Project Nexus

Location: The Diamond Hotel, Las Vegas

    The elevator door opens. Harlan walks back in Billy's private room. Harlan looks down to see the massacre in the casino.

    Billy is taking a drink.

    Billy: Full of surprises isn't she? Jasmine Leigh Olsen. I can see why you like her. Or was it liked?

    Billy stands up and looks at Harlan. Harlan takes out his pistol and aims it at Atienza.

    Billy: Please please not yet. I have something to show you.

    Billy presses a button on his chair and a door opens.

    Billy: C'mon.

    Billy walks to the room and Harlan follows. They walk down a short flight of stairs and go inside a bunker made of metal.

    Billy leads Harlan into an empty office space, filled with tables and computers. Harlan sees a big glass window with a view overlooking seven missiles.

    Harlan: Oh my god.

    Billy: Brilliant isn't it?

    Harlan turns to Billy. Billy locks the bunker doors.

    Billy: Meet Project Nexus. Powered by Nexus Diamonds. The rarest diamonds on earth. This bunker was made to withstand the blast of not one, not two, and not five but ten of these bad boys.

    Billy gets a suitcase, then opens it to show a control pad. Harlan notices a keyhole on the control pad. Billy puts the ring inside the keyhole, and it fits perfectly. Billy twists and the missiles are armed.

   Control Pad: Missiles Armed. Missiles prepared to launch.

    There is a big red button glowing. The launch button. Billy puts his hand on it, but Harlan draws his gun and aims it at Billy. Billy laughs.

    Harlan: I'm afraid I can't let you do that.

    Billy: Of course. Of course.

    Billy laughs. Harlan slowly approaches Billy.

    Billy: Ok, here's what we will do. I'm not gonna launch the missiles. You will. You, Agent Harlan Brandle, are going to be the one to launch the missiles.

    Harlan: And how sure are you about that?

    Billy laughs.

    Billy: Very.

    Billy grabs Harlan's gun, and pushes it away. Billy kicks Harlan and punches him. He kicks Harlan back, disarming Harlan. Harlan picks himself up.

    Harlan and Billy get into a fight. Harlan punches Billy away, then runs to the control pad. Harlan shuts the briefcase, but Billy catches up to him. He kicks the briefcase away from Harlan. Billy slams Harlan's head into a computer, breaking the screen. Billy gets on Harlan, and turns him over. But Harlan gets a shard of the broken computer screen and cuts Billy's arm.

    Harlan picks up Billy and tosses him to the wall. Billy notices a fire extinguisher and grabs it. Harlan goes for a punch, but Billy uses the extinguisher to parry. Billy slams the extinguisher on Harlan's face. Harlan falls. But as he is about to get up, Billy slams the extinguisher on Harlan's right leg, breaking it.

    Harlan screams in agony. Harlan falls, injured. Harlan crawls towards his gun, but Billy kicks it away. Billy picks Harlan up.

    Billy: You know, if you just cooperated quickly, I would have saved the girl. But now that you pissed me off. I won't kill you. No not yet. Not until you watch me kill her, nice and slow-

    Harlan elbows Billy's face. He then gets up, and gives Billy a good punch. He lunges as Billy. They crash into a table with a computer. Harlan gets Billy, and slams his head on the computer, breaking the computer screen. Harlan punches Billy over, and over, and over again.

    Billy, desperate to escape, grabs on to something. He then feels it, a broken shard of glass. Billy takes it, and stabs Harlan on the left shoulder. Harlan stops, and Billy pushes the shard of glass deeper into Harlan.

    Billy pushes Harlan away, and walks to the suitcase. Billy opens the suitcase, uses the ring to arm the missiles, and is about to press the launch button, when Harlan charges at Billy.

    Harlan pulls Billy's arm away from the button. Harlan then grabs the piece of glass used to stab him, and uses it to pierce Billy's hand. Billy screams in pain, but as Harlan lets his guard down, Billy elbows Harlan's face, then slams Harlan's head on the control pad.

    Harlan kicks Billy back, and crawls away from him. Billy takes off the piece of glass in his hand, and walks towards Harlan. Billy is about to stab Harlan, when Harlan turns with his pistol and shoots Billy.

    The bullet shoots Billy in the guts. Billy drops the shard of glass, and falls. Harlan takes a breath. But Billy laughs. Harlan in fear, looks at the control pad and sees Ten minutes left. Billy laughs.

    Billy: I told you you will start the launch.

    Harlan remembers. When Billy slammed his face to the control pad, the red button was pressed. Harlan started the launch.

    Harlan crawls to the control pad. He then turns to a laughing Billy.

    Billy: Oh I should tell you. There is no cancel button.

    Harlan: There has to be a way to stop it. THERE HAS TO.

    Billy smiles.

    Billy: Oh yes there is, and I'm afraid that that is the only way.

    Billy laughs. Billy breaks his fake tooth, and takes the cyanide pill. Billy dies laughing.

    Harlan puts pressure on his wounded left arm. He looks at the control pad. He then sees a covered button. Thinking it may be a cancel button, Harlan flips it open and another button is revealed. Harlan looks in fear as the two worst words that could possibly have appeared, appeared.

    Self Destruct.

    Harlan grunts in pain because of his left arm. Harlan knows that he is bleeding out. Harlan looks at the control pad and sees the time left: 9 Minutes

    Harlan sits up, defeated, with one horrific truth.

    He is out of time.