Brazil Page #17

JACK:

There are some real bastards in this

department who don't mind breaking a

few eggs to make an omelette, but

thank God there are the new boys like

me who want to maintain decent

civilized standards of terrorist

eradication. We've got the upper hand

for the moment, but they're waiting

for us to slip up, and a little slip-

up like this is just the chance

they're looking for.

SAM:

So how ...?

JACK:

What I've got to do now is pick up

Tuttle, interrogate him at the same

voltage as Buttle, to the same meter

reading to the last penny, and juggle

the books in electrical banking.

SAM:

What has Tuttle done?

JACK:

We suspect him of freelance

subversion.

SAM:

(dumbly)

He's a freelance subversive?

JACK:

He's a compulsive heating engineer. A

maverick ex-Central Service repair

man with a grudge against society.

Now, fortunately, we're nearly out of

the wood, I think. At least we will

be when I get this Layton woman under

arrest.

JACK turns off taps and goes behind screen.

SAM:

(agitated)

What's she done?

JACK:

You didn't know as much about this

business as you pretended to, did

you?

SAM:

Er ... no.

JACK:

Very smart.

SAM:

Er ... but I would've found out

anyway.

JACK:

Yes. I'm impressed.

SAM:

(playing the game)

Tell me about Layton.

JACK:

She witnessed the Tuttle arrest - the

Buttle arrest - and since then she's

been making wild allegations,

obviously trying to exploit the

situation - she's working for

somebody, and she's not working for

us.

SAM:

A terrorist?

JACK comes from behind the screen with a look confirming

just what SAM fears, and hands him a suit.

SAM:

Ah ... thanks.

SAM begins to put the suit on.

SAM:

(hesitantly)

But surely, I mean, perhaps she just

happened to live above the Buttles,

and ...

JACK:

(picking up photograph of

wife and kids from his

desk)

Look after that suit, eh. Barbara

chose it for me.

SAM:

Right. Er, you're not going to keep

calling her Barbara, are you?

JACK:

Barbara's a perfectly good name,

isn't it?

SAM:

(preferring to let his

drop)

Look, about the Layton woman - maybe

she's just trying to help the Buttle

family.

JACK:

Why?

SAM:

Why? Hell, not for any reason ...

JACK:

{baffled)

I don't follow you.

SAM:

Out of kindness.

JACK:

(utterly baffled)

Kindness? What's the purpose behind

this line of enquiry?

SAM:

(deciding to abandon this

line of country)

So what are you going to do about

her?

JACK:

Get her out of circulation - I've put

her on the detention list.

SAM:

(thinking fast)

You mean you're going to invite her

in so that she can spill the beans

inside the department?

JACK:

(taken aback)

Well, I ... Good point. What do you

suggest?

SAM:

Let me try to get to her. I'll

deactivate her.

JACK:

What does that mean? I don't want to

be involved in anything unsavoury.

SAM:

Trust me. You do trust me, don't you?

JACK:

Of course. We went to school

together. You're my oldest friend.

SAM:

And you're mine.

JACK:

You're the only person I can trust.

SAM:

Then we'd better keep this business

just between the two of us.

JACK:

Right! Just between as and the

Security Forces.

SAM:

They weren't at school with us.

JACK:

But, I've already put her on the

search and detain list.

SAM:

Take her off the list.

JACK:

There's no procedure for that until

she's been arrested.

SAM:

Say it was a mistake.

JACK:

We don't make mistakes.

SAM:

Well, I'd better get out there and

try to get to her before security

does. Let me borrow her dossier for a

while.

JACK:

Er ... alright. For Christ's sake

don't lose it. Here, you'd better

sign for it.

JACK presents SAM with something to sign. He then gives

him the dossier.

SAM:

Thanks, Jack. I'll be in touch.

JACK:

Do you know what you're doing.

SAM:

(about to say no, then

pauses)

Trust me.

JACK:

(admiring Sam's new look)

Sam ... we're proud to have you at

Information Retrieval. Merry Xmas.

(he hands Sam another

executive package)

73 INT. CORRIDOR DAY 73

SAM steps out of Room 5001, newly suited with old suit

over arm. TWO GUARDS are guiding a BAGGEE down the

corridor ahead of him. Suddenly, the BAGGEE breaks away

from his GUARDS and begins to cannonball down the corridor

directly at SAM. SAM is flattened against the wall as the

BAGGEE rockets by.

CUT to GUARDS strolling past SAM.

CUT to BAGGEE running full tilt to the end of the

corridor, smashing into the wall, bouncing back, getting

up (now cross-ways in the corridor), bouncing off that

wall, then the wall behind him, then ...

74 INT. LIFTDAY 74

Slightly unnerved, SAM gets in the lift, pushes the button

for his floor - the 30th - and immediately begins perusing

JILL's dossier. The lift descends. But unnoticed by SAM

continued past his floor without stopping. It stops at the

Lobby Mezzanine. SAM looks up and realizes he is on the

wrong floor. Angrily he pushes the correct floor number

but before the doors close he hears an angry woman's voice

echoing through the massive lobby. He looks in the

direction of the porters desk. There stands JILL arguing

with the PORTER.

JILL:

But you've stamped this form before!

Why won't you stamp it now?

PORTER:

You've just said yourself, Miss,

we've already stamped it. Why should

we stamp it twice?

SAM is frozen. He can't believe what he sees. The lift

doors close. SAM is too slow to stop them. Madly he pushes

the buttons - to no effect. The lift descends. (At this

point we had better describe the lift. It is a cross

between the old metal grille lifts with accordion grille

doors and the super-sleek modern lifts that rise and fall

in glass tubes so that one can have panoramic views of

dramatic architectural spaces such as the lobbies of the

Ministry.)

SAM can see JILL and if JILL were to look up she could see

SAM descending. He is shouting and rattling the bars of

the lift cage but no sound escapes to catch her attention.

SAM sinks below the floor of the lobby desperately trying

to stop the demon lift. From his POV we see JILL

disappearing from view still arguing with the PORTER.

75 INT. BASEMENT DAY 75

The lift comes to rest. SAM is still trying to get it to

respond and return him to the lobby. TWO TECHNICIANS are

waiting as the doors open. From SAM's POV he sees them

hang a sign on the door and walk away. He bangs the

buttons for another moment with no result. He looks out of

the lift and is able to read the sign - "LIFT OUT OF

ORDER". Frantically he looks around for another lift. All

the others are on distant floors - then he spots one off

to one side, its doors standing open. Rushing over to it

he leaps inside and reaches to push the floor number - but

there are no numbers on the buttons, only letters. Before

he can sort this out a voice shouts at him.

VOICE:

Hey, you - get out of there.

A GUARD approaches looking tough and mean.

GUARD:

What do you think you're doing ...

that's the Deputy Minister's lift.

SAM:

Sorry, I'm in a hurry.

GUARD:

Hold on, sonny ... let's see your

I.D.

SAM fumbles through his pockets desperate to get back to

the lobby before JILL leaves. He has forgotten he is

wearing his new I.D. badge. The GUARD can't see it because

JILL's dossier is covering it.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote