THE RUNNER SCREENPLAY, BRIAN R. LUNDIN [phonics reader .TXT] 📗

in computer technology. The people working in the lab are preparing the cocoa leaves for processing and the masks are to protect them from inhaling the addictive dust coming from the leaves. As we speak, another setup very similar to this one is being set up for you to make our heroin. the other mountain should be ready in about a month, so until then, enjoy yourself with Juanita.

“Yes sir,” Al answered, sounding like the young man he really was.

In a month Al’s state of the art lab was ready. It was similar in construction as the cocaine lab, computer was installed and the workers were assembled. Phillippe accompanied Al to his newly constructed lab.

PHILLIPPE
Is everything to your satisfaction, doctor?

AL
Yes sir, I believe so.

PHILLIPPE
For my own edification doctor how are you going to convert the raw opium into heroin?


AL
Refining raw opium into heroin is a tedious, multi-step process. Once the raw opium gum is transported here, I will have to first convert it into morphine, an intermediate product that perhaps you can also sell to pharmaceutical companies. The computers will regulate the proper amount of the opium gum with the proper amount of water. The opium gum will eventually dissolve in the 55-gallon drums of boiling water. After it is dissolved it is then filtered through burlap sacks. When dried, the morphine resulting from this initial process is pressed into bricks. The conversion of morphine into heroin is basically, a chemical process, which also will be controlled by the computers. The morphine bricks are mixed with acetic anhydride, along with sodium carbonate and other chemical and heroin is extracted from the bricks of morphine, the purity level of your heroin will be about ninety percent.

Phillippe
Very good doctor, get to work.

Doctor Al Brewer was very good at his job, after constantly refining the conversion techniques his lab was producing over 500 kilos of ninety percent heroin a month and the State Street Boys were their best customers, the only problem Al had was he never saw Juanita. The engineers had constructed a roomy comfortable apartment for him that contained a well stock library and installed a satellite television. Phillippe told him that the female workers were at his disposal and would do anything he wanted. Every evening he was given a food menu for the following day by one of the Mexican women and whatever he ordered was delivered to him; he very seldom left the mountain. One late afternoon while standing outside the mountain watching the beautiful colors as the sun was setting Felix visited him. The two men sat on a big rock and drunk tequila.

AL
How is Juanita?

FELIX
She’s gone, you didn’t know?

AL
No, I’ve been stuck here; I very seldom leave, gone, where?

FELIX
I don’t know.

Before long, Felix left, but Al was determined to find out where Juanita had gone. Al spent all of his time in the mountain lab and he developed innovative procedures to make the processing of the raw opium into heroin. One evening Phillippe invited Al to dinner. After dinner, Al and Phillippe sat on the veranda drinking Hennessy VSOP cognac and gazing at the blue sky and smelling the wild flowers. Without warning Phillippe stared at Al.

PHILLIPPE
Was she a good fuck?


Al did not answer.

AL
Where is Juanita?

Phillippe did not answer right away.

PHILLIPPE
Juanita had to leave, she has returned to Mexico City.

AL
Why did she leave?

PHILLIPPE
Juanita has a sexual problem; she has what we call a “White Liver.”

AL
What is that?

Phillippe lowered his eyes.

PHILLIPPE
She is a nymphomaniac, she can’t get enough sex. I have indulged this condition for years and I finally convinced her to seek help, that why she went to the city.
Al finished his drink and returned to his lab. The following evening Al sat on the veranda of his mountain apartment and watched the beautiful sunset over the high mountains of Cali, Columbia with Felix Lehder.

FELIX
Did you hear about Juanita?

AL
No, what happened to her?

FELIX
They found her body in some cheap hotel in the city. She had been raped and sodomized with a broom handle.

AL
(visibly shaken)
Jesus! Any word on who did it?


FELIX
The word is that some of Al Hernandez people were involved, Phillippe is offering two million dollar for information.

Al slowly went into his lab picked up a kilo package of heroin and injected a large dose into his veins; he was dead before he hit the floor.

INT. VITO’S OFFICE- EVENING

Jimmy and Lieutenant Delany sat quietly and watched Vito as he poured a half of liter of Smirnoff Vodka and a half bottle of Vermouth into a large pitcher, after covering the pitcher and giving it a good shake he poured himself and the two other men a drink. He proposed a toast and sat in his chair behind the desk.
After taking a long sip of his drink and lighting a cigar he looked at the two and asked


VITO
What youse find out?

Jimmy told his boss about the warehouse and the two men, who were now dead and what Pedro had told them about the opium plant in Bangladesh.

VITO
Guess you had to kick the shit out of that tamale eater to get him to talk, huh?

JIMMY
We tried that, but that was a tough wetback, he never would have talked no matter how many times we kicked his ass.

VITO
Ok, since we going to play these fuckin’ mind games, how in the fuck did you get him to talk.

DELANY
Bruno got him to talk.

VITO
How?

JIMMY
I’ll let Bruno tell you because I don’t know, he sent me and the lieutenant out to the car and he was alone with this big wetback, let me get Bruno.

Bruno was ushered into Vito’s office by Jimmy. Bruno slowly limped over to a chair and sat down with the help of the lieutenant, opposite Vito, Jimmy had reclined on his favorite couch.

VITO
Want a drink, Bruno?

BRUNO
(wheezing)
No thanks, just a glass of water please.

Vito waited as the little man, took a sip of water, pulled an inhaler out of his pocket and took two deep puffs.

BRUNO
(When he caught his breath),

Excuse me sir, my asthma has been acting up lately, I’m sorry but I’m fine now.

VITO
Good. Now tell me how did you get that tamale eater to talk?

Bruno took two more puffs on his inhaler.

BRUNO
All men, even the strongest men have fears, some men are afraid of the dark, heights, closed places, etc. A long time ago in my homeland I learned that often time physical abuse and violence don’t work, there are men who would rather die than betray a comrade or a cause, that’s the kind of man Pedro was. Excessive beatings would have only resulted in his death and you wouldn’t have the information you wanted. The secret is to find out a man’s innermost fears and exploit them. As I’m sure you can tell I am not a physically threatening person and I am sure Pedro thought about how easily he could overpower me and maybe use me to escape, why he didn’t do that only he knows and has taken it to the grave with him. A little kindness and general conversation was all that was needed for me to find out his innermost fear, which was being raped, once I found that out the rest was easy.

JIMMY
He’s sure is right boss, once my guys started bustin’ his asshole he told everything he knew.

VITO
(Vito slid Bruno an envelope)
I’m in you debt Bruno.

Bruno took the envelope but dropped it as coughing racked his body and yellowish phlegm came into his throat. He took out from his coat pocket an already soiled handkerchief and spat into it. As he used the inhaler, the lieutenant picked up the envelope and securely placed it into his coat pocket. In a few minutes, the medication kicked in and Bruno was able to breathe. As Jimmy and the lieutenant helped Bruno out the office, Vito told Jimmy to have his driver take Bruno anywhere he wanted to go.

VITO

Where in the hell is Bangladesh?”

JIMMY
I’ll get a map and show you boss.

INT. VITO’S OFFICE-NIGHT

The former Mexican drug supplier for the Hispanic gangs was an older Mexican named Al Hernandez. For years, he had been the main Chicago supplier for Mexican mud. He had done business with Vito Paligreno in addition to his Mexican clients. He was very concerned when he was told by the 26th Street Hombres that their deal was off and they now were purchasing their drugs from the State Street Boy’s. He requested a meeting with Vito.

VITO
That tamale eater, Al Hernadez wants a sit-down huh?

JIMMY
Yep, seems like the same thing happened to him that happened to us, them young Nigras has taken over his business with the young tamale eaters.

VITO
I ain’t never liked that guy; he is about the ugliest motherfucker I have ever seen. With his shiny, oily back hair and those little slit for eyes, he look like a fuckin’ snake.

JIMMY
Yeah, and he smells bad too, you goin’ to give him a sit-down?

VITO
Yeah, set it up.

Seated across from Vito was Al Hernadez, his foul body odor lit up the entire office.
Al Hernandez was a brown-skinned, very thin, emancipated man of thirty-five with extremely oily straight black hair. His nose was twisted and looked as if it had been broken and badly set. His teeth had a yellow film and he had slit-like snake looking eyes whose irises were a deep brown and hid behind double-lens glasses, he had a thin pencil thin lips below a big, bushy unkept mustache. His body odor reeked with funk and tequila, however regardless of his looks, he had a sharp mind and a good business sense and he never trusted Vito. Once a long time ago he had learned that Vito was trying to cut him out and deal directly with his Mexican drug source, the plan did not work, but from that time on Al always was watchful of Vito.

INT. VITO’S OFFICE-AFTERNOON
AL
Buenos Díaz, Señor Vito.

VITO
Same to you.

Directing his visitor to a chair.

What can I do you for?

AL
We seem to have a similar annoyance.

VITO
We do?

AL
This black gang, the State Street Boy’s are costing both of us a lot of money, wouldn’t you say.

VITO
Yeah, them young Nigras are a pain in my ass, but what are they doing to you.

AL
I had a good business going with my hommies, the 26th Street Hombres, they were one of my best customers, but now they have stopped buying my goods and are buying their goods from them niggers in the projects.

VITO
(feigning surprise)
Oh, I didn’t know that.


Smiling and showing his yellow crooked teeth, Al took off his glasses and wiped the lens with a dirty handkerchief.

AL
(smiling)
Ahh, senor Vito, nothing goes on in this