Dallas Reboot

[stevew]

Cliff walks into his office to find agents clearing it out. “Whats going on?”

behind him his boss says, “They’re clearing it out. Probably at your house too, right now. Everything related to the Ewing’s.”

“No.”

“I’m told it’s being moved higher up the chain. Tied to another investigation.”

“No! You can’t let thus happen!”

“I can’t stop it.”




A group of young adults party around the pool, including John Ross and Lucy.


In the pool house a girl in a black bikini lays out on a lounge with Peter rubbing his hands up her thighs.

JR walks in the room. “Peter, I need to see you.”

“What? Now?”

“Yes now.”

Peter, in a Speedo, gets up and follows JR. Out side JR says, “You know Muriel?”

“Of course.”

“Her father works for the U.S. Department of Justice. He’s Cliff Barnes boss.”

“OK?”

“I need to know what’s going on in that office. They’ve been investigating this family for years. All of a sudden someone else is.”

“Who.”

“Someone from D.C. Can I count on you?”

“I don’t know. I mean this is a big deal. These are the feds.”




In the board room of Ewing Industries Vaughn introduces Bobby. Bobby asks, “Where’s Punk and my brother?”

“Your brothers not on the board and Punk’s been missing for some time. Don’t worry we have a quorum. So officially you’re Vice Chairman, a role we just made up, and acting Chairman, until your father returns.”

“I thought he retired.”

“As Chief Executive Officer. He made JR CEO in addition to Chief Operations Officer so that day to day JR ran things. We’ve changed that too. You’re also acting CEO. That means you run the company. Monday when the chief officers meet in this room, they meet with you in charge.”

 

[stevew]

JR sits with Sue Ellen, John Ross and Lucy having breakfast on the patio overlooking the sea beyond the long lawn when Kristen walks out. John Ross and Lucy leave. Kristen walks up to the table, looking down at JR she says, "I need to talk to you."

Without looking at her JR responds, "Go ahead."

"Alone."

"There's nothing you can say Sue Ellen can't hear."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."

"I'm pregnant."

"Congratulations."

"It's your baby."

"No it's not."

Sue Ellen stands and says to JR, "It's disappointing to think my own sister is no better than this."

Kristen says, " What ever Sue Ellen. Maybe you just need to move out. You haven't made him happy. So why don't you just go."

Sue Ellen looks her over, "You're saying I should go?" She Ellen walks by her, "JR, get this trash out of my house," and walks inside.

Kristen goes to speak when JR stands and says, "Shut up Kristen."

"Shut up! Listen I don't think you understand what's going on. What do you think your parents are going to say? There friends?"

"About what? It's not my child."

"Yes it is."

"I had a vasectomy after John Ross was born. So, I don't know who that child belongs to, but it's not me. Now, Sue Ellen's right. You need to leave."





Pamela walks into the lobby of the family's apartment building in the city, noticeably pregnant. The elder doorman says, "Headed to work, Mrs. Ewing?"

"Yes. I'm gonna keep working right up until the time."

"Good for you. Do you plan on taking off much time afterwards?"

"I don't know. Things are going great at work, so I had to put a halt to them with taking time off."

"Well maybe Mr. Ewing will take time off. He was the best uncle when Lucy and John Ross were growing up. He brought them into the city all the time for ball games. They were the cutest taking tennis lessons and Mr. Ewing went to every match. It's so nice to see him having a baby of his own."

"Yea he is pretty excited. But his job at Ewing Industries is going well too. He's Chairman now, well at least until his father returns."

"How is he doing?"

"I guess he's fine. Bobby's spoke with him. Eleanor went down to be with him."

"That's good to hear. The family has been going through a lot lately. Do you know what's going on?"

"A lot of coincidences."

"I hope things get better for the family. And they will with this new baby. Baby's have a way of making things better again."

"I think so too. Have a nice day Tad." Pamela pats the counter and walks toward the doors out onto the street. Before she reaches the doors they blow in, an explosion of force and shattered glass. Pamela flies up off her feet comes slamming down on the hard floor twenty feet behind her.

 

[stevew]

 

[stevew]

A helicopter marked ‘Dallas Dairy Farm’ land off the side of the hospital.

JR and Sue Ellen run into the emergency room. Sue Ellen saying, “Is she OK, Bobby?”

Bobby grabs up JR by his shirt, “I’m gonna kill you!”

Security pulls them apart.




In a private conference room of the hospital JR says, “You really want to know!”

“Yes I want to know. Who’d you piss off?”

“Ewing Trade and Transport was hacked. I paid five million I ransom to the hackers to get things back on line so we didn’t shut down the home state.”

“What the hell.”

“I’m not alone. The fees just keep going up. But I needed to quickly restore service. Think what a long term interruption would have done to our customers and to our ability to cover debt.”

“That doesn’t explain what’s going on.”

“Dad was pissed. So, he spent fifty million to kill the hackers.”

“Kill them?”

“That’s right. Right in front of their families, a very clear message.”

“So this is these families retaliating?”

“No. Those families aren’t capable of retaliation.”

“Then who?”

“The government which sponsored them. We’re at war Bobby. And the enemy is right here among us. What we did to them in the ‘90’s, they’re using our okay book against us. You want to hate me or dad, go ahead. You’re a weak child. Do what you gotta do. But know this, so will I, so will dad.”

“Who are we talking about?”

“If you have to ask you’re either too stupid to understand or are among the willfully ignorant they’ve recruited here among us.”

“So you paid. Things are back up and running?”

“It was of some use, but no. It wasn’t enough to immediately restore the pipeline’s systems. It took sometime but we got back up and running. In mean time dad and some associates too care of Chernaya Storona’s infrastructure. That’s what the call themselves. I’m still dealing with issues, like billing. And worst of all the fact that people now know the name Ewing. Anonymity has its value.”

“So what do we do?”

“We? The company was handed over to you. Dads in the hospital and I’m waiting to hear from you. Mother’s safe up north, though I’m sure she’s as angry at me as you are.”

“You should have told me sooner.”

“Told you what? Hide under your bed? You don’t trust me because you live in some fantasy world where we’re running a mom and pop shop and all we’ve got to do is smile and be nice to the customers. Why you think you were approached to take over running the company and Punk wasn’t around? And exactly who’s buzzing in your ear about what you should do? That girl in there? Pam Barnes? You want to know why I didn’t tell you anything, why I’m still gonna be vague with you? I don’t trust you and what you’ll say. I can’t trust you. And while you’re a good face to the company and dad likes that, he obviously doesn’t trust you either.”

 

[stevew]

JR walks into the living room to see Sue Ellen pouring a drink already in an inebriated state. “Pouring another?”

She takes a deep breath and turns around, holding the decanter and glass. “How aren’t you drunk, like all the time?”

“You saw Pam, how is she?”

“How is she having lost her baby? About the same as I was each time I did.”

“So she hates me too.”

“Of course she does. That’s why I don’t get it. Why you’re never drunk. Everyone hates you. Isn’t that what your mother says when she left, that she hates you? And your father, he must hate you too, leaving you all this mess. Is he dead? Do you have his body on ice somewhere, afraid of his will?”

“You’re drunk Sue Ellen.”

“That’s right I am. And why aren’t you?”

“Your bothers hate you. Lucy must hate you, having driven her father from here. Oh and Ray, keeping his secret that he’s really Jock’s bastard.”

“That’s enough.”

“And if John Ross really knew who you were, he’d hate you too.”

“You’re a drunken bitch.”

“Everyone you do business with. Cliff Barnes, especially now you’ve got him thrown off the case which was gonna finally put you away.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The board of the company. Yet you’re still not drunk yourself. These people you’re father’s dealing with, that you keep telling us is why all this is happening. All the debt you manage. All the people who suffer because of you. When’s the last time you paid any taxes you greedy scum. All the scheming. How do you do it, do it sober anyway?” She walks to him. “Never mind.” Pushes the decanter into his chest and walks past him.

JR look hurt.

Later that night in the cool dark, standing out in the dock, JR watches a green light slowly blink like a throbbing tooth ache. He stands stoic. Then cutting through the silence three gun shots and three bullets hitting him, shoving him about until he falls down onto the cold, dirty wood planks.




‘Who Shot JR?’