Eye In The Sky Page #19

---

BENSON:

Ma’am, I hope the fact that she is

a sweet “little girl” is not

clouding your judgement. Dozens of

other “little girls” lives are at

stake if these men leave.

Before Angela can respond, JACK’S laptop bleeps.

JACK:

(to the room)

I’m sorry, a Ms. Jillian Goldman

from the White House is asking to

be patched through.

BENSON:

Who?!

JACK:

Jillian Goldman...

GEORGE:

She’s the senior legal adviser on

the US National Security Council.

JACK:

She’s been briefed by the Secretary

of State.

WOODALE:

(without enthusiasm)

Put her on.

GOLDMAN’s face comes up on the VTC screen. Her image is on

the screen next to the image of ALIA and her bread stall.

GOLDMAN:

Good afternoon and thank you for

allowing me to comment.

WOODALE:

Thank you for joining us.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 102.

GOLDMAN:

Our point of view here at the

White House is that we should

attack this target immediately.

As the military members of your

committee know, we have a points

system that takes into account

collateral damage to deduce what

is, and what is not, a legal

strike. And let me tell you,

categorically, that the existence

of this new circumstance does not

push us beyond a legitimate

military action. We are way off

what we would consider a dispute in

this matter.

GEORGE:

Ms. Goldman, we have a somewhat

different approach to the

question of collateral damage...

GOLDMAN:

(interrupting)

Sir, you must act NOW. You have two

men about to embark on a suicide

mission; you have number two, four

and five on the President’s East

Africa kill list in your sights -

and you are putting the whole

operation at risk because of one

collateral damage issue?! I realize

this mission is your call, but

there will be some mighty angry

people here in the White House, and

at the Pentagon, and out there in

the world, if you allow these

people to leave and blow a shopping

mall to kingdom come.

JACK:

I’m sorry, we have the Foreign

Secretary wanting to join.

WOODALE:

Right... We appreciate your

thoughts, Ms. Goldman. Thank you.

GOLDMAN:

Thank you.

GOLDMAN is cut from the screen.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 103.

239 EXT. STREET - EASTLEIGH - AFTERNOON 239

ALIA stands beside her bread stall waiting. *

240 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 240

STEVE and CARRIE anxiously watch ALIA on the live feed.

In the AMADU’S yard they see the TWO GUARDS who chased JAMA *

with ABDI return. The GUARDS shrug and appear to be telling *

ABDI and ABADE that they cannot find JAMA. *

241 INT. ROOM - HICKAM AIR FORCE BASE - NIGHT 241

LUCY also watches ALIA on the live feed.

242 INT. BEDROOM SUITE - SINGAPORE - NIGHT 242

JAMES, drained of all colour and in his pyjamas and dressing

gown, sits watching his laptop. TOM and KATE are behind him.

243 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 243

JAMES comes up on the screen vacated by Goldman.

JAMES:

Good afternoon, everybody. Excuse

my appearance, it’s night here

and I have a bout of food

poisoning...

WOODALE:

(brushing it aside)

We’re very sorry to drag you off

your sick bed...

JAMES:

That’s quite all right.

WOODALE:

... but thank you for joining us.

JAMES:

George, do I understand this

correctly:
that there is a legal

argument for waiting and giving

this girl an opportunity to sell

her bread?

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 104.

GEORGE:

Yes there is, but, conversely, it

does not mean that there is not

also a legal argument for

releasing the weapon now.

JAMES:

Forgive me, I’m not sure that helps

me.

GEORGE:

(awkward)

James, given the developing

situation... there is a very

persuasive argument that the

decision to act now could be

construed as legitimate.

JAMES:

Is that “Yes”?

GEORGE hesitates. Tense, BENSON steps in:

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

Foreign Secretary, there is a

military necessity for acting now.

In our view they will be making a

move from the house at any moment.

JAMES:

Gentlemen, what action is being

legally recommended to me?!

GEORGE sweats. WOODALE steps in:

WOODALE:

James, the legal argument is that

we could wait but that we need not

wait. The military argument is that

we should not wait.

GEORGE:

Exactly.

244 INT. BEDROOM SUITE - SINGAPORE - NIGHT 244

JAMES sweats on a decision, watching the live feed of ALIA in

front of him on his computer.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 105.

245 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 245

Everyone watches the screen image of JAMES as he stares down

at his own computer. Beside the image of JAMES is the Reaper

image of ALIA and her loaves of bread.

In the compound yard, ABADE turns back into the house. *

246 INT. BEDROOM SUITE - SINGAPORE - NIGHT 246

JAMES stares at the Reaper image of ALIA, frozen by his

inability to act as her executioner.

247 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 247

BENSON and the others watch JAMES.

WOODALE looks at ALIA. His face is drained of color. He draws

a breath. He has finally made a most difficult decision.

On the Beetle screen, ABADE, frustrated, re-enters the *

bedroom. He moves RASHEED into a kneeling position on the *

floor and pulls the suicide vest over his head. *

WOODALE:

(to James, with real

empathy)

James... My recommendation is that

we do not delay in proceeding with

this mission.

JAMES still hesitates.

COLONEL POWELL:

Sir, if we do not act now we risk

losing the lives of up to eighty

people. Many will be children.

ANGELA:

With respect, you can only assume

those deaths - but what is certain

is that, if we do act now, this one

girl will suffer.

JAMES:

And would you save her and risk

killing eighty others?

ANGELA:

Yes. I would save her and take that

risk. That is what I would do.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 106.

JAMES:

Angela, is it you or me who will be

invited on to the Today programme

to explain why we knew of the

attack on a mall that killed eighty

people but chose to do nothing to

stop it?

ANGELA:

(quietly, respectfully)

You, James... But frankly...

politically... I’d rather point to

Al-Shabaab as murderers of eighty

people shopping than have to defend

a drone attack by our forces that

kills an innocent child.

A beat. Everyone is wrestling with the dilemma. GEORGE shifts

awkwardly, perhaps persuaded by Angela’s new argument.

GEORGE:

James, Angela makes a compelling

point. If Al-Shabaab kill eighty

people, we win the propaganda war.

If we kill one girl, they do.

JAMES:

So we don’t do it?

A beat. Unlike WOODALE and Angela, GEORGE, ever the lawyer,

just won’t commit to a decision.

JACK:

She’s got another customer.

They all look at the screen and see that A WOMAN is buying

two of the loaves. There are now five left.

Rate this script:5.0 / 3 votes