BROTHERS BY CHOICE

BROTHERS BY CHOICE PART THREE — LAKKY'S GUILT INT. LAKKY'S BEDROOM — NIGHT Lakky sits on the edge of his bed. His school uniform hangs on the wall. His acceptance letter is on the desk. But he can't look at it. All he can see is Dohdoh being placed into handcuffs. His mother enters. MOTHER Lakky? He quickly wipes his eyes. LAKKY I'm good. She sits beside him. MOTHER You've barely spoken since last night. Lakky says nothing. MOTHER Did something happen? Lakky looks at her. For a moment, he almost tells her everything. Then he remembers Dohdoh's voice. "You got a future, bro." Lakky looks down. LAKKY Nothing happened. His mother hugs him. Lakky closes his eyes. And silently cries. EXT. COURTHOUSE — DAY Dohdoh is led into the courthouse in handcuffs. Across the street, Lakky watches from inside a car. He sees Dohdoh turn his head. Their eyes meet. Dohdoh gives him a tiny nod. Lakky looks away. He can't bear it. THE COURT DECISION INT. COURTROOM — DAY The courtroom is silent. The judge looks over the case. Dohdoh stands before the court. JUDGE You have been found guilty of the death of another man. Dohdoh says nothing. JUDGE Taking responsibility for your actions does not erase the seriousness of what happened. Lakky sits in the back of the courtroom. His hands are trembling. The judge delivers the sentence. JUDGE You are sentenced to a substantial term of imprisonment. The gavel falls. BANG. Lakky's eyes fill with tears. Dohdoh turns toward the gallery. He sees Lakky. For a second, the courtroom disappears. They're twelve again. Sharing a patty. Talking about their future. Dohdoh smiles. Lakky silently mouths: LAKKY I'm sorry. Dohdoh shakes his head. Then the guards take him away. YEARS OF GUILT MONTAGE Lakky finishes school. He studies harder than anyone around him. He graduates. He joins the police. He receives his badge. People congratulate him. But every achievement feels empty. Whenever someone says: "You should be proud." Lakky thinks about Dohdoh. Every night, he wonders: "What kind of man would my brother have become if I had told the truth?" PART FOUR — DOHDOH BUILDS AN EMPIRE INT. PRISON — NIGHT Years have passed. Dohdoh has learned something important: Prison isn't only about surviving fights. It's about understanding people. He meets men with connections outside. Men who know how money moves. Men who know how criminals organize themselves. Dohdoh listens. He watches. He remembers. But he doesn't rush. One prisoner tells him: MACKA You got something most men in here don't have. DOHDOH What's that? MACKA Patience. Dohdoh smiles. MACKA When you get outside, don't be somebody's soldier. Dohdoh looks at him. MACKA Build your own name. That sentence stays with him. DOHDOH'S FIRST MOVE EXT. KINGSTON — NIGHT After Dohdoh's release, he reconnects with several men he met during his time inside. He doesn't immediately try to become king. He starts by helping people. He earns loyalty. Then he starts making money through the drug trade. Soon, people begin coming to him instead of the older men. Dohdoh isn't the loudest man. He's the one who thinks ahead. His organization grows. Then one night, he calls two trusted members into a room. DOHDOH I want something bigger. MAN How big? Dohdoh looks at him. DOHDOH Big enough that nobody ever has to tell us we're poor again. THE MONEY TRUCK EXT. INDUSTRIAL ROAD — DAY A heavily guarded money truck travels through the city. Two of Dohdoh's men watch from a distance. Their assignment is simple: Take the money and disappear. But Dohdoh has deliberately kept himself away from the operation. He doesn't want his face connected to it. The robbery begins. Everything goes wrong almost immediately. Sirens. Panic. People running. The men barely escape. INT. SAFE HOUSE — NIGHT Dohdoh waits. The door bursts open. His men rush inside carrying bags. Everyone is breathing heavily. Dohdoh looks at the bags. Then at his men. DOHDOH Everybody alive? They nod. Dohdoh opens one bag. His expression changes. For the first time, he realizes what they have accomplished. The money is enough to change their lives. DOHDOH Nobody talks. Nobody spends crazy. Nobody gets comfortable. One of the men laughs. MAN Boss... we're rich. Dohdoh looks at him. DOHDOH No. He closes the bag. DOHDOH We're just getting started. THE RISE MONTAGE The stolen money changes everything. Dohdoh buys legitimate businesses. He gets expensive cars. He moves into a mansion. His men dress differently. The community starts seeing him as a powerful businessman. But behind the clean image is an expanding criminal organization. Dohdoh's name spreads throughout Kingston. People who once ignored him now ask for his help. People who once threatened him now show respect. The prison lessons have become his foundation. Patience. Loyalty. Silence. Fear. He remembers every lesson. PART FIVE — LAKKY TRIES TO SAVE HIS FRIEND INT. POLICE STATION — NIGHT Lakky is now an officer. He secretly discovers that Dohdoh is still alive and has become a major figure in the criminal world. He is devastated. LAKKY Dohdoh... He sits alone. He realizes the truth: His friend didn't become a criminal because he was born evil. His friend became one after spending years paying for Lakky's mistake. Lakky decides he has to find him. Not arrest him. Save him. EXT. ABANDONED BUILDING — NIGHT Lakky finally meets Dohdoh face-to-face. Dohdoh stares at him. Neither man speaks. Finally— DOHDOH Look at you. Lakky's eyes become wet. LAKKY I never stopped thinking about you. Dohdoh laughs bitterly. DOHDOH That's funny. LAKKY I can get you out. Dohdoh's smile disappears. DOHDOH Out of what? LAKKY All of this. Dohdoh looks around. DOHDOH This is what I became. LAKKY Because of me. Silence. Lakky steps closer. LAKKY You took my life sentence and carried it for me. Dohdoh looks away. LAKKY Let me give you your life back. Dohdoh doesn't answer. THE OFFICER'S DECISION Lakky realizes that the system will never simply release Dohdoh. So he makes a terrible choice. He decides to help his friend escape custody when Dohdoh is temporarily being transported. Lakky knows exactly what that means. If he helps Dohdoh escape, his own career—and freedom—are finished. But Lakky believes he owes Dohdoh his life. EXT. ROAD — NIGHT A police vehicle carrying Dohdoh stops unexpectedly. Lakky is there. He opens the door. Dohdoh looks at him. DOHDOH What are you doing? LAKKY Giving you the chance I should've given you years ago. Dohdoh steps out. DOHDOH And you? Lakky removes his police badge. He looks at it one last time. Then throws it into the vehicle. LAKKY I'm coming with you. Dohdoh stares at him. DOHDOH You crazy. Lakky smiles through tears. LAKKY Maybe. The two brothers run into the darkness. Behind them, the life Lakky built is collapsing. But ahead of them is something neither man understands yet. Freedom. Fear. To be Continue..