve said to you to twenty-seven other people. Cops, reporters, every last one of them!”
Spit flies out of Snart’s mouth.
SNART
“They all said that! Nothing else but ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again! So don’t say ‘I’m sorry’. I know that you aren’t.”
IRIS
“Well, then, how exactly is your story just like all the others?”
SNART
“All of us went through some form of torture. Digger had it rough. Alcoholic father, there in the outback, mother died... I pity him. You see, we all had something happen. Something that changed us. I still have a scar Miss West, right here on my arm. I tried covering it up with makeup, long sleeves, but nothing truly got rid of it. It’s still there. My grandfather. His truck. All that’s left besides some scrap metal and a worm infested skull is this scar. It wasn’t just from the truck. It wasn’t from the crash. He- my own grandfather, the man I laughed with and rode around with for years... the man I trusted. He took a knife. You’re wondering how we crashed. Well he took the knife and he-”
IRIS
“Enough! That... enough. Mr. Snart, one last question. Who... or what, do you consider yourself to be?”
Snart connects his fingers, forming one large fist, and rests his hands on the table. He is very calm, not at all the harsh maniac he was mere seconds ago.
SNART
“Miss West, I am a Rogue.”
CUT TO BLACK
CUT TO:
TITLE SCREEN
FLASH: ROUGES appears, with black in the background. A lightning bolt strikes, and the black becomes red.
CUT TO:
INT- IRIS’ APARTMENT
BARRY ALLEN is lying down on a red couch, talking to himself.
BARRY
“Maybe I should invite Hal over. But that would require cleaning my room. I didn’t really say that, did I? I’m a child trapped in a man’s body. Or am I a woman trapped in a child’s body? Or... forget it, that last sentence didn’t even make sense. But I should get Hal over here.”
Barry sits up as Iris enters.
BARRY
“So?”
IRIS
“What?”
BARRY
“So how’d the interview with the madman I caught for the third time last week go?”
IRIS
“Well he spit on me while he talked. Then he breathed on my neck. Then he told me about how his grandfather died.”
BARRY
“Sounds fun. While you were out, I got rid of one more pest.”
IRIS
“Who? Some giant talking gorilla?”
BARRY
“Funny. I think I got four of the bad guys in jail in just two weeks. Record!”
IRIS
“You’re the Fastest Man Alive.”
BARRY
“I’m also sarcastic and narcissistic. I think it was a Mr, Mardon, Kadabra, Harkness, and Rory.”
IRIS
“Well, I am beyond exhausted. If you need me, I’ll be in my room.”
Barry perks up at the sound of that.
BARRY
“Can I-”
Iris shoots him a look that shuts him up on the spot.
IRIS
“No.”
She enters her room and slams the door. Barry lays back down.
CUT TO:
IRIS’ APARTMENT- LATER THAT NIGHT
Barry is still in his T-shirt and sweatpants. Iris is in pajamas, that are loose at the ankles and wrists. She holds a cup of hot chocolate. They are sitting on the couch.
Iris takes a sip of her hot cocoa.
IRIS
“How can you go back?”
BARRY
“What do you mean?”
IRIS
“After the... other ones. How can you just forget?”
BARRY
“I didn’t. The whole League thing, it’s been covered up, you know that. But... I think about what happened every night. Faraday, Jessie, they were right. Everything’s changed.”
IRIS
“Maybe that’s a good thing.”
BARRY
“Maybe.”
CUT TO:
EXT- KEYSTONE PRISON- THE NEXT DAY
Police cars pull up to the prison.
COP #1 exits, and opens the the back door.
COP #1
“Get out here.”
No one comes out. The cop reaches inside the car, and pulls out an OLD MAN by the forearm. Handcuffs are locked onto his wrists.
COP #1
“With me. Now.”
CUT TO:
INT- KEYSTONE PRISON
The old man is led through the front doors of the prison. WARDEN LEAR walks towards Cop #1. The warden is balding, well built, and wears a suit.
WARDEN
“It’s good to have you with us Mr...”
COP #1
“Kadabra. That’s all the judge and I could get out of him. Abra Kadabra.”
WARDEN
“A crazy, huh? You two!”
He points to GUARD #1 and GUARD #2.
WARDEN
“Escort him to his cell.”
ABRA KADABRA laughs as the guards take him away.
KADABRA
“Get your kicks in now! Keystone’s going to fall!”
WARDEN
“Insane.”
CUT TO:
KEYSTONE PRISON YARD
MICK RORY and DIGGER HARKNESS are walking together around the yard. Digger speaks with a thick Australian accent.
DIGGER
“Cold’s stallin’.”
RORY
“He knows what he’s doing George.”
DIGGER
“Call me Digger mate. Now all I’m sayin’ is that-”
RORY
“He knows what he’s doing.”
DIGGER
“I’m not sure. I mean, all of us captured? Why? How is that the best course of action?”
RORY
“So there’s nowhere else to put us.”
Mick pats Digger on the shoulder, and walks away from him.
CUT TO:
KEYSTONE- THAT DAY
THE FLASH zooms through the streets of Keystone.
He stops at the sight of rats. Thousands of rats. All running in the same direction. They covered the streets, squeaking and gnawing on their teeth. They seemed to be led. Flash bolts away, following the trail.
CUT TO:
The world is in slow motion. The rats have all but stopped. Flash is jogging.
CUT TO:
To our eyes, he is moving at supersonic speeds.
CUT TO:
DOWNTOWN KEYSTONE- SECONDS LATER
A man with a green hood, in a black, skintight bodysuit, green boots and black gloves. His face is hidden, but green contacts are visible. He holds a flute. Flash stops in front of him.
FLASH
“Come from Hamelin? Did you get me a postcard?”
The man rushes forwards, throwing a deadly right hook. Flash falls to it, but picks himself up.
FLASH
“This... is gonna hurt.”
The man blows into his flute, and the rats run forwards. They climb over, lunge towards, or surround Flash. He brushes some off, and finally speeds around in a circle, throwing the vermin off. He stops, and speeds towards the man. Flash stops again, right hooks the man, throws a left hook, slams his foot on the man’s, and uppercuts him. The man falls with trouble and more pain than necessary, as Flash hadn’t lifted his foot. The man scrambled the get up, but Flash grabbed his arms and pulled him up.
FLASH
“Who are you? Or, who do you call yourself?”
MAN
“Piper.”
Flash smiles, and leads PIPER to an arriving police car.
CUT TO:
22 Years Earlier
EXT- KEYSTONE PRIVATE SCHOOL
The sky is clear. Birds fly past us as the camera pans down to the Keystone Private School. The bell rings.
CUT TO:
One 12 year old boy, HARTLEY RATHAWAY, sees all the other boys rushing to their classes. We hear nothing. Neither does he. He looks around, and decides to run with them.
CUT TO:
INT- ENGLISH CLASSROOM
The teacher, MRS. HARRINGTON, signs out the lesson while talking. Still, we hear nothing, along with Hartley. Mrs. Harrington turns around. Then, so do three kids. They start spelling words and phrases like ‘F*** you’ and ‘A**hole deaf kid’ in the air with their fingers. Then, they turn around. Hartley folds his arms, puts them on his desk, and buries his head. He looks up to see the one boy’s, ANDREW’s, middle finger.
CUT TO:
Present Day
CUT TO:
EXT- IRIS’ APARTMENT
Detective PATTY SPIVOT, mid-30’s, short brown hair, stands at the door toIris’ apartment. She knocks, and checks her watch. Iris opens the door.
PATTY
“Is Barry here?”
IRIS
“He’s coming.”
PATTY
“Can I come in?”
IRIS
“Sure. So what’s this about?”
Patty takes a seat on the couch.
PATTY
“That’s... Barry needs to know first.”
IRIS
“Is he in any trouble?”
PATTY
“No, he’s not. Well, knowing him, not yet.”
IRIS
“That’s for sure. How do you know him?”
PATTY
“Friends in high school. It wasn’t half bad.”
IRIS
“Not as much as you thought it would be, at least. Would you want something to drink?”
PATTY
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
IRIS
“So how good friends were you?”
PATTY
“I know what you’re suggesting, and yes, we did. Are you...?”
IRIS
“No. I’m just helping him out.”
PATTY
“Tough times.”
IRIS
“The next Depression.”
PATTY
“When’s he going to get here?”
IRIS
“He’s always late.”
PATTY
“Trust me, I know. Missed the previews way too many times.”
There is an awkward pause as the women look at the floor. A few seconds later, Barry walks in.
BARRY (jokingly)
“Honey, I’m home!”
He sees Patty.
PATTY
“Hi Barry. Long time no see.”
BARRY
“Oh Lord. Look, whatever it is, I didn’t do it.”
PATTY
“It’s not about that.”
BARRY
“What is it then?”
PATTY
“It’s about your father. I had to tell you in person.”
BARRY
“My- my father? Is he...?”
PATTY
“He’s on parole Barry. Look, I know that it was a misunderstanding, and that he shouldn’t have had to be in there, but-”
BARRY
“No. Don’t say anything else.”
PATTY
“I thought you’d be happy to hear it.”
BARRY
“I am. I’m just... thinking.”