ALEX paces, glancing at his watch. His leg is healing—but his
anxiety grows.
ALEX (V.O.)
Where the hell are you, Holly?
PHINEOUS sharpens arrowheads, humming.
Alex approaches, squats. They speak quietly, respectfully.
Phineous gestures to the volcanic crater—CHINAGA.
A sacred place. A place of power.
A distant sound interrupts—
GUNFIRE.
Phineous stiffens.
ALEX AND pHINEOUS crest the ridge.
A flash of metal in the distance.
Alex’s Land Rover. HE swears.
Phineous is already moving.
Alex binds his leg, breathes, and runs.
Phineous slows.
A VULTURE screeches.
A BODY lies half-submerged—Joseph.
Phineous presses on.
Then—
A SCREAM.
Holly hangs bound from a tree.
DE KLERK stands before her, unhinged.
Phineous crawls low, bow drawn.
Breath held. He releases.
An arrow PUNCHES through De Klerk’s face.
A second—clean. Final.
De Klerk collapses, frozen on his knees.
Holly sobs, barely conscious. Phineous approaches—but stops.
Alex’s voice cuts through.
ALEX
Holly!
Alex reaches her, climbs the tree, cuts her free.
She collapses into him. He wraps her in his shirt.
She shakes, cries.
HOLLY
It’s over?
ALEX
It’s over.
She looks at De Klerk’s body.
HOLLY
Don’t touch his blood.
Alex nods grimly. Phineous begins digging.
Alex returns with the Land Rover.
De Klerk’s grave is shallow—but final.
Alex helps Holly into the vehicle. They drive away.
Phineous watches until they disappear—
Then turns back toward Chinaga.
The TACTICAL RESPONSE JEEP bucks violently through virgin
bush.
COMMANDER ZOLA braces himself against the windshield frame,
binoculars scanning the horizon.
Dust boils behind them.
LENA sits hunched, silent, terrified.
Zola lowers the glasses.
ZOLA
Head back.
The driver turns.
Zola hesitates—then stiffens.
He raises a hand sharply.
ZOLA
Stop.
The jeep skids.
Zola snaps the binoculars up.
In the distance—VULTURES, circling.
ZOLA
There. Drive!
The jeep pulls up beside DE KLERK’S FORD.
The FOOTBALL TEAM fans out instantly, rifles raised.
Zola peers into the cab.
ZOLA
Is this his?
Lena nods.
Zola moves beneath the tree. His handkerchief dabs his face.
At his feet—A CUT ROPE.
Nearby, shallow earth disturbed.
The troopers uncover DE KLERK’S BODY—half-buried, mauled.
Hyenas WHOOP in the distance.
Zola studies the remains.
ZOLA
De Klerk?
Lena nods again.
Zola turns, spots TYRE TRACKS leading away.
He checks his watch.
ZOLA
Two hours. At least.
He raises binoculars.
Far off—A RED DUST PLUME on the horizon.
ZOLA (shouting)
Bring the jeep!
The LAND ROVER screeches to a halt.
Alex knows. This is the moment.
ALEX
Ngoti—take your things. We leave
now.
Phineous shakes his head.
PHINEOUS
All I have is with me. It is you
who carries the burden.
Alex lifts Holly from the vehicle.
Steam rises from warm stone baths.
Alex gently cleans Holly, removing dust, blood, fear.
Their eyes lock.
Silent understanding.
HOLLY (whispered)
Thank you.
Alex’s face hardens with urgency.
ALEX
We run tonight. Border crossing
after dark.
(MORE)
ALEX (CONT'D)
(then)
You must tell me the truth. Were
you sent?
She nods.
HOLLY
Quartz. De Klerk helped. I didn’t
know—
ALEX
Who?
HOLLY
Jack Wellington.
Alex freezes.
ALEX
Describe him.
HOLLY
Overdressed. Earring. Black curls.
Alex spits.
ALEX
Dexter.
Phineous blocks Alex’s path.
PHINEOUS
I stay. You go. I will protect this
place.
Alex grips his arm.
ALEX
I won’t forget you.
They clasp forearms. Alex drives off, arm raised in farewell.
The Land Rover races across red earth. Holly studies the map.
HOLLY
Hundred kilometres to the border.
Dark by then.
ALEX
Fuel’s good.
The windscreen EXPLODES.
Alex flinches, blood on his fist.
Behind them—A GREEN JEEP, closing fast.
Gunfire. Alex swerves wildly. Bullets WHINE past.
He skids behind a hill and stops.
Alex tears open a crate—DYNAMITE.
The jeep crests the rise.
Alex lights the fuse—throws. The explosion showers rock and
dust.
Holly appears beside him, clutching more sticks.
Gunfire answers.
The jeep pulls back.
Orders shouted. Military.
A MEGAPHONE crackles.
ZOLA (V.O.)
You are surrounded. Six loaded
rifles.
Alex pulls Holly close.
ALEX
One chance. You go back. Phineous
will help you.
She shakes her head.
ALEX
You stay—you die.
She breaks.
HOLLY
I’ll find you.
Alex grabs her.
ALEX
Bottom of my kitbag. Computer tape.
Hide it. Dry. Cool.
She nods.
The Land Rover roars away. Alex watches until the sound
fades.
Then—
He turns back.
Zola steps forward as gunfire erupts toward the fleeing Land
Rover.
ZOLA
Leave the girl.
He smiles.
ZOLA
I think we have what we want.
Megaphone raised.
ZOLA
Mister Harding. Gallant.
(beat)
Will you surrender?
Alex steps into view. Hands raised.
Troops rush him.
Zola approaches, calm, wiping his face.
ZOLA
I believe you have information.
Alex explodes—KNEE TO ZOLA’S GROIN.
Zola collapses, gasping.
Rifle butts CRASH down on Alex.
Holly drives blind into darkness.
Gunfire echoes behind her.
She turns toward the setting sun—trusting instinct.
Night falls fast. She stops. Silence.
A distant DOG YELPS.
She crawls into the back, clutching a PANGA.
Sleep comes fitfully.
A SHUFFLING SOUND.
A TUG.
She screams—weapon raised—
Then relief.
HOLLY
Phineous!
PHINEOUS
Where is Alex?
She tells him everything—panicked, fragmented.
He listens.Nods.
PHINEOUS
We wait for light. Then we go.
He slides beneath the vehicle.
Holly lies back, staring into the dark.
Waiting.
A building sagging into neglect.
A PEELING SIGN hangs crooked.
A rusted FRIDGE rots in the yard.
A bored crowd waits outside.
Inside, a CONSTABLE argues with a woman beneath a wheezing
fan.
Suddenly—
ENGINES ROAR.
The constable rushes outside.
A TACTICAL RESPONSE JEEP skids to a halt, dust swallowing the
street.
ZOLA leaps out.
Alex—HANDCUFFED, BLOODIED—is dragged from the back by the
Football Team and hauled inside.
LENA slips away unnoticed, darting across the road.
The constable snaps to attention.
CONSTABLE
Sir—how may we assist?
ZOLA
Refreshments for my men.
And put this one in custody.
The constable signals two officers.
Alex is dragged toward the rear cells.
Zola adjusts his trousers, wincing.
ZOLA
He’ll be talking by morning.
A CESSNA rattles to a stop on a dirt runway.
MANFRED DEXTER steps out, immaculate and sweating.
Inside a tin-roofed shed, a BORDER OFFICIAL flips through his
passport.
OFFICIAL
Where is your visa?
MANFRED
No one mentioned a visa.
A beat.
OFFICIAL
Seven hundred pula.
Manfred hands over cash without blinking.
STAMP.
He steps into the heat and starts the long walk toward town.
Alex groans, massaging his skull.
Bruised. Bloody. Breathing.
A bucket of human waste nearby.
He drags himself away from it, checks his ribs, limbs.
No breaks.
Still alive.
KEYS RATTLE.
Zola appears at the bars, a GUARD behind him.
ZOLA
One chance.
Where are the minerals?
Alex frowns—caught off-guard.
Then smiles.
ALEX
Up yours.
Zola nods. The cell door opens.
Before Alex can stand—
A BOOT slams into his shoulder.
Another blow.
A strike to the neck.
Alex collapses.
ZOLA
Leave him.
No food. No water.
Zola turns away, handkerchief pressed to his mouth.
Shattered doors.
Two SOLDIERS stand guard.
Manfred approaches.
MANFRED
Where’s your superior officer?
A finger points down the street.
Manfred enters the bar.
Noise fades.
Eyes follow him.
He orders a drink.
Across the room—ZOLA, eating alone.
Manfred approaches.
MANFRED
Manfred Dexter.
He offers his hand.
Zola ignores it.
ZOLA
And?
Manfred sits anyway.
MANFRED
I’m looking for Frikkie De Klerk.
Zola pauses.
ZOLA
Dead.
Hyenas finished what was left.
Manfred swallows hard.
MANFRED
Any arrests?
ZOLA
One. Harding.
Manfred’s eyes sharpen.
MANFRED
Harding… did he have a woman with
him?
Zola leans forward.
ZOLA
How do you know about the woman?
Manfred chooses carefully.
MANFRED
She was bait.
Harding’s a fugitive.
Stole a computer tape from our
firm.
The lie slides easily.
MANFRED (CONT’D)
De Klerk helped track him.
The minerals were fake—just quartz.
Zola stiffens.
ZOLA
Then explain this.
Our labs detected zittrium.
Manfred freezes.
MANFRED
That’s impossible.
ZOLA
My President disagrees.
MANFRED
If Harding registered claims…
There must be council offices?
Zola smiles thinly.
ZOLA
Beside the gas station.
They raise their glasses.
The Land Rover refuels. Holly siphons fuel. Phineous fills
water containers.
They drive—silent, purposeful.
Finally, Phineous signals to stop.
They stand at the edge of a RED-EARTH CRATER.
Below—A GREY VALLEY, rivers gleaming.
HOLLY
How far from Serowe?
PHINEOUS
Half day by truck.
Two days on foot.
Holly exhales.
They descend into the valley.
Camp established near a waterfall.
Phineous disappears.
Holly bathes—washing away blood, fear, shame.
Phineous returns with pigeons.
A fire crackles.
HOLLY
What is this place?
PHINEOUS
Chinaga. The Valley of Peace.
Phineous studies her.
PHINEOUS (CONT’D)
You cheated Chaya.
Holly swallows.
HOLLY
I did. And I tried to undo it. He
trusts me now.
She retrieves the PLASTIC-WRAPPED TAPE.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
He asked that this be hidden.
Dry. Cool.
Where no one will find it.
Phineous turns the package over, weighing more than its mass.
PHINEOUS
Come.
A massive BAOBAB towers above them.
Phineous climbs to a hidden hollow.
Inside—his sacred charms. He prays softly.
Then places the tape beside them.
Seals the hollow. Climbs down.
HOLLY
You are a good man, Phineous.
She looks toward the distant horizon.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
Now we must save Alex.
Phineous nods. The valley darkens.
Three TRIBESMEN, nearly invisible among elephant grass.
Their leader, SHWANA, subtly gestures toward—
Below: HOLLY and PHINEOUS at the BAOBAB.
The scouts melt back into the grass.
A pristine village against rock.
CHILDREN play.
WOMEN cook.
A circle of HUTS encloses a swept communal space.
A dozen MEN lift hollowed LOG INSTRUMENTS.
A single breath becomes a HAUNTING DRONE.
Others join—perfect, ancient harmony.
Women and children add their voices.
The three scouts run in.
Music STOPS.
Shwana speaks urgently.
The tribe tightens—alert.
A MALARIA-SICK GIRL shivers on a grass bed.
NAMBALA, ancient medicine man, works over a CLAY POT.
Black soil—ZITTRIUM DUST—lies on bark cloth.
Ritual precision.
A glowing CHARCOAL drops into a gourd.
The soil crackles as it meets heat.
The potion—alive.
Nambala pricks the girl’s arm.
Applies the BLACK PASTE.
Drops the thorn into fire.
NAMBALA
(soft)
She will wake well.
Shwana exhales—hope.
Alex slumps in shadow. Exhausted. Broken.
A VOICE outside.
MANFRED (O.S.)
Alex.
Alex looks up—Manfred stands at the bars.
MANFRED
I want the tape.
And I think I’ve found it.
He waves the ASKARI LAND CLAIM.
ALEX
So… it was zittrium.
Manfred shrugs.
ALEX (CONT’D)
Do you know what that is?
A plutonium replacement.
Fifty times the yield.
Manfred smiles thinly.
MANFRED
Who cares?
ALEX
If extremists get it—
this country becomes ground zero.
Manfred leans in.
MANFRED
Tell me where the tape is.
Alex steps back.
ALEX
I don’t know anymore.
Manfred’s smile fades.
MANFRED
Then enjoy dying.
He walks away.
Zola and Manfred.
Sweat. A rattling fan.
Zola studies the land claim.
ZOLA
If Harding knows the location—
he must be removed.
MANFRED
He murdered De Klerk.
Zola dismisses it.
ZOLA
Accessory only.
Manfred thinks.
MANFRED
Illegal entry.
No border post.
Zola lights up.
ZOLA
Perfect.
We hold an inquiry.
A MOCK COURT.
Alex sits alone.
A “DEFENCE LAWYER” in overalls nods uselessly.
Manfred watches, pleased.
ZOLA
How did you enter Botswana?
ALEX
Following a riverbed.
I intended to register.
ZOLA
But you did not.
ALEX
No.
ZOLA
Spying.
Poaching.
Accessory to murder.
Alex stands.
ALEX
This is a kangaroo court!
ZOLA
That is not a defence.
Beat.
ZOLA (CONT’D)
Execution.
Tomorrow. 6 A.M.
Alex lunges for Manfred.
ALEX
Tell them the truth!
Guards tear him away.
Zola on the phone.
ZOLA
Yes, Onyeka.
The site is confirmed.
Beat.
ZOLA (CONT’D)
One man knows.
He will be executed.
A pause.
ZOLA (CONT’D)
And the foreigner?
Zola smiles.
ZOLA (CONT’D)
Understood.
He hangs up.
Manfred enters.
Zola claps an arm around him.
ZOLA
After the execution…
we go to Askari.
Manfred smiles—unaware.
Holly studies the MAP by lamp.
HOLLY
We leave at midnight.
Phineous nods.
LENA slips barefoot into shadows.
Rolls a DRUM beneath a barred window.
Peers in.
LENA (WHISPER)
Mister Harding.
Alex rises.
ALEX
I need to write a note.
A guard opens the cell, hands paper.
Moments later—Alex passes the NOTE through bars.
ALEX (LOW)
Give this to Holly Gardner.
No one else.
Lena nods and vanishes.
The LAND ROVER idles under branches.
Holly and Phineous jog toward town.
They freeze.
Beyond a wall—
A FIRING SQUAD assembles.
RIFLES loaded.
A HOODED PRISONER forced into a chair.
Holly recognizes him.
HOLLY
Alex…
An OFFICER raises his arm.
OFFICER
At the ready!
Holly CLIMBS the wall.
OFFICER
Aim!
Holly FALLS inside the courtyard.
HOLLY
(screaming)
No!
OFFICER
Fire!
THUNDER EXPLODES across the sky.
Gunshots BLEND into thunder.
Chaos.
Blackness under the hood.
Dragged.
Sunlight.
Rope tightens.
A single SHOT—
A bullet SLAMS into Alex’s chest.
Time slows.
Pain. Shock.
Breath leaves him.
Alex collapses into darkness.
A PLUME OF DUST erupts.
From the wall above—
PHINEOUS crouches, hurls a lit stick of DYNAMITE into the
courtyard.
It lands among the soldiers—
BOOM!
Chaos.
Holly barrels forward, SLAMS into a FIRING SQUAD SOLDIER.
He falls. His rifle skitters.
Holly scoops it up in one fluid motion—
FIRES.
Three soldiers drop.
She pivots—eyes locked on the OFFICER who gave the order.
His arm still raised.
Frozen.
Holly advances, firing in controlled bursts.
He falls.
Men scatter.
ZOLA lies unconscious, blood trickling from his temple.
MANFRED DEXTER stands frozen.
Holly strides toward him, fury contained.
She hands the rifle to Phineous.
HOLLY
Kill him if he moves.
Phineous considers—then hands the rifle back.
He draws his bow instead.
PHINEOUS
This is better.
He nocks an arrow.
Holly rushes to ALEX.
Tears streak her face as she rips the hood away.
Blood blooms through his shirt.
She presses her hand to the wound.
Nothing moves.
Holly rises slowly.
Approaches Manfred.
HOLLY
Do you see what you’ve done?
Manfred swallows.
MANFRED
It is what it is.
CRACK—
Holly smashes the rifle barrel into his face.
Again.
Again.
Manfred collapses, whimpering, crawling away.
A VOICE cuts through the chaos.
BANDA (O.S.)
Stop.
ONYAKA BANDA, flanked by armed soldiers, enters.
Weapons snap up around Holly.
She drops to her knees.
Banda surveys the carnage.
Zola’s body.
The dead.
He smiles.
BANDA
You should join my elite unit.
Impressive.
Holly drops the rifle, turns back to Alex.
Grabs his hand.
Soldiers yank her away.
She’s dragged toward a waiting LIMOUSINE.
She looks back—
Manfred is gone.
She LAUGHS hysterically.
HOLLY
Looks like your friend took the
jeep.
Banda’s smile vanishes.
BANDA
Alert the border!
MANFRED drives Zola’s JEEP.
Laughing now.
Relieved.
He hits a roadblock—TRUCKS across the road.
Reverses fast.
The trucks follow.
Manfred veers off—
Hides in scrub.
Waits.
The trucks roar past.
Manfred guns it.
Back toward the border.
Shots RING OUT.
Bullets RICOCHET.
He ducks—
BLASTS through the gate.
Freedom.
Holly slumps alone in the back.
Leather. Silence.
A SMALL HAND slips through the open window.
Drops a folded NOTE.
Gone.
Holly opens it.
ALEX’S NOTE (V.O.)
Holly—
If I don’t survive, take the tape to Adrian Goulding in
Johannesburg.
More importantly—
She doesn’t finish reading.
Banda slides in beside her.
She crumples the note in her fist.
The car surges forward.
Bodies.
Silence.
PHINEOUS kneels beside Alex.
Grief.
He rocks gently.
Then—
A twitch.
Alex’s eyes flutter open.
Phineous recoils—
Then lunges forward.
PHINEOUS
Chaya!
ALEX
(weak)
Cut… the ropes.
Phineous slashes them.
The bullet wound—high, clean through.
Missed vital organs.
Together they drag Alex away.
Phineous hauls Alex inside.
They freeze—
LENA appears.
ALEX
Lena—go. You’re in danger.
She shakes her head.
LENA
The Zulu will not drive.
I can try.
Phineous bristles.
Alex nods.
ALEX
Let her.
Lena climbs in.
Engine ROARS.
The Land Rover surges forward—
Vanishing into bush.
Holly, locked in luxury.
Bath steaming.
She reads the rest of Alex’s note.
ALEX’S NOTE (V.O.)
The mineral is called ZITTRIUM.
If they learn where it truly lies, it’s the end for everyone.
Let them believe Askari is the only site.
The President is aligned with a Taliban sympathiser.
A KNOCK.
FRANCIS BEB escorts her to dinner.
Banda eats leisurely.
Holly sits rigid.
BANDA
Tell me the location.
HOLLY
Why?
BANDA
Because everything of value belongs
to the state.
He leans closer.
BANDA (CONT’D)
Twelve hours.
Or you suffer an accident.
He rises and leaves.
Holly sits alone.
Thinking.
The Land Rover jolts.
Alex unconscious.
Lena drives.
LENA
They took Holly.
But I gave her your note.
Alex exhales—relief.
Darkness closes in.
ADRIAN GOULDING stands with his back to the window.
Opposite him: MANFRED DEXTER.
Something is wrong. Adrian feels it.
ADRIAN
Have you heard from Alex?
MANFRED
I was mugged.
(beat)
The streets aren’t safe anymore.
Adrian studies him.
Manfred hands over an envelope.
MANFRED (CONT’D)
My resignation. I’ll clear my desk
today.
Manfred turns and leaves.
Adrian doesn’t stop him.
After a long moment, Adrian reaches for the phone.
ADRIAN
Put me through to Bedlow.
SHAWN BEDLOW, mid-40s, pipe clenched in his teeth, stares
into nothing.
A man who misses nothing.
He hangs up the phone, scribbles:
MANFRED DEXTER
Bedlow flips a battered notebook open.
Makes calls. Cross-checks.
One number sticks.
He smiles faintly.
ALEX lies on a reed bed, pale, breathing shallow.
PHINEOUS works desperately—herbs, poultices, bark.
Nothing is working.
LENA watches, frightened.
A SHADOW appears across the spring.
A SMALL MAN stands there—NAMBALA, holding a gourd of black
paste.
Phineous tenses.
The man speaks in melodic clicks.
Phineous understands—just enough.
He steps aside.
Nambala kneels.
Strips Alex’s shirt.
Reopens the wound—blood seeps.
He presses the black paste deep into the injury.
Then the exit wound.
Then pours a diluted black liquid into Alex’s mouth.
Alex swallows.
Nambala nods once.
And disappears into the bush.
Bedlow sits low in his VW Beetle.
A RED PORSCHE pulls up.
MANFRED steps out.
Bedlow notes the plate:
MAN 001
He smirks.
MANFRED sits opposite COLONEL STEELE, flanked by DR. GRANT.
Manfred is animated now—alive.
MANFRED
There is a material capable of
accelerating nuclear weapons
development.
Grant stiffens.
DR. GRANT
There’s only one.
MANFRED
Zittrium.
Silence.
Manfred slides documents across the desk—land claim papers.
Steele studies them.
STEELE
If this is a bluff—
MANFRED
Then ignore me.
But if it isn’t… you have a
problem.
Steele and Grant exchange a look.
STEELE
Come back tomorrow.
Manfred smiles.
Steele paces.
Grant stands by the map of Southern Africa.
DR. GRANT
Rahman’s been moving.
Botswana.
If this is real—
Steele stops.
STEELE
Then we don’t wait for permission.
Bedlow follows the Porsche onto the freeway.
ABDUL RAHMAN lounges comfortably.
ONYAKA BANDA fidgets.
Rahman taps the assay report.
RAHMAN
This will change everything.
Holly is brought in.
Defiant.
Rahman studies her with interest.
HOLLY
I’ll show you.
In person.
Banda hesitates.
Rahman smiles.
RAHMAN
We leave at first light.
End of Chapter Six
EXT. ASKARI POINT – DAY
ALEX paces, glancing at his watch. His leg is healing—but his
anxiety grows.
ALEX (V.O.)
Where the hell are you, Holly?
EXT. PHINEOUS’ CAVE – DAY
PHINEOUS sharpens arrowheads, humming.
Alex approaches, squats. They speak quietly, respectfully.
Phineous gestures to the volcanic crater—CHINAGA.
A sacred place. A place of power.
A distant sound interrupts—
GUNFIRE.
Phineous stiffens.
EXT. VOLCANIC RIDGE – DAY
ALEX AND pHINEOUS crest the ridge.
A flash of metal in the distance.
Alex’s Land Rover. HE swears.
Phineous is already moving.
Alex binds his leg, breathes, and runs.
EXT. STREAM BED – DAY
Phineous slows.
A VULTURE screeches.
A BODY lies half-submerged—Joseph.
Phineous presses on.
Then—
A SCREAM.
EXT. TREE LINE / OVERHANG – DAY
Holly hangs bound from a tree.
DE KLERK stands before her, unhinged.
Phineous crawls low, bow drawn.
Breath held. He releases.
An arrow PUNCHES through De Klerk’s face.
A second—clean. Final.
De Klerk collapses, frozen on his knees.
EXT. TREE – CONTINUOUS
Holly sobs, barely conscious. Phineous approaches—but stops.
Alex’s voice cuts through.
ALEX
Holly!
Alex reaches her, climbs the tree, cuts her free.
She collapses into him. He wraps her in his shirt.
She shakes, cries.
HOLLY
It’s over?
ALEX
It’s over.
She looks at De Klerk’s body.
HOLLY
Don’t touch his blood.
Alex nods grimly. Phineous begins digging.
EXT. OVERHANG – LATER
Alex returns with the Land Rover.
De Klerk’s grave is shallow—but final.
Alex helps Holly into the vehicle. They drive away.
Phineous watches until they disappear—
Then turns back toward Chinaga.
EXT. BUSHVELD – DAY
The TACTICAL RESPONSE JEEP bucks violently through virgin
bush.
COMMANDER ZOLA braces himself against the windshield frame,
binoculars scanning the horizon.
Dust boils behind them.
LENA sits hunched, silent, terrified.
Zola lowers the glasses.
ZOLA
Head back.
The driver turns.
Zola hesitates—then stiffens.
He raises a hand sharply.
ZOLA
Stop.
The jeep skids.
Zola snaps the binoculars up.
In the distance—VULTURES, circling.
ZOLA
There. Drive!
EXT. TREE LINE / FORD TRUCK – DAY
The jeep pulls up beside DE KLERK’S FORD.
The FOOTBALL TEAM fans out instantly, rifles raised.
Zola peers into the cab.
ZOLA
Is this his?
Lena nods.
Zola moves beneath the tree. His handkerchief dabs his face.
At his feet—A CUT ROPE.
Nearby, shallow earth disturbed.
The troopers uncover DE KLERK’S BODY—half-buried, mauled.
Hyenas WHOOP in the distance.
Zola studies the remains.
ZOLA
De Klerk?
Lena nods again.
Zola turns, spots TYRE TRACKS leading away.
He checks his watch.
ZOLA
Two hours. At least.
He raises binoculars.
Far off—A RED DUST PLUME on the horizon.
ZOLA (shouting)
Bring the jeep!
EXT. ASKARI POINT – LATE AFTERNOON
The LAND ROVER screeches to a halt.
Alex knows. This is the moment.
ALEX
Ngoti—take your things. We leave
now.
Phineous shakes his head.
PHINEOUS
All I have is with me. It is you
who carries the burden.
Alex lifts Holly from the vehicle.
INT. GROTTO – MOMENTS LATER
Steam rises from warm stone baths.
Alex gently cleans Holly, removing dust, blood, fear.
Their eyes lock.
Silent understanding.
HOLLY (whispered)
Thank you.
Alex’s face hardens with urgency.
ALEX
We run tonight. Border crossing
after dark.
(MORE)
ALEX (CONT'D)
(then)
You must tell me the truth. Were
you sent?
She nods.
HOLLY
Quartz. De Klerk helped. I didn’t
know—
ALEX
Who?
HOLLY
Jack Wellington.
Alex freezes.
ALEX
Describe him.
HOLLY
Overdressed. Earring. Black curls.
Alex spits.
ALEX
Dexter.
EXT. ASKARI POINT – CONTINUOUS
Phineous blocks Alex’s path.
PHINEOUS
I stay. You go. I will protect this
place.
Alex grips his arm.
ALEX
I won’t forget you.
They clasp forearms. Alex drives off, arm raised in farewell.
EXT. OPEN PLAINS – SUNSET
The Land Rover races across red earth. Holly studies the map.
HOLLY
Hundred kilometres to the border.
Dark by then.
ALEX
Fuel’s good.
The windscreen EXPLODES.
Alex flinches, blood on his fist.
Behind them—A GREEN JEEP, closing fast.
Gunfire. Alex swerves wildly. Bullets WHINE past.
He skids behind a hill and stops.
EXT. HILLSIDE – CONTINUOUS
Alex tears open a crate—DYNAMITE.
The jeep crests the rise.
Alex lights the fuse—throws. The explosion showers rock and
dust.
Holly appears beside him, clutching more sticks.
Gunfire answers.
The jeep pulls back.
Orders shouted. Military.
A MEGAPHONE crackles.
ZOLA (V.O.)
You are surrounded. Six loaded
rifles.
Alex pulls Holly close.
ALEX
One chance. You go back. Phineous
will help you.
She shakes her head.
ALEX
You stay—you die.
She breaks.
HOLLY
I’ll find you.
Alex grabs her.
ALEX
Bottom of my kitbag. Computer tape.
Hide it. Dry. Cool.
She nods.
The Land Rover roars away. Alex watches until the sound
fades.
Then—
He turns back.
EXT. HILLSIDE – CONTINUOUS
Zola steps forward as gunfire erupts toward the fleeing Land
Rover.
ZOLA
Leave the girl.
He smiles.
ZOLA
I think we have what we want.
Megaphone raised.
ZOLA
Mister Harding. Gallant.
(beat)
Will you surrender?
Alex steps into view. Hands raised.
Troops rush him.
Zola approaches, calm, wiping his face.
ZOLA
I believe you have information.
Alex explodes—KNEE TO ZOLA’S GROIN.
Zola collapses, gasping.
Rifle butts CRASH down on Alex.
EXT. BUSHVELD – NIGHT
Holly drives blind into darkness.
Gunfire echoes behind her.
She turns toward the setting sun—trusting instinct.
Night falls fast. She stops. Silence.
A distant DOG YELPS.
She crawls into the back, clutching a PANGA.
Sleep comes fitfully.
A SHUFFLING SOUND.
A TUG.
She screams—weapon raised—
Then relief.
HOLLY
Phineous!
PHINEOUS
Where is Alex?
She tells him everything—panicked, fragmented.
He listens.Nods.
PHINEOUS
We wait for light. Then we go.
He slides beneath the vehicle.
Holly lies back, staring into the dark.
Waiting.
EXT. SEROWE POLICE STATION – LATE AFTERNOON
A building sagging into neglect.
A PEELING SIGN hangs crooked.
A rusted FRIDGE rots in the yard.
A bored crowd waits outside.
Inside, a CONSTABLE argues with a woman beneath a wheezing
fan.
Suddenly—
ENGINES ROAR.
The constable rushes outside.
A TACTICAL RESPONSE JEEP skids to a halt, dust swallowing the
street.
ZOLA leaps out.
Alex—HANDCUFFED, BLOODIED—is dragged from the back by the
Football Team and hauled inside.
LENA slips away unnoticed, darting across the road.
The constable snaps to attention.
CONSTABLE
Sir—how may we assist?
ZOLA
Refreshments for my men.
And put this one in custody.
The constable signals two officers.
Alex is dragged toward the rear cells.
Zola adjusts his trousers, wincing.
ZOLA
He’ll be talking by morning.
EXT. SEROWE AIRSTRIP – DAY
A CESSNA rattles to a stop on a dirt runway.
MANFRED DEXTER steps out, immaculate and sweating.
Inside a tin-roofed shed, a BORDER OFFICIAL flips through his
passport.
OFFICIAL
Where is your visa?
MANFRED
No one mentioned a visa.
A beat.
OFFICIAL
Seven hundred pula.
Manfred hands over cash without blinking.
STAMP.
He steps into the heat and starts the long walk toward town.
INT. SEROWE POLICE CELL – DUSK
Alex groans, massaging his skull.
Bruised. Bloody. Breathing.
A bucket of human waste nearby.
He drags himself away from it, checks his ribs, limbs.
No breaks.
Still alive.
KEYS RATTLE.
Zola appears at the bars, a GUARD behind him.
ZOLA
One chance.
Where are the minerals?
Alex frowns—caught off-guard.
Then smiles.
ALEX
Up yours.
Zola nods. The cell door opens.
Before Alex can stand—
A BOOT slams into his shoulder.
Another blow.
A strike to the neck.
Alex collapses.
ZOLA
Leave him.
No food. No water.
Zola turns away, handkerchief pressed to his mouth.
EXT. DE KLERK’S STORE – EVENING
Shattered doors.
Two SOLDIERS stand guard.
Manfred approaches.
MANFRED
Where’s your superior officer?
A finger points down the street.
INT. FANNE’S REST HOUSE – NIGHT
Manfred enters the bar.
Noise fades.
Eyes follow him.
He orders a drink.
Across the room—ZOLA, eating alone.
Manfred approaches.
MANFRED
Manfred Dexter.
He offers his hand.
Zola ignores it.
ZOLA
And?
Manfred sits anyway.
MANFRED
I’m looking for Frikkie De Klerk.
Zola pauses.
ZOLA
Dead.
Hyenas finished what was left.
Manfred swallows hard.
MANFRED
Any arrests?
ZOLA
One. Harding.
Manfred’s eyes sharpen.
MANFRED
Harding… did he have a woman with
him?
Zola leans forward.
ZOLA
How do you know about the woman?
Manfred chooses carefully.
MANFRED
She was bait.
Harding’s a fugitive.
Stole a computer tape from our
firm.
The lie slides easily.
MANFRED (CONT’D)
De Klerk helped track him.
The minerals were fake—just quartz.
Zola stiffens.
ZOLA
Then explain this.
Our labs detected zittrium.
Manfred freezes.
MANFRED
That’s impossible.
ZOLA
My President disagrees.
MANFRED
If Harding registered claims…
There must be council offices?
Zola smiles thinly.
ZOLA
Beside the gas station.
They raise their glasses.
EXT. CHINAGA – DAY
The Land Rover refuels. Holly siphons fuel. Phineous fills
water containers.
They drive—silent, purposeful.
Finally, Phineous signals to stop.
They stand at the edge of a RED-EARTH CRATER.
Below—A GREY VALLEY, rivers gleaming.
HOLLY
How far from Serowe?
PHINEOUS
Half day by truck.
Two days on foot.
Holly exhales.
They descend into the valley.
EXT. CHINAGA WATERFALL – LATE AFTERNOON
Camp established near a waterfall.
Phineous disappears.
Holly bathes—washing away blood, fear, shame.
Phineous returns with pigeons.
A fire crackles.
HOLLY
What is this place?
PHINEOUS
Chinaga. The Valley of Peace.
Phineous studies her.
PHINEOUS (CONT’D)
You cheated Chaya.
Holly swallows.
HOLLY
I did. And I tried to undo it. He
trusts me now.
She retrieves the PLASTIC-WRAPPED TAPE.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
He asked that this be hidden.
Dry. Cool.
Where no one will find it.
Phineous turns the package over, weighing more than its mass.
PHINEOUS
Come.
EXT. BAOBAB TREE – SUNSET
A massive BAOBAB towers above them.
Phineous climbs to a hidden hollow.
Inside—his sacred charms. He prays softly.
Then places the tape beside them.
Seals the hollow. Climbs down.
HOLLY
You are a good man, Phineous.
She looks toward the distant horizon.
HOLLY (CONT’D)
Now we must save Alex.
Phineous nods. The valley darkens.
EXT. CHINAGA RIDGE – DAY
Three TRIBESMEN, nearly invisible among elephant grass.
Their leader, SHWANA, subtly gestures toward—
Below: HOLLY and PHINEOUS at the BAOBAB.
The scouts melt back into the grass.
EXT. CHINAGA VILLAGE – DAY
A pristine village against rock.
CHILDREN play.
WOMEN cook.
A circle of HUTS encloses a swept communal space.
A dozen MEN lift hollowed LOG INSTRUMENTS.
A single breath becomes a HAUNTING DRONE.
Others join—perfect, ancient harmony.
Women and children add their voices.
The three scouts run in.
Music STOPS.
Shwana speaks urgently.
The tribe tightens—alert.
INT. MEDICINE HUT – DAY
A MALARIA-SICK GIRL shivers on a grass bed.
NAMBALA, ancient medicine man, works over a CLAY POT.
Black soil—ZITTRIUM DUST—lies on bark cloth.
Ritual precision.
A glowing CHARCOAL drops into a gourd.
The soil crackles as it meets heat.
The potion—alive.
Nambala pricks the girl’s arm.
Applies the BLACK PASTE.
Drops the thorn into fire.
NAMBALA
(soft)
She will wake well.
Shwana exhales—hope.
INT. SEROWE POLICE CELL – NIGHT
Alex slumps in shadow. Exhausted. Broken.
A VOICE outside.
MANFRED (O.S.)
Alex.
Alex looks up—Manfred stands at the bars.
MANFRED
I want the tape.
And I think I’ve found it.
He waves the ASKARI LAND CLAIM.
ALEX
So… it was zittrium.
Manfred shrugs.
ALEX (CONT’D)
Do you know what that is?
A plutonium replacement.
Fifty times the yield.
Manfred smiles thinly.
MANFRED
Who cares?
ALEX
If extremists get it—
this country becomes ground zero.
Manfred leans in.
MANFRED
Tell me where the tape is.
Alex steps back.
ALEX
I don’t know anymore.
Manfred’s smile fades.
MANFRED
Then enjoy dying.
He walks away.
INT. POLICE OFFICE – NIGHT
Zola and Manfred.
Sweat. A rattling fan.
Zola studies the land claim.
ZOLA
If Harding knows the location—
he must be removed.
MANFRED
He murdered De Klerk.
Zola dismisses it.
ZOLA
Accessory only.
Manfred thinks.
MANFRED
Illegal entry.
No border post.
Zola lights up.
ZOLA
Perfect.
We hold an inquiry.
INT. POLICE OFFICE – LATER
A MOCK COURT.
Alex sits alone.
A “DEFENCE LAWYER” in overalls nods uselessly.
Manfred watches, pleased.
ZOLA
How did you enter Botswana?
ALEX
Following a riverbed.
I intended to register.
ZOLA
But you did not.
ALEX
No.
ZOLA
Spying.
Poaching.
Accessory to murder.
Alex stands.
ALEX
This is a kangaroo court!
ZOLA
That is not a defence.
Beat.
ZOLA (CONT’D)
Execution.
Tomorrow. 6 A.M.
Alex lunges for Manfred.
ALEX
Tell them the truth!
Guards tear him away.
INT. ZOLA’S OFFICE – NIGHT
Zola on the phone.
ZOLA
Yes, Onyeka.
The site is confirmed.
Beat.
ZOLA (CONT’D)
One man knows.
He will be executed.
A pause.
ZOLA (CONT’D)
And the foreigner?
Zola smiles.
ZOLA (CONT’D)
Understood.
He hangs up.
Manfred enters.
Zola claps an arm around him.
ZOLA
After the execution…
we go to Askari.
Manfred smiles—unaware.
EXT. CHINAGA – NIGHT
Holly studies the MAP by lamp.
HOLLY
We leave at midnight.
Phineous nods.
EXT. SEROWE POLICE STATION – NIGHT
LENA slips barefoot into shadows.
Rolls a DRUM beneath a barred window.
Peers in.
INT. POLICE CELL – NIGHT
LENA (WHISPER)
Mister Harding.
Alex rises.
ALEX
I need to write a note.
A guard opens the cell, hands paper.
Moments later—Alex passes the NOTE through bars.
ALEX (LOW)
Give this to Holly Gardner.
No one else.
Lena nods and vanishes.
EXT. SEROWE OUTSKIRTS – DAWN
The LAND ROVER idles under branches.
Holly and Phineous jog toward town.
They freeze.
Beyond a wall—
A FIRING SQUAD assembles.
RIFLES loaded.
A HOODED PRISONER forced into a chair.
Holly recognizes him.
HOLLY
Alex…
An OFFICER raises his arm.
OFFICER
At the ready!
Holly CLIMBS the wall.
OFFICER
Aim!
Holly FALLS inside the courtyard.
HOLLY
(screaming)
No!
OFFICER
Fire!
EXT. EXECUTION COURTYARD – DAWN
THUNDER EXPLODES across the sky.
Gunshots BLEND into thunder.
Chaos.
INT. ALEX’S POV – CONTINUOUS
Blackness under the hood.
Dragged.
Sunlight.
Rope tightens.
A single SHOT—
A bullet SLAMS into Alex’s chest.
Time slows.
Pain. Shock.
Breath leaves him.
Alex collapses into darkness.
EXT. EXECUTION COURTYARD – DAWN – CONTINUOUS
A PLUME OF DUST erupts.
From the wall above—
PHINEOUS crouches, hurls a lit stick of DYNAMITE into the
courtyard.
It lands among the soldiers—
BOOM!
Chaos.
Holly barrels forward, SLAMS into a FIRING SQUAD SOLDIER.
He falls. His rifle skitters.
Holly scoops it up in one fluid motion—
FIRES.
Three soldiers drop.
She pivots—eyes locked on the OFFICER who gave the order.
His arm still raised.
Frozen.
Holly advances, firing in controlled bursts.
He falls.
Men scatter.
EXT. COURTYARD – CONTINUOUS
ZOLA lies unconscious, blood trickling from his temple.
MANFRED DEXTER stands frozen.
Holly strides toward him, fury contained.
She hands the rifle to Phineous.
HOLLY
Kill him if he moves.
Phineous considers—then hands the rifle back.
He draws his bow instead.
PHINEOUS
This is better.
He nocks an arrow.
EXT. COURTYARD – ALEX – CONTINUOUS
Holly rushes to ALEX.
Tears streak her face as she rips the hood away.
Blood blooms through his shirt.
She presses her hand to the wound.
Nothing moves.
EXT. COURTYARD – MANFRED – CONTINUOUS
Holly rises slowly.
Approaches Manfred.
HOLLY
Do you see what you’ve done?
Manfred swallows.
MANFRED
It is what it is.
CRACK—
Holly smashes the rifle barrel into his face.
Again.
Again.
Manfred collapses, whimpering, crawling away.
EXT. COURTYARD – CONTINUOUS
A VOICE cuts through the chaos.
BANDA (O.S.)
Stop.
ONYAKA BANDA, flanked by armed soldiers, enters.
Weapons snap up around Holly.
She drops to her knees.
Banda surveys the carnage.
Zola’s body.
The dead.
He smiles.
BANDA
You should join my elite unit.
Impressive.
Holly drops the rifle, turns back to Alex.
Grabs his hand.
Soldiers yank her away.
She’s dragged toward a waiting LIMOUSINE.
She looks back—
Manfred is gone.
She LAUGHS hysterically.
HOLLY
Looks like your friend took the
jeep.
Banda’s smile vanishes.
BANDA
Alert the border!
EXT. DIRT ROAD / BORDER APPROACH – DAY
MANFRED drives Zola’s JEEP.
Laughing now.
Relieved.
He hits a roadblock—TRUCKS across the road.
Reverses fast.
The trucks follow.
Manfred veers off—
Hides in scrub.
Waits.
The trucks roar past.
Manfred guns it.
Back toward the border.
Shots RING OUT.
Bullets RICOCHET.
He ducks—
BLASTS through the gate.
Freedom.
INT. PRESIDENTIAL LIMOUSINE – DAY
Holly slumps alone in the back.
Leather. Silence.
A SMALL HAND slips through the open window.
Drops a folded NOTE.
Gone.
Holly opens it.
ALEX’S NOTE (V.O.)
Holly—
If I don’t survive, take the tape to Adrian Goulding in
Johannesburg.
More importantly—
She doesn’t finish reading.
Banda slides in beside her.
She crumples the note in her fist.
The car surges forward.
EXT. COURTYARD – AFTERMATH
Bodies.
Silence.
PHINEOUS kneels beside Alex.
Grief.
He rocks gently.
Then—
A twitch.
Alex’s eyes flutter open.
Phineous recoils—
Then lunges forward.
PHINEOUS
Chaya!
ALEX
(weak)
Cut… the ropes.
Phineous slashes them.
The bullet wound—high, clean through.
Missed vital organs.
Together they drag Alex away.
EXT. CAMOUFLAGED LAND ROVER – DAY
Phineous hauls Alex inside.
They freeze—
LENA appears.
ALEX
Lena—go. You’re in danger.
She shakes her head.
LENA
The Zulu will not drive.
I can try.
Phineous bristles.
Alex nods.
ALEX
Let her.
Lena climbs in.
Engine ROARS.
The Land Rover surges forward—
Vanishing into bush.
INT. PRESIDENTIAL PALACE – NIGHT
Holly, locked in luxury.
Bath steaming.
She reads the rest of Alex’s note.
ALEX’S NOTE (V.O.)
The mineral is called ZITTRIUM.
If they learn where it truly lies, it’s the end for everyone.
Let them believe Askari is the only site.
The President is aligned with a Taliban sympathiser.
A KNOCK.
FRANCIS BEB escorts her to dinner.
INT. PALACE DINING ROOM – NIGHT
Banda eats leisurely.
Holly sits rigid.
BANDA
Tell me the location.
HOLLY
Why?
BANDA
Because everything of value belongs
to the state.
He leans closer.
BANDA (CONT’D)
Twelve hours.
Or you suffer an accident.
He rises and leaves.
Holly sits alone.
Thinking.
EXT. CHINAGA APPROACH – NIGHT
The Land Rover jolts.
Alex unconscious.
Lena drives.
LENA
They took Holly.
But I gave her your note.
Alex exhales—relief.
Darkness closes in.
INT. GOULDING SECURITIES – ADRIAN’S OFFICE – DAY
ADRIAN GOULDING stands with his back to the window.
Opposite him: MANFRED DEXTER.
Something is wrong. Adrian feels it.
ADRIAN
Have you heard from Alex?
MANFRED
I was mugged.
(beat)
The streets aren’t safe anymore.
Adrian studies him.
Manfred hands over an envelope.
MANFRED (CONT’D)
My resignation. I’ll clear my desk
today.
Manfred turns and leaves.
Adrian doesn’t stop him.
After a long moment, Adrian reaches for the phone.
ADRIAN
Put me through to Bedlow.
INT. BEDLOW’S OFFICE – DAY
SHAWN BEDLOW, mid-40s, pipe clenched in his teeth, stares
into nothing.
A man who misses nothing.
He hangs up the phone, scribbles:
MANFRED DEXTER
Bedlow flips a battered notebook open.
Makes calls. Cross-checks.
One number sticks.
He smiles faintly.
INT. CHINAGA – MAKESHIFT CAMP – DAY
ALEX lies on a reed bed, pale, breathing shallow.
PHINEOUS works desperately—herbs, poultices, bark.
Nothing is working.
LENA watches, frightened.
A SHADOW appears across the spring.
A SMALL MAN stands there—NAMBALA, holding a gourd of black
paste.
Phineous tenses.
The man speaks in melodic clicks.
Phineous understands—just enough.
He steps aside.
Nambala kneels.
Strips Alex’s shirt.
Reopens the wound—blood seeps.
He presses the black paste deep into the injury.
Then the exit wound.
Then pours a diluted black liquid into Alex’s mouth.
Alex swallows.
Nambala nods once.
And disappears into the bush.
EXT. PRETORIA – MINISTRY OF DEFENCE – DAY
Bedlow sits low in his VW Beetle.
A RED PORSCHE pulls up.
MANFRED steps out.
Bedlow notes the plate:
MAN 001
He smirks.
INT. DEFENCE OFFICE – DAY
MANFRED sits opposite COLONEL STEELE, flanked by DR. GRANT.
Manfred is animated now—alive.
MANFRED
There is a material capable of
accelerating nuclear weapons
development.
Grant stiffens.
DR. GRANT
There’s only one.
MANFRED
Zittrium.
Silence.
Manfred slides documents across the desk—land claim papers.
Steele studies them.
STEELE
If this is a bluff—
MANFRED
Then ignore me.
But if it isn’t… you have a
problem.
Steele and Grant exchange a look.
STEELE
Come back tomorrow.
Manfred smiles.
INT. DEFENCE OFFICE – LATER
Steele paces.
Grant stands by the map of Southern Africa.
DR. GRANT
Rahman’s been moving.
Botswana.
If this is real—
Steele stops.
STEELE
Then we don’t wait for permission.
EXT. PRETORIA – DAY
Bedlow follows the Porsche onto the freeway.
INT. PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE – BOTSWANA – DAY
ABDUL RAHMAN lounges comfortably.
ONYAKA BANDA fidgets.
Rahman taps the assay report.
RAHMAN
This will change everything.
Holly is brought in.
Defiant.
Rahman studies her with interest.
HOLLY
I’ll show you.
In person.
Banda hesitates.
Rahman smiles.
RAHMAN
We leave at first light.