The voice of THOTH. Talking about pyramids...

 

CONTINUED:

BEK OUTSIDE Jumps over to the NEXT WINDOW, opening into a HALLWAY. He speaks furtively with Zaya as she leaves Urshu’s office... BEK this is the last day you’ll be forced to serve him. (beat) I’m buying you from that bastard. ZAYA with what? BEK At the festival, there’ll be tons of tribute for the king. The idea is beyond comprehension to her. ZAYA You plan to rob a god? In his palace? Set can kill you with a touch. BEK He also has a lot of money. ZAYA you’ve never tried anything like that before. BEK You doesn’t know what I’ve tried. ZAYA (grips her Horus figurine) Have faith. Bek dismissively waves away the wishful thinking. BEK Even if Horus comes and puts a spear through Set’s skull -- then what? In Egypt you’re either rich, poor... (off the slaves outside) ...or nothing. Zaya doesn’t have a response. It’s the hard truth. BEK I choose rich.

Bek gives Zaya a last kiss and LEAPS OFF THE WINDOW LEDGE. BACK IN URSHU’S OFFICE As the Overseers summarizes the day’s progress... Urshu catches sight of an oddly bright dot on the floor... He bends to touch it -- a drop of OIL, reflecting the sun. ON URSHU. Sniffing it. Suspicious. URSHU Mendesian. EXT. GREAT OBELISK - DAY Bek EXITS Urshu’s luxurious FOREMAN’S PAVILION... Snatches an untended JUG OF WATER to blend in with the other FREE MEN running errands to and from the FRONT GATE... SOLDIERS OF SET Monitor the site. Uniforms emblazoned with Set’s RED SYMBOL. Bek sees a LINE OF NEW SLAVES file through the GATE in chains, fresh labor for the Obelisk... BEK (to himself) Always someone’s got more than you, but always someone’s got less... Bek hears CRIES OF PAIN and the SIZZLE of burnt flesh. HIGH PRIESTS OF SET stand before burning braziers. They MUTTER incantations. The flames turn an unnatural BLOOD RED. The Priests heat BRANDING IRONS in the magical flames and BRAND the newcomers’ shoulders, marking them as slaves. NEARBY, a DESPERATE SLAVE in the work zone is delirious with dehydration... Bek inadvertently catches his eye... DESPERATE SLAVE (off Bek’s jug of water) Please. ON BEK. He doesn’t want to get involved... but he can’t just leave the guy like this. Bek surreptitiously ROLLS THE JUG to the Desperate Slave... A CRUEL OVERSEER’S BOOT comes down on the jug. He scans the crowd to see who sent the water... Bek keeps his head down.

The Desperate Slave’s last bit of hope empties into the dust. He makes a MAD DASH for the GATE -- and accidentally COLLIDES with Bek... BEK (voice low to the Slave) Don’t. You bear Set’s brand. You’re cursed now. The Slave won’t listen. He runs wildly, PASSING the Gate -- BEK You can’t leave -- The burnt flesh of the Slaves’s brand SPREADS ACROSS HIS BODY like a cancer. The dark magic turns the slave to DUST. This is “Set’s Curse.” For the branded, there is no way out... ON BEK. Repulsed. But that’s the way of things. He has other, more pressing concerns... GUARD (waving Bek through) Enjoy the festival. EXT. HELIOPOLIS - DAY The capital of Egypt sits on the banks of the mighty NILE. Merchant ships crowd the river like an ancient superhighway. It’s as if Manhattan were carved from marble then gilt in gold. Engineering beyond anything we associate with the ancient world. Brand new pyramids shine, smooth as glass. And towering over everything, like a buttress supporting the sky, is Set’s Obelisk. PUSH IN ON A long procession of WEALTHY NOBLES steadily move up a GRAND AVENUE lined on both sides by towering golden statues... Toward the palace GATE. There’s anticipation in the air for the FESTIVAL celebrating Set’s defeat of Osiris, those names on everyone’s lips. The POOR are pressed along the avenue... They stare longingly at the privileged wealthy as they pass... ON BEK. Amongst the throng of poor. His expression isn't exactly longing, but that of a hunter locked on his quarry:

A caravan of tribute loaded with every TREASURE imaginable... CHESTS of GOLD, IVORY, LAPIS and PRECIOUS STONES. A simple FISHERMAN elbows Bek, making conversation. FISHERMAN Imagine having all that... BEK I can. INT. GREAT PALACE COMPLEX - DAY A grand, open-air “Hypostyle” COURTYARD that seats hundreds. It’s surrounded by row after row of colossal PILLARS like a forest of stone. AT THE GATE, Bek enters with the crowd... A broad-shouldered HOODED MAN walks with purpose, accidentally shoulder-checking Bek. BEK Watch it. The Hooded Man MOVES ON without noticing. Bek sniffs. Rude. REVEAL the Hooded Man is Horus... Bek DARTS stealthily behind a pillar, avoiding the watchful eyes of SOLDIERS... Bek’s fingertips find seams in the limestone as he CLIMBS... No one the wiser. Osiris’ glittering Palace has changed since we last saw it. Now the seat of Set’s power. His ARMED SOLDIERS are everywhere. RED BANNERS drape from the marble heights. They look like never-ending streams of blood. SET Sits on a THRONE on a raised dais. Implacable. NOBLES file by Set’s feet. Bow deeply. In fear. In awe. Blessed to be in his presence. Set does not look at them, nor the TREASURES they bear. He is consumed by his own thoughts. HATHOR Laughs. A sound beautiful as summer raindrops. The beautiful Goddess of Love, Music, and Alcohol, 20s, stylish in a turquoise sheath dress. She sits close to Set, her hand on his knee. The most desirable woman anyone has ever seen. HATHOR (flicking her hair) How can you ignore such treasure? Hathor is speaking of herself, of course, and Set knows it. SET Today has a single purpose. She’s a perfect beauty. Perfect company. But we sense it’s a mask. We can’t see what’s going on behind her eyes. Festival-goers crowd in... MUSICIANS play pipes and drums. DANCERS SHAKE ceremonial rattles -- and everything else, too. HATHOR (to Set) You really think he’s going to come? After all this time? SET (dry) I’m honoring his father. How can he not? BEK HIGH OVERHEAD HOPS from PILLAR TO PILLAR in a chain of death-defying leaps... Moving toward the PILE OF TRIBUTE... IN THE GRAND COURTYARD The music STOPS. Time for the entertainment to begin. An ORATOR sets the stage for today’s performance... ORATOR (speaking to the crowd) Today we mark the ascension of our King to Egypt’s throne... as we celebrate the downfall of craven Osiris at his hand. A brutish actor/warrior playing “OSIRIS” stalks out into the courtyard. The Audience BOOS... Another actor/warrior plays “Set.” He wears a RED HELMET that looks like a strange LONG-SNOUTED BEAST with sharp ears. ORATOR Witness, fine lords and glorious gods, a reenactment of the supreme Lord Set’s brave vanquishing of the wretched pretender to the crown. The Nobles in the stands wait expectantly for the action... No less excited are a congress of LESSER GODS Chattering in low tones, lest they offend Set. They look like idealized humans, above lowly mankind. Notable among them a GOD OF VIRILITY with the personality of a Donkey. A humorless HARVEST GODDESS. And MNEVIS A bullish God of Butchers. Head of Set’s Palace security. There’s also a HALF-DOZEN BABOONS off to the side of Set’s throne. They hunch over papyrus scrolls, busily writing down what they see. One Baboon accidentally spills his ink... staining Mnevis’ sandal. Mnevis draws a sword to slay the offending creature. SET Mnevis -- it is my guest. MNEVIS The God of Wisdom was your guest. He sent baboons. SET Thoth prefers his own company. ORATOR (to the crowd) Behold the liberation of our splendid Egypt! “Osiris” ATTACKS “Set.” “Set” fights back in self-defense. A mockery of the true events. The Audience is riveted. HATHOR This isn’t the story I remember. SET One of the spoils of victory is chronicling your opponent’s defeat. And the cruder the performance, the more likely Horus will be baited. HOODED HORUS Watches the “entertainment” from the shadows BEHIND THE STANDS. Anger building...

HIGH ANGLE, AMONGST THE PILLARS Bek DANGLES like a spider over the PILE OF TREASURE. Below, the GUARDS are distracted by the show... But a PORTLY PRIEST hovers over the gifts, cataloguing them. Bek scoops a fingerful of accumulated DUST from atop a column... Lets it DRIFT DOWN... The Portly Priest SNEEZES... giving Bek the chance to silently DROP behind the treasure. Bek fills his pockets with jewelry. But there’s only so much he can carry... Bek’s eyes a fancy CHARIOT... It’ll fit the bill nicely. IN THE COURTYARD The “Set” actor WINS, pinning the “Osiris” actor beneath his boot. CELEBRATION ERUPTS at “Set’s victory.” The God of Virility BRAYS. A fine show, indeed. HOODED HORUS Has seen enough. He takes a step toward the throne... A HAND clamps down on Horus’ shoulder -- WEPWAWET (voice low) This is what he wants. It’s Wepwawet. Also disguised. Horus is surprised to see him -- and irritated to be caught by his teacher. WEPWAWET Let’s get out of here while we can. With a colossal act of will, Horus FOLLOWS Wepwawet away... SET On his throne. His eyes searching the crowd, disappointed... HATHOR Oh well. Guess you’ll have to wait another ten years. SET I’m not finished. Set steps INTO THE COURTYARD. The audience watches with bated breath... as Set circles the trembling “Osiris.” SET (addressing all present) It is important that the manner of Osiris’ death be known... That the scribes mark the record true. The Actor “Osiris” weeps with fear, GROVELLING at Set’s feet. SET Osiris begged before dying. ON HORUS AND WEPWAWET Horus stops in his tracks. Seething... WEPWAWET Keep walking... SET Touches the “Osiris” Actor... The man DRIES into a mummified husk, shrivelling like salt poured on a slug. The body turns to dust. Same fate as the cursed slave at the Obelisk... SET No King of Egypt should beg. HORUS Is pushed to the limit. He throws off his cloak, uncovering a clutch of SPEARS -- WEPWAWET Don’t -- SET Senses something -- A SPEAR STREAKS at him like a missile. It creases Set’s ear, as he barely DODGES out of the way -- The God of Virility, however, is PINNED TO A PILLAR. Horus strides into the courtyard, SPEAR in each fist... The eyes of Osiris’ son burn with vengeance. A hush falls... HORUS Today I bring truth. Today I avenge my father for the evil done to him.

ON BEK. Seeing Horus in the flesh for the first time, he can’t help but be in awe. ON THE NOBLES. Whispering in fear, “He’s come.” ON THE LESSER GODS. Nervous they’ve chosen the wrong side. ON THE LOWER CLASSES, peering in from outside. Their savior is here. ON HATHOR. She catches Horus’ eye. There’s history here. He sees her as an enemy. She doesn’t see him that way -- but won’t let it show. Set grips his SCEPTER, a deadly 5,000 pound iron monstrosity. SET I was hoping my nephew was coming to swear his eternal devotion. (a half smile, to Horus) It’s not too late to bow before me. HORUS I’ll bow to your dust. It begins. Their WEAPONS CLANG loud as a thousand swords. SET (genuinely impressed) I mistook your absence for cowardice. But you’ve been practicing. Lesser gods JUMP ASIDE. Mnevis draws his sword halfway... then stops. All afraid of Horus. HORUS (to the lesser gods) Now, later... it doesn't matter. Horus ferociously CHARGES -- sends Set BACKPEDALING into THE FOREST OF PILLARS Bek SCAMPERS UP A PILLAR like a monkey to get out of the way... Priests and Nobles run hither and thither... Horus SHOULDERS PILLARS ASIDE like a battering ram... The gods’ fierce duel takes them RIGHT BELOW BEK. His high perch TOTTERS like a gargantuan bowling pin... Bek LEAPS onto another pillar. Safe until a mighty swing of Set’s scepter CRACKS that pillar, too. BEK Oh come on. High above the clashing titans, Bek BOUNDS from pillar to pillar as they fall like dominoes... Bek eyes the CHARIOT OF TREASURE below -- at least the godcombat scattered the Soldiers... Bek SLIDES DOWN a tipping pillar like a ramp... HOPS A RIDE on another pillar about to grind him to a pulp... ...and drops TO THE FLOOR, next to the Chariot. HORUS Loses sight of Set in the maze of Pillars... Now he hunts. But every time he has a bead on Set, he’s GONE the second Horus STRIKES. Set is everywhere and nowhere... SET I thought your sight was perfect, but you aim like a drunk. HORUS God of Confusion, I can see everything. HORUS’ P.O.V. Looking through the pillars with X-RAY VISION. Sees multiple Sets -- but only one casts a shadow. His vision focuses to a narrow beam, pinpointing his target -- Horus THROWS. The SPEAR flies true -- It punches through two pillars on its way to Set, STRIKING HIM IN THE CHEST. Set FALLS. The CROWD GASPS. Nobles, in horror. The poor, exultantly... HORUS Die god of rot. Your body will be given to the cats, and the offal cast to the reptiles. But Set RISES, very much alive. SNAPS the spear. HORUS (stunned) Why aren't you dead? SET Maybe you should have practiced more. ON HORUS. It makes no sense. Frustration fans his anger. BEK STRAPS the Chariot’s BRIDLE around his shoulders. BEK Second thing I’m going to buy is a horse... Bek hears an inhuman screech. He thought he’d seen it all: Horus transforms into a GREAT FALCON. Set responds by becoming the massive, four-legged JACKALCREATURE. Wings beating, the Falcon digs CLAWS into its foe. Bek DUCKS as the god-beasts GRAPPLE... It’s only a matter of moments before the whole temple collapses. Bek PULLS the chariot like a mule, teeth gritted -- but the Portly Priest and two SOLDIERS block his way. PORTLY PRIEST You’re a thief. BEK And you’re a priest. (looks him in the eye) The question is, which one of us is more committed to his job? A chunk of stone HITS right beside them. The Portly Priest and Soldiers RUN. So much for commitment. Bek throws his weight into the bridle as pillars SMASH DOWN all around him. He HEAVES the Chariot, threads the needle -- OUT OF THE PALACE As the whole structure comes CRASHING DOWN. Bek made it. From out of the wreckage, the Jackal-Creature CLAMPS its jaws on the Falcon and FLINGS it into the giant PALACE GATE. The Falcon TRANSFORMS back to HORUS, getting his bearings. The impact CRACKED the GATE... If it falls, it’ll hit Bek’s chariot of treasure. Bek sees a NOBLEWOMAN near Horus, her dress pinned by RUBBLE. NOBLEWOMAN (to Horus) Help me... Horus RUSHES Set, oblivious to the Noblewoman and her fate. The stone gate TEETERS -- she’s sure to be crushed -- Bek makes a split-second decision. He pulls the Noblewoman OUT OF THE WAY as the Gate starts to FALL... NOBLEWOMAN Thank you, kind sir -- But Bek’s already RUNNING BACK to the chariot. LUGS IT out of the way in the nick of time as the Gate HITS -- The Noblewoman pats at her throat. Her NECKLACE is missing. BEK IN THE CROWD Casually tosses the necklace he just stole into the chariot, adding it to the rest of his treasure. SET In human form again, backs down the avenue lined with towering GOLDEN STATUES of Ra. Baiting Horus to follow... SET With no father to protect you, your mother came to me one night. Willing to do anything to keep you safe... Anything at all... HORUS Shut up... As Horus’ fury grows, heat distorts the air around him... SET Which, it turned out, was quite a lot. HORUS Shut up. As super-heated Horus pursues his enemy, cloth banners BURST INTO FLAME at his passing... Set smirks as Horus gets angrier and angrier. SET Wrath thy name is Horus. And by thy name undone. Horus feels a DROP on his shoulder. It’s MOLTEN GOLD. The giant golden statues are MELTING from Horus’ heat. They crumple like soft wax on top of him... He’s KNOCKED DOWN by the weight... Set STRIKES him with the full might of his scepter. Horus FLIES BACK in a spray of liquid gold -- Horus STRUGGLES to rise, but Set HAMMERS him... until Horus lies defeated. Set reaches down... And PLUCKS out both of Horus’ EYES. Horus’ eyes appear as JEWELS glinting magically in Set’s fist.

A theft of Horus’ very essence. SET (addressing the crowd) Even though I was provoked, Horus still lives. I am Set the merciful. Horus CRAWLS AWAY, BLINDED... gold running like a stream around him... ON HATHOR. A thousand emotions flash across her face before she successfully feigns disinterest... ON WEPWAWET. His worst fears have come to pass. THE CROWD is stunned. Even Set’s faithful are staggered by what’s transpired. For the Lower Classes, all hope is gone. BEK (to himself) This is why praying’s a waste of time. Bek COVERS his treasure with a torn banner and ROLLS IT AWAY. EXT. FOREST - DAY Dense forest. Horus CRAWLS, seeing only with his fingertips... his eyes BLINDFOLDED with torn cloth. HORUS (to the North Winds) Father... I failed. Horus pounds the ground in frustration. Trees tremble. INT. FORGE - GREAT PALACE CLOSE ON A HAMMER brought down on an ANVIL -- each blow bright as a meteor strike. A HELMET has been forged. The metal glows red as blood spilled by hate. Set admires his handiwork... and fits ONE JEWELED EYE of Horus into the faceplate. SET Finally. The Right Eye of Horus. EXT. FARMLAND - DAY Wepwawet follows a TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION, accompanied by SIX OTHER GODS in the form of athletic men and women... Allies of Horus. They see crops flattened. Boulders split. A granary reduced to rubble. Like a tornado cut a path through the farmland... FARMERS hurry past, fleeing the source of the mayhem. FARMER Turn back. He’s mad... Horus’ Allies keep following the trail... They find Horus on the move, blindly swinging his fists. Horus rips off branches, stiff-arms trunks into SPLINTERS. His eyes are wrapped with a BLINDFOLD torn from his tunic. WEPWAWET Easy, Horus... Horus HALTS, recognizing the voice. There’s nowhere to go anyway. Hot, impotent rage withers the grass at his feet. HORUS My anger did not defeat me. (baffled) He withstood a mortal blow from my spear... I don’t know how. Wepwawet does not want to provoke him by arguing the point. WEPWAWET Set’s trickery is famed. Wepwawet presses a bottle into Horus’ hand. Horus takes a drink. It calms him an iota. HORUS She was with him. And I doubt she was tricked. Emotion plays across Horus’ face at the thought of Hathor. WEPWAWET You’re always in Hathor’s heart, you know. HORUS (bitterly) Yes, she’s got a big heart. Room enough for a crowd in there. WEPWAWET The Goddess does what she needs to survive Set’s rule... And we will do what we need to end it. ON HORUS. Despair sets in. HORUS The last thing I saw was the face of my father’s murderer. Now it’s all I’ll ever see. WEPWAWET I’ve learned one of your eyes is secured in his treasury. We’re going to steal it back. Wepwawet, steely-eyed, stands ready. His six Comrades, too. HORUS (that’s madness) Set’s treasury is surrounded by deadly traps no god can pass. You told me that. WEPWAWET (gathering his courage) Any trap that can be sprung can be dodged. It’s time I tested my mettle against Set’s. HORUS It’s too dangerous. WEPWAWET In all the years we’ve been friends, when has it ever been safe? 25 EXT. FOREMAN’S PAVILION - GREAT OBELISK - DAY Set observes the countless slaves building his Great Obelisk. As he walks into the massive shadow it casts, the structure’s unfinished tip eclipses the SUN... URSHU (off the Obelisk) No one has so honored the great god Ra, who rises on the horizon day by day. SET I’m sure my father will find this pile of stone a worthy substitute for the son I killed. Set squints up at the sun... then turns to Urshu. SET you only have three days before the sun is at its closest... The Obelisk must be finished by then. URSHU It will be. Ra will pass by its high peak and marvel at the greatness you have built in his name. SET Truthfully, I honor myself as well. (ordering him) You will entomb these slaves within the Obelisk upon its completion. Urshu does not pause at the impending mass murder... URSHU It will be their honor to serve you even in death. ANGLE AROUND THE CORNER Bek overhears, alarmed. In rich man’s clothes, waiting beside his treasure-laden chariot for an audience with Urshu. SET Many of these mortals worshipped Horus. They will die with their prayers unanswered. ON BEK. He has got to get Zaya out of here, now. 26. INT. OFFICE - FOREMAN’S PAVILION - LATER Urshu’s busy going over the plans with his Engineers... His Guards bring “wealthy” Bek before him... BEK I’m here to purchase one of your servants. URSHU I can’t spare any. BEK Are you sure? Urshu sees the CHARIOT in the courtyard, full of treasure. Can’t help but be impressed. He gestures to his SERVANTS... URSHU Pick one and leave. But Bek doesn’t see Zaya among them... BEK Don’t you have one with green eyes? At this, Urshu and the GUARDS exchange a look... URSHU (cool, to the Head Guard) Fetch her. While they’re waiting, Urshu gets conversational... URSHU You’re a man of wealth. Have you had much problem with thieves? BEK Just have to be smarter than them. URSHU I’ve found evidence of an intruder. But I could find nothing stolen. Bek doesn’t like where this is headed... especially when he sees that GUARDS have blocked the windows and doors. URSHU So I had the place searched again, not to see if anything was missing... but to see if anything unusual could be found.

 27. Urshu holds up Zaya’s HORUS FIGURINE for Bek to see... Zaya’s DRAGGED IN by Guards, her clothes dirty and torn. BEK Zaya -- Zaya’s terrified. Urshu strokes her cheek... URSHU As if using my home for your fornicating wasn’t sufficient. (off her figurine) This didn’t save you, did it? Set is your god. Guards with DRAWN SWORDS encroach on Bek... Bek grabs Urshu’s ARCHITECTURAL PLANS -- Holds the plans in one hand, a burning LAMP in the other... BEK Be a shame if our beloved god’s obelisk wasn’t finished on time. Urshu signals his Guards to MOVE AWAY FROM THE DOOR... URSHU (nonchalant, to Bek) Take her, then. Zaya SNATCHES her HORUS FIGURINE off the floor... She and Bek BOLT OUT, tossing the plans once they’re clear. EXT. GREAT OBELISK - DAY Bek and Zaya RUN through the construction site, teeming with activity... Soldiers CONVERGE... AHEAD, two massive BLOCKS OF STONE, big as boxcars, are being pushed toward each other, the gap between them CLOSING FAST -- Bek and Zaya DASH THROUGH THE NARROWING GAP a moment before they would’ve been crushed. The Soldiers ARE CUT OFF, for the moment. Bek and Zaya reach THE MAIN GATE The SENTRIES here haven't been alerted yet... BEK We can make it --  ZAYA Just you. Zaya STOPS and pulls up her sleeve, revealing the brand of Set. She can never leave. ZAYA (with a grim smile) It stings a little. Bek reels... ZAYA I’ll manage... BEK (off the Obelisk) They’re going to kill the slaves soon as that thing’s done. ZAYA (shaken) How long? BEK Three days. (impotent fury) I’ll break the curse. I’ll kill Set myself. ZAYA (unwavering) You can’t. Only Horus can. BEK He fought like a fool and now he’s blind. ZAYA You always said you can steal anything... (presses the Figurine in Bek’s hand) Steal his eye. Give it back to him. The Soldiers are CLOSING IN, led by Urshu... ZAYA It’s the only way you can save me. BEK I’m not putting my faith in him. Zaya gives Bek a kiss goodbye -- a lifetime of passion pressed into seconds -- ZAYA We’ll argue about it later. Before Bek can stop her, Zaya runs into the clutches of the Soldiers. ON BEK. Slipping THROUGH THE GATE to freedom... He feels like his guts have been ripped open. INT. SET’S TREASURE VAULT A vast CHAMBER. Pillars, walls, ceiling -- every surface is METAL polished to a shine. Austere as a bank. A SHORT GUARD ENTERS, carrying a covered birdcage. It’s Bek in disguise. ON BEK. Focused. He won’t let Zaya down. Turning a corner, he sees the last thing he expected -- all the GUARDS are sprawled dead on the floor. Bek peers over the EDGE OF THE BALCONY... A DEEP ROOM the size of a football field. Endless GOLD BARS from wall to wall. The wealth of a god in ordered stacks. A LONG BRIDGE traverses the cavernous vault. Bek‘s eyes are drawn to something among the treasure UNDER THE BRIDGE... A groaning BODY. It’s Wepwawet, dying. The other SIX GODS lie dead among the gold. Wepwawet got the furthest, which isn’t very far at all. WEPWAWET You’re not a guard... BEK Tell me about the traps. What killed you? Wepwawet EXPIRES before he can answer. As a test, Bek TOSSES his helmet OVER THE BALCONY -- The helmet hits the floor of gold bricks... the bricks MOVE, attacking the helmet with STINGERS -- Underneath every brick lies a SCORPION, plump with venom. When the Scorpions realize there’s no flesh within the helmet, they rearrange themselves into neat rows, carrying the Bricks on their backs. You’d never know they were there. Bek scans the multitude of bricks with a shudder... BEK Where do you even get that many scorpions? The bridge is divided into THREE SPANS. The closest is made of SILVER. The next span is GOLD. The last he can’t see. Bek swallows hard... and considers the first hurdle: THE FIRST SPAN -- THE BRIDGE OF SILVER. Metal STATUES OF SET as a Jackal-Creature line the bridge on both sides, facing each other at ten foot intervals. To cross you have to walk past them. It’s unnerving. Bek removes the hood from his CAGE. Frees a pair of PIGEONS. Bek FLICKS a handful of BIRDSEED along the bridge... Watches the pigeons HOP along the tiles, PECKING -- The birds SPRING THE TRAP. Two statues of Set facing each other FLEX their METAL ARMS -- pulling a RAZOR SHARP WIRE taut between them. The pigeons COO, unscathed. It would have cut a man in half. BEK Be a mess to clean up. The trap RESETS. Pressure-sensitive floor-tiles? Maybe that’s what he’s supposed to think... Bek looks closer... ON BEK. So that’s Set’s secret: BEK (to a pigeon) It’s a bait-and-switch. Set doesn't think like a god. He thinks like a criminal. Bek notes the BIRD SHADOWS cast by the light of a BURNING BRAZIER... SNAP. It’s the bird’s shadow that triggers the trap. Bek LIGHTS a torch... Holds it out in front of him to ERASE THE SHADOW... And is able to cross the first span...

31. CONTINUED: (CONTINUED) THE SECOND SPAN -- THE BRIDGE OF GOLD. Also lined with Statues of Set -- but these grip long curved DAGGERS. Bek throws more seed. The pigeons trot over to eat it... Nothing happens until they FLUTTER INTO THE AIR -- The entire Bridge of Gold FOLDS IN ON ITSELF like a bear trap. The statues’ daggers slice together like giant scissors. The pigeons flit up out of danger. The bridge clanks OPENS, trap RESET. But what triggered it? Bek sees a PIGEON FEATHER dancing on an unseen WIND... Bek grinds a handful of birdseed into a fine POWDER under his heel... and BLOWS it into the AIR... revealing: A crisscrossing web of nearly invisible LINES -- jets of air blowing in all directions from the Statues’ mouths. If anything disrupts their stream, the trap is sprung. Bek BLOWS clouds of seed powder in front of him... navigating the maze of air “tripwires,” as he CROSSES THE SECOND SPAN... THE THIRD SPAN -- THE BRIDGE OF MAGIC. Built of BLACK STONE. Obsidian Statues of Set line the bridge, each holding an OBJECT of wonder and magic... A FEATHER OF THE PHOENIX, exquisite as a rainbow. The SKY NECKLACE OF SHU, made of cloud. A TAMARISK SAPLING, bare and withered. A GOBLET filled with milk from the breast of Nut. A GEMSTONE bright as the noonday sun. The Eye of Horus. BEK That’s it. Bek tosses a handful of birdseed... but the pigeons are hesitant to go further, spooked. BEK This is how you thank me for all the meals we’ve shared? Bek SPRINTS full bore down the bridge... SWATTING magic items off the statues as he passes -- TRAPDOORS open in front of each magic item as he KNOCKS THEM OFF... But Bek’s moving fast, one step ahead. He doesn't fall in -- The Feather flutters down... The Necklace floats away... Running, Bek GRABS the Eye of Horus. He’s going to make it -- In front of him, a thirsty PIGEON lands on the Goblet of Milk... BEK Oh no -- The pigeon TIPS OVER the goblet, tripping the trapdoor. Which is, unfortunately, right under Bek. Bek FALLS -- DOWN INTO THE VAULT Bek SLAMS onto gold bricks... Hears thousands of tiny legs skittering... Shuts his eyes and waits for stinging death. But death does not come. Bek opens his eyes... A MASS OF SCORPIONS surround Bek, stingers raised... all held at bay by the glowing Eye of Horus in his hand. The scorpions RETREAT from the light in a polluted tide. Bek looks at the Eye warming his palm... and triumphantly closes his fist over his prize. EXT. CANYON - SET’S TREASURE VAULT - DAY Bek EXITS the vault, making haste down the CANYON protecting Set’s treasury... The Eye GLOWS in Bek’s hand... HORUS (O.S.) Where are my allies? A SPEAR swings out of the shadows -- Bek barely DUCKS -- Blind Horus EMERGES from behind a boulder, smoldering like a volcano... Tracking Bek with keen ears. BEK They’re all dead. The news is like a knife through Horus. It can’t be true. HORUS You’ve got my eye. I can feel it. BEK It was there for the taking. I took it. HORUS No mortal could rob Set’s vault. You must have pilfered my eye from Wep’s corpse... BEK He never even got close. Horus STRIKES again, smashing a rock. It’s only because the god is blind -- and Bek is quick -- that Bek survives. BEK Stop. I have a proposition -- HORUS You dare bargain with me for what is mine? Horus JABS AGAIN. Bek dodges. BEK You’re lucky I’m willing to. You can’t hit a thing. HORUS He was the god of stealth. I knew of no one braver or more loyal. (dismissive) What are you? Some thief? BEK Yeah. Some thief. HORUS You want a reward I suppose? Gold? BEK Gold I can steal. (beat) There’s a slave I want freed. HORUS A lot of work for a slave. BEK I’m dedicated. She’s been cursed by Set. ON HORUS, cooling. He lowers his spear... HORUS And cursed she will be until Set’s death.

(holds out his palm) Seems we want the same thing. So give me my Eye. BEK I only have three days. HORUS Three days? BEK Set won’t need slaves after he finishes his little construction project. And he kills what he doesn’t need. HORUS I trained ten years for my first battle with Set -- and still I was not ready. Maybe twenty more -- BEK I don’t have twenty years. I don’t have a week. I have three days. HORUS It can’t be done. BEK (edge of desperation) Well figure it out. (off the Eye) Or maybe I should toss this in the Nile. HORUS Wait. ON HORUS, thinking. HORUS Did you really sneak past Set’s traps or was that an idle boast? BEK I boast, but I don’t lie. HORUS (mind working) Wep and I would sit up at night... talking of all the ways to kill that dung-eater. There was one mad plan, born of an excess of wine...

But even Wep did not have the skill. (to Bek) Today you did what he could not. Maybe tomorrow you can do more. BEK Me? HORUS I will kill Set in three days -- if you assist me. ON BEK. He wasn’t expecting to actually work with Horus... HORUS My eye, mortal. Do we have an agreement? BEK My name is Bek. Bek tosses the eye to Horus -- who pops it back in his head with a BURST OF LIGHT. Horus can see again, his empty socket still covered with the strip of cloth. Horus is able to look Bek up and down for the first time... HORUS You’re small, Bek. EXT. ROCKY GULLY - LATER Bek and Horus are in a secluded, rocky place. The two unlikely allies warily taking stock of each other. HORUS The God of the Desert will die if we destroy the desert itself. BEK All of it? HORUS Why, are you fond of sand? (beat) Within Set’s temple is the Fire that is the source of his power. Extinguish that, and he fades away. The whole of the Nile could not quench that fire... But a few drops from the waters of creation can. HORUS (CONT'D) (MORE)

I will fly to the heavens and collect some from the prow of Ra’s boat. Bek raises an eyebrow. Wow. BEK That’s a good job for you. HORUS Plainly. (continuing) However, Set’s Fire is guarded by the Sphinx. ON BEK. Worried. He’s heard the stories... BEK You know the answer to its riddle? HORUS No. BEK It’ll tear us to pieces. HORUS Which is why the second thing we must do is convince the God of Wisdom to answer it for us. (beat) A formidable task in its own right. BEK So what do you need me for? HORUS The hardest job of all. (beat) Set’s pyramid of sand is ten times the challenge his treasury is. Guarded by the deadliest traps he’s devised. Walls, floors, nothing stays still. Always moving. Made of crushing sand and stone. BEK A maze only the cleverest thief could conquer. HORUS I will settle for you.

HORUS (CONT'D) Horus and Bek CREST A RIDGE. A panoramic view of the land. In the distance, a malevolent strip of red: the Desert. HORUS Set will hunt us every step of the way. BEK Let him. Horus likes that answer. He looks at the SUN, low on the horizon... HORUS Keep out of trouble until I return. I go to collect water from creation or die in the doing. Horus TRANSFORMS into a Falcon and TAKES TO THE SKY -- Bek watches Horus FLY AWAY... Wondering what he’s gotten himself into. EXT. NEPHTHYS’ STRONGHOLD - SUNSET A mountain-top Aerie... UNDER SIEGE from Set’s SOLDIERS. Arrows fill the air, shooting down BIRDS trying to escape. SET (to his Archers, off the birds) Do not let a single messenger escape. INT. NEPHTHYS’ STRONGHOLD - SUNSET POUNDING at the gate... NEPHTHYS Is cornered. 40s, plain-faced. The Goddess of Weavers. Her great feathered WINGS are folded against her back. Great doors BREAK OPEN under a withering assault. Set RUSHES IN, flanked by his Soldiers. They engage a DOZEN GOD BODYGUARDS in fierce HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT. The Bodyguards flash various animal heads in the melee, but none of them can withstand Set’s mighty scepter. Nephthys shrinks back from Set, afraid but defiant... Set picks at a length of LINEN spilling from a loom.

SET Is it right that a goddess should perform such labor? They clearly have a past. They were once husband and wife, before the death of Osiris. NEPHTHYS Since you became king, the need for burial shrouds has been great. SET (brushes back her hair) You could have been a queen. NEPHTHYS Your brother was already married. Set fumes at the mention of Osiris, forever jealous. SET What if I told you I would pardon you for leaving me at my moment of triumph? You could wear the crown that is your right. NEPHTHYS (coldly) After all the years we shared, you should already know my answer. SET That makes this much easier. Set rips ONE OF NEPHTHYS’ WINGS from her body -- it clatters to the ground as GOLD. Nephthys looks to Set in horror. This is unthinkable. She uselessly flaps her remaining WING in a pathetic corkscrew attempt at escape, CRASHING back to the ground... Set TEARS OFF Nephthys’ other wing. She sinks to the floor, listless but conscious. NEPHTHYS (weakly, off her wings) You would rob me of my very essence... The others won’t stand for this. SET No one will know what’s happened here until it’s too late.

NEPHTHYS (can’t understand) Why? You’re already king... Set keeps the answer to himself... The bullish god Mnevis ENTERS. MNEVIS Lord. Your royal treasury has been breached. SET By who? MNEVIS A mortal. The smell is unmistakable. SET (alarmed) What did he steal? EXT. EGYPT AS SEEN FROM SPACE Horus the Falcon FLIES HIGH into the STRATOSPHERE... so high the curvature of the earth can be seen. From up here, the Nile’s blue line looks like the artery of creation. Above, through a break in the clouds... A magnificent SAILING SHIP cruising at the edge of space. RA’S BOAT. Its hull and splendid sails of purest gold. A titanic CHAIN rises from the ship’s deck into the heavens. Ra’s boat pulls THE SUN itself around the Earth each day. Horus the Falcon pushes himself higher... INTO THE CLOUDS... The air here is TURBULENT... for this is the chaotic, primordial stuff from the time before creation... Gusts tear violently at Horus the Falcon, throwing him back... The wind strips feathers from his wings, threatening to rip him apart... Battered, he FALLS... Plummeting to earth, Horus retakes the FORM OF A MAN, stunned like a pugilist... HORUS Father, let your strength be mine. Still falling, Horus finds it within himself to press on...