Watchmen Page #5

COP 1 (O.S.) (CONT'D)

Clear! I'm checking the other rooms.

Cop 2 relaxes a bit, turns--

--and comes face to "face" with Rorschach, standing inches

away. The Cop's face goes slack with childish terror. He goes

to yell but Rorschach raises two fingers, "Shhh"--

The fingers JAB INTO THE COP'S WINDPIPE. The cop HISSES and

falls silently as Rorschach brushes past him like a whisper.

HOLLIS (O.S.)

See, the Comedian thought he had it all

worked out.

INT. HOLLIS MASON'S APARTMENT - LATE NIGHT/EARLY MORNING

CLOSE ON:
A FRAMED PHOTO of the first Watchmen--identical to

the old one in Blake's closet. Holding the photo is HOLLIS

MASON. He puts the photo down, but we don't see his face yet.

HOLLIS (O.S.)

He was young and arrogant, but what he

lacked in experience, he made up for in

. tenacity.

As he speaks, we PAN ACROSS various FRAMED MEMORABILIA: The

first is a NEWSPAPER CLIPPING dated 1958: MYSTERIOUS MASKED

MAN CLEANS UP WHARFS--the caption underneath reads "Hero

Calls Himself The Nite Owl."

HOLLIS (O.S.) (CONT'D)

Guess I was that way too, when I started.

I'll never know what possessed me to put

that mask on the first time.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

8.

CONTINUED:

HOLLIS (O.S.) (CONT'D)

It started with the villains, y'know,

people forget that. Pirate outfits,

ghosts. Gangs that thought it was funny

to dress up and pull heists, crap like

that.

PAN ACROSS:
Another FRAMED CLIPPING, dated 1962: NITE OWL

FORMS WATCHMEN--COSTUMED HEROES COMBINING FORCES! "'We're

going to clean up this town!' Says costumed crusader."

HOLLIS (O.S.) (CONT'D)

So a few cops, we decide it might be

funny to mask up too. Be anonymous. Take

these guys on at the street level, right?

Then the media got wind, ran with it,

turned it into a whole different beast.

PAN ACROSS:
A GOLD STATUE of NITE OWL in his Sixties-era

costume. The plaque below reads: IN GRATITUDE, 1969. Another

clipping:
"Hero Retires, Reveals Identity In Tell All Book."

Finally, we come to HOLLIS MASON (aka Nite Owl), 70s, though

his eyes sparkle with strength and his face still shows the

edges of a born hero. The TV is on in the background.

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