Eye In The Sky Page #14

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subject - in fact two British

subjects, and an American, and in a

friendly country - I think it is

right and proper for me to refer up

to the Foreign Secretary.

BENSON can’t believe WOODALE is passing the buck.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 73.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

(annoyed)

With respect, Minister, you have

heard the arguments and he hasn’t.

GEORGE:

And the rules of engagement mean

that the Prime Minister has already

approved it - and therefore the

Foreign Secretary’s input should

not be relevant...

WOODALE:

(interrupting, annoyed)

No, the point is, I have not been a

party to previous discussions with

the PM on such matters and the

Foreign Secretary will have been!

So... I do have a duty to refer the

matter to him.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

What am I telling Colonel Powell?

WOODALE:

Tell her to wait.

A beat. BENSON types a text into his laptop.

167 INT. PJHQ - LONDON - AFTERNOON 167

POWELL, sees the text pop up on her screen:

BENSON’S TEXT:
They’re referring up...

COLONEL POWELL:

Christ Almighty...

She turns to MUSHTAQ, at work on his computer.

COLONEL POWELL (CONT’D)

Do we have that CDE?

MUSHTAQ:

Yes, Ma’am.

MUSHTAQ uses his computer to put up an image of Amadu’s house

and compound on another of the large screens. Concentric

‘collateral damage’ circles are superimposed on the image.

He uses a laser pointer on his diagram of the layout of the

house and compound:

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 74.

MUSHTAQ (CONT’D)

If the men stay in this room - and

this here is the target area - we

would expect a one hundred per cent

mortality rate in the room, an

eighty-five to ninety-five per cent

mortality rate within this area and

anything outside the building -

this area here in the street - a

sixty-five to seventy-five per cent

rate. That is just the Hellfire. If

we factor in the explosives in the

vests... We are looking at even

more extensive damage - way out to

this area here - but I can’t

accurately estimate that payload.

COLONEL POWELL:

But we would be containing that

payload in the vests within those

walls, right? Far less collateral

damage than them going off in a

crowded shopping mall.

MUSHTAQ:

Yes... Of course.

COLONEL POWELL:

Thank you. Obvious to anyone not

trying to avoid making a decision.

MUSHTAQ watches POWELL walk back to her station - not

entirely comfortable with her fixation on using the missile.

168 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 168

CARRIE and STEVE are charged with adrenalin as they begin the

process of preparing to launch. STEVE reads from a 5 x 7 inch

well thumbed binder - his Dash 34 (-34) checklist:

STEVE:

Running the ‘dash thirty-four’

checklist. Carrie, call when ready.

CARRIE:

Ready.

STEVE:

Slant range, 22,000 feet, high

impact angle. Standby for targeting

brief.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 75.

169 INT. PJHQ - LONDON - AFTERNOON 169

POWELL looks at the live feed: Danford has stood up.

COLONEL POWELL:

Showman50, North20, when we attack,

you will need to extract your man

on the ground in a hurry. Prepare

him to leave the area.

170 INT. OPERATIONS ROOM - COMPANY D BASE - AFTERNOON 170

MAJOR OWITI:

Understood.

He begins to type a text on his laptop.

171 EXT. STREET - EASTLEIGH - AFTERNOON 171

KHALID is selling a bucket to a passerby.

JAMA sees a text from Owiti on his screen: ‘May need to

extract soon. Be ready to leave.’

JAMA JAMA (CONT’D)

(to the boy)Haye, mardhow waan baxayaa,

Okay, I’m going soon! You waa iska bixi kartaa hadda!

should leave now. (Haa-yay mar-dough wan-baa

hah-yah, wa iska beh-hay kartah

ha-dah!)

KHALID KHALID (CONT’D)

Just five more buckets, sir! Shan xabo baakat keliya

Please sir! qadayaa waaku baryaa! Mudane

waku baryaa!

(Shun haa-bo baa-kat ke-leeyah

gah-dah-yah waa-koo barryah!

Moo-dan-ay waa-koo barryah!)

JAMA JAMA (CONT’D)

Give me three, keep the other Seddex xabo isii haay lawada

two. kale.

(Sah-deh haa-bo ee-see hi lahwah-

dah kah-lay.)

KHALID KHALID (CONT’D)

Keep two? Labo keliya?

(Lah-bo key-lee-yah?)

JAMA JAMA (CONT’D)

And go. Soco. (So-oh.)

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 76.

KHALID KHALID (CONT’D)

Yes sir! Haye mudane!

(Hah-yay moo-dan-ay!)

JAMA JAMA (CONT’D)

Now. Hadda. (Hah-dah.)

A little confused, KHALID takes his two buckets and heads off

down the street.

JAMA sits quietly, watching the POV of his beetle, waiting

for the order from Major Owiti to leave.

172 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 172

STEVE and CARRIE continue the process of preparing the

Hellfire, firing it up to test it.

STEVE:

We’re greened up. Missile State

Status is Ready. Left selected for

single fire, coded and ready.

173 INT. PJHQ - LONDON - AFTERNOON 173

POWELL watches the live feed on her screens.

COLONEL POWELL:

(into her mike)

Standby.

174 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 174

STEVE and CARRIE continuing:

STEVE:

You are clear to test the laser.

Carrie types a code to match her laser to the correct

Hellfire missile.

175 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 175

JACK is dialing a number from a console on the table in front

of him.

WOODALE:

Jack, what’s the hold up?!

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 77.

JACK:

I’m sorry, sir, I’m trying to reach

him...

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

Minister, the consequences ofdelay may be fatal to scores ofcivilians. These men could leave

that house at any moment.

WOODALE:

I understand that, General! But

it is proper procedure that Iseek his approval.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

If these men leave now, in

separate vehicles - there are two

vehicles outside -we have the

ability to follow only one. We

have only one eye in the sky.

ANGELA:

Surely you have agents on theground who could intercept...

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

Intercept a suicide bomber on acity street?! We are trying tominimise collateral damage...

176 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 176

STEVE and CARRIE, both extremely tense and focused.

STEVE:

Checklist is complete. Safetychecklist complied with. DesiredPoint of Impact is captured.

STEVE watches the live feed from the Reaper.

177 INT. SQUADRON OPERATIONS ROOM - NIGHT 177

MATT and COLONEL WALSH.

COLONEL WALSH:

ROE is pending. We are standing byfor clearance.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 78.

MATT:

Come on, we need to go. They won’t

be in that house forever.

COLONEL WALSH *

Hey, keep it together, alright? *

Matt’s really on edge. *

COLONEL WALSH (CONT’D) *

Alright?! *

MATT *

Yes, sir... *

178 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 178

STEVE’s phone rings. He picks it up.

179 INT. PJHQ - LONDON - AFTERNOON 179

POWELL on the phone.

COLONEL POWELL:

Lieutenant, we are clarifying our

strike approval. Sit tight and be

ready to shoot.

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