The Things We Protect FADE IN: INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT A flashlight shines across shipping containers. The light illuminates reflects off each one. DONOVAN "MIKE/MIKEE" PAULSEN, (30) walks through a dim warehouse. He has an AR slung around the front of him. He wears a pair of jeans. A tan plate carrier sits over a white button up shirt. On his shoulder sits a Sentinel Securities ID. The bags on Don's eyes show through the dim light. He wears an earpiece. The radio comes to life as MARCUS MATTHEWS, (34) keys his microphone. MARCUS (earpiece) All teams, radio check. MICHAEL CHAVEZ, (24) keys his radio. CHAVEZ Alpha one, check. PAUL CARTER, (25) keys his microphone. CARTER Alpha two, check. Marcus lets off a sigh into the radio. Don fumbles with his microphone. DON Alpha three, check. CONRAD MILLER, (28) keys his microphone. CONRAD Alpha four, check. Don yawns. He meets back up with Conrad. CONRAD (CONT’D) How you liking the job so far? DON About what I expected. Another narrow conex hallway in front of them. CONRAD You want to switch? Don gives a chuckle. DON It's the same damn thing here, dude! Conrad gives a shrug. DON (CONT’D) Fuck it. The two switch sides. The same setup sits in front of Don. DON (CONT’D) (muttering) Told him. Don walks forward, light forward. A thud. MARCUS (earpiece) All units, report. CHAVEZ Alpha one, all clear here. CARTER Alpha two, nothin' to note here. Don takes out his ear piece and listens again. A louder and more noticeable thud. Don puts his earpiece back in. MARCUS (earpiece) Paulsen, report, damn it. DON (into mic) Alpha three reporting, I got something. Don slings his rifle forward. DON (CONT’D) WHO'S THERE?! Don pushes forward and flicks the safety off his rifle. DON (CONT’D) Fuck is that? Louder bangs- Something metallic. His heart races as he moves forward. Don slows down and begins to control his breaths. More bangs come from next to him. DON (CONT’D) Who the fuck is in the container? He looks to both sides of him. Nothing. Don puts his earpiece back in. DON (CONT’D) (into earpiece) Be advised, found the source of the sound. MARCUS Copy that, don't open that till we- DON Fuck that. Don takes out a pair of bolt cutters and cuts the locks off the shipping container. He keeps his hand on his rifle, turns on its light, and keeps it trained at the door. Don swings the door open. INT. SHIPPING CONTAINER - NIGHT His once tired eyes change to those of shock. DON Oh, fuck. Children lay on cots inside the container. One bucket sits on each end of the container. Don covers his mouth and tries to mask the stench of the container. At the very front, a child stands there. CHILD Mama? Это ты? DON What?! Don looks past him and shines his light on the others. DON (CONT’D) English? The child's eyes give Don a blank stare. CHILD Это ты? DON I don't... Marcus walks into the container. MARCUS Hey, buddy... Don lowers his weapon. DON Hey man, we gotta go to the feds about this- Behind Don, Chavez and Carter appear behind him. Marcus gets closer and holds something sharp in his hand. DON (CONT’D) Hey what the fuck are you- Marcus stabs the child in the shoulder with the syringe and takes it out. DON (CONT’D) Motherfucker! Don raises his handgun only for one to put him in a head lock. The other pulls the gun out of his hand. The child falls in front of him. Don struggles to get out of their grasp as one kicks the back of his leg and brings him to his knees. He falls forward and lets off a cry of pain as he falls forward. Marcus picks the child up and sets him down in an empty cot. Marcus walks over to Don. His demeanor is calm, casual. MARCUS Donovan Paulsen. (smiles) You live with your daughter, formerly Ashley Wren Jackson, now Ashley Paulsen at 4333 West Bell Road, apartment 2043 in Phoenix. Don looks up at him with anger. DON These are god damn kids! MARCUS Donny, Donny, Donny. Don tries to struggle only to get held back as he looks up at Marcus. MARCUS (CONT’D) Always the pessimist, aren't you? Don's eyes widen as he looks behind Marcus at the children on cots. DON They're in fucking shipping containers... MARCUS You are standing in front of a moving train, Don. I'm just protecting our bottom line. Now. You get in our way. He reaches into a holster and pulls out a suppressed Ruger Mark 2 and chuckles. MARCUS (CONT’D) Otherwise, I'm going to kill your daughter and make you watch. He reaches into Don's vest pocket and takes out a picture of Ash. MARCUS (CONT’D) I've known you awhile buddy. Don just watches this. MARCUS (CONT’D) Honestly, capping four of your guys isn't a very heroic thin- Don's eyes widen and light up with anger. DON FUCK YOU! Marcus just laughs. MARCUS Can you believe this fucking guy? A "hero". At least the chicks I'm with don't cheat. Don lunges forward but gets pulled back by the two that hold his arms. MARCUS (CONT’D) You're so cute when you get like that. Now, what's it gonna be? Don goes silent as the anger on his face subsides. His face changes to that of disgust. DON I won't talk. Marcus reaches into another vest pocket. He takes Don's wallet. Marcus takes out Don's license snaps a photo of it. He puts it all back and throws his wallet down. MARCUS Pick your shit up and get back to it. The two agents let him go. DON Yeah... Sure. The three walk out. Don still looks at the container, shock in his eyes. The kids in cots line the shipping container as Don stands back up and walks out. The light inside the crate goes away as Don closes it. CUT TO: INT. CORPORATE OFFICE - DAY SENTINEL SECURITIES, is visible against a wall. DON I can't believe they actually took me. Don walks through a corridor. He wears a suit, the jacket open. DAWN "MICHELLE" PAULSEN, (34) walks beside him. MICHELLE Well, a lot of things tend to when you're the "Hero of Houston". Big damn hero you are. Don shrugs. DON If it's just that, then I don't really deserve it now, do I? Michelle rolls her eyes then stops. MICHELLE Honestly? You don't, Mikey. DON Excuse me? Michelle pulls out a security card and opens a door for him. MICHELLE First door to the right. Make sure not to kill anyone along the way. Don raises his arms as anger registers on his face. DON You weren't there! She motions for him to enter. Don walks inside. The door closes behind him. He takes a deep breath. DON (CONT’D) (muttering) Motherfucker. Don walks forward and enters MEETING ROOM - DAY MARCUS MATTHEWS, (30) gives Don a warm smile. MARCUS Just wanted to congratulate you, Mr. Paulsen. You're going to great on our team. Don shakes his hand and shoots a nervous grin. DON So, what am I going to be doing exactly? I wasn't really clued in on that. MARCUS Just security on high value cargo from the Ukraine. Don nods. DON Anything I'll need? MARCUS Just everything you used during the course, no real preference. It's all you. Marcus shoots a warm smile to him. DON Sounds good then. Marcus puts his hand out and offers a handshake. The two shake hands. MARCUS How's tomorrow sound for your first day? DON I don't see an issue. Marcus shoots him a grin. MARCUS See you tomorrow then. Don walks out and takes the elevator down. CUT TO: INT. FORD MUSTANG - DAY Don gets into his car and takes out his phone. He thumbs through his contacts and calls "Ashley". Don waits a few moments. Ash picks up the call. ASH (O.S.) Yeah, what's up? DON Hey, just got off work, you need anything? ASH (O.S.) Snap-Ons would be nice. DON You actually want me to get you them? ASH (O.S.) Nah, my cheap shit should do me just fine. DON In that case, I'll meet you back home. Don gets on the freeway. The hair on his arms stick up. His vision starts to close in as he continues to drive. JACKIE MILLER, (30) sits next to him. JACKIE You know it wasn't going to work out Don. Don looks forward and drives through traffic. DON Did you have the right? You didn't even come to me about it. JACKIE We both know it wouldn't have- I barely had enough to afford the mortgage and your security gig wasn't enough to- DON WE COULD'VE MADE IT... He turns to his side. The empty seat sits next to him. He shakes his head. DON (CONT’D) ...Work. It's only been a month and I'm having that conversation again. CUT TO: EXT. APARTMENT PARKING LOT - DAY The Mustang pulls up to the apartment. Don steps out and closes the door behind him. He locks the car. INT. APARTMENT - DAY Don walks in and closes the door behind him. Ash sits on a PS4. He motions to the dishes. DON You plan on getting these done any time soon? ASH Yeah, yeah, sure dad. Don sits on the couch next to her. DON You doing okay? What you got there? Ash shrugs. ASH As good as I can be. Uncharted. One of the guys in my class won't stop talking about it, some shit about the story. Enjoying it so far. DON Hey, that's good. I wanted to apologize. Ash pauses the game, cocks an eyebrow at him, and chuckles. ASH For what? Don just shrugs. He opens his mouth to say something but can't find the words. DON When I'm able to explain it, I will. I gotta get ready for work. Ash looks down at his hand. ASH Is it about mom? DON Yeah... Don stands up to go to his room. Ash goes back to playing Uncharted. DON'S ROOM A newer model TV sits there plugged into a PS2, a PS4, and a PS3. A gaming PC rig sits next to all of those. A walk in closet sits in front of him. To his right is a bathroom. He goes into the restroom and comes out to get ready. He's freshly shaved, his hair in neat order. He puts on his clothes and puts on his white dress shirt with a plate carrier, then puts on a pair of jeans. He reaches for a pair of tan combat boots and puts them on. Don goes into the walk in closet, taking an AR out of it then puts his Sig in its holster and walks out of the room. MAIN APARTMENT Don walks over to Ash. She takes the time to look over. ASH Gonna go shoot someone? Don shrugs. DON I don't know. What I am gonna do is head out, make sure those damn dishes are done when I get back. ASH Sure. INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT The door to the conex box closes behind him. Don stands there. MATTHEWS Now that we're all on the same page... Matthews shoots a look to Don and motions to Conrad. MATTHEWS (CONT’D) Keep an eye on Mr. Paulsen. Don looks back at Conrad and gives him a scowl. Conrad nods at Matthews. CONRAD Yes, sir. MATTHEWS Good work tonight gents, we'll be back it tomorrow. Hooah? Don still carries a look of confusion and fear in his eyes. CONRAD Hooah. CHAVEZ Hooah. DON Hooah. CARTER Hooah. Don walks out into EXT. WAREHOUSE PARKING LOT - NIGHT The rain pours down. Don steps out, walks to his car, and starts undoing his plate carrier. Conrad walks behind him. Don walks over to his car. CONRAD Paulsen. Don opens the trunk to his mustang and puts his plate carrier in it. CONRAD (CONT’D) PAULSEN! DON WHAT?! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?! Don raises his arms at him in anger. Conrad glares at him. CONRAD Keep your fucking voice down, you trying to get these guys on your ass Paulsen? Conrad puts his hands up. CONRAD (CONT’D) I'm trying not to do what he says you fucking idiot. Don gets into the driver's seat of his car. CONRAD (CONT’D) Let's talk. INT. FORD MUSTANG - NIGHT Don gets into his car and unlocks the door. Conrad gets in next to him. CONRAD You should've said no to that offer, Paulsen. DON Oh, now you tell me. What happened to you? Conrad looks down. CONRAD It's complicated- DON Kids in shipping containers? Complicated? Killing the dude who got your ass out of, oh I dunno... He starts counting on his fingers. DON (CONT’D) One, two, three, four- EIGHT FUCKING BINDS?! CONRAD The last guy was one of ours back in the day. Don leans back. DON And I'm supposed to care, why? CONRAD It was Cho. DON (muttering) Fuck. CONRAD I got a plan, but I need you with me, not against me. DON Okay, Dutch. Does this plan involve Tahiti? CONRAD Jesus, still a smart ass after all these fuckin' years ain't you? DON Not much has changed. Conrad opens the door. CONRAD Keep your head down. When the time comes, you'll know. Conrad gets out and closes the door behind him. Don sighs and sits back. DON Motherfucker. He continues to drive. CUT TO: INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT Don comes into his apartment and turns the light on. He looks at the kitchen sink. There's still dirty dishes in it. DON Ah, damn it. He goes into her room. She's sleeping. DON (CONT’D) You actually asleep? No response. Don rolls his eyes. He goes into the kitchen and starts washing dishes. During this, Ash comes out. DON (CONT’D) Ash, I told you to clean these- Come on. She yawns. ASH Fuck, slipped my mind, sorry. I had homework. Don sighs. DON There's gonna be a time where I'm not gonna be here, you know that right? ASH Well, if it's any consolation, I found this. She takes out a Gameboy Advanced SP from her front pocket. Don's eyes widen. He stops cleaning the dishes and dries his hands on his jeans. He opens it up and looks at the cartridge in it. DON (softly) Sweetie, was there a charger with it? Don reaches out for it. ASH Five dollars. DON You fuckin' serious? ASH No. She smirks at him then passes it. Don takes out the cartridge. DON Pokemon Sapphire... His eyes look down. ASH Can I have it, dad? Don looks down. His gaze goes blank. IND PERSON 1 (O.S.) Can I have it? I'll give it back. He shakes his head. DON Yeah, sure Ash- Not a uh... Problem. You can have it. A knock at the door. The clock on the microwave reads, "12:00". Don reaches into the side of his waistband and takes out his Colt Defender. DON (CONT’D) Ash, get away from the door. ASH Dad? Don gets in front of her and keeps his gun trained at the door. DON Who's there?! IND PERSON 2 (O.S.) Delivery service. The footsteps move away from the door. Don keeps the gun against the door and looks through the peephole. He looks into it. A figure wearing jeans and a hoodie runs down the staircase. Don opens the door, his weapon aimed forward. A yellow envelope sits on the ground below. Don holsters his gun and takes it. DON Ash- Don stops. He opens the envelope. Pictures of Ash going into class appear. They all carry red Xes on them. More photos appear as he looks through them. ASH Dad, what is it? DON Fuck. Don's eyes widen. ASH Dad? Talk to me! Ash looks at him with concern. Don goes into his room and closes the door behind him. DON'S ROOM Don sits at his desk and dumps out the pictures in front of him. He places his hands on his head as he starts to look through all of them. DON Oh, no. No, no, no... He lays them all out. The photos are all time stamped with the Don and Ash's routine. Ash works on her car in one photo. In another, Don is out on a run. DON (CONT’D) Fuck. Don buries his head in his hands. DON (CONT’D) (whispering) I can't fucking help them- But I can get Ash out of this. I die, they have nothing and no one to leverage anymore... Don takes his gun out of his waistband and puts it to the side of his skull. Tears roll down his eyes. He takes a deep breath then- A knock at the door. ASH (O.S.) Dad? Don exhales and puts the gun back on the table. His eyes widen. DON (muttering) Oh god, I almost blew my head off. Don looks at the door. DON (CONT’D) Y-Yeah, sweetheart? ASH There's still food in the fridge if you were looking for it. DON I'll uh... Yeah, I'll be out there in a sec. ASH (O.S.) You need me to call the cops? Don stops and takes a moment. DON I don't think they'll be able to help us, Ash. Don unlocks the bottom of his desk with a key and throws the pictures into it then relocks it. DON (CONT’D) She'll find it- I need her to. Don stands up and opens the door. MAIN APARTMENT DON Hey. Ash cocks an eyebrow at him. ASH Dad, what the fuck is going on? Don just shakes his head. DON The less you know the safer you'll be. ASH What the fuck does that mean?! DON I'll tell you later. Ash rolls her eyes. ASH It's always fucking like this with you, dad! You're gonna get into trouble and- She lets off an angered scream as she goes into her room and slams the door. Don just looks forward with a tired stare. CUT TO: INT. CAFETERIA - DAY Don just eats and reads a book on his phone. Michelle walks over. MICHELLE HIYA MIKEE! She carries a smile on her face and sits in front of him. Don gives a dejected look. MICHELLE (CONT’D) What's wrong Mikee? Hey. DON Did you know? She cocks heard head sideways. MICHELLE Mike, what- what are you talking about? Don leans in. DON The damn kids. Michelle's eyes widen, then look down away from him. MICHELLE ...I didn't know. He takes a moment, then stares her dead in the eyes. Don leans in. DON (whispering) You're fucking lying to me. MICHELLE (whispering) Think of your daughter, Mikee. You really want her to end up dead because of you? Keep your mouth shut, your head down, and your wallet's gonna thank you for it. Don scowls at her and leans back. Matthews approaches and stops with a plate of food. MATTHEWS Ah, Mister Paulsen! I see you've met the love of my life. Don winces at this. MATTHEWS (CONT’D) Hey there, baby. He gives Michelle a kiss. She blushes and giggles. DON Y'know, I ain't hungry anymore. He stands up, throws his food in the trash, and puts his tray on top of it. He walks out to EXT. SMOKING AREA - DAY Don stands out on a balcony. Chairs and tables sit about, some employees eat their meals while they look out at the city in front of them. He looks out at the city in front of him. Don looks to his side. Conrad stands there, takes a pack of Lucky Strikes out of his pocket, and lights one. DON Reminds me a lot of LA. Crowded and a pain in the ass to get around. CONRAD It's just the city, try Sedona sometime. DON Maybe I will. Conrad looks at him. CONRAD You're different now. Don rolls his eyes in annoyance. DON Living the American dream. CONRAD Right. With that Mustang of yours and all. Don shoots a look at the cigarette. DON Can you spare one? Conrad nods at this and passes him one. DON (CONT’D) Haven't had one of these in a while. Conrad lights his cigarette. CONRAD You never much mentioned anything about having a sister. DON I didn't like to talk her about her. Still don't. CONRAD Shit upbringing? DON Something like that. Conrad nods. CONRAD Come to think of it, you never mentioned much about living in Cali either. She always talks about it, about "I went to UCLA and do you know what that means?" Don just shakes his head. DON I don't like talking about it. Don finishes his cigarette and throws it into the ash tray next to him. He goes back inside to INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY Don stands there. His eyes look tired. He sits next to Chavez. A turned on projector sits with a desktop open. MATTHEWS Tonight's bank duty, we're handling security for the Ward Bank in Tempe. We're not expecting any trouble, but you gentlemen know what to do if any comes along. He pulls up map of the bank. It has two stories. MATTHEWS (CONT’D) Paulsen takes the first floor. Chavez, you got the second floor. Cleaning crew should be gone by the time you guys get there so you won't have anyone coming through. We're not expecting any after hours deliveries either. The two look at this. MATTHEWS (CONT’D) Any questions? Silence from the room. MATTHEWS (CONT’D) Good. Dismissed. Don turns to step out. MATTHEWS (CONT’D) And Paulsen? He turns back. MATTHEWS (CONT’D) You know the rules. Don's fists clench up as he walks out and slams the door behind him. CUT TO: INT. BANK - NIGHT Don walks through the second floor of a bank, rifle in hand. DON (singing) Every night, I hope and pray... A dream, lover will come my way! A girl to hold in my arms, and hold the magic of her charms... CHAVEZ (O.S.) (earpiece) Paulsen? Shut the fuck up, homes. Don sighs. DON (into earpiece) Sorry man, force of habit. Shit's boring down here. CHAVEZ Fuck, homes. Don walks around and holds a flashlight in his hand. His AR is slung in front of him. Bright light appears behind him. DON (into earpiece) Be advised, think I got something over here. CHAVEZ (O.S.) (earpiece) I'm checking on it too, standby. Don stays on his patrol but checks behind him. A crash comes from the front of the bank. The alarm sounds. DON Fuck! Don puts his light in his pocket and raises his rifle. Gunshots ring out at the front of the bank. DON (CONT’D) (into earpiece) Chavez, what's your status? Silence. The gunfire ceases. DON (CONT’D) Fuck... Fuck. Don turns his light off and takes cover behind a cubicle. DON (CONT’D) Here we go. IND GANG MEMBER 1 (O.S.) (echoing) Find the second one, there's supposed to be two guards! Don pops his rifle out from around the corner and places its dot on the stairwell. DON (muttering) Come on up gentlemen... He takes a deep breath. Don sees the shadow of a man coming up the stairs in the light and trains his dot on it. Don crouches behind a cubicle. DON (CONT’D) (muttering) Death, surrounds... My heartbeat's slowing down... The red dot in front of him shakes as he takes another deep breath. Don flicks his safety off. DON (CONT’D) (muttering) ...Won't take this world's abuse... The first one stands makes his way up. Don takes cover behind the cubicle as the light shines around. IND GANG MEMBER 1 Got nothing here. DON (muttering) Won't give up or refuse... IND GANG MEMBER 2 Search around, he's around here. The light shines away. Don pops back out, rifle in hand. He takes a breath as one moves up the staircase. Don places his finger on the trigger. A figure turns, in one hand, he holds a flashlight. DON (muttering) This is how it feels when you're bent and broken... In the other, the carries a handgun. Don watches another one appear behind him. He places his red dot on the first one's chest and pulls the trigger. The light shines on his face. The figure raises his gun- Don places two shots into his chest. He falls back as the other takes cover under the staircase. IND GANG MEMBER 2 HE GOT DANIEL, WEY! Don switches pushes forward. DON (muttering) This is how it feels when you're dignity's stolen... He turns on his light. The strobe flashes as the other gang member pops his hand out and starts firing his handgun blindly toward Don. Don takes cover behind the cubicle. Rounds fly through the cubicle as he peers out. IND GANG MEMBER 2 GET ME ANOTHER CLIP, MAN! Don rushes forward. His rifle points forward. He sees another gang member's shadow running away, the car's headlight illuminates his escape. Don runs over to the ledge overlooking the bank's front door and fires two rounds into the gang member's back. He falls down. Two of the gang members run back to the van. Don fires into the windshield. The van floors the engine in reverse and drives off. Don reaches into his pocket, takes out his phone and dials 911. 911 OPERATOR (O.S.) 911, what is your emergency? DON There's been a shooting, please send help. I'm at 3rd and Central. He hangs up. Utter silence. Police lights show in the distance. Don looks down at the gang member next to him. He has a sucking chest wound and gasps for air as he reaches his hand out to him. He makes his way down the flight of stairs and vomits at the scene around him. Don walks through the bank and goes down the bloodstained staircase. The blood leads to the front of the bank. Don's face changes to that of concern. DON (CONT’D) Chavez? Don looks through the bank and checks behind the staircase. A pool of blood lies behind the staircase. Don walks over. He's shot to hell, with one more bullet in his skull. DON (CONT’D) Fuck. The police lights come closer. Don takes off his rifle and throws it on the ground, then unholsters his handgun and throws that down. He walks forward, his hands up as he walks out- The blinding light leads him to INT. AMBULANCE - NIGHT HALSEY ROGERS, (29) looks him over. HALSEY You have a bullet in your vest. DON I do?