Curtains BILLOW around an open window, CENTERED in frame.

CUE MUSIC and SLOW ZOOM OUT. Audio muted besides MUSIC and WIND. Hostages come into view, followed by armed men arguing. CAMERA TRAVELS BACKWARDS out of room. CAMERA CENTERED on the hostages and armed men before turning LEFT down the hallway to CENTER and a closed door at the end. ZOOM, camera travels through old fashioned key lock to see the face of our protagonist, Heather, sweating and stressed. ZOOM back out to take in the rest of the room -- it's a single-occupancy bathroom. MUSIC SWELLS, anxiously.

CUT TO BLACK and MUSIC STOPS for several seconds.

DOOR KICK SOUND, generic 90's POP MUSIC and CAMERA OPENS back on doorway to hostage/armed men room. Armed men are ARGUING. Foot steps GROWING LOUDER. Long black trench coat (MATRIX STYLE) sweeps in front of the camera, Heather walks into the room, back to the camera. She raises her hands in a placative manner.

HEATHER: Woah! I was gone for a few minutes and you guys are already at each other's throats.

K: It's because this little shit here (POINTS to one of the hostages) got the bright idea to make a run for it, AND J was watching (FINGER POKED into J's chest). Suppose to be anyway.

J looks toward Heather with a pleading look in his eye.

HEATHER: Is this true? (TURN head toward J)

 J: Well, uh... My clan was in a war and I couldn't just sit here and not help! I made an obligation!

HEATHER: Hold him. (GESTURES between K and J, and I and J (I has been leaning on a nearby wall smoking)).

K and I hold J, Heather approached. She fished around in his coat and pulls out his phone. She snaps it in half and hands it to K.

HEATHER: Burn this. (TURN to J). I said no phones.

ZOOM to window. SIREN slowly grown louder. CUT to police unit outside.

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Group of policemen argue about how to resolve the hostage situation. Chief walks into tent.

CHIEF: Who has the brief?

L: I do, chief!

CHIEF: Get to it then! Rookies...

L walks up to a board with various pictures on it.

L: So we've got 4-5 armed men inside. 8 hostages. They're holed up on the third floor, the room with the window open over there (L POINTS toward the school's third floor)

COP 1: Are we sure they're men?

L: What do you mean?

COP 1: Well saying "armed men" isn't very inclusive is it? What if there is an armed woman? Or god forbid even a TRANS woman present. She would be so offended by being called an armed man.

L: Uh... Chief? (L TURNS to Chief hoping he'll quash this unimportant argument)

CHIEF: He's right L, we're suppose to a bastion of good to this community. Make it more inclusive.

L: Okay, uh... There are 4-5 armed people (L does and ASIDE to COP 1 -- better?)

COP 1 gives a THUMBS UP and a NOD.

L: Anyway, that's about all we know.

CHIEF: Good inclusive brief L, now take a seat (CHIEF pushes L off the podium)

CHIEF: Any suggestions?

CUT to BIRDS EYE VIEW of filled, disposable coffee cup. A stirring stick starts stirring the coffee. Camera ZOOMS OUT and PANS to L who is now drinking the coffee and in a conversation with CHIEF.

CHIEF: That was a bold suggestion, did you really think it would work?

L: (SHRUG) It could have, but you were right. Too many variables.

CHIEF: If you remember, the school isn't even connected to the sewer system. It runs purely on the power of secluded outhouses. It had nothing to do with variables.

L: (SHRUG)

CUT to armed people. Faint generic POP MUSIC starts.

HEATHER: They're probably going to make a move any minute now, they've been out there half the day.

J: Don't they usually ask for our demands? I could really go for a pizza right now.

HEATHER: Pizza is murder most of the time, and we're not murderers.

K SHAKES his head: (WHISPERED) Vegans...

CUT to hallway -- close to the ground. A stream of gasoline appears above the camera flowing onto the ground, slowly advancing forward and the camera FOLLOWS. I's feet become visible as he is squatting slightly, pouring gasoline from a container onto the floor.

POLICE start breaking in through all the windows besides the open one.

Heather: Time to go!

HEATHER TOSSES a lighter into the hallway and JUMPS out the window onto a nearby buses roof and uses her chameleon abilities to BLEND into the buses roof. She gets away.