Eye In The Sky Page #18

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CARRIE looks at STEVE. He’s pale.

226 EXT. STREET - EASTLEIGH - AFTERNOON 226

ALIA cleans the dust off the bread with the tablecloth and

starts laying the loaves back out on the table.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 96.

227 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 227

BENSON and the others grimly watch the Reaper feed of ALIA.

On the Beetle screen, RASHEED exits the bathroom. ABADE *

ushers him back into the bedroom.

228 INT. PJHQ - LONDON - AFTERNOON 228

POWELL watches the Beetle feed as RASHEED returns to the *

bedroom and sits back on the bed. *

On the Reaper feed, Alia is again trying to sell her bread.

MUSHTAQ:

(small voice)

Who else can we get to buy the

bread?

COLONEL POWELL:

Forget the bread, Sergeant. We will

be lucky if our man hasn’t blown

the whole operation.

(to Harold)

Harold, where are we legally?

HAROLD:

With the girl?

COLONEL POWELL:

Yes! Are we clear?

HAROLD:

Again, I would refer up...

COLONEL POWELL:

No, I am asking you! We cannot hold

up this operation any longer.

HAROLD:

We need to take all reasonable

steps to minimize collateral

damage. If we’re buying her

bread...

COLONEL POWELL:

We’re not! It’s over. Dozens of

civilian lives are at risk.

Children’s lives are at risk.

(MORE)

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 97.

This girl is just one. Are we clear

to engage? Yes or no! Make a

decision!

COLONEL POWELL (CONT'D)

HAROLD:

With respect, Ma’am, I don’t make

these decisions. I advise you onthe law. And the law is not here to

get in your way. It is here toprotect you and your target...

COLONEL POWELL:

Don’t lecture me, Harold!

HAROLD:

Ma’am, the legal questions ofnecessity and proportionality arealmost certainly met. But for theprotection of you, and of thatchild, I would refer up to theAttorney General. That’s my advice.

COLONEL POWELL:

Bloody hell...

On her Reaper Screen: Alia sells her bread. Unknown to her,

ABDI appears in the yard and begins an animated discussionwith a GUARD. After a while, the GUARD enters the house.

*

*

On the Beetle feed she sees RASHEED arms clasped across hischest, while ABADE moves MUHAMMAD into a kneeling position infront of the video camera.

229 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 229

BENSON and the others are also watching the Reaper feed of

ALIA and the Beetle feed of Muhammad making his recording.

*

*

WOODALE:

Jesus, they’re making a video...

BENSON’S SECURE PHONE RINGS. *

He answers. Listens briefly. Lowers the phone.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

(to George)

Mission Command has a question onthe legality of continuing theoperation whilst this girl remainsat the scene... Connect us, Jack.

JACK activates a screen and POWELL appears on it.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 98.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON (CONT’D)

Go ahead, Colonel.

COLONEL POWELL:

Sir, our lawyer says the girl’s

presence has not necessarily

altered the legitimacy of our

operation, but he needs that

confirmed.

POWELL is still keeping an eye on all her screens.

GEORGE:

Do we have an assessment of what

might happen to her?

COLONEL POWELL:

The targeteer assesses a 65 to 75

percent chance of fatal injury

should we proceed. But he has also

assessed a projected loss of life

of between thirty and eighty men,

women and children if the vests are

detonated in an urban area. It’s a

guess of course. But we should

assume they intend to target a

crowded location.

No one knows quite what to say. On the Beetle screen, ABADE’S *

recording of Muhammad’s suicide video continues. *

230 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 230

STEVE and CARRIE wait anxiously.

CARRIE:

What’s happening?

MATT (O.S.)

We’re going up the kill chain

again.

231 EXT. STREET - EASTLEIGH - AFTERNOON 231

ALIA waits for customers behind her table.

232 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 232

STEVE and CARRIE watch Alia. *

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 99.

233 INT. PJHQ - LONDON - AFTERNOON 233

POWELL watches the Beetle feed: MUHAMMAD still making hisvideo but is suddenly interrupted by DANFORD saying somethingto ABADE and gesturing for him to come outside. ABADE, not

happy, seems to tell AL-HADY to continue the recording.

On the Reaper screen, Alia is still trying to sell her bread,

while in the yard of the compound behind her, ABADE appearsand begins an animated debate with ABDI.

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

234 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 234

STEVE and CARRIE watch as A WOMAN walks up to ALIA.

CARRIE:

Come on, just buy the bread.

They watch as the WOMAN puts one loaf into her bag. There arenow seven loaves on Alia’s table.

235 INT. PJHQ - LONDON - AFTERNOON 235

POWELL watches the Reaper feed as ALIA and the WOMAN talk.

The Woman walks away from ALIA.

On the Beetle feed, Muhammad finishes his suicide recordingand stands looking lost, waiting for ABADE to return.

*

*

*

236 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 236

ALIA is on one screen. On the Beetle feed RASHEED and

MUHAMMAD wait for ABADE...

*

*

GEORGE:

A sixty-five to seventy-five percent fatality assessment - itcould be argued - requires us todo whatever we can to enable her

to be removed from the scene.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

We have done what we can for her in

the time available to us.

GEORGE:

There is no law covering asituation quite like this.

(MORE)

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 100.

GEORGE (CONT'D)

It is one thing to release a

missile doing everything in one’s

power to minimise collateral

damage:
In other words to release

a missile whilst the street is

clear, but in the hope that it

will remain so... It is quite

another thing to release a

missile knowing that this girl

will, at worst, be fatally

injured and, at best, severely

injured. So, I disagree with the

assessment of your lawyer at

Northwood.

ANGELA:

Agreed...

GEORGE:

I would be uneasy if we did not

at least consider the option of

delaying and giving her every

chance to walk away.

237 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 237

STEVE stares at ALIA. She is haunting him.

238 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 238

ALIA’S presence is haunting this room too, disturbing

everyone, whatever their point of view.

WOODALE continues to sweat through his indecision.

COLONEL POWELL is on a screen.

COLONEL POWELL:

Sir, if we wait and they leave, we

will no longer have control of the

situation. Nairobi is a busy,

crowded city. We must strike now.

The room is silent for a moment. BENSON fills the silence.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

It is generally understood that it

is sometimes necessary to sacrifice

the one in order to save the many.

ANGELA:

If the one is not oneself.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 101.

COLONEL POWELL:

Secretary, this is an ethical

argument we cannot get into at this

moment.

ANGELA:

Colonel, perhaps you should address

that comment to the little girl

selling her bread! The ethical

argument is precisely what we must

“get into.”

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