STORY NO. 4 by

RIZCY BUSINESS Early 1940s. Las Vegas. Posh house. Night. We see TONY asleep in a large luxurious bed, draped in silk and satin. The room is dark, with heavy red curtains d rawn shut. A glimmer of moonlight stretches in a thin line acros s the cavernous interior. Tony tosses and turns in bed, seemingly having a dream, unsettled. His slick black hair is ruffled. The sma ll gold crucifix around his neck shines in the light. We’re inside an abandoned warehouse. Torrents of li ght pour through the dingy skylights above. Tony, SAL, and PAULIE ar e sitting in the middle of the warehouse around a tiny, shabby table . Each gentleman is wearing a black pinstripe suit. A black fedora i s perched on Tony’s head to block the insistent sunlight. Tony t akes out a lighter, a Treasurer cigarette and starts talking. Underground tunnel. The lighting is sparse, colored an acid yellow. Tony and Sal are running through a passageway. Sal’ s shirt is torn and two bullet holes have scorched the fabric. Tony sees JOHNNY up ahead and whistles. The tunnel shakes and soil crum bles from above. Johnny’s in fatigues wearing a nametag that reads “ SGT. THOMPSON.” His face is covered in dirt, sweat, and blood. He’s carrying a CHILD in one arm. Tony looks at the child and freezes, wi th a mute look of shocked recognition. Control room. A thousand lights, colored yellow, re d, green, and blue blink rapidly, silently. COLONEL BLACKTREE pulls a pistol from his hip with an angry grin on his face. We see Tony, gu ns drawn, running inside the control room flanked by his men. Sal sho ots out the lights. Tony fires twice. A tense and silent second passes. Blacktree collapses. Early morning. Nevadan desert. DR. ANNENBERG, a rai l-thin man in his 60s, wearing thick, round glasses, looks on. He mot ions to an assistant, who nods and yells an order. We see that a whole row of military personnel is situated to the right of Anne nberg. As one, they lean forward, in excited anticipation. A bright flash goes off in the distance. A moment l ater, a hollow boom reverberates through the desert air. We see th e child looking at the explosion, standing on top of a nearby hill. Hi s face is blank.