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[
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"Jerry is worriedly pacing behind his desk. At a noise he\n\tlooks up.\n\n\tMarge has stuck her head in the door.",
"Jerry is sitting in his glassed-in salesman's cubicle just\n\toff the showroom floor. On the other side of his desk sit\n\tan irate customer and his wife.",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, they -\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tA million dollars is a lot a damn\n\t\tmoney! And there they are, they\n\t\tgot my daughter!",
"Jerry re-enters.",
"JERRY\n\t\tNo kiddin'! I'd need the cash\n\t\tpretty quick there. In order\n\t\tto close the deal.",
"Jerry hums nervously.\n\n\tGlass rattles as someone taps at his door.\n\n\tJerry looks up and freezes, mouth hanging open, brow knit\n\twith worry.",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"JERRY\n\t\t... My fee? Wade, what the\n\t\theck're you talkin' about?\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tStan and I're okay.",
"JERRY\n\t\tNo, but, Wade, see, I was\n\t\tbringin' you this deal for you\n\t\tto loan me the money to put\n\t\tin. It's my deal here, see?",
"Jerry is on the sales floor, showing a customer a vehicle.",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"STAN\n\t\tOkay. We'll get the money together.\n\t\tDon't worry about it, Jerry. Now,\n\t\td'you want anyone at home, with you,\n\t\tuntil they call?",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tSALESMAN\n\t\tYa kiddin'!\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, okay, I'll talk to my boss...\n\n\tHe rises, and, as he leaves:",
"CARL\n\t\tDon't you fucking but me, Jerry.\n\t\tI want you with this money on the",
"JERRY\n\t\tOh! Oh, geez!",
"The wooden gate barring the exit has been broken away. The\n\tbooth is empty.\n\n\tJerry eases toward the street, looking over at the booth as\n\the passes.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tMy patience is at an end.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah.",
"Jerry recovers from the near miss and continues up.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tOh, geez!\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH"
],
[
"He bends down, picks Wade up by the armpits and drags him\n\tover to the back of the Cadillac. He drops Wade's body,",
"Grimsrud strides calmly out after the injured boy. He\n\traises his gun and fires.",
"have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been\n\ttold exactly as it occured.",
"walks to the driver's side of the car, pulls the keys and\n\twalks back to pop the trunk. He wrestles Wade's body into",
"With his free hand, Grimsrud pops the glove compartment. He\n\tbrings a gun out and reaches across Carl and shoots - BANG -\n\tinto the back of the trooper's head.",
"Carl drives. Grimsrud smokes and gazes out the window.\n\tFrom the back seat we hear whimpering.\n\n\tGrimsrud turns to look.",
"We track in on Jean Lundegaard, who sits tied in a chair\n\twith the black hood still over her head. As we track in, we\n\thear inarticulate cursing, intermittent banging and loud\n\tstatic.",
"After hitting him several times, Shep yanks Carl's belt out\n\tof his dangling pants and strangles him with it. Carl",
"INT. CAR\n\n\tCarl Showalter is driving. Gaear Grimsrud stares blankly\n\tout.\n\n\tAfter a long beat:",
"with a triple homicide. Nobody at\n\t\tthe dealship there's been much help\n\t\tguessing where he might go...",
"He kicks at the snow with his galoshed feet, trying to hide\n\tthe fresh bloodstains.\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH\n\n\tJerry approaches in the Cadillac.",
"Grimsrud climbs out of the passenger seat as Carl climbs out\n\tof the driver's. Grimsrud opens the back door and, with an",
"VOICE\n\t\tHis wife. This guy says she was\n\t\tkidnapped last Wednesday.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\tThe day of our homicides.",
"The policeman's head slides out the window and his body\n\tflops back onto the street.\n\n\tCarl looks out at the cop in the road.",
"The car approaches, slowing.\n\n\tCarl, with the trooper's body hoisted halfway up, is frozen\n\tin the headlights.",
"The dark shape in the snow next to his side is the rest of\n\tCarl Showalter's body.",
"Grimsrud, smiling thinly, shakes his head.\n\n\tThere is a whimpering sound.\n\n\tThe policeman hesitates.\n\n\tAnother sound.",
"It stops by one car and Carl emerges. He quickly scans the\n\tlot, then kneels in the snow at the back of the parked car\n\tand starts unscrewing its license plate.\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH",
"He pockets the gun, picks up the briefcase one-handed,\n\tflings it into his car, gets in, peels out.\n\n\tDOWN RAMP",
"Marge drives. Grimsrud sits in the back seat, hands cuffed\n\tbehind him."
],
[
"MARGE\n\t\tWell, you can help me. My name's\n\t\tMarge Gunderson -",
"Wider, we see Marge now wearing a beige police uniform. A\n\tpatch on one arm says BRAINERD POLICE DEPARTMENT. She wears",
"Marge is advancing. She holds a gun extended toward\n\tGrimsrud, who is still turned away.\n\n\tGrimsrud rubs his nose with the back of his hand.",
"Dawn. Marge is making her way down the icy front stoop to\n\ther prowler.\n\n\tINT. GUNDERSON HOUSE",
"BRAINERD POLICE HEADQUARTERS\n\n\tWe track behind Marge as she makes her way across the floor,\n\tgreeting various officers. She holds a small half-full\n\tpaper sack.",
"Marge's prowler is parked nearby.\n\n\tMarge is on her hands and knees by a body down in the ditch,\n\tagain looking at footprints in the snow. She calls up to\n\tthe road:",
"MARGE\n\t\t... So that was Mrs. Lundegaard\n\t\tin there?\n\n\tShe glances up in the rear-view mirror.",
"Grimsrud, cheeks sunk, eyes hollow, looks sourly out at the\n\troad.\n\n\tMarge shakes her head.\n\n\tAt length:",
"Marge suddenly doubles over, putting her head between her\n\tknees down near the snow.\n\n\t\t\t\tLOU\n\t\tYa see something down there, Chief?",
"MARGE\n\t\tStop! Police! Turn around and\n\t\thands up!\n\n\tStartled, Grimsrud scowls. He turns to face her.",
"Marge sticks her head in the door.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\tMr. Lundegaard? Sorry to bother\n\t\tyou again. Can I come in?",
"MARGE\n\t\tUh-huh. Well, I'm a police officer\n\t\tfrom up Brainerd investigating some",
"district. So Chief Gunderson, then!\n\t\tSo ya went and married Norm Son-of-\n\t\ta-Gunderson!",
"Jerry stares at her, his mouth open.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?",
"Marge drives. Grimsrud sits in the back seat, hands cuffed\n\tbehind him.",
"Marge walks toward him, gun trained on him as her other hand\n\treaches under her parka and gropes around her waist.",
"Marge pulls her prowler over some distance past the cabin.\n\tShe gets out, zips up her khaki parka and pulls up its fur-\n\tlined hood.",
"The policemen holster their guns and charge the window, and\n\tdrag Jerry Lundegaard back into the room.\n\n\tHis flesh quivers as he thrashes and keens in short,\n\tpiercing screams.",
"Marge twists her body sideways, shielding herself.\n\n\tNo need - the heavy log travels perhaps ten yards and lands\n\tin the snow several feet short of her.",
"Marge has a packed overnight back sitting on the unmade bed.\n\tShe is ready to leave, already wearing her parka, but is on\n\tthe phone."
],
[
"After a motionless beat he picks up the phone and punches in\n\ta number.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\t... Yah, Wade Gustafson, please.",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, they -\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tA million dollars is a lot a damn\n\t\tmoney! And there they are, they\n\t\tgot my daughter!",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, okay.\n\n\tGUSTAFSON OLD GARAGE",
"Jerry stares at her, his mouth open.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?",
"JERRY\n\t\t... My fee? Wade, what the\n\t\theck're you talkin' about?\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tStan and I're okay.",
"Anderson approaches.\n\n\t\t\t\tANDERSON\n\t\tI'm, uh, Jerry Lundegaard -",
"STAN\n\t\tJerry, we're not just going to\n\t\tgive you seven hundred and fifty\n\t\tthousand dollars.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, how much money was that?",
"MARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?\n\n\tJerry explodes:",
"WADE\n\t\t... There's a million dollars\n\t\there!\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tNo, see -",
"Jerry, Wade, and Stan Grossman sit around the kitchen table.\n\tIt is night. The scene is harshly toplit by a hanging",
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"His other hand holds open the briefcase. It has money\n\tinside - a lot of money.\n\n\tCarl unfreezes, takes out one of the bank-wrapped wads and\n\tlooks at it.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tSALESMAN\n\t\tYa kiddin'!\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE",
"CARL\n\t\tLook. I'm not gonna debate you,\n\t\tJerry. The price is now the whole\n\t\tamount. We want the entire eighty\n\t\tthousand.",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"The policemen holster their guns and charge the window, and\n\tdrag Jerry Lundegaard back into the room.\n\n\tHis flesh quivers as he thrashes and keens in short,\n\tpiercing screams.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, but the deal was, the car\n\t\tfirst, see, then the forty\n\t\tthousand, like as if it was the\n\t\transom. I thought Shep told you -",
"The man prints \"Jerry Lundega\" onto a registration card,\n\tthen hastily crosses out the last name and starts to print\n\t\"Anderson.\"\n\n\tAs she types into a computer:",
"STAN\n\t\tOkay. We'll get the money together.\n\t\tDon't worry about it, Jerry. Now,\n\t\td'you want anyone at home, with you,\n\t\tuntil they call?"
],
[
"Grimsrud strides calmly out after the injured boy. He\n\traises his gun and fires.",
"With his free hand, Grimsrud pops the glove compartment. He\n\tbrings a gun out and reaches across Carl and shoots - BANG -\n\tinto the back of the trooper's head.",
"Grimsrud swings overhand, burying the ax in Carl's neck.\n\n\tMARGE",
"She fires again.\n\n\tGrimsrud pitches forward. He mutters in Swedish as he\n\treaches down to clutch at his wounded leg.",
"Wade Gustafson is mid-sixtyish, vigorous, with a full head\n\tof gray hair. His eyes remain fixed on the TV.\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tYah, pretty good.",
"He trails off into silence.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\tSir, could I talk to Mr. Gustafson?\n\n\tJerry stares at her.",
"After hitting him several times, Shep yanks Carl's belt out\n\tof his dangling pants and strangles him with it. Carl",
"A PLAQUE: WADE GUSTAFSON INCORPORTATED\n\n\tINT. WADE'S OFFICE\n\n\tWade sits behind his desk; another man rises as Jerry\n\tenters.",
"He pulls out a gun and fires into Wade's gut.\n\n\t\t\t\tCARL\n\t\t... Is this a fucking joke?",
"Grimsrud stares.\n\n\tWith a quick twist, he reaches back for the log, hurls it at\n\tMarge and then starts running away.",
"With a cry, she swings her elbow out of Grimsrud's grasp and\n\tlurches away across the front lawn. Grimsrud moves to\n\tretrieve her but Carl, grinning, lays a hand on his\n\tshoulder.",
"Marge is advancing. She holds a gun extended toward\n\tGrimsrud, who is still turned away.\n\n\tGrimsrud rubs his nose with the back of his hand.",
"Grimsrud sweeps his gun off the front seat, throws open his\n\tdoor and gets out.\n\n\tEXT. ROAD",
"Grimsrud is bounding out wearing mittens and a red hunter's\n\tcap, but no overcoat. He is holding an ax.\n\n\tCarl fumbles in his pocket for his gun.",
"With a poof of feathers, a hole opens up in the boy's back\n\tand he pitches into the snow.\n\n\tGrimsrud walks up to the wreck and peers in its half-open\n\tdoor.",
"Grimsrud smokes and gazes calmly out his window.\n\n\tFinally:\n\n\t\t\t\tTROOPER\n\t\tThis is a new car, then, sir?",
"Grimsrud takes the cigarette from his mouth and stubs it in\n\this ashtray. We hear the churning of the car wheels and the\n\tpinging of snow clods and salt on the car's underside.",
"MARGE\n\t\tBut we still haven't found Gustafson.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\t\t(crackle)\n\t\t- looking.",
"After a motionless beat he picks up the phone and punches in\n\ta number.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\t... Yah, Wade Gustafson, please.",
"Grimsrud, smiling thinly, shakes his head.\n\n\tThere is a whimpering sound.\n\n\tThe policeman hesitates.\n\n\tAnother sound."
],
[
"INT. CAR\n\n\tCarl Showalter is driving. Gaear Grimsrud stares blankly\n\tout.\n\n\tAfter a long beat:",
"We hear the crack of the back-door window being smashed.\n\n\tThe tall man - Gaear Grimsrud - grabs Jean's wrist.",
"With his free hand, Grimsrud pops the glove compartment. He\n\tbrings a gun out and reaches across Carl and shoots - BANG -\n\tinto the back of the trooper's head.",
"After hitting him several times, Shep yanks Carl's belt out\n\tof his dangling pants and strangles him with it. Carl",
"CARL\n\t\tOh, Jean's okay. But there's\n\t\tthree people up in Brainerd who\n\t\taren't so okay, I'll tell ya that.",
"Grimsrud swings overhand, burying the ax in Carl's neck.\n\n\tMARGE",
"MOTEL ROOM\n\n\tCarl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud are in the twin beds\n\thaving sex with two truck-stop hookers.",
"We track in on Jean Lundegaard, who sits tied in a chair\n\twith the black hood still over her head. As we track in, we\n\thear inarticulate cursing, intermittent banging and loud\n\tstatic.",
"WADE\n\t\tOh, for Christ ... oh, geez...\n\n\tWade brings out his gun and fires at Carl's head, close by.",
"We track in on Gaear Grimsrud, who sits smoking a cigarette\n\tand expressionlessly gazing offscreen.",
"It stops by one car and Carl emerges. He quickly scans the\n\tlot, then kneels in the snow at the back of the parked car\n\tand starts unscrewing its license plate.\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH",
"Carl drives. Grimsrud smokes and gazes out the window.\n\tFrom the back seat we hear whimpering.\n\n\tGrimsrud turns to look.",
"We track in on Carl Showalter, who stands over an old black-\n\tand-white television. It plays nothing but snow. Carl is\n\tbanging on it as he mutters:",
"Jean screams.\n\n\t\t\t\tGRIMSRUD\n\t\tShut up.\n\n\tHe releases the policeman.",
"Jean, for some reason, screams again. Then stops.\n\n\t\t\t\tGRIMSRUD\n\t\tClear him off the road.",
"Grimsrud climbs out of the passenger seat as Carl climbs out\n\tof the driver's. Grimsrud opens the back door and, with an",
"The dark shape in the snow next to his side is the rest of\n\tCarl Showalter's body.",
"He pulls out a gun and fires into Wade's gut.\n\n\t\t\t\tCARL\n\t\t... Is this a fucking joke?",
"The policemen holster their guns and charge the window, and\n\tdrag Jerry Lundegaard back into the room.\n\n\tHis flesh quivers as he thrashes and keens in short,\n\tpiercing screams.",
"In the back seat, Jean starts screaming.\n\n\tGrimsrud is not gaining on the tail lights.\n\n\tHe fights with the wheel as his car swims on the road face."
],
[
"INT. CAR\n\n\tCarl Showalter is driving. Gaear Grimsrud stares blankly\n\tout.\n\n\tAfter a long beat:",
"With his free hand, Grimsrud pops the glove compartment. He\n\tbrings a gun out and reaches across Carl and shoots - BANG -\n\tinto the back of the trooper's head.",
"We track in on Gaear Grimsrud, who sits smoking a cigarette\n\tand expressionlessly gazing offscreen.",
"We hear the crack of the back-door window being smashed.\n\n\tThe tall man - Gaear Grimsrud - grabs Jean's wrist.",
"Carl drives. Grimsrud smokes and gazes out the window.\n\tFrom the back seat we hear whimpering.\n\n\tGrimsrud turns to look.",
"After hitting him several times, Shep yanks Carl's belt out\n\tof his dangling pants and strangles him with it. Carl",
"We track in on Carl Showalter, who stands over an old black-\n\tand-white television. It plays nothing but snow. Carl is\n\tbanging on it as he mutters:",
"MOTEL ROOM\n\n\tCarl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud are in the twin beds\n\thaving sex with two truck-stop hookers.",
"Grimsrud swings overhand, burying the ax in Carl's neck.\n\n\tMARGE",
"It stops by one car and Carl emerges. He quickly scans the\n\tlot, then kneels in the snow at the back of the parked car\n\tand starts unscrewing its license plate.\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH",
"CARL\n\t\tHa ha ha ha ha ha! Jesus!\n\n\tGrimsrud, still expressionless, breaks away from Carl's\n\trestraining hand to retrieve her.",
"WADE\n\t\tOh, for Christ ... oh, geez...\n\n\tWade brings out his gun and fires at Carl's head, close by.",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"He reacts to Grimsrud's wordless look with a grotesque\n\tlaugh.\n\n\t\t\t\tCARL\n\t\tYou should she zhe uzher guy!",
"Grimsrud climbs out of the passenger seat as Carl climbs out\n\tof the driver's. Grimsrud opens the back door and, with an",
"The policeman leans forward into the car, listening.\n\n\tGrimsrud reaches across Carl, grabs the trooper by the hair\n\tand slams his head down onto the car door.",
"The policemen holster their guns and charge the window, and\n\tdrag Jerry Lundegaard back into the room.\n\n\tHis flesh quivers as he thrashes and keens in short,\n\tpiercing screams.",
"The dark shape in the snow next to his side is the rest of\n\tCarl Showalter's body.",
"CARL\n\t\tYeah.\n\n\tHe gets out.\n\n\tEXT. ROAD\n\n\tCarl leans down to hoist up the body.",
"CARL\n\t\tYou fucking imbeciles!\n\n\tHe bends down next to Wade to pick up the briefcase."
],
[
"Norm, who has been eating steadily throughout, looks over at\n\tMarge with mild interest. He stares for a beat as he\n\tfinishes chewing, and them swallows and says:",
"We are square on Norm, who sits in bed watching television.\n\n\tAfter a long beat, Marge enters frame in a nightie and\n\tclimbs into bed, with some effort.",
"Norm has a cellular phone to his ear. His feet are\n\tstretched out to an electric heater. The interior is bathed\n\tin soft orange light.",
"MARGE\n\t\tOooph!\n\n\tNorm reaches for her hand as both watch the television.\n\n\tAt length Norm speaks, but keeps his eyes on the TV.",
"Beyond her we see a small glassed-in cublcle. Norm sits at\n\tthe desk inside with a box lunch spread out in front of him.",
"Norm sits back onto the bed, shrugging off his robe. Off-\n\tscreen we hear the front door open.\n\n\tFRONT DOOR\n\n\tMarge stamps the snow off her shoes.",
"LOU\n\t\tHiya, Norm, how's the paintin'\n\t\tgoin'?\n\n\t\t\t\tNORM\n\t\tNot too bad. You know.",
"NORM\n\t\tYah.\n\n\tMarge looks at him, waiting for more, but Norm's eyes stay\n\tfixed on the television.",
"NORM\n\t\tPretty good. Found out the Hautmans\n\t\tare entering a painting this year.",
"NORM\n\t\tThey announced it.\n\n\tMarge looks at him.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\tThey announced it?",
"MARGE\n\t\tI love you, Norm.\n\n\tBoth of them are watching the TV as Norm reaches out to rest\n\ta hand on top of her stomach.",
"AN OIL PAINTING\n\n\tA blue-winged teal in flight over a swampy marshland. The\n\troom in which it hangs is dark. We hear off-screen snoring.",
"A pull back from the screen reveals that we are in Marge's\n\thouse.\n\n\tMarge and Norm are watching television in bed. From the TV\n\twe hear insects chirring.",
"a heavy belt holding a revolver, walkie-talkie and various\n\tother jangling police impedimenta. Norm is in a dressing\n\tgown.",
"NORM\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\tNorm, that's terrific!\n\n\tNorm tries to suppress a smile of pleasure.",
"NORM\n\t\t... Two more months.\n\n\tMarge absently rests her own hand on top of his.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\tTwo more months.",
"Also looking at the TV:\n\n\t\t\t\tNORM\n\t\t... Oh, yah?\n\n\tMarge rolls over and Norm continues to watch.",
"MIKE\n\t\tYah!\n\n\tMarge props herself up next to the still-sleeping Norm.",
"MARGE\n\t\tAw, Norm.\n\n\tPLATE\n\n\tLeavings of a huge plate of eggs, ham, toast.",
"MARGE\n\t\t... I'm so proud a you, Norm.\n\n\tNorm murmurs:\n\n\t\t\t\tNORM\n\t\tI love you, Margie."
],
[
"have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been\n\ttold exactly as it occured.",
"Grimsrud strides calmly out after the injured boy. He\n\traises his gun and fires.",
"MAN\n\t\tAnd he says, 'Yah, that guy's dead\n\t\tand I don't mean a old age.' And",
"The policeman's head slides out the window and his body\n\tflops back onto the street.\n\n\tCarl looks out at the cop in the road.",
"After hitting him several times, Shep yanks Carl's belt out\n\tof his dangling pants and strangles him with it. Carl",
"The dark shape in the snow next to his side is the rest of\n\tCarl Showalter's body.",
"He bends down, picks Wade up by the armpits and drags him\n\tover to the back of the Cadillac. He drops Wade's body,",
"With a poof of feathers, a hole opens up in the boy's back\n\tand he pitches into the snow.\n\n\tGrimsrud walks up to the wreck and peers in its half-open\n\tdoor.",
"With his free hand, Grimsrud pops the glove compartment. He\n\tbrings a gun out and reaches across Carl and shoots - BANG -\n\tinto the back of the trooper's head.",
"He kicks at the snow with his galoshed feet, trying to hide\n\tthe fresh bloodstains.\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH\n\n\tJerry approaches in the Cadillac.",
"was a jerk was dead now. So I\n\t\tdon't say nothin' and he says, 'What\n\t\tdo ya think about that?' So I",
"Laid out in the early morning light is the wrecked car, a\n\tpair of footprints leading out to a man in a bright orange\n\tparka face down in the bloodstained snow, and one pair of\n\tfootsteps leading back to the road.",
"Grimsrud, smiling thinly, shakes his head.\n\n\tThere is a whimpering sound.\n\n\tThe policeman hesitates.\n\n\tAnother sound.",
"Grimsrud swings overhand, burying the ax in Carl's neck.\n\n\tMARGE",
"This is a true story. The events depicted in this film took place\n\tin Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names",
"She fires again.\n\n\tGrimsrud pitches forward. He mutters in Swedish as he\n\treaches down to clutch at his wounded leg.",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"Jean sits slumped in a straight-backed chair facing the\n\twall. Her hooded head, resting on her chin, is motionless.\n\tThere is blood on the facing wall.",
"Carl drives. Grimsrud smokes and gazes out the window.\n\tFrom the back seat we hear whimpering.\n\n\tGrimsrud turns to look."
],
[
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"Jerry is worriedly pacing behind his desk. At a noise he\n\tlooks up.\n\n\tMarge has stuck her head in the door.",
"Jerry is sitting in his glassed-in salesman's cubicle just\n\toff the showroom floor. On the other side of his desk sit\n\tan irate customer and his wife.",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, they -\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tA million dollars is a lot a damn\n\t\tmoney! And there they are, they\n\t\tgot my daughter!",
"Jerry re-enters.",
"JERRY\n\t\tNo kiddin'! I'd need the cash\n\t\tpretty quick there. In order\n\t\tto close the deal.",
"Jerry hums nervously.\n\n\tGlass rattles as someone taps at his door.\n\n\tJerry looks up and freezes, mouth hanging open, brow knit\n\twith worry.",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"JERRY\n\t\t... My fee? Wade, what the\n\t\theck're you talkin' about?\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tStan and I're okay.",
"JERRY\n\t\tNo, but, Wade, see, I was\n\t\tbringin' you this deal for you\n\t\tto loan me the money to put\n\t\tin. It's my deal here, see?",
"Jerry is on the sales floor, showing a customer a vehicle.",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"STAN\n\t\tOkay. We'll get the money together.\n\t\tDon't worry about it, Jerry. Now,\n\t\td'you want anyone at home, with you,\n\t\tuntil they call?",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tSALESMAN\n\t\tYa kiddin'!\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, okay, I'll talk to my boss...\n\n\tHe rises, and, as he leaves:",
"CARL\n\t\tDon't you fucking but me, Jerry.\n\t\tI want you with this money on the",
"JERRY\n\t\tOh! Oh, geez!",
"The wooden gate barring the exit has been broken away. The\n\tbooth is empty.\n\n\tJerry eases toward the street, looking over at the booth as\n\the passes.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tMy patience is at an end.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah.",
"Jerry recovers from the near miss and continues up.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tOh, geez!\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH"
],
[
"His other hand holds open the briefcase. It has money\n\tinside - a lot of money.\n\n\tCarl unfreezes, takes out one of the bank-wrapped wads and\n\tlooks at it.",
"CARL\n\t\t... Mmmnphh.\n\n\tHe paws through the money in the briefcase to get a feeling\n\tfor the amount.",
"He pockets the gun, picks up the briefcase one-handed,\n\tflings it into his car, gets in, peels out.\n\n\tDOWN RAMP",
"bucks? - I mean, you give us\n\t\thalf the ransom, forty thousand,\n\t\tyou keep half. It's like robbing",
"CARL\n\t\tI am through fucking around! Drop\n\t\tthat fucking briefcase!\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tWhere's my daughter?",
"The policeman thoughtfully pats the fifty into the billfold\n\tand hands the billfold back into the car.\n\n\t\t\t\tTROOPER\n\t\tPut that back in your pocket,\n\t\tplease.",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, they -\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tA million dollars is a lot a damn\n\t\tmoney! And there they are, they\n\t\tgot my daughter!",
"We track in on Jean Lundegaard, who sits tied in a chair\n\twith the black hood still over her head. As we track in, we\n\thear inarticulate cursing, intermittent banging and loud\n\tstatic.",
"EXT. CAR\n\n\tIt is pulled over to the side of an untraveled road. THe\n\tdoor opens and Carl emerges with the briefcase.",
"WADE\n\t\t... There's a million dollars\n\t\there!\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tNo, see -",
"WADE\n\t\tDammit!\n\n\tTHE CASHIER\n\n\tShe rings up two dollars forty.",
"WADE\n\t\tOkay ... here's your damn money,\n\t\tnow where's my daughter?...\n\t\tGoddamn punk ... where's my damn\n\t\tdaughter...",
"WADE\n\t\tYah, well, seven hundred and\n\t\tfifty thousand dollars is a lot\n\t\t- ha ha ha!",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, how much money was that?",
"VOICE\n\t\tThree hundred and twenty thousand\n\t\tdollars. See, I gotta correlate\n\t\tthat money with the cars it's being\n\t\tlent on.",
"Excited, he counts out a bundle of bills and tosses it onto\n\tthe back seat.",
"CARL\n\t\t... All of it. All eighty gran.\n\t\tForty for you...\n\n\tHe makes one pile, pockets the rest.",
"fence posts and frantically digs into the snow with his bare\n\thands, throws in the briefcase and covers it back up.",
"With his free hand, Grimsrud pops the glove compartment. He\n\tbrings a gun out and reaches across Carl and shoots - BANG -\n\tinto the back of the trooper's head.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, but the deal was, the car\n\t\tfirst, see, then the forty\n\t\tthousand, like as if it was the\n\t\transom. I thought Shep told you -"
],
[
"INT. CAR\n\n\tCarl Showalter is driving. Gaear Grimsrud stares blankly\n\tout.\n\n\tAfter a long beat:",
"With his free hand, Grimsrud pops the glove compartment. He\n\tbrings a gun out and reaches across Carl and shoots - BANG -\n\tinto the back of the trooper's head.",
"We track in on Gaear Grimsrud, who sits smoking a cigarette\n\tand expressionlessly gazing offscreen.",
"We hear the crack of the back-door window being smashed.\n\n\tThe tall man - Gaear Grimsrud - grabs Jean's wrist.",
"Carl drives. Grimsrud smokes and gazes out the window.\n\tFrom the back seat we hear whimpering.\n\n\tGrimsrud turns to look.",
"After hitting him several times, Shep yanks Carl's belt out\n\tof his dangling pants and strangles him with it. Carl",
"We track in on Carl Showalter, who stands over an old black-\n\tand-white television. It plays nothing but snow. Carl is\n\tbanging on it as he mutters:",
"MOTEL ROOM\n\n\tCarl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud are in the twin beds\n\thaving sex with two truck-stop hookers.",
"Grimsrud swings overhand, burying the ax in Carl's neck.\n\n\tMARGE",
"It stops by one car and Carl emerges. He quickly scans the\n\tlot, then kneels in the snow at the back of the parked car\n\tand starts unscrewing its license plate.\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH",
"CARL\n\t\tHa ha ha ha ha ha! Jesus!\n\n\tGrimsrud, still expressionless, breaks away from Carl's\n\trestraining hand to retrieve her.",
"WADE\n\t\tOh, for Christ ... oh, geez...\n\n\tWade brings out his gun and fires at Carl's head, close by.",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"He reacts to Grimsrud's wordless look with a grotesque\n\tlaugh.\n\n\t\t\t\tCARL\n\t\tYou should she zhe uzher guy!",
"Grimsrud climbs out of the passenger seat as Carl climbs out\n\tof the driver's. Grimsrud opens the back door and, with an",
"The policeman leans forward into the car, listening.\n\n\tGrimsrud reaches across Carl, grabs the trooper by the hair\n\tand slams his head down onto the car door.",
"The policemen holster their guns and charge the window, and\n\tdrag Jerry Lundegaard back into the room.\n\n\tHis flesh quivers as he thrashes and keens in short,\n\tpiercing screams.",
"The dark shape in the snow next to his side is the rest of\n\tCarl Showalter's body.",
"CARL\n\t\tYeah.\n\n\tHe gets out.\n\n\tEXT. ROAD\n\n\tCarl leans down to hoist up the body.",
"CARL\n\t\tYou fucking imbeciles!\n\n\tHe bends down next to Wade to pick up the briefcase."
],
[
"out at his sides, his breath vaporizing. He goes to his\n\tcar, opens its front door, pulls out a red plastic scraper\n\tand starts methodically scraping off the thin crust of ice",
"Grimsrud takes the cigarette from his mouth and stubs it in\n\this ashtray. We hear the churning of the car wheels and the\n\tpinging of snow clods and salt on the car's underside.",
"He bends down, scoops up a handful of snow, presses it\n\tagainst his wounded jaw, and lopes back to the idling car.\n\n\tHOTEL ROOM",
"The lone traffic light blinks slowly, steadily, red. Snow\n\tsifts down. There is no other movement.\n\n\tPAUL BUNYAN",
"It stops by one car and Carl emerges. He quickly scans the\n\tlot, then kneels in the snow at the back of the parked car\n\tand starts unscrewing its license plate.\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH",
"He kicks at the snow with his galoshed feet, trying to hide\n\tthe fresh bloodstains.\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH\n\n\tJerry approaches in the Cadillac.",
"It is late evening, blowing storm. A leisurely pan across\n\tthe bleak gray expanse finds a little hut in the middle of\n\tthe frozen lake with a pickup truck parked next to it.",
"He looks about the snowy vastness for a marker. Finding\n\tnone, he kicks the fence post a couple of times, failing to\n\tscar or tilt it, then hurriedly plants a couple of sicks up\n\tagainst the post.",
"With a poof of feathers, a hole opens up in the boy's back\n\tand he pitches into the snow.\n\n\tGrimsrud walks up to the wreck and peers in its half-open\n\tdoor.",
"The wrecked car's headlights shine off into a snowfield\n\tabutting the highway. A young man in a down parka is\n\tlimping across the snowfield, away from the wrecked car.",
"He looks at the open window, through which snow still sifts\n\tin. He shuts it.",
"This is a true story. The events depicted in this film took place\n\tin Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names",
"Snow continues to fall. Jerry and Stan stand bundled in\n\ttheir parkas and galoshes near a row of beached vehicles.\n\tWade sits behind the wheel of an idling Lincoln, waiting for\n\tStan.",
"The scrape-scrape-scrape sound carries in the frigid air.\n\n\tJerry goes into a frenzy, banging the scraper against the\n\twindshield and the hood of his car.",
"A young woman is trapped inside the twisted wreckage,\n\tinjured.\n\n\tSnow swirls in the headlights of the wreck.\n\n\tGrimsrud raises his gun and fires.",
"Marge pulls her prowler over some distance past the cabin.\n\tShe gets out, zips up her khaki parka and pulls up its fur-\n\tlined hood.",
"Jean crosses to a high window above the toilet and throws it\n\topen. Snow that had drifted against the window sifts\n\tlightly in. Jean steps up onto the toilet.",
"We are pulling into the snowswept parking lot of a one-story\n\tbrick building. Broken neon at the top of the building",
"have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been\n\ttold exactly as it occured.",
"The groaning of the door ends with the wood around its knob\n\tsplintering and the knob itself falling out onto the floor.\n\n\tThe door swings open."
],
[
"Marge is advancing. She holds a gun extended toward\n\tGrimsrud, who is still turned away.\n\n\tGrimsrud rubs his nose with the back of his hand.",
"Marge is straining to look. The power-tool noise is louder\n\there but still muffled, its source not yet visible.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\t... Chief Gunderson?",
"Marge is peering into the car.",
"Marge pulls her prowler over some distance past the cabin.\n\tShe gets out, zips up her khaki parka and pulls up its fur-\n\tlined hood.",
"Marge and Shep face each other at the other end of the floor\n\tin a grimy and cluttered glassed-in cubicle.\n\n\t\t\t\tMECHANIC\n\t\tSaid she was a policewoman.",
"Marge has a packed overnight back sitting on the unmade bed.\n\tShe is ready to leave, already wearing her parka, but is on\n\tthe phone.",
"MARGE\n\t\tYah, that's me.\n\n\t\t\t\tMIKE\n\t\tWell, how the heck are ya?",
"Marge has drawn to within twenty yards. When she bellows it\n\tsounds hollow and distant, her voice all but eaten up by the\n\troar of the power tool.",
"MARGE\n\t\tOh. Geez.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tYah, Linda's fine. You should\n\t\tcall her.",
"MARGE\n\t\tOooph!\n\n\tNorm reaches for her hand as both watch the television.\n\n\tAt length Norm speaks, but keeps his eyes on the TV.",
"LOBBY CORNER\n\n\tMarge is on a public phone.",
"Marge sits talking with two young women at one end of an\n\televated dance platform. The club, not yet open for\n\tbusiness, is deserted.",
"As Marge rises, Jerry looks blankly down at the papers on\n\tthe desk in front of him.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\t... Yah, okay.",
"Marge drives. Grimsrud sits in the back seat, hands cuffed\n\tbehind him.",
"Wider, we see Marge now wearing a beige police uniform. A\n\tpatch on one arm says BRAINERD POLICE DEPARTMENT. She wears",
"MARGE\n\t\tYah?\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tMargie Olmstead?",
"Marge walks toward him, gun trained on him as her other hand\n\treaches under her parka and gropes around her waist.",
"Marge and Shep silently talk.\n\n\tJerry stares, swallows.\n\n\tINSIDE THE CUBICLE",
"She looks idly around. Her look abruptly locks.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... Oh, for Pete's sake.",
"Marge sits on the bed in her hotel room, shoes off,\n\tmassaging her feet. The phone is pressed to her ear, and\n\tthrough it, we hear ringing."
],
[
"Marge is advancing. She holds a gun extended toward\n\tGrimsrud, who is still turned away.\n\n\tGrimsrud rubs his nose with the back of his hand.",
"It is a bald, paunching man of about Marge's age, rising\n\tfrom a booth halfway back. His features are broad,\n\tfriendly, Asian-American.",
"LOU\n\t\tYah.\n\n\tMarge is studying the ground.",
"Marge pulls her prowler over some distance past the cabin.\n\tShe gets out, zips up her khaki parka and pulls up its fur-\n\tlined hood.",
"MARGE\n\t\tUh-huh.\n\n\t\t\t\tGARY\n\t\tYah.",
"Marge has drawn to within twenty yards. When she bellows it\n\tsounds hollow and distant, her voice all but eaten up by the\n\troar of the power tool.",
"MARGE\n\t\tOh, yah?\n\n\t\t\t\tHOOKER TWO\n\t\tYah.",
"Marge and Shep face each other at the other end of the floor\n\tin a grimy and cluttered glassed-in cubicle.\n\n\t\t\t\tMECHANIC\n\t\tSaid she was a policewoman.",
"The roar grows louder. Marge stands panting by one tree,\n\ther breath vaporizing out of her snorkel hood. She squints\n\tdown toward the cabin's back lot.",
"Marge's prowler is parked nearby.\n\n\tMarge is on her hands and knees by a body down in the ditch,\n\tagain looking at footprints in the snow. She calls up to\n\tthe road:",
"MARGE\n\t\tI think I remember Linda, yah.\n\t\tShe was - yah. So things didn't\n\t\twork out, huh?",
"MARGE\n\t\tGustafson's accountant.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tYah.",
"As Marge rises, Jerry looks blankly down at the papers on\n\tthe desk in front of him.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\t... Yah, okay.",
"Marge has a packed overnight back sitting on the unmade bed.\n\tShe is ready to leave, already wearing her parka, but is on\n\tthe phone.",
"Marge and Shep silently talk.\n\n\tJerry stares, swallows.\n\n\tINSIDE THE CUBICLE",
"Marge sits talking with two young women at one end of an\n\televated dance platform. The club, not yet open for\n\tbusiness, is deserted.",
"MARGE\n\t\tYah. Say, Lou, ya hear the one\n\t\tabout the guy who couldn't afford",
"Marge is straining to look. The power-tool noise is louder\n\there but still muffled, its source not yet visible.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\t... Chief Gunderson?",
"MARGE\n\t\tYah?\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tMargie Olmstead?",
"The woman is entering frame sliding a tray. Marge enters\n\tbehind her, sliding her own. We move laterally with them as\n\tthey slowly make their way along the line."
],
[
"Marge is advancing. She holds a gun extended toward\n\tGrimsrud, who is still turned away.\n\n\tGrimsrud rubs his nose with the back of his hand.",
"As Marge rises, Jerry looks blankly down at the papers on\n\tthe desk in front of him.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\t... Yah, okay.",
"He looks up at Marge's retreating back. He looks back down\n\tat the papers. He looks over at the phone.\n\n\the picks up the phone and dials four digits.",
"Marge and Shep silently talk.\n\n\tJerry stares, swallows.\n\n\tINSIDE THE CUBICLE",
"It is a bald, paunching man of about Marge's age, rising\n\tfrom a booth halfway back. His features are broad,\n\tfriendly, Asian-American.",
"MARGE\n\t\tUh-huh.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n\t\tWe called his house; his little\n\t\tboy said he hadn't been there.",
"Marge has drawn to within twenty yards. When she bellows it\n\tsounds hollow and distant, her voice all but eaten up by the\n\troar of the power tool.",
"For a long moment there, he is quiet - only engine hum and\n\tthe periodic clomp of wheels on pavement seams - as Marge\n\tgrimly shakes her head.",
"Marge and Shep face each other at the other end of the floor\n\tin a grimy and cluttered glassed-in cubicle.\n\n\t\t\t\tMECHANIC\n\t\tSaid she was a policewoman.",
"Marge's prowler is parked nearby.\n\n\tMarge is on her hands and knees by a body down in the ditch,\n\tagain looking at footprints in the snow. She calls up to\n\tthe road:",
"MARGE\n\t\tSo ... they didn't...\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tNo. No. They never married.\n\t\tMike's had psychiatric problems.",
"Jerry is worriedly pacing behind his desk. At a noise he\n\tlooks up.\n\n\tMarge has stuck her head in the door.",
"Marge suddenly doubles over, putting her head between her\n\tknees down near the snow.\n\n\t\t\t\tLOU\n\t\tYa see something down there, Chief?",
"JERRY\n\t\tMa'am, I answered your question.\n\n\tThere is a silent beat.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... I'm sorry, sir?",
"VOICE\n\t\tHis wife?\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\tLinda.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tNo.",
"A pull back from the screen reveals that we are in Marge's\n\thouse.\n\n\tMarge and Norm are watching television in bed. From the TV\n\twe hear insects chirring.",
"The roar grows louder. Marge stands panting by one tree,\n\ther breath vaporizing out of her snorkel hood. She squints\n\tdown toward the cabin's back lot.",
"MARGE\n\t\tI think I remember Linda, yah.\n\t\tShe was - yah. So things didn't\n\t\twork out, huh?",
"MARGE\n\t\tOh, yah?\n\n\t\t\t\tHOOKER TWO\n\t\tYah.",
"She looks idly around. Her look abruptly locks.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... Oh, for Pete's sake."
],
[
"INT. CAR\n\n\tCarl Showalter is driving. Gaear Grimsrud stares blankly\n\tout.\n\n\tAfter a long beat:",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"Anderson approaches.\n\n\t\t\t\tANDERSON\n\t\tI'm, uh, Jerry Lundegaard -",
"Jerry stares at her, his mouth open.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?",
"CARL\n\t\tThree people. In Brainerd.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tOh, geez.",
"CARL\n\t\t... Blood has been shed.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tWhat the heck d'ya mean?",
"VOICE\n\t\tJerome Lundegaard?\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah!",
"CARL\n\t\tFuck you, man! Where's Jerry? I\n\t\tgave SIMPLE FUCKING INSTRUCTIONS -",
"The policemen holster their guns and charge the window, and\n\tdrag Jerry Lundegaard back into the room.\n\n\tHis flesh quivers as he thrashes and keens in short,\n\tpiercing screams.",
"CARL\n\t\tAll right, Jerry, I'm through\n\t\tfucking around. You got the\n\t\tfucking money?\n\n\tJERRY'S KITCHEN",
"We track in on Carl Showalter, who stands over an old black-\n\tand-white television. It plays nothing but snow. Carl is\n\tbanging on it as he mutters:",
"MARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?\n\n\tJerry explodes:",
"MOTEL ROOM\n\n\tCarl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud are in the twin beds\n\thaving sex with two truck-stop hookers.",
"CARL\n\t\tDon't you fucking but me, Jerry.\n\t\tI want you with this money on the",
"With his free hand, Grimsrud pops the glove compartment. He\n\tbrings a gun out and reaches across Carl and shoots - BANG -\n\tinto the back of the trooper's head.",
"CARL\n\t\tOr your fucking wife, Jerry.",
"MARGE\n\t\tMr. Lundegaard?\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tHuh? Yah?",
"CARL\n\t\t... Total silence...\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE\n\n\tHe is on the phone.",
"YOUNGER MAN\n\t\tYou're Jerry Lundegaard?\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah, Shep Proudfoot said -",
"We hear the crack of the back-door window being smashed.\n\n\tThe tall man - Gaear Grimsrud - grabs Jean's wrist."
],
[
"Jerry is worriedly pacing behind his desk. At a noise he\n\tlooks up.\n\n\tMarge has stuck her head in the door.",
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"Jerry is sitting in his glassed-in salesman's cubicle just\n\toff the showroom floor. On the other side of his desk sit\n\tan irate customer and his wife.",
"Jerry hums nervously.\n\n\tGlass rattles as someone taps at his door.\n\n\tJerry looks up and freezes, mouth hanging open, brow knit\n\twith worry.",
"Jerry re-enters.",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"Jerry sits perched on the desk of another salesman who is\n\teating lunch as he watches a hockey game on a small portable\n\tTV.",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"The wooden gate barring the exit has been broken away. The\n\tbooth is empty.\n\n\tJerry eases toward the street, looking over at the booth as\n\the passes.",
"Jerry recovers from the near miss and continues up.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tOh, geez!\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH",
"We are looking at Jerry's cubicle from across the showroom.\n\tNoise muted by distance, we watch Jerry slam down the",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tMy patience is at an end.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah.",
"As Marge rises, Jerry looks blankly down at the papers on\n\tthe desk in front of him.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\t... Yah, okay.",
"Inside the booth we see the awkwardly angled leg of a\n\tprostrate body.\n\n\tEXT. JERRY'S HOUSE\n\n\tThe car pulls into the driveway.",
"Jerry pulls to a halt next to Wade's idling Cadillac. He\n\tgets out and walks slowly to Wade's body, prostrate in the\n\tswirling snow.",
"JERRY\n\t\tOh! Oh, geez!",
"CARL\n\t\t... Total silence...\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE\n\n\tHe is on the phone.",
"The tantrum passes. Jerry stands pantin, staring at nothing\n\tin particular.\n\n\tScrape-scrape-scrape - he goes back to work on the\n\twindshield.",
"Carl screams down the ramp. He takes a corner at high speed\n\tand swerves, just missing Jerry in his Olds on his way to\n\tthe top.\n\n\tINT. JERRY'S CAR",
"The scrape-scrape-scrape sound carries in the frigid air.\n\n\tJerry goes into a frenzy, banging the scraper against the\n\twindshield and the hood of his car."
],
[
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tWe're good to loan in.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah.",
"JERRY\n\t\tNo, but, Wade, see, I was\n\t\tbringin' you this deal for you\n\t\tto loan me the money to put\n\t\tin. It's my deal here, see?",
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"JERRY\n\t\tBut I already got the, it's okay,\n\t\tthe loans are in place, I already\n\t\tgot the, the what, the -",
"Jerry is sitting in his glassed-in salesman's cubicle just\n\toff the showroom floor. On the other side of his desk sit\n\tan irate customer and his wife.",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, they -\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tA million dollars is a lot a damn\n\t\tmoney! And there they are, they\n\t\tgot my daughter!",
"Jerry pulls to a halt next to Wade's idling Cadillac. He\n\tgets out and walks slowly to Wade's body, prostrate in the\n\tswirling snow.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tSALESMAN\n\t\tYa kiddin'!\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE",
"JERRY\n\t\tNow we had a deal here! A deal's\n\t\ta deal!",
"JERRY\n\t\tNo, no. I - I'd, I'd - pay you\n\t\tback the principal, and interest\n\t\t- heck, I'd go - one over prime -",
"Inside the booth we see the awkwardly angled leg of a\n\tprostrate body.\n\n\tEXT. JERRY'S HOUSE\n\n\tThe car pulls into the driveway.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, but the deal was, the car\n\t\tfirst, see, then the forty\n\t\tthousand, like as if it was the\n\t\transom. I thought Shep told you -",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"Jerry is worriedly pacing behind his desk. At a noise he\n\tlooks up.\n\n\tMarge has stuck her head in the door.",
"STAN\n\t\tJerry, we're not just going to\n\t\tgive you seven hundred and fifty\n\t\tthousand dollars.",
"CARL\n\t\tDon't you fucking but me, Jerry.\n\t\tI want you with this money on the",
"We are looking at Jerry's cubicle from across the showroom.\n\tNoise muted by distance, we watch Jerry slam down the",
"JERRY\n\t\t... My fee? Wade, what the\n\t\theck're you talkin' about?\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tStan and I're okay.",
"The man prints \"Jerry Lundega\" onto a registration card,\n\tthen hastily crosses out the last name and starts to print\n\t\"Anderson.\"\n\n\tAs she types into a computer:"
],
[
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tWe're good to loan in.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah.",
"JERRY\n\t\tNo, but, Wade, see, I was\n\t\tbringin' you this deal for you\n\t\tto loan me the money to put\n\t\tin. It's my deal here, see?",
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"The man prints \"Jerry Lundega\" onto a registration card,\n\tthen hastily crosses out the last name and starts to print\n\t\"Anderson.\"\n\n\tAs she types into a computer:",
"Jerry pulls to a halt next to Wade's idling Cadillac. He\n\tgets out and walks slowly to Wade's body, prostrate in the\n\tswirling snow.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, but the deal was, the car\n\t\tfirst, see, then the forty\n\t\tthousand, like as if it was the\n\t\transom. I thought Shep told you -",
"JERRY\n\t\tBut I already got the, it's okay,\n\t\tthe loans are in place, I already\n\t\tgot the, the what, the -",
"Jerry is sitting in his glassed-in salesman's cubicle just\n\toff the showroom floor. On the other side of his desk sit\n\tan irate customer and his wife.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tSALESMAN\n\t\tYa kiddin'!\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE",
"Inside the booth we see the awkwardly angled leg of a\n\tprostrate body.\n\n\tEXT. JERRY'S HOUSE\n\n\tThe car pulls into the driveway.",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"Jerry is on the sales floor, showing a customer a vehicle.",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, they -\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tA million dollars is a lot a damn\n\t\tmoney! And there they are, they\n\t\tgot my daughter!",
"JERRY\n\t\tNow we had a deal here! A deal's\n\t\ta deal!",
"We are looking at Jerry's cubicle from across the showroom.\n\tNoise muted by distance, we watch Jerry slam down the",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, well, real good, then.\n\n\tCAR\n\n\tCarl is driving. Grimsrud stares out front.",
"and beneath that another form copy, which Jerry periodically\n\tchecks. The carbon-copy form shows thick smudgy, illegible\n\tentries.",
"STAN\n\t\tJerry, we're not just going to\n\t\tgive you seven hundred and fifty\n\t\tthousand dollars.",
"JERRY\n\t\tNo. No, ma'am.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, right -\n\n\t\t\t\tSTAN\n\t\tYou're sayin' - what're you\n\t\tsayin'?"
],
[
"JERRY\n\t\tSay, Shep, how ya doin' there?\n\n\t\t\t\tSHEP\n\t\tMm.",
"JERRY\n\t\tWhere's Shep?\n\n\tThe mechanic points.\n\n\t\t\t\tMECHANIC\n\t\tTalkin' to a cop.",
"JERRY\n\t\t... Yah, gimmee Shep... The\n\t\theck d'ya mean?... Well, where'd",
"Marge and Shep silently talk.\n\n\tJerry stares, swallows.\n\n\tINSIDE THE CUBICLE",
"CARL\n\t\tShep didn't tell us much, Jerry.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tWell, okay, it's -",
"SHEP\n\t\tPut you in touch with Grimsrud.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tWell, yah, but he had a buddy\n\t\tthere. He, uh -",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, no, I'm sure you are. Shep\n\t\tvouched for you and all. I got\n\t\tevery confidence in you fellas.",
"JERRY\n\t\tShep said 8:30.\n\n\t\t\t\tYOUNGER MAN\n\t\tWe been sitting here an hour.\n\t\tI've peed three times already.",
"JERRY\n\t\tI'm sure sorry. I - Shep told\n\t\tme 8:30. It was a mix-up, I\n\t\tguess.",
"SHEP\n\t\tNope.\n\n\tJerry slaps his fist into his open palm and snaps his\n\tfingers.",
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"Shep slaps him hard, forehand, backhand.\n\n\t\t\t\tSHEP\n\t\tFuck out of my house!\n\n\tHe hauls him up -",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"Jerry is worriedly pacing behind his desk. At a noise he\n\tlooks up.\n\n\tMarge has stuck her head in the door.",
"SHEP\n\t\tWell, I don't vouch for him.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tWell, that's okay, I just -",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"Jerry is sitting in his glassed-in salesman's cubicle just\n\toff the showroom floor. On the other side of his desk sit\n\tan irate customer and his wife.",
"CARL\n\t\tI'm not gonna sit here and debate.\n\t\tI will say this though: what Shep\n\t\ttold us didn't make a whole lot\n\t\tof sense.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tSALESMAN\n\t\tYa kiddin'!\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE",
"Jerry hums nervously.\n\n\tGlass rattles as someone taps at his door.\n\n\tJerry looks up and freezes, mouth hanging open, brow knit\n\twith worry."
],
[
"INT. CAR\n\n\tCarl Showalter is driving. Gaear Grimsrud stares blankly\n\tout.\n\n\tAfter a long beat:",
"Anderson approaches.\n\n\t\t\t\tANDERSON\n\t\tI'm, uh, Jerry Lundegaard -",
"Jerry stares at her, his mouth open.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?",
"We hear the crack of the back-door window being smashed.\n\n\tThe tall man - Gaear Grimsrud - grabs Jean's wrist.",
"VOICE\n\t\tJerome Lundegaard?\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah!",
"The policemen holster their guns and charge the window, and\n\tdrag Jerry Lundegaard back into the room.\n\n\tHis flesh quivers as he thrashes and keens in short,\n\tpiercing screams.",
"MARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?\n\n\tJerry explodes:",
"YOUNGER MAN\n\t\tYou're Jerry Lundegaard?\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah, Shep Proudfoot said -",
"We track in on Jean Lundegaard, who sits tied in a chair\n\twith the black hood still over her head. As we track in, we\n\thear inarticulate cursing, intermittent banging and loud\n\tstatic.",
"MARGE\n\t\tMr. Lundegaard?\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tHuh? Yah?",
"CARL\n\t\tThree people. In Brainerd.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tOh, geez.",
"We track in on Gaear Grimsrud, who sits smoking a cigarette\n\tand expressionlessly gazing offscreen.",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"CARL\n\t\tFuck you, man! Where's Jerry? I\n\t\tgave SIMPLE FUCKING INSTRUCTIONS -",
"Carl screams down the ramp. He takes a corner at high speed\n\tand swerves, just missing Jerry in his Olds on his way to\n\tthe top.\n\n\tINT. JERRY'S CAR",
"MARGE\n\t\t... You're the owner here, Mr.\n\t\tLundegaard?\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tNaw, I... Executive Sales Manager.",
"CARL\n\t\tOr your fucking wife, Jerry.",
"CARL\n\t\t... Total silence...\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE\n\n\tHe is on the phone.",
"Carl drives. Grimsrud smokes and gazes out the window.\n\tFrom the back seat we hear whimpering.\n\n\tGrimsrud turns to look.",
"We track in on Carl Showalter, who stands over an old black-\n\tand-white television. It plays nothing but snow. Carl is\n\tbanging on it as he mutters:"
],
[
"INT. CAR\n\n\tCarl Showalter is driving. Gaear Grimsrud stares blankly\n\tout.\n\n\tAfter a long beat:",
"CARL\n\t\tThree people. In Brainerd.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tOh, geez.",
"Anderson approaches.\n\n\t\t\t\tANDERSON\n\t\tI'm, uh, Jerry Lundegaard -",
"We track in on Gaear Grimsrud, who sits smoking a cigarette\n\tand expressionlessly gazing offscreen.",
"Carl screams down the ramp. He takes a corner at high speed\n\tand swerves, just missing Jerry in his Olds on his way to\n\tthe top.\n\n\tINT. JERRY'S CAR",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"MOTEL ROOM\n\n\tCarl Showalter and Gaear Grimsrud are in the twin beds\n\thaving sex with two truck-stop hookers.",
"The policemen holster their guns and charge the window, and\n\tdrag Jerry Lundegaard back into the room.\n\n\tHis flesh quivers as he thrashes and keens in short,\n\tpiercing screams.",
"We hear the crack of the back-door window being smashed.\n\n\tThe tall man - Gaear Grimsrud - grabs Jean's wrist.",
"VOICE\n\t\tJerome Lundegaard?\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah!",
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"With his free hand, Grimsrud pops the glove compartment. He\n\tbrings a gun out and reaches across Carl and shoots - BANG -\n\tinto the back of the trooper's head.",
"We track in on Carl Showalter, who stands over an old black-\n\tand-white television. It plays nothing but snow. Carl is\n\tbanging on it as he mutters:",
"Jerry stares at her, his mouth open.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?",
"CARL\n\t\tFuck you, man! Where's Jerry? I\n\t\tgave SIMPLE FUCKING INSTRUCTIONS -",
"CARL\n\t\t... Total silence...\n\n\tJERRY'S CUBICLE\n\n\tHe is on the phone.",
"CARL\n\t\tIS IT, JERRY? You ask those three\n\t\tpour souls up in Brainerd if a\n\t\tdeal's a deal! Go ahead, ask 'em!",
"Jerry pulls to a halt next to Wade's idling Cadillac. He\n\tgets out and walks slowly to Wade's body, prostrate in the\n\tswirling snow.",
"We are looking at Jerry's cubicle from across the showroom.\n\tNoise muted by distance, we watch Jerry slam down the",
"MARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?\n\n\tJerry explodes:"
],
[
"JERRY\n\t\tMy wife! What the - how's -",
"Jerry is sitting in his glassed-in salesman's cubicle just\n\toff the showroom floor. On the other side of his desk sit\n\tan irate customer and his wife.",
"Jerry is worriedly pacing behind his desk. At a noise he\n\tlooks up.\n\n\tMarge has stuck her head in the door.",
"CARL\n\t\tOr your fucking wife, Jerry.",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"Jerry stares at her, his mouth open.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... Mr. Lundegaard?",
"Marge and Shep silently talk.\n\n\tJerry stares, swallows.\n\n\tINSIDE THE CUBICLE",
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"Jerry is at the kitchen phone. Through the door to the\n\tdining room we see Wade picking up an extension.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah, I got the money, but, uh -",
"The man prints \"Jerry Lundega\" onto a registration card,\n\tthen hastily crosses out the last name and starts to print\n\t\"Anderson.\"\n\n\tAs she types into a computer:",
"JERRY\n\t\tMa'am, I answered your question.\n\n\tThere is a silent beat.\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\t... I'm sorry, sir?",
"JERRY\n\t\t... Yah, Wade, it's, I, it's\n\t\tJerry...\n\n\tBeat.",
"Jerry re-enters.",
"WADE\n\t\tJerry around?\n\n\t\t\t\tJEAN\n\t\tYah, he's still here - I'll\n\t\tcatch him for ya.",
"JERRY\n\t\tOh! Oh, geez!",
"Jerry is easing his car around the near corner of the\n\tbuilding.\n\n\tMarge's voice is flat with dismay:",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"As Marge rises, Jerry looks blankly down at the papers on\n\tthe desk in front of him.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\t... Yah, okay.",
"JERRY\n\t\tWhat the - how's Jean?\n\n\tA beat.\n\n\t\t\t\tCARL\n\t\t... Who's Jean?",
"Inside the booth we see the awkwardly angled leg of a\n\tprostrate body.\n\n\tEXT. JERRY'S HOUSE\n\n\tThe car pulls into the driveway."
],
[
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, they -\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tA million dollars is a lot a damn\n\t\tmoney! And there they are, they\n\t\tgot my daughter!",
"JERRY\n\t\t... My fee? Wade, what the\n\t\theck're you talkin' about?\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tStan and I're okay.",
"Jerry pulls to a halt next to Wade's idling Cadillac. He\n\tgets out and walks slowly to Wade's body, prostrate in the\n\tswirling snow.",
"bucks? - I mean, you give us\n\t\thalf the ransom, forty thousand,\n\t\tyou keep half. It's like robbing",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, but the deal was, the car\n\t\tfirst, see, then the forty\n\t\tthousand, like as if it was the\n\t\transom. I thought Shep told you -",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, okay, I'll talk to my boss...\n\n\tHe rises, and, as he leaves:",
"The wooden gate barring the exit has been broken away. The\n\tbooth is empty.\n\n\tJerry eases toward the street, looking over at the booth as\n\the passes.",
"STAN\n\t\tJerry, we're not just going to\n\t\tgive you seven hundred and fifty\n\t\tthousand dollars.",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah. But it's not a whole pay-\n\t\tin-advance deal. I give you a\n\t\tbrand-new vehicle in advance and -",
"Jerry sits staring at his lap.\n\n\t\t\t\tCUSTOMER\n\t\t... A fucking liar -\n\n\t\t\t\tWIFE\n\t\tBucky, please!",
"JERRY\n\t\tOkay, real good, then.\n\n\tThe line goes dead.\n\n\tA door slams offscreen.\n\n\tEXT. HOUSE",
"JERRY\n\t\tYah, how much money was that?",
"JERRY\n\t\tNow we had a deal here! A deal's\n\t\ta deal!",
"CARL\n\t\tBlood has been shed, Jerry.\n\n\tJerry sits dumbly. The voice solemnly repeats:",
"STAN\n\t\tOkay. We'll get the money together.\n\t\tDon't worry about it, Jerry. Now,\n\t\td'you want anyone at home, with you,\n\t\tuntil they call?",
"CARL\n\t\tLook. I'm not gonna debate you,\n\t\tJerry. The price is now the whole\n\t\tamount. We want the entire eighty\n\t\tthousand.",
"WADE\n\t\t... There's a million dollars\n\t\there!\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tNo, see -",
"Jerry is sitting in his glassed-in salesman's cubicle just\n\toff the showroom floor. On the other side of his desk sit\n\tan irate customer and his wife.",
"Jerry recovers from the near miss and continues up.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tOh, geez!\n\n\tEXIT BOOTH",
"JERRY\n\t\tNo, no. I - I'd, I'd - pay you\n\t\tback the principal, and interest\n\t\t- heck, I'd go - one over prime -"
],
[
"JERRY\n\t\tYah.\n\n\t\t\t\tSCOTT'S VOICE\n\t\tStan Grossman called.",
"WADE\n\t\tStan Grossman looked at your\n\t\tproposal. Says it's pretty\n\t\tsweet.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tNo kiddin'?",
"these guys - you ask Stan Grossman,\n\t\the'll tell ya the same thing!",
"Jerry, Wade, and Stan Grossman sit around the kitchen table.\n\tIt is night. The scene is harshly toplit by a hanging",
"WADE\n\t\tI thought you were gonna show\n\t\tit to Stan Grossman. He passes\n\t\ton this stuff before it gets\n\t\tkicked up to me.",
"Jerry, Wade, and Stan Grossman sit in a booth, sipping\n\tcoffee. Outside the window, snow falls from a gunmetal sky.",
"STAN\n\t\tCongratulations, Jerry.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tYah, thanks, Stan, it's a pretty -",
"STAN\n\t\tYah.\n\n\tJerry pounds his mittened hands together against the cold.",
"STAN\n\t\tHe's at Norstar.\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tHe's at -",
"SCOTT'S VOICE\n\t\tAre you calling Stan?\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\tWell... I'm goin' ta bed now.",
"STAN\n\t\tJerry, we're not just going to\n\t\tgive you seven hundred and fifty\n\t\tthousand dollars.",
"STAN\n\t\tOkay. We'll get the money together.\n\t\tDon't worry about it, Jerry. Now,\n\t\td'you want anyone at home, with you,\n\t\tuntil they call?",
"JERRY\n\t\tWell, you know Stan'll say no\n\t\tdice. That's why you pay him.",
"Wade scowls, looks at Stan.\n\n\t\t\t\tSTAN\n\t\tJerry - we thought you were\n\t\tbringin' us an investment.",
"STAN\n\t\tI gotta tell ya, Wade, I'm leanin'\n\t\tto Jerry's viewpoint here.\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tWell -",
"Maybe it's all bull, but like you\n\t\tsaid, Stan, they're callin' the\n\t\tshots.",
"Snow continues to fall. Jerry and Stan stand bundled in\n\ttheir parkas and galoshes near a row of beached vehicles.\n\tWade sits behind the wheel of an idling Lincoln, waiting for\n\tStan.",
"STAN\n\t\tI'm tellin' ya.\n\n\t\t\t\tWADE\n\t\tWell... Why don't we...\n\n\tHe saws a finger under his nose.",
"JERRY\n\t\tHow ya doin' there, Stan? How\n\t\tare ya, Wade?\n\n\tStan Grossman shakes his hand.",
"STAN\n\t\tWe're not a bank, Jerry.\n\n\tWade is angry."
],
[
"Marge is advancing. She holds a gun extended toward\n\tGrimsrud, who is still turned away.\n\n\tGrimsrud rubs his nose with the back of his hand.",
"MARGE\n\t\tLove ya, hon.\n\n\tHe is exiting back to the bedroom; she exits out the front\n\tdoor.\n\n\tEXT. GUNDERSON HOUSE",
"It is a bald, paunching man of about Marge's age, rising\n\tfrom a booth halfway back. His features are broad,\n\tfriendly, Asian-American.",
"He looks up at Marge's retreating back. He looks back down\n\tat the papers. He looks over at the phone.\n\n\the picks up the phone and dials four digits.",
"MARGE\n\t\tOooph!\n\n\tNorm reaches for her hand as both watch the television.\n\n\tAt length Norm speaks, but keeps his eyes on the TV.",
"MARGE\n\t\tOh. Oh, my.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tYah, he - he's been struggling.\n\t\tHe's living with his parents now.",
"For a long moment there, he is quiet - only engine hum and\n\tthe periodic clomp of wheels on pavement seams - as Marge\n\tgrimly shakes her head.",
"Marge is straining to look. The power-tool noise is louder\n\there but still muffled, its source not yet visible.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\t... Chief Gunderson?",
"MARGE\n\t\tYah, that's me.\n\n\t\t\t\tMIKE\n\t\tWell, how the heck are ya?",
"MARGE\n\t\tMike!\n\n\tHe approaches somewhat carefully, as if on his second drink.\n\tThey hug and head back toward the booth.",
"Marge and Shep face each other at the other end of the floor\n\tin a grimy and cluttered glassed-in cubicle.\n\n\t\t\t\tMECHANIC\n\t\tSaid she was a policewoman.",
"MARGE\n\t\tOh. Geez.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tYah, Linda's fine. You should\n\t\tcall her.",
"MARGE\n\t\tUh-huh.\n\n\t\t\t\tWOMAN\n\t\tWe called his house; his little\n\t\tboy said he hadn't been there.",
"MARGE\n\t\tThanks, hon. Time to shove off.\n\n\t\t\t\tNORM\n\t\tLove ya, Margie.\n\n\tAs she struggles into a parka:",
"Marge pulls her prowler over some distance past the cabin.\n\tShe gets out, zips up her khaki parka and pulls up its fur-\n\tlined hood.",
"VOICE\n\t\tHis wife?\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\tLinda.\n\n\t\t\t\tVOICE\n\t\tNo.",
"As Marge rises, Jerry looks blankly down at the papers on\n\tthe desk in front of him.\n\n\t\t\t\tJERRY\n\t\t... Yah, okay.",
"Wider, we see Marge now wearing a beige police uniform. A\n\tpatch on one arm says BRAINERD POLICE DEPARTMENT. She wears",
"MAN\n\t\tGotta go?\n\n\t\t\t\tMARGE\n\t\tYah.\n\n\tThe man swings his legs out.",
"MARGE\n\t\tI love you, Norm.\n\n\tBoth of them are watching the TV as Norm reaches out to rest\n\ta hand on top of her stomach."
]
] |
[
"Why does Jerry need money?",
"How many people did the kidnappers kill on their way to their hideout?",
"What condition is Police Chief Marge Gunderson in?",
"How much money does Jerry tell Gustafson the kidnappers are demanding?",
"Who kills Gustafson?",
"Gaear kills jean but who kills Carl?",
"Why does Gaear kill Carl?",
"What is the subject of Norm's painting?",
"How many people are dead by the end of the story?",
"Why does Jerry need money?",
"How much money was in the briefcase for the ransom?",
"Why does Gaear kill Carl?",
"What season of the year does this story take place in?",
"Who is Marge?",
"What is the connection between Marge and Yanagita?",
"How does Marge find out that Yanagita's \"dead wife\" is not dead and was never his wife?",
"What did Jerry hire Carl and Gaear to do?",
"What is Jerry desperate for?",
"Who gave Jerry the loan he fraudulently collateralized?",
"What did Jerry use to fraudulently collateralize the loan?",
"Who does Shep refer Jerry to?",
"Who does Jerry hire Gaear and Carl to kidnap?",
"In what city does Jerry hire Gaear and Carl?",
"What is Jerry's wife's name?",
"How much is the ransom Jerry promises to split?",
"What is Stan Grossman's profession?",
"Who is Marge's husband?"
] |
[
[
"He needs to pay back a fraudulent loan.",
"He needs to repay a loan"
],
[
"3; police officer and 2 eye witnesses",
"Three"
],
[
"She's pregnant.",
"seven months pregnant"
],
[
"A Million dollars.",
"One million dollars."
],
[
"Carl.",
"Carl Showalter."
],
[
"Gaear kills him as well.",
"Gaear"
],
[
"Gaear wants to keep the new car they were given.",
"To get the money"
],
[
"A duck.",
"Mallard"
],
[
"Six",
"3"
],
[
"There is repayment due on a large GMAC loan he took out",
"to pay off a loan"
],
[
"1 million dollars",
"$1 million"
],
[
"He kills Carl in an argument over who can have the new car Jerry gave them",
"refuses to hand over briefcase"
],
[
"Winter",
"Winter"
],
[
"The Brainerd police chief",
"Brainerd police chief"
],
[
"They are old classmates",
"They are old classmates."
],
[
"Through a phone call with a mutual friend",
"phone conversation"
],
[
"To kidnap his wife for ransom from his father-in-law",
"Kidnap his wife"
],
[
"money",
"money"
],
[
"GMAC",
"GMAC"
],
[
"non-existent dealership vehicles",
"Nonexistent Dealership Vehicles"
],
[
"Gaear",
"Gaear Grimsrud."
],
[
"his wife",
"His wife"
],
[
"Fargo",
"Fargo, North Dakota."
],
[
"Jean",
"Jean"
],
[
"$80,000",
"80,000 Dollars"
],
[
"accountant",
"An accountant"
],
[
"Norm",
"Norm"
]
] |
04dc9134485dee27252734f24c2a3b3dd397b8a4
|
train
|
[
[
"drink their own urine in their need for water. Disgust at this is\nonly the attitude of the overprotected who have never experienced\nextreme thirst or hunger. Well, here on Dis you have a planet of",
"itself is not a simple organism, it's probably an amalgam of plant\nand animal like most of the other creatures on Dis. The thing is\njust too complex to have developed since mankind has been on this",
"Everything that had happened to him so far on Dis had been\npreparation for this moment. The attack in the desert, the escape,",
"Nyjorders are all that counts here. They have a planet blessed by\nthe laws of chance. When Dis was cut off from outside contact, the",
"collection of Disan artifacts. This could have significance either\nway. Human or humanoid, the creature would still have to live on\nDis. Brion threw it aside, along with the clothing. Nude, pierced,",
"that this planet is as loathsome and inhospitable as they come. So\nare the people. This is a solido of a Disan.\"",
"living together, without violence, that may some day form the key to\nmankind's survival. They are worth looking after. Now get below and\nstudy your Disan and read the reports. Get it all pat before we",
"DIS ... DIS ... DIS ... it was a word it was a planet and the word\nthundered like a drum a drum the sound of its thunder surrounded\n and was a wasteland a planet",
"His own survival and the possible survival of Dis depended on his\nnot being seen near it. He must contact Hys and pass on the\ninformation. Until he did that, he was the only offworlder on Dis",
"from the realization that he too had tried and failed. The people\non the surface of Dis had less than two minutes left to live.",
"It has rudimentary powers of motion from its animal part, yet uses\nphotosynthesis and stores water like a plant. When the Disans drink\nfrom it the thing taps their blood streams for food elements.\"",
"found ways to join a symbiotic relationship with the life forms on\nthis planet. Even a parasitic relationship. You must realize that\nliving organisms will do anything to survive. Castaways at sea will",
"answers. Do you know how Disans exist?\" Brion shook his head. \"The\nfools here think it disgusting but I call it fascinating. They have",
"destroyed in the fighting, and the ore carriers were pressed into\nmilitary service. Dis was on its own. What happened to the people\nthere is a tribute to the adaptation possibilities of homo sapiens.",
"\"Precisely. Existence is so difficult on this world that the\ncompeting forms have almost died out. There are still a few left,",
"\"Just about the opposite of Earth,\" Lea told him, dropping the apple\ncore into a dish and carefully licking the tips of her fingers. \"I",
"one that never appeared in our Disan language lessons. A life form\nthat you can live with or cooperate with is called _medvirk_. One\nthat works to destroy you is _umedvirk_. He also understands that",
"efforts to survive. They couldn't do it mechanically, but by the\ntime the last machine collapsed, enough people were adjusted to\nthe environment to keep the race going.",
"thing is over. Even if the planet goes bang, I don't care. I'm\nfinished.\" He walked out to the sand car, keeping a careful eye\non the Disan crouched against the wall.",
"There must have been some horrible failures before the right balance\nwas struck. The final product is a man-plant-animal symbiote that is\nadmirably adapted for survival on this disaster world. No emotions"
],
[
"are going to kill everyone, destroy everything.\" He flicked on the\npanel lights just long enough to take a compass bearing, and Brion\nsaw the tortured unhappiness in his twisted body.",
"\"Brion Brandd here. Can you read me? I want to talk to Hys at once.\"\n\nIt came as a shock that it was Professor-Commander Krafft who answered.",
"\"I have to talk to you,\" he said, turning back to Brion.\n\"Privately,\" he added, bending over and ripping out the communicator\nwith a sweep of one hand.",
"They had done a thorough job of destruction. All of the controls had\nbeen battered into uselessness, the floor was a junk heap of crushed",
"\"If you're Brandd, there's something I want to know.\" Rummaging\nin his breast pocket with his free hand, he brought out a yellow",
"\"My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have\nbeen walking in the desert ever since. Now don't get excited and\nshoot the gun when I tell you this--but both Vion and Ihjel are\ndead.\"",
"\"Don't talk like an idiot!\" The other voice snapped with a harsh\nurgency, clearly used to command. \"I'm here because the matter is of\nutmost importance, and Brandd is the one I must see. Now stand aside!\"",
"Sinking back behind the hilltop, Brion covered the pilot light with\nhis hand and turned on the transmitter. Ulv stayed above him,\nstaring at the opening of the cave.",
"He raised the radio above his head and sent it crashing into\nthe rock floor. Then he was running back to Ulv, trying to run away",
"yourself, or choke to death. Just see if you can set the transceiver\non this frequency for me.\" Brion wrote the number on a scratch\npad and slid it over to the operator. It was the frequency",
"\"Dis ...\" Ihjel said aloud. \"Seven million people ... hydrogen bombs\n... Brion Brandd.\" These were just key words, landmarks of\nassociation. With each one Brion felt the rushing wave of the other\nman's emotions.",
"Brion's shots crashed into the control board, shorting and\ndestroying it, removing the menace to Nyjord for all time.",
"\"End of transmission,\" Brion said, and the screen went dark.",
"Brion Brandd was sent in at the\n eleventh hour. His mission was to save Dis, but\n it looked as though he was going to\n preside over its annihilation.",
"Brion looked at the dangling entrails of the radio and spun for the\ndoor. Running swiftly and erratically, he fled from the sand car.",
"\"Brion Brandd?\" a voice spoke harshly from the car. \"Get in.\"",
"stops, clicks and guttural strangling sounds. Ihjel stayed in a\ndifferent part of the ship when Brion used the voice mirror and\nanalysis scope, claiming that the awful noises interfered with",
"\"There is a scrambler connection right through to him. I'll set it\nup.\" Faussel bent over the desk and punched a number into the phone\ncontrols. The screen flowed with the black and white patterns of the\nscrambler.",
"\"... Brion Brandd. Of course not. Whoever said you could was making\na big mistake and there is going to be trouble--\"",
"\"This is Brandd, director of the C.R.F. Come in, please.\" He went on\nrepeating this for more than ten minutes before he got an answer.\n\n\"_What do you want?_\""
],
[
"as we cause no trouble they'll let us stay.\" He was struggling\nmiserably to suppress a yawn, so Brion turned his back and gave him\na chance to get it out.",
"\"If that is the case we can't leave now,\" Brion said. With these\nwords it suddenly became clear what he had to do. \"The ship is",
"Our deadline has been revised by one day. I'm afraid there are only\ntwo days left before you must evacuate.\" His eyes were large with",
"\"Nothing can be done now except leave.\" Her voice was a dull\nmonotone. \"There is only so much that a person can do, and I've done\nit. Please have the ship come; I want to leave now.\"",
"\"No, but I won't feel any better staying here.\" She was\nlight-headed, scarcely aware of what she said. \"Keep going, I guess.\nKeep going.\"",
"\"Take me home, Brion, please take me home.\"",
"her that everything would be all right. In their hearts they both\nknew it wouldn't be but they left it that way because it was the\nleast painful solution.",
"are going to receive. You are dismissed.\"",
"In spite of the blows, they didn't go; they only gaped in horror as\nthe clock hands moved remorselessly towards twelve. Even the magter\ndimly felt some of the significance of the occasion. They stopped",
"Between them they worked the sodden weight of the dead magter\nthrough the hole, their exposed backs crawling with the expectation\nof instant death. No further attack came as they ran from the tower,",
"\"Well, I can,\" Brion told him. \"They would leave their home if they\ntook something with them of greater value. The bombs. If the bombs",
"Only when she lifted her face and he saw the dried tears did he\nrealize that he had succeeded. \"You will go on?\" he asked quietly.",
"The last shelter concealing them was five metres from the cave. They\nstarted to rise, to rush the final distance, when Ulv suddenly waved\nBrion down. He pointed to his nose, then to the cave. He could smell\nthe magter there.",
"Ihjel had computed their passage time with precise allowances. Less\nthan ten hours after they arrived a powerful signal blasted into\ntheir waiting receiver. They strapped in again as the NAVIGATION\nPOWER ON signal blinked insistently.",
"For the first time since his arrival Brion began to feel a touch of\nenthusiasm. Plus a sense of the remote possibility that there might\neven be a solution to the deadly problem. He drained his glass and\nstood up.",
"that the night before. Now, a full day later, he was on the mend and\nthat was all Ihjel wanted to know. He bullied and strong-armed his",
"\"Everyone gone,\" Ulv grunted, sniffing the air in every room that\nthey passed. \"Many magter were here earlier, but they are gone now.\"\n\n\"Do they often desert their towers?\" Brion asked.",
"Plans were put under way to evacuate what part of the population we\ncould until the bombs were found. The planet is united again, and\nworking hard.\"",
"It was too much for Lea, coming after the tension and dangers of the\nnight. She began to laugh, laughing even harder when he scowled at",
"them coming. We're just going to wait a few minutes until you feel\nbetter, then we're getting out of here in the car.\""
],
[
"\"Ihjel's dead!\" Lea said with sudden shocked memory. \"They've killed\nhim! What's happened?\" she tensed, tried to rise, and he pressed her\nback gently.",
"\"Attack's started,\" Telt shouted. \"We have to get through now,\nwhile all the creepies are fighting it out on top.\" He pulled",
"Two men hit Brion together, though this made very little difference.\nThe first died suddenly as hands like steel claws found his neck and",
"\"We listen to what he says and then we kill him,\" Gebk said with a\nmirthless grin. The remark wasn't meant to be humorous, but was made",
"\"They're ... dead,\" he told her. \"All of them. After the raid the\nDisans blew up the building. You're the only one that survived.",
"There was someone ahead of him. If the woman had waited a few\nseconds more he would certainly have been killed; but instead of\nslashing at him as he went by the doorway, she made the mistake of",
"In the cavern the magter saw the destruction of their plans, and\nthe cave mouth from which the bullets had come. Silently they rushed\nto kill their enemy--a concerted wave of emotionless fury.",
"are going to kill everyone, destroy everything.\" He flicked on the\npanel lights just long enough to take a compass bearing, and Brion\nsaw the tortured unhappiness in his twisted body.",
"Even though it looked like suicide, attacking the tower brought\nblessed relief. It was movement and action, and for moments at\na time he forgot the bombs hanging over his head.",
"Killing, not by accident or in sudden anger. Killing because this\nwas the only way the battle could possibly end.\n\nLike a ruined tower of flesh, the Disan crumpled and fell.",
"were hidden here, they might move them after the attack.\" Sudden\nfear hit him. \"Or they might move them because it is time to take",
"Between them they worked the sodden weight of the dead magter\nthrough the hole, their exposed backs crawling with the expectation\nof instant death. No further attack came as they ran from the tower,",
"The unlocked engine cover could have only one significance and he\npushed it open, knowing in advance what he would see. The attackers\nhad been very thorough and fast. In the short time available to them",
"It was not long in coming. Two magter rushed in, and died. More were\noutside, Brion knew, and he wondered how long it would be before\nthey remembered the grenades and rolled one into their shelter.",
"A tiny dart quivered in the already dead flesh of the creature in\nthe magter's skull. The action had all the symbolism of a broken\nlance, the declaration of war.",
"body aim at the spot where the glow had been. A whiplash of\nexplosive slugs ripped the night air. They found their target and\nsomething thrashed voicelessly and died.",
"In the brief instant after he fired, a jarring weight landed on his\nback and a line of fire circled his throat. Normally he fought with",
"Ihjel broke into a blue nimbus of crackling flame, his skin\nblackening, charred. He was dead in an instant. A second pillar of",
"\"There were a number of casualties--and plenty of trouble,\" Brion\nsaid. He had to get her off the subject. Walking over to the corpse,",
"and now they were dead. Every one of them. Dead."
],
[
"What was Anvhar after all? An ice-locked planet, inhabited by a few\nmillion human fleas, unknown and unconsidered by the rest of the",
"\"Forget Anvhar!\" Ihjel cut him off with a chop of his hand. \"This\nworld will roll on quite successfully whether you are here or not.",
"of Anvhar. His name was already slated for the history books, one of\nthe handful of planetary heroes. School children would be studying",
"Mankind has had to adapt to the Anvharian cycle in order to stay\nalive. Food must be gathered and stored, enough to last out the long",
"eyes. There were no fat men on Anvhar, and it was incredible that\na man so gross could ever have been a Winner. If there was muscle",
"\"Of course. Otherwise Anvhar would have been depopulated centuries\nago. Therefore the woman does the choosing. If she is interested in",
"The planet had a very simple history. From the very beginning there\nhad never been anything of real commercial interest on Anvhar. Well\noff the interstellar trade routes, there were no minerals worth",
"\"Spare me the Twenties,\" she pleaded. \"After listening to you and\nIhjel, I know far more about them than I shall ever care to know.\nBut what about Anvhar itself? Do you have big city-states as Earth\ndoes?\"",
"though. \"Never,\" he told her. \"Up until a few months ago I never\neven considered leaving Anvhar. The Twenties are such a big thing at\nhome that it is hard to imagine that anything else exists while you",
"year on Anvhar--only not that violently, of course. In the winter\nour bodies store a layer of fat under the skin for insulation, and\nsweating almost ceases completely. There are a lot of internal",
"own. There had been no real physical hardship involved in the\nBreakdown as it affected Anvhar, since the planet was completely\nself-sufficient. Once they had made the mental adjustment to the",
"fact that they were now a sovereign world, not a collection of\ncasual visitors with various loyalties, life continued unchanged.\nNot easy--living on Anvhar is never easy--but at least without",
"\"Here is the idea I want you to consider. Why is it that the people\nof Anvhar, in a galaxy filled with warring, hate-filled, backward\nplanets, should be the only ones who base their entire existence\non a complicated series of games?\"",
"Sometimes I would go visiting. Then again, people would drop in on\nme--houses are few and far between on Anvhar. We don't even have\nlocks on our doors. You accept and give hospitality without",
"even wanted to come near you could possibly be a source of pride.\nAll the other worlds of man grew, fought, won, lost, changed. Only\non Anvhar did life repeat its sameness endlessly, like a loop of",
"meant? What was that nonsense about Anvhar? Anvhar was that way\nbecause--well, it just was. It had come about naturally. Or had it?",
"To understand the Twenties, you have to understand the unusual orbit\nthat Anvhar tracks around its sun, 70 Ophiuchi. There are other",
"stagnating ones--and bury the dead ones. When the work was first\ndone here on Anvhar the theory hadn't progressed that far. The\nunderstandably complex equations that determine just where in the",
"But it was true; Winner Ihjel looked very little like a Winner, or\neven an Anvharian. He had the height and the frame all right, but it",
"was he feeling it now? Anvhar was his universe--how could he even\nimagine it as a tag-end planet at the outer limb of creation? What\nhad come over him and induced this inverse thinking?"
],
[
"\"There is no more war,\" Brion translated for Ulv, knowing that the\nDisan had understood nothing of the explanation. As he said it, he\nrealized that there was one glaring error in the story.",
"living together, without violence, that may some day form the key to\nmankind's survival. They are worth looking after. Now get below and\nstudy your Disan and read the reports. Get it all pat before we",
"sum to try and prevent this war. Since they are our employers, we\nmust do what they ask.\" Brion ignored this large lie, since it was\nobviously designed as an explanation for Lea. But he made a mental",
"as we cause no trouble they'll let us stay.\" He was struggling\nmiserably to suppress a yawn, so Brion turned his back and gave him\na chance to get it out.",
"\"It's not over yet,\" Brion said. \"There is more than a day left,\nand I think I'm onto something that might stop the war--without\nany bombs being dropped.\"",
"\"There are things you can do that will stop the war without hurting\nyourself or the magter,\" Brion said, searching for a way to enlist\ntheir aid.\n\n\"Tell us,\" Ulv grunted.",
"\"No one can talk to the magter,\" the woman broke in. \"If you say\nsomething different they will kill you as they killed Gebk's",
"There was no attempt to follow the car. When the black tower had\ndropped over the horizon the guards relaxed, ran cleaning rods\nthrough their guns and compared marksmanship. All of their",
"\"True--but not true,\" Ihjel said. \"There are key men in every\nconflict of forces, men who act like catalysts applied at the right",
"\"Of course. Otherwise Anvhar would have been depopulated centuries\nago. Therefore the woman does the choosing. If she is interested in",
"There are many foolish and dangerous things that can be done, such\nas smoking next to high-octane fuel and putting fingers into\nelectrical sockets. Just as dangerous, and equally deadly, is\nphysically attacking a Winner of the Twenties.",
"it. Even at the point of death they have no fear or hatred. It may\nsound impossible, but it is true.\"",
"and compassion. All this Brion knew in an instant of time, without\nwords being spoken. Between the time he lifted one foot and walked a\nstep he understood what he had to face. There could be no doubt, not",
"her that everything would be all right. In their hearts they both\nknew it wouldn't be but they left it that way because it was the\nleast painful solution.",
"affairs. Of course you may do as you please; I could never think of\nstopping you.\" He turned and said something inaudible offscreen.\n\"The call is cancelled. The responsibility is yours. All our wishes",
"Ihjel laughed, a short ironic bark. \"Very logical,\" he said; \"but\nhow often does logic have anything to do with the organization of",
"immobilized. They had reached stasis, standing knee to knee, their\nfaces only a few inches apart. The muffling cloth had fallen from",
"\"Nothing to worry about from anybody who was leaning against this\nwall. But let's get in and out of this black beehive before the ones\nupstairs come down to investigate.\"",
"There was someone ahead of him. If the woman had waited a few\nseconds more he would certainly have been killed; but instead of\nslashing at him as he went by the doorway, she made the mistake of",
"simple. He literally had to do nothing. The score would be even, and\nhis and the Disans' death avenged."
],
[
"them differently. They demand unconditional surrender, or else. This\nis impossible for a lot of reasons--most important, because the\nNyjorders would like to keep their planet for their very own. They",
"\"I must destroy the planet below me, that is what I must do.\nThat fact will not be changed by anything you say. All the",
"I intend to prove. There exists a planet with a population of seven\nmillion people. Unless I can prevent it, this planet will be\ncompletely destroyed. It is my job to stop that destruction, so that",
"without good reason, though. His planet was settled completely by\nchance during the Breakdown. I'm not sure of the details, but the\noverall picture is clear, since the story of their desertion forms",
"the first conflict, now that he was worrying about the death of a\nplanet. \"It's very kind of you to mention it. But I would like to\nfind out a few things from you, if I could.\"",
"mouth. \"Anvhar is my planet--why should I leave? My life is here and\nso is my work. I also might add that I have just won the Twenties.\nI have a responsibility to remain.\"",
"\"We're going to die. We can't walk anywhere. This whole planet is a\ndeath trap. Let's get back in the ship!\" The shrillness of hysteria",
"heavier planet. All of this strength went to his clutching hand,\nbecause he held his own life in that hand, forcing away the knife\nthat wanted to terminate it forever. Nothing else mattered--neither",
"Their personal policy has become their planetary policy--and that's\nnever a very smart thing. They are like men with knives who have\nkilled all the men who were only armed with stones. Now they are",
"\"A chance we will have to take. In less than seventy hours this\nplanet is due for destruction. In attempting to avert that tragedy\nI'm expendable, as is everyone else here. Agreed?\"",
"life as he was of the life of his planet. He would press the attack\nno matter what damage was done to him. Brion had an insane vision of",
"understand facts that the magter can't. He knows what will happen\nto this planet.\" Brion was talking to fill his brain with words so\nhe wouldn't begin to have hope. There was no hope possible.",
"And this act alone may have destroyed their own planet. Brion had it\nwithin his power now to stop the launching in the cavern. Should he?\nShould he save the lives of his killers? Or should he practice the",
"\"You mean--you've adapted to this terrible planet?\"",
"She dropped her head onto her forearms and sobbed. \"Leave me alone,\ncan't you! I'm tired and sick and fed up with this awful planet. Let",
"for planetary conquest instead of peace. They aren't rulers, not in\nthe real sense. They hold power because nobody else wants it. They\ngrant mining concessions to offworlders because they are the only",
"and killing, my planet could never agree on an intelligent course.\nWar is so alien to our philosophy that it couldn't even be\nconsidered correctly. That's the trouble with being a vegetable",
"\"Fighting the magter. My presence on the planet means that Krafft\nwon't keep his threat to drop the bombs any earlier than the",
"We are going to try anything that will avert this planetary murder.\"",
"DIS ... DIS ... DIS ... it was a word it was a planet and the word\nthundered like a drum a drum the sound of its thunder surrounded\n and was a wasteland a planet"
],
[
"Dis was a harsh, inhospitable,\n dangerous place and the Magter made it worse.\n They might have been human",
"wondered what sort of blood-thirsty war-lovers the magter had found\nto handle the bombing for them. Then he saw the chains around their\nnecks and the bloody wounds on their backs.",
"then brought help. The magter, the upper-class lords of Dis, are\nthe direct opposite. As cold-blooded and ruthless a bunch of",
"\"Magte is a title that means roughly noble or lord. Lig-magte is the\nlocal overlord. He has an ugly stoneheap of a building just outside",
"The last shelter concealing them was five metres from the cave. They\nstarted to rise, to rush the final distance, when Ulv suddenly waved\nBrion down. He pointed to his nose, then to the cave. He could smell\nthe magter there.",
"\"I've been visiting,\" Brion said, forestalling the question on her\nlips. \"The magter are the ones who are responsible for causing the",
"One of the technicians was running and screaming. The magter knocked\nhim down and beat him into silence. Seeing this, the other two men",
"Disan. More important, the magter are as coldly efficient and\ninhuman as a reptile. They have no emotions, no love, no hate,",
"\"They are going to the mountains,\" Ulv said some time later, as the\ntracks still pointed straight ahead. \"There are caves there and many\nmagter have been seen near them; that is what I have heard.\"",
"\"Because the magter are sick, infected by a destructive life form?\"\nBrion asked.",
"\"We're going to cut it open and take a good long look. I don't think\nthe magter are human. They are something living among men and\ndisguised as men--but still not human.\"",
"once--but they were something else now.\n The Magter had only one desire--Kill!\n Kill everything, themselves, their planet,\n the universe if they could--",
"magter. It explained that the magter had started a war that could\nhave only one ending--the destruction of Dis. Only if the magter\nwere thrown down and their weapons discovered could there be any",
"\"No one can talk to the magter,\" the woman broke in. \"If you say\nsomething different they will kill you as they killed Gebk's",
"\"Because they are so incredibly loathsome, that's why!\" Ihjel said.\n\"These aboriginal hotheads have managed to lay their hands on some",
"\"Everyone gone,\" Ulv grunted, sniffing the air in every room that\nthey passed. \"Many magter were here earlier, but they are gone now.\"\n\n\"Do they often desert their towers?\" Brion asked.",
"In the cavern the magter saw the destruction of their plans, and\nthe cave mouth from which the bullets had come. Silently they rushed\nto kill their enemy--a concerted wave of emotionless fury.",
"\"You have seen the body in the car, Ulv. So you must have seen that\nit is that of a magter. I killed him myself, because I would rather",
"It was not long in coming. Two magter rushed in, and died. More were\noutside, Brion knew, and he wondered how long it would be before\nthey remembered the grenades and rolled one into their shelter.",
"\"And the words tell us we will die if we listen to the magter!\" Ulv\nshouted, his voice cracking. Not with fear, but with frustration at"
],
[
"\"My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have\nbeen walking in the desert ever since. Now don't get excited and\nshoot the gun when I tell you this--but both Vion and Ihjel are\ndead.\"",
"\"You must be Brion Brandd,\" he said. \"I have to tell you how sorry\nwe all are that your friend Ihjel and the two others--had to die,",
"\"Dis,\" Ihjel said, consulting a thick file, \"third planet out from\nits primary, Epsilon Eridani. The fourth planet is Nyjord--remember",
"\"In the control room,\" Brion said quickly, knowing when cowardice\nwas preferable to valor. \"A man named Ihjel. There's a lot of him",
"\"The man who was here today,\" Brion said, \"Winner Ihjel. Do you know\nwhere he is? I must contact him.\"",
"Ihjel had just begun to tell him, in some detail, just how slim his\nchances were of accomplishing that, when Brion interrupted them\nboth. He recognized the newcomer's voice from the final night in\nthe barracks.",
"\"Dis ...\" Ihjel said aloud. \"Seven million people ... hydrogen bombs\n... Brion Brandd.\" These were just key words, landmarks of\nassociation. With each one Brion felt the rushing wave of the other\nman's emotions.",
"\"Brion Brandd here. Can you read me? I want to talk to Hys at once.\"\n\nIt came as a shock that it was Professor-Commander Krafft who answered.",
"\"What did you do to me?\" Brion asked as soon as Ihjel had entered\nand they were alone. \"You won't deny that you have put alien\nthoughts in my head?\"",
"\"Get Professor Morees' luggage for her,\" Ihjel interrupted. \"Vion's\ncoming, there's his signal. I'm sending this ship up before any of\nthe locals spot it.\"",
"Brion and Ihjel were strapped in when the jump-drive cut off\nabruptly, lurching them back into normal space and time. They didn't",
"\"We're here first,\" Ihjel said, opaqueing the ports and turning on\nthe cabin lights. They blinked at each other, faces damp with\nperspiration.",
"\"This is Ihjel. Retinal pattern 490-BJ4-67--which is also the code\nthat is supposed to get me through your blockade. Do you want to\ncheck that pattern?\"",
"Ihjel, and now I guess I'm yours. At least until tomorrow, when\nwe'll have everything packed and get off this hell planet.\"",
"\"Cut a new course, Brion,\" Ihjel broke in. \"Find the nearest settled\nplanet and head us there. We have to drop this woman and find a man",
"Ihjel laughed, a short ironic bark. \"Very logical,\" he said; \"but\nhow often does logic have anything to do with the organization of",
"stops, clicks and guttural strangling sounds. Ihjel stayed in a\ndifferent part of the ship when Brion used the voice mirror and\nanalysis scope, claiming that the awful noises interfered with",
"\"Forget Anvhar!\" Ihjel cut him off with a chop of his hand. \"This\nworld will roll on quite successfully whether you are here or not.",
"But it was true; Winner Ihjel looked very little like a Winner, or\neven an Anvharian. He had the height and the frame all right, but it",
"\"Don't talk like an idiot!\" The other voice snapped with a harsh\nurgency, clearly used to command. \"I'm here because the matter is of\nutmost importance, and Brandd is the one I must see. Now stand aside!\""
],
[
"The planet had a very simple history. From the very beginning there\nhad never been anything of real commercial interest on Anvhar. Well\noff the interstellar trade routes, there were no minerals worth",
"What was Anvhar after all? An ice-locked planet, inhabited by a few\nmillion human fleas, unknown and unconsidered by the rest of the",
"of Anvhar. His name was already slated for the history books, one of\nthe handful of planetary heroes. School children would be studying",
"own. There had been no real physical hardship involved in the\nBreakdown as it affected Anvhar, since the planet was completely\nself-sufficient. Once they had made the mental adjustment to the",
"in the rest of the galaxy--and would probably raise a big laugh on\nEarth--but a platonic, disinterested friendship between man and\nwoman is an accepted thing on Anvhar.\"",
"fact that they were now a sovereign world, not a collection of\ncasual visitors with various loyalties, life continued unchanged.\nNot easy--living on Anvhar is never easy--but at least without",
"\"Spare me the Twenties,\" she pleaded. \"After listening to you and\nIhjel, I know far more about them than I shall ever care to know.\nBut what about Anvhar itself? Do you have big city-states as Earth\ndoes?\"",
"\"Forget Anvhar!\" Ihjel cut him off with a chop of his hand. \"This\nworld will roll on quite successfully whether you are here or not.",
"\"Here is the idea I want you to consider. Why is it that the people\nof Anvhar, in a galaxy filled with warring, hate-filled, backward\nplanets, should be the only ones who base their entire existence\non a complicated series of games?\"",
"planets, but so is our planet Anvhar. It works well for us, which\nis the only test that applies.\"",
"even wanted to come near you could possibly be a source of pride.\nAll the other worlds of man grew, fought, won, lost, changed. Only\non Anvhar did life repeat its sameness endlessly, like a loop of",
"Mankind has had to adapt to the Anvharian cycle in order to stay\nalive. Food must be gathered and stored, enough to last out the long",
"mouth. \"Anvhar is my planet--why should I leave? My life is here and\nso is my work. I also might add that I have just won the Twenties.\nI have a responsibility to remain.\"",
"Sometimes I would go visiting. Then again, people would drop in on\nme--houses are few and far between on Anvhar. We don't even have\nlocks on our doors. You accept and give hospitality without",
"though. \"Never,\" he told her. \"Up until a few months ago I never\neven considered leaving Anvhar. The Twenties are such a big thing at\nhome that it is hard to imagine that anything else exists while you",
"eyes. There were no fat men on Anvhar, and it was incredible that\na man so gross could ever have been a Winner. If there was muscle",
"To understand the Twenties, you have to understand the unusual orbit\nthat Anvhar tracks around its sun, 70 Ophiuchi. There are other",
"stagnating ones--and bury the dead ones. When the work was first\ndone here on Anvhar the theory hadn't progressed that far. The\nunderstandably complex equations that determine just where in the",
"year. With all the physical needs taken care of, boredom became the\nenemy of any Anvharian who was not a hunter. And even the hunters",
"occurred about that time, and in the galaxy-wide disruption Anvhar\nhad to fight its own internal battle. When the Earth Empire\ncollapsed it was the end of more than an era. Many of the"
],
[
"them, you will have to believe them. The primary thing, the clue\nto the rest, is the true nature of your life here. How do you think\nthe Twenties originated?\"",
"\"The Twenties--\"\n\n\"I don't give a damn about your games, hearty cheers and physical\nexercises. This is _important_, or I wouldn't be here!\"",
"He took a quick look at the paper again. \"... in the Twenties?\"",
"\"True enough,\" Ihjel said. \"But you're describing _what_ happened.\nI asked you _how_ the Twenties originated. How could any single man",
"\"But it _was_ done!\" Brion insisted. \"You can't deny that. And there\nis nothing artificial about the Twenties. They are a logical way to\nlive a life on a planet like this.\"",
"idea of the Twenties and you want to convince others. So you walk up\nto the nearest louse-ridden, brawling, superstitious, booze-embalmed",
"the Twenties were of no more interest than dust motes in the air. It\nwas only a fantasy of a sick mind, Brion knew, and he tried to shake",
"though. \"Never,\" he told her. \"Up until a few months ago I never\neven considered leaving Anvhar. The Twenties are such a big thing at\nhome that it is hard to imagine that anything else exists while you",
"Every man who entered the Twenties had his own training tricks.\nBrion had a few individual ones that had helped him so far. He was",
"It was the Twenties that ended all that. When they became a\npart of normal life the summer was considered just an interlude\nbetween games. The Twenties were more than just a contest--they",
"her own, and the situation reminded him unhappily of that last event\nof the Twenties when he had experienced the same kind of draining\nactivity. She wiped her hands roughly on her clothes and opened",
"the Twenties. This would be a special one. Taind, his poetry mentor,\nwould have to get a copy.",
"\"Why me?\" Brion asked. \"Why am I special? Because I won the\nTwenties? I can't believe that. Taken objectively, there isn't that",
"There are many foolish and dangerous things that can be done, such\nas smoking next to high-octane fuel and putting fingers into\nelectrical sockets. Just as dangerous, and equally deadly, is\nphysically attacking a Winner of the Twenties.",
"curious--and he's going to stay that way. The truth behind the\nTwenties is none of his business. But it's going to be yours. You",
"It was the very unexpectedness of the event that had been so\nunusual. The contestants in the Twenties needed undisturbed rest,",
"record exists of these early trials, other than the fact of their\nculmination in the Twenties.",
"\"Spare me the Twenties,\" she pleaded. \"After listening to you and\nIhjel, I know far more about them than I shall ever care to know.\nBut what about Anvhar itself? Do you have big city-states as Earth\ndoes?\"",
"shattered. Like everyone else on Anvhar, you're a scientific\nhumanist, with your faith firmly planted in the Twenties. You accept\nboth of these noble institutions without an instant's thought. All",
"Ihjel smiled. \"Just guessing. But I won the Twenties too, remember,\nalso without knowing a thing about empathy at the time. On top of"
],
[
"them, you will have to believe them. The primary thing, the clue\nto the rest, is the true nature of your life here. How do you think\nthe Twenties originated?\"",
"\"True enough,\" Ihjel said. \"But you're describing _what_ happened.\nI asked you _how_ the Twenties originated. How could any single man",
"\"The Twenties--\"\n\n\"I don't give a damn about your games, hearty cheers and physical\nexercises. This is _important_, or I wouldn't be here!\"",
"\"But it _was_ done!\" Brion insisted. \"You can't deny that. And there\nis nothing artificial about the Twenties. They are a logical way to\nlive a life on a planet like this.\"",
"idea of the Twenties and you want to convince others. So you walk up\nto the nearest louse-ridden, brawling, superstitious, booze-embalmed",
"He took a quick look at the paper again. \"... in the Twenties?\"",
"It was the Twenties that ended all that. When they became a\npart of normal life the summer was considered just an interlude\nbetween games. The Twenties were more than just a contest--they",
"the Twenties were of no more interest than dust motes in the air. It\nwas only a fantasy of a sick mind, Brion knew, and he tried to shake",
"\"Why me?\" Brion asked. \"Why am I special? Because I won the\nTwenties? I can't believe that. Taken objectively, there isn't that",
"It was the very unexpectedness of the event that had been so\nunusual. The contestants in the Twenties needed undisturbed rest,",
"Every man who entered the Twenties had his own training tricks.\nBrion had a few individual ones that had helped him so far. He was",
"though. \"Never,\" he told her. \"Up until a few months ago I never\neven considered leaving Anvhar. The Twenties are such a big thing at\nhome that it is hard to imagine that anything else exists while you",
"the Twenties. This would be a special one. Taind, his poetry mentor,\nwould have to get a copy.",
"record exists of these early trials, other than the fact of their\nculmination in the Twenties.",
"her own, and the situation reminded him unhappily of that last event\nof the Twenties when he had experienced the same kind of draining\nactivity. She wiped her hands roughly on her clothes and opened",
"curious--and he's going to stay that way. The truth behind the\nTwenties is none of his business. But it's going to be yours. You",
"shattered. Like everyone else on Anvhar, you're a scientific\nhumanist, with your faith firmly planted in the Twenties. You accept\nboth of these noble institutions without an instant's thought. All",
"Ihjel smiled. \"Just guessing. But I won the Twenties too, remember,\nalso without knowing a thing about empathy at the time. On top of",
"To understand the Twenties, you have to understand the unusual orbit\nthat Anvhar tracks around its sun, 70 Ophiuchi. There are other",
"wasn't important. Others had died before during the Twenties, and\ndeath during the last round was in some ways easier than defeat."
],
[
"It was the Twenties that ended all that. When they became a\npart of normal life the summer was considered just an interlude\nbetween games. The Twenties were more than just a contest--they",
"\"The Twenties--\"\n\n\"I don't give a damn about your games, hearty cheers and physical\nexercises. This is _important_, or I wouldn't be here!\"",
"\"Why me?\" Brion asked. \"Why am I special? Because I won the\nTwenties? I can't believe that. Taken objectively, there isn't that",
"Ihjel smiled. \"Just guessing. But I won the Twenties too, remember,\nalso without knowing a thing about empathy at the time. On top of",
"Every man who entered the Twenties had his own training tricks.\nBrion had a few individual ones that had helped him so far. He was",
"them, you will have to believe them. The primary thing, the clue\nto the rest, is the true nature of your life here. How do you think\nthe Twenties originated?\"",
"It was the very unexpectedness of the event that had been so\nunusual. The contestants in the Twenties needed undisturbed rest,",
"There are many foolish and dangerous things that can be done, such\nas smoking next to high-octane fuel and putting fingers into\nelectrical sockets. Just as dangerous, and equally deadly, is\nphysically attacking a Winner of the Twenties.",
"wasn't important. Others had died before during the Twenties, and\ndeath during the last round was in some ways easier than defeat.",
"the suspicion had put him on his guard. This, combined with the\nreflexes of a Winner of the Twenties, was barely enough to enable\nhim to survive.",
"\"True enough,\" Ihjel said. \"But you're describing _what_ happened.\nI asked you _how_ the Twenties originated. How could any single man",
"her own, and the situation reminded him unhappily of that last event\nof the Twenties when he had experienced the same kind of draining\nactivity. She wiped her hands roughly on her clothes and opened",
"He took a quick look at the paper again. \"... in the Twenties?\"",
"idea of the Twenties and you want to convince others. So you walk up\nto the nearest louse-ridden, brawling, superstitious, booze-embalmed",
"\"But it _was_ done!\" Brion insisted. \"You can't deny that. And there\nis nothing artificial about the Twenties. They are a logical way to\nlive a life on a planet like this.\"",
"though. \"Never,\" he told her. \"Up until a few months ago I never\neven considered leaving Anvhar. The Twenties are such a big thing at\nhome that it is hard to imagine that anything else exists while you",
"record exists of these early trials, other than the fact of their\nculmination in the Twenties.",
"the Twenties were of no more interest than dust motes in the air. It\nwas only a fantasy of a sick mind, Brion knew, and he tried to shake",
"curious--and he's going to stay that way. The truth behind the\nTwenties is none of his business. But it's going to be yours. You",
"part of a game, part of the Twenties. Yet when his friend had been\nkilled he had become a killer himself. He believed in nonviolence\nand the sanctity of life--until the first test, when he had killed"
],
[
"\"My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have\nbeen walking in the desert ever since. Now don't get excited and\nshoot the gun when I tell you this--but both Vion and Ihjel are\ndead.\"",
"\"But it _was_ done!\" Brion insisted. \"You can't deny that. And there\nis nothing artificial about the Twenties. They are a logical way to\nlive a life on a planet like this.\"",
"Brion Brandd was sent in at the\n eleventh hour. His mission was to save Dis, but\n it looked as though he was going to\n preside over its annihilation.",
"\"Brion Brandd here. Can you read me? I want to talk to Hys at once.\"\n\nIt came as a shock that it was Professor-Commander Krafft who answered.",
"\"Dis ...\" Ihjel said aloud. \"Seven million people ... hydrogen bombs\n... Brion Brandd.\" These were just key words, landmarks of\nassociation. With each one Brion felt the rushing wave of the other\nman's emotions.",
"\"Why me?\" Brion asked. \"Why am I special? Because I won the\nTwenties? I can't believe that. Taken objectively, there isn't that",
"mouth. \"Anvhar is my planet--why should I leave? My life is here and\nso is my work. I also might add that I have just won the Twenties.\nI have a responsibility to remain.\"",
"\"Dis,\" Ihjel said, consulting a thick file, \"third planet out from\nits primary, Epsilon Eridani. The fourth planet is Nyjord--remember",
"though. \"Never,\" he told her. \"Up until a few months ago I never\neven considered leaving Anvhar. The Twenties are such a big thing at\nhome that it is hard to imagine that anything else exists while you",
"\"They are going to bomb Nyjord now, just as Nyjord bombed Dis. That\nmachine will hurl the bombs in a special way to the other planet.\"",
"\"There was--at one time. I hope you realize, Brion, that the\ndecision to bomb Dis was not easily arrived at. A great many",
"\"Spare me the Twenties,\" she pleaded. \"After listening to you and\nIhjel, I know far more about them than I shall ever care to know.\nBut what about Anvhar itself? Do you have big city-states as Earth\ndoes?\"",
"\"Don't talk like an idiot!\" The other voice snapped with a harsh\nurgency, clearly used to command. \"I'm here because the matter is of\nutmost importance, and Brandd is the one I must see. Now stand aside!\"",
"Two o'clock! In ten hours the bombs would fall on Dis.",
"\"Dis. I'll give you a briefing as soon as I get this ship on\ncourse.\" He turned to the controls and Lea slipped out of her suit",
"\"This is Brandd, director of the C.R.F. Come in, please.\" He went on\nrepeating this for more than ten minutes before he got an answer.\n\n\"_What do you want?_\"",
"\"You must be Brion Brandd,\" he said. \"I have to tell you how sorry\nwe all are that your friend Ihjel and the two others--had to die,",
"them, you will have to believe them. The primary thing, the clue\nto the rest, is the true nature of your life here. How do you think\nthe Twenties originated?\"",
"Everything that had happened to him so far on Dis had been\npreparation for this moment. The attack in the desert, the escape,",
"DIS ... DIS ... DIS ... it was a word it was a planet and the word\nthundered like a drum a drum the sound of its thunder surrounded\n and was a wasteland a planet"
],
[
"then brought help. The magter, the upper-class lords of Dis, are\nthe direct opposite. As cold-blooded and ruthless a bunch of",
"\"Just my point. Not _humanly_ possible. I think these ruling class\nDisans aren't human at all, like the other Disans. I think they are",
"answers. Do you know how Disans exist?\" Brion shook his head. \"The\nfools here think it disgusting but I call it fascinating. They have",
"\"You're either stupid or incompetent,\" Hys said bitterly. \"The heat\nof Dis has cooked your brains in your head. I'll be no part of this\nkind of absurd plan.\"",
"Disan. More important, the magter are as coldly efficient and\ninhuman as a reptile. They have no emotions, no love, no hate,",
"exception, and I have no idea why. They are completely different\nfrom the rest of the Disans. Argumentative, blood-thirsty, looking",
"and that will tighten me up again. Now--tell me more about Dis and\nwhat you have to do there.\"",
"Killing, not by accident or in sudden anger. Killing because this\nwas the only way the battle could possibly end.\n\nLike a ruined tower of flesh, the Disan crumpled and fell.",
"\"Death,\" Brion said. \"That terrible feeling of death. It wasn't just\nthe people of Dis who would die. It was something more personal.\"",
"Hope was dead. Dis was dead. In the ruin ahead, mixed and broken\nwith other rubble, were the bodies of all the people who had trusted",
"magter. It explained that the magter had started a war that could\nhave only one ending--the destruction of Dis. Only if the magter\nwere thrown down and their weapons discovered could there be any",
"Everything that had happened to him so far on Dis had been\npreparation for this moment. The attack in the desert, the escape,",
"I realize now I was gambling the life of my own world in the vain\nhope I could save Dis. They can't be saved. They're dead. I won't\nhear any more about it.\"",
"Brion sprang between them, raising his hands. \"Stop it! No more\nkilling!\" he shouted in Disan. Then he shook his fist at Telt.",
"Brion Brandd was sent in at the\n eleventh hour. His mission was to save Dis, but\n it looked as though he was going to\n preside over its annihilation.",
"As they looked through the port Dis began slowly to contract. Their\nship drew away from it, heading towards Nyjord. They sat apart,\nwithout touching now. Leaving Dis meant leaving behind something",
"The nameless Disan merely grunted and turned away. Brion shouldered\nLea's unconscious body and followed him. They walked for two hours,",
"\"What do they mean? What is the connection with Dis?\"",
"Though the voice was thin and scratchy, the words were clearly\naudible. It was an appeal for the Disan people not to listen to the",
"DIS ... DIS ... DIS ... it was a word it was a planet and the word\nthundered like a drum a drum the sound of its thunder surrounded\n and was a wasteland a planet"
],
[
"\"Just about the opposite of Earth,\" Lea told him, dropping the apple\ncore into a dish and carefully licking the tips of her fingers. \"I",
"Delicate as a dream, Lea's reflection swam in space next to the\nplanet. She had come up quietly behind him in the spaceship's",
"she could well be our key to the answer. She is Professor Lea\nMorees, and she is just out from Earth with degrees in exobiology\nand anthropology, and has a head stuffed with vital facts.\"",
"\"Any exobiologists there?\" Lea asked, with a woman's eternal ability\nto make any general topic personal.",
"parasitism had become more advanced and complex than on any other\nplanet. Lea's thoughts spun around this fact and chewed at the\nfringes of the logic. Brion could sense her concentration and",
"\"Dis. I'll give you a briefing as soon as I get this ship on\ncourse.\" He turned to the controls and Lea slipped out of her suit",
"\"The invader, the alien you were looking for,\" Lea told him.",
"\"When do we leave?\" she asked in the same empty tones, turning\nher face to the wall. \"When do we get off this planet?\"",
"Lea shuddered delicately and let herself lean against him. \"I'm not\nthat sturdy yet; let's sit down while we talk.\" There was a couch\nopposite the viewport where they could sit and still see Dis.",
"in the moonlight, and he rubbed some of the tension from his eyes.\nLea's face was ironed smooth by the light, beautiful and young, a\ndirect contrast to everything else on this poisonous world. Her hand",
"\"Earth,\" said Lea, \"is overpopulated enough as it is.\"\n\n\n\n\n * * * * *",
"After a little convincing they took the cadaver, as well as Lea,\nwhen they lifted ship. Brion watched the spacer become a pinpoint in",
"\"Earth is home,\" he said again gently. \"When men leave home they can\nadapt to different planets, but a price must be paid. A terrible",
"Lea was working in the lab when he came in, bent over a low-power\nbinocular microscope. Something small, limbless and throbbing was",
"\"Dis,\" Ihjel said, consulting a thick file, \"third planet out from\nits primary, Epsilon Eridani. The fourth planet is Nyjord--remember",
"without good reason, though. His planet was settled completely by\nchance during the Breakdown. I'm not sure of the details, but the\noverall picture is clear, since the story of their desertion forms",
"\"That sun is hot already,\" Lea said, peeling off her heavy\nclothing. \"Let's find a nice cool cave or an air-cooled saloon\nto crawl into for the day.\"",
"She dropped her head onto her forearms and sobbed. \"Leave me alone,\ncan't you! I'm tired and sick and fed up with this awful planet. Let",
"markets. Therefore no organized attempt had ever been made to\ncolonize the planet. In the end it had been settled completely by\nchance. A number of offplanet scientific groups had established",
"people, his planet! Even the constellations of the night sky were\ndifferent. He was used to solitude, but this was a loneliness that"
],
[
"\"The magter have bombs that will destroy Nyjord--this is the next\nplanet, a star in your sky. If I can find where the bombs are, I\nwill have them taken away and there will be no war.\"",
"them differently. They demand unconditional surrender, or else. This\nis impossible for a lot of reasons--most important, because the\nNyjorders would like to keep their planet for their very own. They",
"\"Fighting the magter. My presence on the planet means that Krafft\nwon't keep his threat to drop the bombs any earlier than the",
"magter. It explained that the magter had started a war that could\nhave only one ending--the destruction of Dis. Only if the magter\nwere thrown down and their weapons discovered could there be any",
"once--but they were something else now.\n The Magter had only one desire--Kill!\n Kill everything, themselves, their planet,\n the universe if they could--",
"has delivered his ultimatum, speaking for the magter. The only terms\nhe will hear are unconditional surrender. His receiver is on, but\nhe has said that is the only message he will answer.\"",
"\"They are going to bomb Nyjord now, just as Nyjord bombed Dis. That\nmachine will hurl the bombs in a special way to the other planet.\"",
"sky and he listened to one and took it to the magter to ask them.\nThey killed him, as he should have known they would do. The magter\nkill us if they know we listen to the words.\"",
"Age. I don't see how his kind can be any real threat to another\nplanet.\"",
"magter would slowly have become the dominant race. Only they won't\nhave the chance now. It looks as though they have succeeded in\ndestroying both races with their suicidal urge.\"",
"understand facts that the magter can't. He knows what will happen\nto this planet.\" Brion was talking to fill his brain with words so\nhe wouldn't begin to have hope. There was no hope possible.",
"\"There would be no war if the magter could be contacted, made to\nlisten to reason. They are killing you all. You could tell me how\nto talk to the magter, how I could understand them--\"",
"Their personal policy has become their planetary policy--and that's\nnever a very smart thing. They are like men with knives who have\nkilled all the men who were only armed with stones. Now they are",
"I intend to prove. There exists a planet with a population of seven\nmillion people. Unless I can prevent it, this planet will be\ncompletely destroyed. It is my job to stop that destruction, so that",
"different in the results. They will kill the brain-symbiotes, even\nif it means killing every magter who harbors one.\"",
"\"No one can talk to the magter,\" the woman broke in. \"If you say\nsomething different they will kill you as they killed Gebk's",
"\"I must destroy the planet below me, that is what I must do.\nThat fact will not be changed by anything you say. All the",
"any concern. He had to find a dead magter, and if none was\nobtainable in the proper condition he had to get one of them by\nviolence. For a planetary savior, he was personally doing in an",
"\"A chance we will have to take. In less than seventy hours this\nplanet is due for destruction. In attempting to avert that tragedy\nI'm expendable, as is everyone else here. Agreed?\"",
"primitive cobalt bombs. They want to light the fuse and drop these\nbombs on Nyjord, the next planet. Nothing said or done can convince"
],
[
"\"Ihjel's dead!\" Lea said with sudden shocked memory. \"They've killed\nhim! What's happened?\" she tensed, tried to rise, and he pressed her\nback gently.",
"\"My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have\nbeen walking in the desert ever since. Now don't get excited and\nshoot the gun when I tell you this--but both Vion and Ihjel are\ndead.\"",
"Ihjel broke into a blue nimbus of crackling flame, his skin\nblackening, charred. He was dead in an instant. A second pillar of",
"\"Dis ...\" Ihjel said aloud. \"Seven million people ... hydrogen bombs\n... Brion Brandd.\" These were just key words, landmarks of\nassociation. With each one Brion felt the rushing wave of the other\nman's emotions.",
"Brion Brandd was sent in at the\n eleventh hour. His mission was to save Dis, but\n it looked as though he was going to\n preside over its annihilation.",
"\"You must be Brion Brandd,\" he said. \"I have to tell you how sorry\nwe all are that your friend Ihjel and the two others--had to die,",
"Brion sprang between them, raising his hands. \"Stop it! No more\nkilling!\" he shouted in Disan. Then he shook his fist at Telt.",
"to do. With Ihjel dead, the whole thing's spoiled. We have to get\nout....\"",
"The nameless Disan merely grunted and turned away. Brion shouldered\nLea's unconscious body and followed him. They walked for two hours,",
"Ihjel had just begun to tell him, in some detail, just how slim his\nchances were of accomplishing that, when Brion interrupted them\nboth. He recognized the newcomer's voice from the final night in\nthe barracks.",
"Ihjel gave the doctors exactly one day before he went to the\nhospital. Brion wasn't dead, though there had been some doubt about",
"hitting flesh and the Disan spun and fell, blood soaking his\nshoulder. Brion leaped over him and headed for the ramp.",
"flame bloomed next to the car, and a choking scream was cut off at\nthe moment it began. Ihjel died silently.",
"\"Dis. I'll give you a briefing as soon as I get this ship on\ncourse.\" He turned to the controls and Lea slipped out of her suit",
"\"Dis,\" Ihjel said, consulting a thick file, \"third planet out from\nits primary, Epsilon Eridani. The fourth planet is Nyjord--remember",
"Lea was looking out of the port at Dis and her eyes were dry now.\n\"Way back in my deeply buried unconscious I think I knew it would",
"\"There is no more war,\" Brion translated for Ulv, knowing that the\nDisan had understood nothing of the explanation. As he said it, he\nrealized that there was one glaring error in the story.",
"\"In the control room,\" Brion said quickly, knowing when cowardice\nwas preferable to valor. \"A man named Ihjel. There's a lot of him",
"Telt hummed to himself hoarsely as he drove. He broke off suddenly\nand looked at Brion. \"What you want the dead Dis for?\"",
"\"Why?\" Brion asked, as Lea appeared in the doorway.\n\n\"Come inside, and I'll show you both,\" Ihjel said.\n\n\n\n\nV"
],
[
"magter. It explained that the magter had started a war that could\nhave only one ending--the destruction of Dis. Only if the magter\nwere thrown down and their weapons discovered could there be any",
"Disan. More important, the magter are as coldly efficient and\ninhuman as a reptile. They have no emotions, no love, no hate,",
"Dis was a harsh, inhospitable,\n dangerous place and the Magter made it worse.\n They might have been human",
"then brought help. The magter, the upper-class lords of Dis, are\nthe direct opposite. As cold-blooded and ruthless a bunch of",
"Brion Brandd was sent in at the\n eleventh hour. His mission was to save Dis, but\n it looked as though he was going to\n preside over its annihilation.",
"\"Because the magter are sick, infected by a destructive life form?\"\nBrion asked.",
"\"The other Disans, like Ulv here, managed to survive without turning\ninto such a creature. So why was it necessary for the magter to go\nso far?\"",
"\"And the words tell us we will die if we listen to the magter!\" Ulv\nshouted, his voice cracking. Not with fear, but with frustration at",
"\"I've been visiting,\" Brion said, forestalling the question on her\nlips. \"The magter are the ones who are responsible for causing the",
"\"Don't talk like an idiot!\" The other voice snapped with a harsh\nurgency, clearly used to command. \"I'm here because the matter is of\nutmost importance, and Brandd is the one I must see. Now stand aside!\"",
"\"Positive. The Disans have an absolute attitude towards survival;\nyou should realize that. Not the same as the magter, but not much",
"The last shelter concealing them was five metres from the cave. They\nstarted to rise, to rush the final distance, when Ulv suddenly waved\nBrion down. He pointed to his nose, then to the cave. He could smell\nthe magter there.",
"\"You have seen the body in the car, Ulv. So you must have seen that\nit is that of a magter. I killed him myself, because I would rather",
"\"Because they are so incredibly loathsome, that's why!\" Ihjel said.\n\"These aboriginal hotheads have managed to lay their hands on some",
"\"Dis ...\" Ihjel said aloud. \"Seven million people ... hydrogen bombs\n... Brion Brandd.\" These were just key words, landmarks of\nassociation. With each one Brion felt the rushing wave of the other\nman's emotions.",
"\"My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have\nbeen walking in the desert ever since. Now don't get excited and\nshoot the gun when I tell you this--but both Vion and Ihjel are\ndead.\"",
"Brion sprang between them, raising his hands. \"Stop it! No more\nkilling!\" he shouted in Disan. Then he shook his fist at Telt.",
"\"Death,\" Brion said. \"That terrible feeling of death. It wasn't just\nthe people of Dis who would die. It was something more personal.\"",
"Brion's theory was becoming more preposterous with each discovery.\nIf the magter weren't alien, how could he explain their complete lack",
"wondered what sort of blood-thirsty war-lovers the magter had found\nto handle the bombing for them. Then he saw the chains around their\nnecks and the bloody wounds on their backs."
],
[
"life as he was of the life of his planet. He would press the attack\nno matter what damage was done to him. Brion had an insane vision of",
"\"But it _was_ done!\" Brion insisted. \"You can't deny that. And there\nis nothing artificial about the Twenties. They are a logical way to\nlive a life on a planet like this.\"",
"\"Cut a new course, Brion,\" Ihjel broke in. \"Find the nearest settled\nplanet and head us there. We have to drop this woman and find a man",
"understand facts that the magter can't. He knows what will happen\nto this planet.\" Brion was talking to fill his brain with words so\nhe wouldn't begin to have hope. There was no hope possible.",
"It was a tremendous amount of responsibility. For the first time\nsince setting foot on this barbaric planet Brion had time to stop\nand think. He was taking an awful lot upon himself. He knew nothing",
"Brion was startled. This was too close to his own thoughts about\nplanetary backgrounds. There couldn't possibly be a connection",
"\"I don't need a ship now,\" Brion interrupted. \"Don't send it until\nI call. If there is a way to stop your destruction I'll find it.\nSo I'm staying--to the last minute if necessary.\"",
"It was a strange reception, but Brion was beginning to realize that\nDis was a strange planet. The other man chewed at his lip nervously",
"\"No,\" Brion said, still only half aware of the men. \"But there is\ntrouble with my own ship.\" He realized that they were looking",
"\"My name is Brion. And you--\"\n\n\"You may not have my name. Why are you here? To kill my people?\"",
"The computer man was looking closely at Brion, head tilted sideways\nto see his face. \"You need transportation offworld?\" he asked.",
"Brion's boots grated loudly on the broken wreckage. The men turned\nquickly towards him, guns raised. Both of them carried ion rifles.\nThey relaxed when they saw his offworld clothes.",
"And this act alone may have destroyed their own planet. Brion had it\nwithin his power now to stop the launching in the cavern. Should he?\nShould he save the lives of his killers? Or should he practice the",
"\"Stop, stop!\" Brion said. \"Those are just meaningless sounds to me.\nIf that is what makes this planet tick I'm beginning to see why the\nrest of the staff has that lost feeling.\"",
"\"I wouldn't exactly call it blackmail,\" Brion smiled, \"but I suppose\nif you people can juggle planetary psychologies, you must find that",
"\"Easily enough explained,\" Brion insisted. \"There are no written\nrecords on this planet. After the Breakdown, when the handful of",
"Apparently the ship was wondering the same thing. Its detector unit,\nhovering impatiently just outside of Brion's stasis field, darted",
"Hys laughed aloud at Brion's baffled expression. \"You have to\nunderstand Nyjord psychology,\" he said. \"When it was a matter of war",
"parasitism had become more advanced and complex than on any other\nplanet. Lea's thoughts spun around this fact and chewed at the\nfringes of the logic. Brion could sense her concentration and",
"\"My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have\nbeen walking in the desert ever since. Now don't get excited and\nshoot the gun when I tell you this--but both Vion and Ihjel are\ndead.\""
],
[
"\"Over there,\" he said, pointing to the growing light on the horizon.\n\n\"Dawn,\" Telt said. \"Lotta rain on your planet? Didn't you ever see\nthe sun come up before?\"",
"cometary orbit. When it returns there is a brief, hot summer of\napproximately eighty days before the long winter sets in once more.\nThis severe difference in seasonal change has caused profound",
"\"Just about the opposite of Earth,\" Lea told him, dropping the apple\ncore into a dish and carefully licking the tips of her fingers. \"I",
"\"But it _was_ done!\" Brion insisted. \"You can't deny that. And there\nis nothing artificial about the Twenties. They are a logical way to\nlive a life on a planet like this.\"",
"\"Earth is home,\" he said again gently. \"When men leave home they can\nadapt to different planets, but a price must be paid. A terrible",
"people, his planet! Even the constellations of the night sky were\ndifferent. He was used to solitude, but this was a loneliness that",
"\"You mean--you've adapted to this terrible planet?\"",
"Mankind has had to adapt to the Anvharian cycle in order to stay\nalive. Food must be gathered and stored, enough to last out the long",
"before--his liver is tremendous, for one thing. But changes like\nthis are certainly consistent within the pattern of homo sapiens\nas adapted to a different planet. He's a man. Changed, adapted,",
"\"Dis,\" Ihjel said, consulting a thick file, \"third planet out from\nits primary, Epsilon Eridani. The fourth planet is Nyjord--remember",
"\"When do we leave?\" she asked in the same empty tones, turning\nher face to the wall. \"When do we get off this planet?\"",
"Plants climb on top of plants, fighting for the life-energy of the\nsun. Everything is eat and be eaten, grow and thrive in that short\nseason. Because when the first snow of winter falls again, ninety",
"captured planet of another sun. For the greatest part of its 780-day\nyear it arcs far out from its primary, in a high-angled sweeping",
"heavier planet. All of this strength went to his clutching hand,\nbecause he held his own life in that hand, forcing away the knife\nthat wanted to terminate it forever. Nothing else mattered--neither",
"without good reason, though. His planet was settled completely by\nchance during the Breakdown. I'm not sure of the details, but the\noverall picture is clear, since the story of their desertion forms",
"became a way of life that satisfied all the physical, competitive\nand intellectual needs of this unusual planet. They were a\ndecathlon--rather a double decathlon--raised to its highest power,",
"mouth. \"Anvhar is my planet--why should I leave? My life is here and\nso is my work. I also might add that I have just won the Twenties.\nI have a responsibility to remain.\"",
"Ihjel had computed their passage time with precise allowances. Less\nthan ten hours after they arrived a powerful signal blasted into\ntheir waiting receiver. They strapped in again as the NAVIGATION\nPOWER ON signal blinked insistently.",
"every year since then. They were strictly local affairs in the\nbeginning, but were soon well established on a planet-wide scale.\"",
"planets, but so is our planet Anvhar. It works well for us, which\nis the only test that applies.\""
],
[
"When the best man won he was really the best man. A complicated\nseries of playoffs and eliminations kept contestants and observers\nbusy for half the winter. They were only preliminary to the final",
"\"Here is the idea I want you to consider. Why is it that the people\nof Anvhar, in a galaxy filled with warring, hate-filled, backward\nplanets, should be the only ones who base their entire existence\non a complicated series of games?\"",
"became a way of life that satisfied all the physical, competitive\nand intellectual needs of this unusual planet. They were a\ndecathlon--rather a double decathlon--raised to its highest power,",
"involved in the Great Game of Love. The male is always the\naggressor. Not physically--at least not often--and women take the\nmost outrageous kinds of flattery for granted. At parties there are",
"It was the Twenties that ended all that. When they became a\npart of normal life the summer was considered just an interlude\nbetween games. The Twenties were more than just a contest--they",
"\"Chess finals, rifle prone position, and fencing playoffs. Why?\"",
"You can outguess your opponent because you know his movements\neven as his body tenses to make them. You accept this without\never questioning it.\"",
"a matter of historical record. The founder of the games was Giroldi,\nthe first contest was held in 378 A.B. The Twenties have been held",
"where contests in chess and poetry composition held equal place\nwith those in ski-jumping and archery. Each year there were two\nplanet-wide contests held, one for men and one for women. This was",
"with off-planet agents for archaic chess books, the older the\nbetter. He had memorized thousands of these ancient games and\nopenings. This was allowed. Anything was allowed that didn't involve",
"part of a game, part of the Twenties. Yet when his friend had been\nkilled he had become a killer himself. He believed in nonviolence\nand the sanctity of life--until the first test, when he had killed",
"he showed how organized competitions could be more interesting than\nhaphazard encounters. Tying the intellectual aspects onto the\nframework of competitive sports was a little more difficult, but",
"There are many foolish and dangerous things that can be done, such\nas smoking next to high-octane fuel and putting fingers into\nelectrical sockets. Just as dangerous, and equally deadly, is\nphysically attacking a Winner of the Twenties.",
"Three men. How close to the surface of the civilized man the animal\ndwelled! In countless matches he had used those holds, always\ndrawing back from the exertion of the full killing power. They were",
"Every man who entered the Twenties had his own training tricks.\nBrion had a few individual ones that had helped him so far. He was",
"a calm mind, with no thoughts other than of the contest. But Ihjel,\na friend, a man of Anvhar, had died a few seconds before, and Brion\nfound himself welcoming this physical violence and pain.",
"backed slowly away from the man. \"Stop it,\" he said. \"You can't win\nnow. It's impossible.\" He called to the other men who were watching",
"encounter that lasted a month, and picked a single winner. That was\nthe title he was awarded. Winner. The man--and woman--who had bested\nevery other contestant on the entire planet and who would remain",
"\"What's your dirty game, Hys?\" Lea asked, scowling. \"I've had enough\nhints to suspect for a long time that there was more to the C.R.F.",
"sweet. Just playing the game in good old Anvharian style. Waiting\nfor a sign from me. We'd still be playing by different rules if you"
],
[
"\"Brion Brandd?\" a voice spoke harshly from the car. \"Get in.\"",
"\"If you're Brandd, there's something I want to know.\" Rummaging\nin his breast pocket with his free hand, he brought out a yellow",
"\"My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have\nbeen walking in the desert ever since. Now don't get excited and\nshoot the gun when I tell you this--but both Vion and Ihjel are\ndead.\"",
"\"Brion Brandd here. Can you read me? I want to talk to Hys at once.\"\n\nIt came as a shock that it was Professor-Commander Krafft who answered.",
"\"Don't talk like an idiot!\" The other voice snapped with a harsh\nurgency, clearly used to command. \"I'm here because the matter is of\nutmost importance, and Brandd is the one I must see. Now stand aside!\"",
"\"You must be Brion Brandd,\" he said. \"I have to tell you how sorry\nwe all are that your friend Ihjel and the two others--had to die,",
"Brion Brandd was sent in at the\n eleventh hour. His mission was to save Dis, but\n it looked as though he was going to\n preside over its annihilation.",
"\"If you must know,\" Lea said, \"I remember quite a lot, Brion Brandd.\nI shan't go into details, since this sort of thing is best kept from",
"\"Who is making this call--is it anyone from the Foundation?\"\nThe old man's voice was shaky with emotion.\n\n\"Brandd here. I have Lea Morees with me....\"",
"under the fat it couldn't be seen. Only his eyes appeared to still\nhold the strength that had once bested every man on the planet to\nwin the annual games. Brion turned away from their burning stare,",
"Ihjel had just begun to tell him, in some detail, just how slim his\nchances were of accomplishing that, when Brion interrupted them\nboth. He recognized the newcomer's voice from the final night in\nthe barracks.",
"\"This is Brandd, director of the C.R.F. Come in, please.\" He went on\nrepeating this for more than ten minutes before he got an answer.\n\n\"_What do you want?_\"",
"When the best man won he was really the best man. A complicated\nseries of playoffs and eliminations kept contestants and observers\nbusy for half the winter. They were only preliminary to the final",
"\"... Brion Brandd. Of course not. Whoever said you could was making\na big mistake and there is going to be trouble--\"",
"Brion, blinking through slitted eyes, saw her go down. He lifted\nher, and carried her again as he had the night before. The hot touch",
"None of the Nyjorders there could add anything to his words, not\neven the cynical Hys. But Brion could empathize their feelings, the\nwarmth of their intense relief and happiness. It was a sensation he\nwould never forget.",
"_him_ now, just as he had read of the Winners of the past. Weaving\ndaydreams and imaginary adventures around Brion's victories, hoping",
"Brion slipped out into the deserted street and, half running, half\nwalking, made his way towards the rubble that had been the Cultural",
"Two men hit Brion together, though this made very little difference.\nThe first died suddenly as hands like steel claws found his neck and",
"Asking questions now would accomplish nothing. Brion turned\ninstantly and did as he was bidden. The buildings grew further apart\nuntil he realized from the sand underfoot that he was back in the"
],
[
"\"My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have\nbeen walking in the desert ever since. Now don't get excited and\nshoot the gun when I tell you this--but both Vion and Ihjel are\ndead.\"",
"without good reason, though. His planet was settled completely by\nchance during the Breakdown. I'm not sure of the details, but the\noverall picture is clear, since the story of their desertion forms",
"planet-wide desert. It could be a trap--he hadn't recognized the\nvoice behind the whisper--yet he had to take this chance. A darker",
"\"Out into the desert.\" The driver made a vague wave of his hand.\n\"Headquarters of the army. Since the whole thing will be blown up in",
"The planet had a very simple history. From the very beginning there\nhad never been anything of real commercial interest on Anvhar. Well\noff the interstellar trade routes, there were no minerals worth",
"Everything that had happened to him so far on Dis had been\npreparation for this moment. The attack in the desert, the escape,",
"Telt swung around after them. They snaked forward in a single line\nthrough the rocks, until they came to the desert of rolling sand\ndunes. Then they spread out in line abreast and rushed towards their",
"DIS ... DIS ... DIS ... it was a word it was a planet and the word\nthundered like a drum a drum the sound of its thunder surrounded\n and was a wasteland a planet",
"people, his planet! Even the constellations of the night sky were\ndifferent. He was used to solitude, but this was a loneliness that",
"\"Just about the opposite of Earth,\" Lea told him, dropping the apple\ncore into a dish and carefully licking the tips of her fingers. \"I",
"She dropped her head onto her forearms and sobbed. \"Leave me alone,\ncan't you! I'm tired and sick and fed up with this awful planet. Let",
"\"Dis,\" Ihjel said, consulting a thick file, \"third planet out from\nits primary, Epsilon Eridani. The fourth planet is Nyjord--remember",
"I intend to prove. There exists a planet with a population of seven\nmillion people. Unless I can prevent it, this planet will be\ncompletely destroyed. It is my job to stop that destruction, so that",
"\"We're going to die. We can't walk anywhere. This whole planet is a\ndeath trap. Let's get back in the ship!\" The shrillness of hysteria",
"\"When do we leave?\" she asked in the same empty tones, turning\nher face to the wall. \"When do we get off this planet?\"",
"\"Earth is home,\" he said again gently. \"When men leave home they can\nadapt to different planets, but a price must be paid. A terrible",
"\"You mean--you've adapted to this terrible planet?\"",
"Building after building, standing deserted, bore the names of mining\ncompanies, traders, space transporters. None of them was occupied\nnow. Some still had lights burning, switched on by automatic",
"that this planet is as loathsome and inhospitable as they come. So\nare the people. This is a solido of a Disan.\"",
"rocks, leaving no tracks. A light blinked on the dashboard, and Hys\nstopped instantly and killed the engine. They climbed out,\nstretching and shivering in the cold desert night."
],
[
"\"Out into the desert.\" The driver made a vague wave of his hand.\n\"Headquarters of the army. Since the whole thing will be blown up in",
"planet-wide desert. It could be a trap--he hadn't recognized the\nvoice behind the whisper--yet he had to take this chance. A darker",
"I intend to prove. There exists a planet with a population of seven\nmillion people. Unless I can prevent it, this planet will be\ncompletely destroyed. It is my job to stop that destruction, so that",
"\"My name is Brandd. We landed from space two nights ago and have\nbeen walking in the desert ever since. Now don't get excited and\nshoot the gun when I tell you this--but both Vion and Ihjel are\ndead.\"",
"without good reason, though. His planet was settled completely by\nchance during the Breakdown. I'm not sure of the details, but the\noverall picture is clear, since the story of their desertion forms",
"\"We're going to die. We can't walk anywhere. This whole planet is a\ndeath trap. Let's get back in the ship!\" The shrillness of hysteria",
"thing is over. Even if the planet goes bang, I don't care. I'm\nfinished.\" He walked out to the sand car, keeping a careful eye\non the Disan crouched against the wall.",
"\"They are going to bomb Nyjord now, just as Nyjord bombed Dis. That\nmachine will hurl the bombs in a special way to the other planet.\"",
"Everything that had happened to him so far on Dis had been\npreparation for this moment. The attack in the desert, the escape,",
"DIS ... DIS ... DIS ... it was a word it was a planet and the word\nthundered like a drum a drum the sound of its thunder surrounded\n and was a wasteland a planet",
"\"I must destroy the planet below me, that is what I must do.\nThat fact will not be changed by anything you say. All the",
"\"The magter have bombs that will destroy Nyjord--this is the next\nplanet, a star in your sky. If I can find where the bombs are, I\nwill have them taken away and there will be no war.\"",
"the desert outside of Hovedstad. We do not officially approve of\nthem, though they have a good deal of popular support. They are\nmostly young men, operating as raiders, killing and destroying with",
"Age. I don't see how his kind can be any real threat to another\nplanet.\"",
"that this planet is as loathsome and inhospitable as they come. So\nare the people. This is a solido of a Disan.\"",
"Despair was worse than the pain. The plant juice must have some use;\nthere must be a way of purifying it or neutralizing it. But Brion,\na stranger on this planet, would be dead long before he found out\nhow to do this.",
"\"Bloody damned savages!\" one of them growled. He was a heavy-planet\nman, a squashed-down column of muscle and gristle, whose head barely",
"There was only the desert silence, broken by the steady throb of\nthe car's motor behind him. Stretching away to the horizon in every",
"\"A chance we will have to take. In less than seventy hours this\nplanet is due for destruction. In attempting to avert that tragedy\nI'm expendable, as is everyone else here. Agreed?\"",
"Plans were put under way to evacuate what part of the population we\ncould until the bombs were found. The planet is united again, and\nworking hard.\""
],
[
"\"Just about the opposite of Earth,\" Lea told him, dropping the apple\ncore into a dish and carefully licking the tips of her fingers. \"I",
"she could well be our key to the answer. She is Professor Lea\nMorees, and she is just out from Earth with degrees in exobiology\nand anthropology, and has a head stuffed with vital facts.\"",
"Delicate as a dream, Lea's reflection swam in space next to the\nplanet. She had come up quietly behind him in the spaceship's",
"\"Any exobiologists there?\" Lea asked, with a woman's eternal ability\nto make any general topic personal.",
"parasitism had become more advanced and complex than on any other\nplanet. Lea's thoughts spun around this fact and chewed at the\nfringes of the logic. Brion could sense her concentration and",
"\"Dis. I'll give you a briefing as soon as I get this ship on\ncourse.\" He turned to the controls and Lea slipped out of her suit",
"\"When do we leave?\" she asked in the same empty tones, turning\nher face to the wall. \"When do we get off this planet?\"",
"\"The invader, the alien you were looking for,\" Lea told him.",
"\"Earth,\" said Lea, \"is overpopulated enough as it is.\"\n\n\n\n\n * * * * *",
"in the moonlight, and he rubbed some of the tension from his eyes.\nLea's face was ironed smooth by the light, beautiful and young, a\ndirect contrast to everything else on this poisonous world. Her hand",
"Lea shuddered delicately and let herself lean against him. \"I'm not\nthat sturdy yet; let's sit down while we talk.\" There was a couch\nopposite the viewport where they could sit and still see Dis.",
"\"Earth is home,\" he said again gently. \"When men leave home they can\nadapt to different planets, but a price must be paid. A terrible",
"After a little convincing they took the cadaver, as well as Lea,\nwhen they lifted ship. Brion watched the spacer become a pinpoint in",
"\"Dis,\" Ihjel said, consulting a thick file, \"third planet out from\nits primary, Epsilon Eridani. The fourth planet is Nyjord--remember",
"Lea was working in the lab when he came in, bent over a low-power\nbinocular microscope. Something small, limbless and throbbing was",
"She dropped her head onto her forearms and sobbed. \"Leave me alone,\ncan't you! I'm tired and sick and fed up with this awful planet. Let",
"\"That sun is hot already,\" Lea said, peeling off her heavy\nclothing. \"Let's find a nice cool cave or an air-cooled saloon\nto crawl into for the day.\"",
"without good reason, though. His planet was settled completely by\nchance during the Breakdown. I'm not sure of the details, but the\noverall picture is clear, since the story of their desertion forms",
"\"Do you see those spherical green shapes grouped together?\" Lea\nasked. Before Brion could answer she gasped, \"I remember now!\" Her",
"\"Cut a new course, Brion,\" Ihjel broke in. \"Find the nearest settled\nplanet and head us there. We have to drop this woman and find a man"
],
[
"This was enough. With this description, the Nyjorders would know he\ncouldn't be lying about finding the bombs. Once they realized this,\nthey couldn't destroy Dis without first trying to neutralize them.",
"\"They are going to bomb Nyjord now, just as Nyjord bombed Dis. That\nmachine will hurl the bombs in a special way to the other planet.\"",
"His own survival and the possible survival of Dis depended on his\nnot being seen near it. He must contact Hys and pass on the\ninformation. Until he did that, he was the only offworlder on Dis",
"I intend to prove. There exists a planet with a population of seven\nmillion people. Unless I can prevent it, this planet will be\ncompletely destroyed. It is my job to stop that destruction, so that",
"magter. It explained that the magter had started a war that could\nhave only one ending--the destruction of Dis. Only if the magter\nwere thrown down and their weapons discovered could there be any",
"the real threat. A tramp trader was picked up _leaving_ Dis. It had\ndelivered a jump-space launcher that can drop those bombs on Nyjord",
"DIS ... DIS ... DIS ... it was a word it was a planet and the word\nthundered like a drum a drum the sound of its thunder surrounded\n and was a wasteland a planet",
"a little worse. One of our technical crews has detected jump-space\nenergy transmissions in the planetary crust. The Disans are\napparently testing their projector, sooner than we had estimated.",
"\"There was--at one time. I hope you realize, Brion, that the\ndecision to bomb Dis was not easily arrived at. A great many",
"\"The magter have bombs that will destroy Nyjord--this is the next\nplanet, a star in your sky. If I can find where the bombs are, I\nwill have them taken away and there will be no war.\"",
"Age. I don't see how his kind can be any real threat to another\nplanet.\"",
"them differently. They demand unconditional surrender, or else. This\nis impossible for a lot of reasons--most important, because the\nNyjorders would like to keep their planet for their very own. They",
"\"A chance we will have to take. In less than seventy hours this\nplanet is due for destruction. In attempting to avert that tragedy\nI'm expendable, as is everyone else here. Agreed?\"",
"Everything that had happened to him so far on Dis had been\npreparation for this moment. The attack in the desert, the escape,",
"Their personal policy has become their planetary policy--and that's\nnever a very smart thing. They are like men with knives who have\nkilled all the men who were only armed with stones. Now they are",
"thing is over. Even if the planet goes bang, I don't care. I'm\nfinished.\" He walked out to the sand car, keeping a careful eye\non the Disan crouched against the wall.",
"\"Dis. I'll give you a briefing as soon as I get this ship on\ncourse.\" He turned to the controls and Lea slipped out of her suit",
"\"Fighting the magter. My presence on the planet means that Krafft\nwon't keep his threat to drop the bombs any earlier than the",
"\"Dis,\" Ihjel said, consulting a thick file, \"third planet out from\nits primary, Epsilon Eridani. The fourth planet is Nyjord--remember",
"have tried every kind of compromise but none of them works. The\nDisans are out to commit racial suicide. A Nyjord fleet is now over\nDis and the deadline has almost expired for the surrender of the"
],
[
"itself is not a simple organism, it's probably an amalgam of plant\nand animal like most of the other creatures on Dis. The thing is\njust too complex to have developed since mankind has been on this",
"drink their own urine in their need for water. Disgust at this is\nonly the attitude of the overprotected who have never experienced\nextreme thirst or hunger. Well, here on Dis you have a planet of",
"It has rudimentary powers of motion from its animal part, yet uses\nphotosynthesis and stores water like a plant. When the Disans drink\nfrom it the thing taps their blood streams for food elements.\"",
"living together, without violence, that may some day form the key to\nmankind's survival. They are worth looking after. Now get below and\nstudy your Disan and read the reports. Get it all pat before we",
"Each one for himself, getting nourishment from the other life forms\nof the planet. If they have a society, it is orientated towards the\nrest of the planetary life--instead of towards other human beings.",
"processes and I imagine most of the food came from offworld. Which\nwas good enough until the settlement was forgotten, the way a lot\nof other planets were during the Breakdown. All the records were",
"collection of Disan artifacts. This could have significance either\nway. Human or humanoid, the creature would still have to live on\nDis. Brion threw it aside, along with the clothing. Nude, pierced,",
"Everything that had happened to him so far on Dis had been\npreparation for this moment. The attack in the desert, the escape,",
"destroyed in the fighting, and the ore carriers were pressed into\nmilitary service. Dis was on its own. What happened to the people\nthere is a tribute to the adaptation possibilities of homo sapiens.",
"Nyjorders are all that counts here. They have a planet blessed by\nthe laws of chance. When Dis was cut off from outside contact, the",
"Mankind has had to adapt to the Anvharian cycle in order to stay\nalive. Food must be gathered and stored, enough to last out the long",
"from the realization that he too had tried and failed. The people\non the surface of Dis had less than two minutes left to live.",
"found ways to join a symbiotic relationship with the life forms on\nthis planet. Even a parasitic relationship. You must realize that\nliving organisms will do anything to survive. Castaways at sea will",
"one that never appeared in our Disan language lessons. A life form\nthat you can live with or cooperate with is called _medvirk_. One\nthat works to destroy you is _umedvirk_. He also understands that",
"DIS ... DIS ... DIS ... it was a word it was a planet and the word\nthundered like a drum a drum the sound of its thunder surrounded\n and was a wasteland a planet",
"Individuals died, usually in enormous pain, but the race lived.\nChanged a good deal, but still human. As the water and food ran out\nand the extraction machinery broke down, they must have made heroic",
"His own survival and the possible survival of Dis depended on his\nnot being seen near it. He must contact Hys and pass on the\ninformation. Until he did that, he was the only offworlder on Dis",
"\"Apparently there were large-scale mining operations carried on\nthere once; the world is rich enough in minerals and mining them\nis very simple. But water came only from expensive extraction",
"digging and transporting the immense distances to the nearest\ninhabited worlds. Hunting the winter beasts for their pelts was a\nprofitable but very minor enterprise, never sufficient for mass",
"efforts to survive. They couldn't do it mechanically, but by the\ntime the last machine collapsed, enough people were adjusted to\nthe environment to keep the race going."
],
[
"\"Because the magter are sick, infected by a destructive life form?\"\nBrion asked.",
"\"You have seen the body in the car, Ulv. So you must have seen that\nit is that of a magter. I killed him myself, because I would rather",
"\"And the words tell us we will die if we listen to the magter!\" Ulv\nshouted, his voice cracking. Not with fear, but with frustration at",
"A tiny dart quivered in the already dead flesh of the creature in\nthe magter's skull. The action had all the symbolism of a broken\nlance, the declaration of war.",
"you'll have to take my word for this. Don't ask any more questions.\nThere's nothing we can do now about it. But we can still find out\nabout the magter. Will you examine the corpse?\"",
"\"We're going to cut it open and take a good long look. I don't think\nthe magter are human. They are something living among men and\ndisguised as men--but still not human.\"",
"\"No one can talk to the magter,\" the woman broke in. \"If you say\nsomething different they will kill you as they killed Gebk's",
"The last shelter concealing them was five metres from the cave. They\nstarted to rise, to rush the final distance, when Ulv suddenly waved\nBrion down. He pointed to his nose, then to the cave. He could smell\nthe magter there.",
"\"I've been visiting,\" Brion said, forestalling the question on her\nlips. \"The magter are the ones who are responsible for causing the",
"\"I smell air from outside,\" Ulv said, \"coming from down there. This\ncannot be, because the magter have no entrances this low in their\ntowers.\"",
"Ulv joined them as they looked down at the exposed brain of the\nmagter. The thing was so clearly evident that even Ulv noticed it.",
"magter. It explained that the magter had started a war that could\nhave only one ending--the destruction of Dis. Only if the magter\nwere thrown down and their weapons discovered could there be any",
"I've got that body. You're going to have to examine it. We must\nfind out about the magter....\"",
"\"I want to,\" he told her, not taking his eyes from the body.\n\"I have never seen a magter dead before, or without covering,\nlike an ordinary person.\" He continued to stare fixedly.",
"Between them they worked the sodden weight of the dead magter\nthrough the hole, their exposed backs crawling with the expectation\nof instant death. No further attack came as they ran from the tower,",
"\"Supply him with a corpse--one of the magter,\" Hys said. \"Take it\nwherever he wants and then report back here.\" Hys scowled at Telt.",
"\"Magte is a title that means roughly noble or lord. Lig-magte is the\nlocal overlord. He has an ugly stoneheap of a building just outside",
"When he saw she was resting easily, he dragged in the\ntarpaulin-wrapped body of the magter. A work-bench ran along one",
"Ulv shook his head. \"I do not know, but some of my people may.\nWe will capture a magter, then kill him, so they can all see\nthe _umedvirk_. Then they will tell us everything they know.\"",
"Dis was a harsh, inhospitable,\n dangerous place and the Magter made it worse.\n They might have been human"
]
] |
[
"How does most life survive the extremes on Dis?",
"How does Brandd destroy the transmission mechanism?",
"When are they able to go home?",
"Who is killed in an attack?",
"What causes Anvhar to have such extreme temperatures?",
"How is conflict prevented?",
"Why should the planet surrender?",
"Why are the mageters so aggressive?",
"What is the name of the Earthling that Ihjel and Brandd meet?",
"What is the climate like on the planet Anvhar? ",
"What are the Twenties?",
"Why was the Twenties started?",
"Who won the Twenties as the story begins?",
"Who won the Twenties before Brandd and wants him to join a mission to the planet Dis? ",
"What is the name of the ruling class of Dis?",
"What planet does the scientist Lea come from?",
"What does the magter threaten to do to the neighboring planet if they do not surrender?",
"When Lea, Brandd and Ihjel arrive on Dis, who is killed?",
"Why does Brandd think the magter of Dis are so aggressive?",
"What planet does Brion inhabit?",
"What season is longer on the planet?",
"What are the games called?",
"Who doe Brandd meet after the games?",
"What planet is the desert planet?",
"What does the desert planet threaten to transport?",
"What planet is the scientist Lea from?",
"What type of preemptive strike threatens the planet of Dis?",
"What does life on Dis use to survive for the most part?",
"What has infected the magter?"
] |
[
[
"Symbiosis",
"Symbiosis."
],
[
"Cobalt bombs. ",
"disables it"
],
[
"When the transmission mechanism is disabled",
"After they disabled the bombs."
],
[
"Ihjel",
"Ihjel"
],
[
"The elliptical orbit",
"elliptical orbit"
],
[
"By the invention of the Twenties",
"Brannd locates cobalt bombs and disables transmission mechanism"
],
[
"So they don't get bombed by the Dis",
"They'll be bombed with cobalt bombs"
],
[
"A parasite has destroyed their brains. ",
"They are infected with a parasite"
],
[
"Lea",
"Lea"
],
[
"Anvhar has a long cold winter and a short hot summer. ",
"long cold winter and short hot summer"
],
[
"The Twenties is a planet wide series of mental and physcial games. ",
"mental and physical games"
],
[
"To combat social problems during the long winter. ",
"To avoid social problems."
],
[
"Brandd",
"Ihjel"
],
[
"Ihjel",
"Ihjel"
],
[
"The magter",
"The magter"
],
[
"Earth",
"Earth"
],
[
"Transport cobalt to the planet. ",
"transport cobalt bombs to neighboring planet"
],
[
"Ihjel",
"Ihjel"
],
[
"Their brains have been infected with parasites that distroys their higher functions. ",
"Magter was infected by a parasite that destroys higher function of the brain."
],
[
"Anvhar",
"Anvhar"
],
[
"Winter",
"Winter"
],
[
"Twenties",
"The Twenties"
],
[
"Ihjel",
"Ihjel"
],
[
"Dis",
"Dis"
],
[
"Cobalt bombs",
"Cobalt bombs"
],
[
"Earth",
"Earth"
],
[
" Nuclear Strike",
"Nuclear"
],
[
"Symbiosis",
"Symboisis"
],
[
"Parasites",
"A parasite"
]
] |
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[["[AGAVE _with her group of attendants goes out on the side away from\n the Mountain_. DIONYSUS (...TRUNCATED)
| ["Where do the women go to see Dionysus' rituals?","What does Pentheus' suggest he disguise himself (...TRUNCATED)
| [["The mountains.","the mountains"],["A female Maenad.","A Maenad female"],["Cadmus.","Cadmus'"],["S(...TRUNCATED)
|
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[["called Tristram, in opposition to my father's hypothesis, and the wish\nof the whole family, Godf(...TRUNCATED)
| ["Due to the accidents that have occured what auspicious name does Tristram's father want him named?(...TRUNCATED)
| [["Trismegistus","trismegistus"],["Curate","Trismegistus"],["Secondly","important to a man making hi(...TRUNCATED)
|
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|
[["SAITO\n Now the envelope, Mr. Cobb.\n\nCobb reaches into his waistband, removes ONE of t(...TRUNCATED)
| ["What did the Japanese business man want Cobb to do if he passed his test?","How was Dominick going(...TRUNCATED)
| [["convince Robert Fischer to dissolve his father's company","Help break up Fischer's energy corpora(...TRUNCATED)
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[["And she sat down, and faithful Reicht beside her, and they sobbed in one\nanother's arms.\n\nAfte(...TRUNCATED)
| ["Where does Margaret go to at the beginning of the story?","Why do Gerard's brothers send him a fal(...TRUNCATED)
| [["She stays in Holland.","To visit her son with the plague"],["Because they want a bigger share of (...TRUNCATED)
|
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|
[["Harley, though he had no great relish for the attempt, yet could not\nresist the torrent of motiv(...TRUNCATED)
| ["Where does Harley leave home for?","Who does Harley dine and go on a stroll with?","Who does Harle(...TRUNCATED)
| [["London.","London"],["Tom.","Tom"],["A prostitute.","a prositute"],["Edwards.","edwards"],["Two or(...TRUNCATED)
|
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|
[["David walks toward the police chief and sticks his hands out.\n\tA louder murmur moves through th(...TRUNCATED)
| ["What caused Mr. Johnson to be arrested? ","How did the Mayor become 'colored'?","Why did Jennifer (...TRUNCATED)
| [["he and David painted a colorful mural on a brick wall","Mr. Johnson paints a mural on his soda sh(...TRUNCATED)
|
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|
[["DUDE\n\t\tHuh?\n\nWoo and the blond man who earlier peed on the rug stride in, \nkicking the chai(...TRUNCATED)
| ["What piece of furniture does one of the goons urinate on?","When his wife was kitnapped, what does(...TRUNCATED)
| [["The carpet. ","The rug."],["Deliver a briefcase. ","To deliver the ransom to the kidnappers in a (...TRUNCATED)
|
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|
[["Again Gandhi is surprised -- but even more cautious. Behind \n him, the crowd begin(...TRUNCATED)
| ["What kind of protest did Gandhi support?","Where was Gandhi sitting on the train?","What is the na(...TRUNCATED)
| [["Non-violent protest.","A protest for the rights of all Indians."],["He sat in first-class with hi(...TRUNCATED)
|
375d6609a90580a1ce888d45ac697464e6870010
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train
|
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