EXT. HOUGUE HOSPITAL - ONE WEEK LATER
An emotional Lazlo pushes Rudy in a wheelchair. His arm is
still in a sling and his hand is in a cast.
INT. HUNTINGTON BEACH HOUSE – LATER THAT DAY
Lazlo wheels Rudy into his home, and they're shocked to
find...
THE PLACE IS EMPTY!
Only the $25,000 white couch remains. Carina obviously left
Rudy. He slumps down on the couch and looks to Lazlo.
LAZLO
I knew she was trouble the night I
met her. Remember, when I picked
you up in the cab?
Rudy nods and has nothing to add.
LAZLO
This is for the best.
DAYS LATER
Rudy sits in the same spot, listening to the radio,
depressed. The home is littered with his trash and empty
pizza boxes and Busch beer cans.
He reads the files he took from WideCountry and becomes
increasingly upset. He knows he has to do something.
Conservative Radio Host rants in BG.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER RADIO)
We're taking your calls about the
staggering boom in southern
California real estate.
Rudy thinks for a long beat, then decides to flip open his
laptop and connect to his WiFi network.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER RADIO)
We just spoke with caller Antonio
of Costa Mesa, a drywaller making
$60,000 a year who bought his dream
house with a $400,000 loan.
(beat)
Now you tell me people, how is this
possible?
Rudy connects his headset/microphone combo to the computer
and launches a voice modulator program. He experiments with
a few characters, and settles on one with a thick Indian
accent.
Rudy turns down his radio, then fires up Skype and makes a
test call. His voice is recorded as thick-accented Indian.
Satisfied, he enters a phone number and waits, looking very
stressed out.
Radio Show SCREENER answers.
SCREENER (OVER SKYPE)
What's your name and what are you
calling about?
Rudy delays a moment, not sure what to say.
SCREENER (OVER SKYPE)
Are you there, Caller?
RUDY
Yes, hello, my name is Tunnel Rat.
I'm a programmer at a sub-prime
mortgage company...and it's all a
terrible scam.
SCREENER (OVER SKYPE)
Please hold, Tunnel Rat...
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
We have Tunnel Rat on the line, a
programmer who works at a sub-prime
loan company. He says this is one
fat-ass scam.
(beat)
Go ahead, Mr., uh, Rat.
RUDY
Yes, I just want your listeners to
know that most of these loans are
fraudulent. I work at a company
that facilitates thousands of bogus
loan applications so almost anyone
can buy a house they can't afford.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
Wow, Tunnel Rat. I'd be so much
more intrigued if you could name
the company you work for.
RUDY
Well, I can. It's WideCountry.
Silence for a long beat. Then Conservative Radio Host comes
back, very serious.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
This is big news, folks, and don't
forget you heard it here first.
WideCountry is a huge. They're the
guys who ran the Super Bowl ad!
(beat)
Are you saying there's fraud?
RUDY
Yes, and I can prove it.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
How?
RUDY
This is how the loans get funded.
A mortgage broker gets an app, say
from some guy with poor credit and
no work history. He comes down to
my I.T. department and gets an
Indian programmer to diddle the
data to get the loan approved.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
What do mean, Indian guy?
RUDY
All programmers in my shop are
Indian. We live in a hotel, five
to a room. If we don't follow
orders, we get sent home. We don't
always do what is right, but we do
what we must to stay in America.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
So now we have fraud perpetrated by
illegal aliens who are essentially
indentured servants?
RUDY
Yes, but we aren't technically
illegal aliens because the company
uses a special visa. The H-1B.
Conservative Radio Host takes a moment to process everything.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
I hope everyone out there realizes
the good 'ol US of A has a huge
mess on its hands. At some point,
our economy is going to feel the
effects of loaning unqualified
people billions of dollars.
(beat)
How in the hell did we get here?!
The air goes silent again.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
Mr. Rat, uh, Tunnel, you still with
us?
Rudy remains silent.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
I think we lost him.
RUDY
I'm still here.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
If this is true, and you have
proof, you need to get some
protection, my friend.
Rudy holds his gun.
RUDY
Oh, I do.
Another long beat of silence.
CONSERVATIVE RADIO HOST (OVER SKYPE)
Why would you put yourself at such
great risk?
RUDY
That's the price a patriot pays.
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