Flight Page #15

Whip flings his beer at Fran’s head, then pulls out his

billfold.

80.

WHIP (CONT’D)

(sorts through his cash)

I’ll give you 400 in cash.

Whip throws the money on the floor.

FRAN sorts the options...none...he tentatively bends down and

picks up the cash. Keeping a wary eye on Whip.

WHIP (CONT’D)

Good boy. Now help her get that

box in her car.

NICOLE:

Ah...my car doesn’t run. It won’t

start. I’m taking this with me.

WHIP:

Your car doesn’t run? What were you

gonna do?

NICOLE:

I don’t...I...I was...

I don’t know what I was gonna do.

Fran smirks. Whip drills Fran with his eyes...

WHIP:

(with deliberate malice)

Then put the f***ing box in my car.

FRAN’s smirk fades. He relents and picks up the box as WHIP

grabs the lighter shoulder bag and they head downstairs.

INT. WHIP’S BUICK -- DAY

NICOLE stares out the window as the city disappears.

WHIP pulls a beer from the box and offers it to Nicole.

NICOLE smiles, thinks about it...she shakes her head, “no.”

WHIP pops the top and takes a drink.

NICOLE:

What’s your name?

WHIP looks to her, she to him. They begin to laugh at the

absurdity. When it subsides...

WHIP:

Whip.

NICOLE nods. A long moment quietly passes.

81.

NICOLE:

Thank you, Captain Whip.

INT. WHITAKER FARM -- LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “You Really Got a Hold on

Me” plays as WHIP eases himself into a recliner using his

cane. On the small table next to him rests his beer and an

unopened bottle of bourbon with a glass of ice. WHIP cracks

the seal on the bourbon bottle and pours a drink. He takes a

sip and chases it with his beer.

WHIP now starts to remove the brace that we clearly see under

his basketball shorts. As he takes it off he tries to

massage his aching leg.

NICOLE enters the living room, fresh from a shower. WHIP

studies her -- she’s beautiful and innocent.

WHIP:

You okay?

NICOLE:

I was gonna lay down, get some

rest.

WHIP:

Okay.

WHIP takes another sip before returning to massaging his leg.

NICOLE:

Is it really okay that I stay here?

WHIP:

Yea. I want you to stay.

NICOLE walks over to WHIP and kneels down and gently takes

over massaging his leg. WHIP exhales.

WHIP (CONT’D)

That feels better.

NICOLE:

It’s throbbing because the blood is

having a hard time getting back to

your heart.

78

NICOLE continues to soothe his aching leg. After a moment, 78

NICOLE stands and takes the drink out of WHIP’s hand and sets

it down. She now bends down and kisses him softly. She now

stands and takes his hand, leading him in to the bedroom.

82.

INT. WHITAKER FARM -- WHIP’S BEDROOM -- DAY

WHIP’s been awake for hours as he sits at the foot of the

bed. Whip’s wearing a long sleeve tee shirt and sweat pants

and no shoes. He looks at NICOLE -- sleeping angelically on

her side of the bed. Whip watches her sleep for a long

moment, until...

80

He hears something. He gets up and goes to the window. It’s a80

car pulling up the driveway.

INT./EXT. WHITAKER FARM -- KITCHEN DOOR -- DAY

WHIP opens the door to find HUGH in his driveway.

WHIP casts a strange figure with his bare chest, boxers and

brandishing a shotgun. They stare at each other.

HUGH:

Do you wanna shoot me or can I come

inside?

WHIP:

C’mon in. I’ll shoot you inside.

HUGH walks closer to the porch. WHIP questions him.

WHIP (CONT’D)

You just decided to drop by?

HUGH:

Your voice mail is full and you

never answer your cell phone. I

called your cell 10 times.

WHIP:

I turned it off.

HUGH nods as the explanation lands.

HUGH:

I thought we’d take a ride.

WHIP measures HUGH’s intention...

WHIP:

Okay, gimme a minute. Wait here.

82

HUGH nods and recedes from the door as WHIP goes to get 82

dressed.

83.

EXT. CRASH SITE -- OBSERVATION SCAFFOLDING -- DAY

WHIP joins HUGH on a rectangular platform on top of a two-

story scaffolding frame. The platform provides a perfect

view of flight 227’s final resting area. We see the awesome

devastation that 50 tons of metal flying at 140 miles an hour

can do to a hillside.

HUGH:

You can see the initial impact

sheared the right wing clean off.

If only the left wing had come off

at impact, I think everyone would

have walked off that plane.

WHIP:

The left wing partially pulled away-

HUGH:

It snapped but stayed connected to

the airframe. So it whipped back

towards the plane, hit the fuselage

in front of the tail. If you were

sitting in the last 6 or 7 rows on

the left side, it was like being

hit by a train.

WHIP:

I drank a lot the night before that

flight. I drank that morning too

and I used coke to straighten up.

HUGH:

I know, it’s in the toxicology

report.

WHIP:

But that’s not the reason this

happened.

HUGH:

I know.

WHIP looks at HUGH expecting him to finish his thought. HUGH

holds his look for a beat before changing thoughts.

HUGH (CONT’D)

The John the Baptist Pentecostal

Mission.

We hear voices; a low murmur that gets louder, chanting.

WHIP looks to the top of the hill to see...

PENTECOSTAL MASS IN PROGRESS

84.

A MINISTER in a dark purple cloak calls from the new

testament as the CONGREGATION responds in unison.

MINISTER:

“He will wipe away every tear from

their eyes, and death shall be no

more, neither shall there be

mourning, nor crying, nor pain

anymore, for the former things have

passed away.” -- Revelation 21:4

There are at least 50 people sitting in white folding chairs

at the foot of the hill. A small brook babbles behind them.

WHIP continues to take in the bizarre scene.

HUGH:

They helped pull survivors out of

the wreckage. Now they come out

here every day and have a mass 30

minutes prior to the crash. And

then they sit in silent prayer for

10 minutes at 9:
42...which is when

you went down.

WHIP is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the crash field and

the WORSHIPPERS. WHIP looks back at the crash site to see...

NTSB INVESTIGATORS

Inside the crash site, a small group of INVESTIGATORS with

NTSB jackets following the lead of a CONFIDENT WOMAN. HUGH

answers the question in WHIP’s mind...

HUGH (CONT’D)

Ellen Block, she’s the head of the

investigation for the NTSB. She’s

the one that’s gonna ask the tough

questions.

WHIP:

Why’d you bring me here?

HUGH:

I needed you to see this.

WHIP:

You trying to scare me?

HUGH:

I need to know that you can handle

all this.

85.

WHIP continues to stare at the awesome dent in the earth.

HUGH (CONT’D)

Listen clearly. There was a

mechanical issue with the plane,

but what you and I know? Is that

this was an act of God. I’m gonna

fight to get the NTSB to place “act

of God” on the probable causes

list.

WHIP:

Who’s God would do this?

It’s quiet before HUGH makes his case.

HUGH:

So here’s the deal. Avington Carr,

the owner of the airline, is on our

side...and he’s got big friends in

Washington. He wants to sit down

with us. 10 O’clock tomorrow

morning.

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