Frequency Page #12

GIBSON:

Sully, you cool?

Frank seems not to hear him.

GIBSON (CONT'D)

Frank. Hey, man. You alright?

FRANK:

I'm alright, Gibby.

From the RADIO we HEAR the last play of the game as Brooks

Robinson grounds out 3rd to 1st. METS WIN! CHEERS are heard

in the streets and from the CABS of the racing fire trucks.

Gibson whoops it up. Frank barely acknowledges the win.

INT. COP BAR - DUSK - 1998

John moves through the crowd of cops - ad lib greetings -

slides into a booth occupied by Satch and Gordo.

GORDO:

How you feeling?

JOHN:

Better.

SATCH:

You get your roof fixed?

John shoots a look at Gordo, who quickly changes the subject.

GORDO:

Can you believe it, Yahoo goes up another

point today...

EXT. BUXTON WAREHOUSE - DUSK - 1969

Located off the East River in lower Manhattan. The 9th

Battalion Fire trucks are first on the scene. A couple of

GREEN & WHITES are already there, uniform cops keeping a few

onlookers at a safe distance.

FLAMES shoot out from the 4th and 5th FLOOR WINDOWS.

Starting to lick their way up to the 6th floor and roof.

SMOKE billows out of the windows on the 3rd and 2nd floors.

Lighter smoke spirals out from the door on the 1st floor.

Frank, Gibson and other firemen under Butch's command take

stock of the situation and start to deploy.

HOSES are run from HYDRANTS to the PUMPER TRUCKS.

The LADDER is swung into position for an assault on the roof.

GIBSON:

Bastard's moving fast.

BUTCH:

Thank God it's abandoned.

(to the men)

Surround and drown...nobody goes in.

Frank nods in agreement. Directly above them, another BOLT

OF LIGHTNING CRACKS through the darkening sky.

A death shudder creeps up Frank's spine. And for the first

time in his life, Frank Sullivan is SCARED SHITLESS.

Frank stares up at the sky, transfixed. THUNDER punches the

sky with a huge roar. RAIN starts to fall.

And in the distance, as if from inside the burning building,

a FAINT SCREAMING is first heard, and growing louder.

FRANK:

Hear that?

BUTCH:

What?

Suddenly, out of the building runs a STONED TEENAGE GIRL

screaming and babbling incoherently.

GIRL:

Help! Help! Oh, god. Help. She's up

there. She's trapped! Please!

Immediately galvanized, Frank moves to the girl.

FRANK:

Hey, hey. It's gonna be okay. We're

gonna help. Okay? Okay.

She starts to calm down.

FRANK (CONT'D)

Now tell me, who's up there?

GIRL:

My girlfriend, Molly.

FRANK:

Where?

GIRL:

In a room...an office...or something. We

live there. Top floor. Something fell

on her. I couldn't help her. Please,

you gotta...gotta...

Frank looks to Butch. A beat. Butch gives him the nod.

Frank and Gibson gear up and go.

INT. COP BAR - DUSK - 1998

GORDO:

You realize that if you'd bought a

thousand dollars worth of Yahoo in '96,

it'd be worth fifty-grand today?

SATCH:

You doin' okay, John?

JOHN:

Tough day, you know.

Satch and Gordo nod in sympathy. Gordo raises his glass.

Satch and John follow. A yearly ritual.

GORDO & SATCH

To your dad.

JOHN:

To my dad.

INT. BUXTON WAREHOUSE - DUSK - 1969

Frank and Gibson step into the warehouse. Butch behind them.

Flames haven't reached this area yet, but the ROAR of the

fire above them is deafening, and smoke billows down THE

STAIRWAY before them. They sprint towards it and start up.

ONE FLOOR. TWO FLOORS. THREE FLOORS, and suddenly they are

face to face with a WALL OF FIRE blocking access to the 4th

floor.

Frank and Gibson stop and stare into the inferno.

FRANK:

It looks open on the other side.

GIBSON:

Don't know what's behind it.

FRANK:

One way to find out.

And he barrels through the line of fire onto the 4th floor.

Gibson starts to do the same when the 5th floor gives way

above Frank, sending burning timber and debris cascading

around him and cutting off Gibson's route.

Now Frank's only way to go is up the stairs toward the 5th

floor. He turns to Gibson. Coming up behind him is Butch.

Across a gulf of flames Frank yells and waves at them to get

the hell out. And then suddenly, part of the 3rd floor

around Gibson and Butch starts to go.

FRANK (CONT'D)

(screaming over fire)

Get out...while you still can...

Frank turns and bolts for the 5th floor as a huge flaming

BEAM CRASHES down onto the stairway behind him, forcing

Gibson and Butch to scramble like hell back down the stairs.

FRANK (CONT'D)

(soft)

...it's not your time.

INTERCUT WITH:

EXT. BUXTON WAREHOUSE - CONTINUOUS

Fire fighters are efficiently and expertly hard at it.

Running out lines. Extending ladders. Moving a FIRE BOAT

into place - all communicating via walkie-talkies all on teh

same frequency.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes