Eye In The Sky Page #20

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LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

I suggest you keep your eye on the

other screen.

The beetle sees that RASHEED’S vest is slowly and carefully *

being wired with explosives by ABADE. *

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON (CONT’D)

With respect, Foreign Secretary,

are the lives of eighty people,

including innocent children, really

worth the price of winning the

propaganda war?

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 107.

JAMES, caught in a terrible dilemma, stares at the screen, *

watching as ABADE and AL-HADY wire RASHEED. The painstaking *

process will take time, but it is chilling to watch. *

248 EXT. STREET - EASTLEIGH - AFTERNOON 248

ALIA sits by her bread stall, waiting. A mangy dog comes up

to the stall and sniffs the bread.

ALIA talks to the dog - and the dog eventually wanders off.

249 INT. BEDROOM SUITE - SINGAPORE - NIGHT 249

JAMES is haunted by ALIA - and doesn’t know what to do.

JAMES:

General, if we go ahead... might

footage of our attack be leaked?

250 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 250

They stare at James on the screen.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

Sir, the footage from the Reaper

is completely secure.

JAMES:

But we’ve seen it happen before.

There are many people involved in

this operation. It will surely be

recorded on many computers.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

Foreign Secretary, I assure you...

JAMES:

(interrupting)

General, I would feel uncomfortable

if we did not at least wait a

little longer.

BENSON bites his tongue.

JAMES (CONT’D)

If we go ahead... and footage is

leaked... and this girl is...

killed as a result... Then... I

think the country would be most

disturbed.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 108.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

Foreign Secretary, it is our task

to make the right military

decision. We cannot engage in an

argument about possible future

postings on You Tube.

JAMES:

With respect, General, revolutions

are fuelled by postings on You

Tube.

251 INT. BEDROOM SUITE - SINGAPORE - NIGHT 251

JAMES stares at ALIA, tormented by her image.

252 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 252

The room watches and waits, becoming increasingly impatient

with James’ indecision. He can’t make himself ‘condemn’ the

girl - and so he looks up to the camera and says:

JAMES:

I think the consequences are such

that we need clearance from the PM.

Just about everybody in the room wilts at another decision-

maker passing the buck.

WOODALE:

Foreign Secretary, you have the

authority to make a decision

without returning to the PM.

BENSON looks hard at WOODALE: ‘And so do you.’

JAMES:

No, I am telling you that you

need to take it to him.

JACK:

Sir, the PM is making a speech in

Strasbourg this afternoon and may

not be easily interrupted.

JAMES:

I will leave you to sort that one

out, Jack.

JACK:

Yes, sir... I’ll track him down.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 109.

JAMES cuts his camera and disappears from the screen.

Jack leaves the room in a hurry.

253 INT. BEDROOM SUITE - SINGAPORE - NIGHT 253

JAMES, is now off camera at COBRA, but he can still see and

hear everyone in the conference room on his laptop screen.

He is horrified at the situation, and at his own lack of

ability to decide, as he stares at ALIA in another windowon his laptop.

254 INT. PJHQ - LONDON - AFTERNOON 254

COLONEL POWELL:

For God’s sake.

Her phone rings.

STEVE (O.S.)

Ma’am, what is happening?

COLONEL POWELL:

You are on stand by, Lieutenant.

255 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT (08.15)

STEVE and CARRIE watch ALIA.

255

STEVE:

(to Carrie)

It’s still in the chain.

256 INT. SQUADRON OPERATIONS ROOM - NIGHT 256

MATT and COLONEL WALSH. *

MATT:

What the f*** are these guys doingin the chain anyway?

COLONEL WALSH:

Hey, keep it together, alright?

MATT is really on edge.

COLONEL WALSH (CONT’D)

Alright?!

MATT:

(reluctantly)

Yes, sir...

*

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*

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 110.

257 EXT. STREET - EASTLEIGH –

AFTERNOON 257

The WOMAN buys three loaves from ALIA and walks away.

258 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT STEVE looks at 258

ALIA and her table.

STEVE:

Two loaves left.

CARRIE:

We’ve gotta wait now.

Yeah.

STEVE:

259 INT. PJHQ -LONDON - AFTERNOON 259

POWELL watches the feed from the beetle -ABADE is

progressing well with the wiring of RASHEED’s vest And

then:
THE SCREEN FLICKERS - AND DIES.

COLONEL POWELL:

What’s happened to the feed?!

SERGEANT GLEESON

Checking, Ma’am.

260 INT. OPERATIONS ROOM - COMPANY D BASE - AFTERNOON 260

MAJOR OWITI has the same dead screen.

MAJOR OWITI:

North20, Showman50... The battery

has died.

What?

COLONEL POWELL:

MAJOR OWITI:

I’m sorry, Ma’am. It’s a very small

battery...

261 INT. PJHQ -LONDON - AFTERNOON 261

COLONEL POWELL:

Christ...

She has lost control of the situation.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 111.

She stares hopelessly at the dead screen. And then at the

Reaper image of the exterior of the house:

Nothing is happening outside.

Her phone rings.

262 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A -WHITEHALL -AFTERNOON 262

Irritation is replacing tension in the room.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

What happened?!

COLONEL POWELL:

Battery...

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

For God’s sake, now we have no idea

when they might leave the house.

POWELL talks discreetly, away from the room.

COLONEL POWELL:

I might have a solution. If my

targeteer can calculate us coming

in under fifty per cent for the

collateral damage on the girl

then do you think we will get

approval at your end?

A beat. BENSON can only speak with others listening.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

Yes. I do. Thank you.

263 INT. PJHQ -LONDON - AFTERNOON 263

POWELL puts down the phone. She looks at ALIA on the screen.

She feels a sickening personal relationship with her now -

because she is in a position to manipulate her fate.

A beat, then she walks over to MUSHTAQ who is at his station.

She bends down to have a quiet word with him.

COLONEL POWELL:

We are looking to present the

collateral damage in the street,

in this area here, as forty-five

to fifty per cent fatality.

MUSHTAQ tenses up.

YELLOW SHOOTING SCRIPT 12 September 2014 112.

COLONEL POWELL (CONT’D)

Is that possible?

MUSHTAQ:

I’ve calculated a sixty-five to

seventy-five...

COLONEL POWELL:

If we can put the payload here or

here, if we can still guarantee

target fatality but reduce the

collateral...

A tense pause.

COLONEL POWELL (CONT’D)

Perhaps we can target the missile

here... or here...

MUSHTAQ:

Yes, Ma’am.

COLONEL POWELL:

Do whatever you can to save this

girl’s life.

MUSHTAQ:

... Yes, Ma’am.

264 INT. GROUND CONTROL STATION - NIGHT 264

STEVE and CARRIE anxiously watch the image from the Reaper.

265 INT. BRIEFING ROOM A - WHITEHALL - AFTERNOON 265

The meeting continues.

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL BENSON

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