Mission: Impossible Page #19

He holds the jacket pocket wide open, for KRIEGER to look

into. KRIEGER does. The pocket is empty.

ETHAN (CONT'D)

(mock surprise)

Where did it go?! It's GONE!

ETHAN walks over to CLAIRE, reaches into the pocket of the

trousers she's wearing and pulls out the disk.

ETHAN (CONT'D)

But not too far!

He palms the disk in his right hand.

ETHAN (CONT'D)

I know what you're thinking, Krieger.

You're thinking, back in the computer

room -- I was up here -- he was down

there -- . He was carrying two discs.

While he talks, he rotates his hand, palm away from KRIEGER.

When he rotates it back, the disk is gone again. He holds up

his left hand. It's there now.

ETHAN (CONT'D)

So hard to keep track of these things.

ETHAN shows his hands -- now both are empty.

KRIEGER:

(fuming)

Where is it?

ETHAN pats his pockets, pretending to be frantic.

ETHAN:

I thought you had it! Do you actually

think I'd let you have the NOC list?

KRIEGER just stares at him, shaken. CLAIRE laughs. KRIEGER

looks at her. He turns completely red. When he looks back

at ETHAN, ETHAN holds two disks -- one in each hand.

KRIEGER:

Try any sleight-of-hand with my money and

Iíll cut your throat.

He tosses his worthless disk into the trash can and storms

out, SLAMMING the door behind him. ETHAN picks up the Bible

and sees Drake Hotel.

CLAIRE:

I'm so sorry. Krieger was my call. I've

never worked with him. I'm sorry, Ethan.

ETHAN:

We did what we had to do.

CLAIRE:

I'm going to try and get some sleep.

She leaves, closing the door behind her, leaving ETHAN and

LUTHER alone.

ANGLE:

ETHAN waits a moment, then casually walks to the trash can,

picks up the disk KRIEGER threw out and brushes it off

carefully.

He replaces it, in the trash, with the blue disk from his

jacket pocket.

LUTHER:

Krieger did have the NOC list.

ETHAN:

Now I want you to hold onto it.

LUTHER:

What makes you trust me?

ETHAN:

Because if you knew what you were getting

into, you never would have done it.

LUTHER:

I'm not letting this list get out in the

open.

ETHAN:

Exactly, that's your job. Tomorrow on

the train, you can't let this list get

out into the open. What's the range of

this thing?

LUTHER:

It's hard to tell. I'm gonna have to be

close.

ETHAN:

I'll get you close.

Claire opens the door.

CLAIRE:

Ethan I need to talk to you.

ETHAN follows CLAIRE into her room where she shows him the

television screen.

INSERT - SCREEN

On the screen, an anchor in the CNN news center.

ANCHOR:

The unlikely setting...a farm in the

heartland of America...the State of

Wisconsin, where federal agents claim to

have broken the brain trust behind an

international drug ring. For a report we

go live now to CNN correspondent (Joe

Jones) in the state capitol, Madison.

(Joe)...?

CNN reporter speaks to camera, on the steps of a courthouse.

REPORTER:

Authorities have identified the couple as

Margaret Ethan Hunt and Donald Hunt.

BACK TO SCENE:

ETHAN looks. CLAIRE behind him.

INSERT - SCREEN

An OLDER COUPLE, mid-sixties, exit the doors and are led down

the steps of the courthouse in shackles. The Reporter and

other news crews race up to the door.

REPORTER:

Here they are now.

Camera follows the couple downstairs. Police roughly pull

them away from the news crews.

BACK TO SCENE:

INSERT - SCREEN

REPORTER:

They were apprehended this morning by the

DEA in a major sting operation for the

illegal manufacture of the drug

methcathinone, known on the street as

"cat".

BACK TO SCENE:

ETHAN:

INSERT - SCREEN

VOICE (O.S.)

Similar to methamphetamines, cat is seen

by officials as one of the most powerful

and dangerous drugs in the world. Some

thirty-four cat labs have been seized so

far, but the recently widowed Mrs. Hunt

and her brother-in-law are believed to be

involved in a global drug distribution

network.

A public official exits the building. The reporter and other

news crews charge up to him.

REPORTER:

Mr. Fairchild, agent Fairchild, a comment

please.

The image on the television changes to an interview with a

PUBLIC OFFICIAL who faces a bank of microphones.

PUBLIC OFFICIAL:

I think it's sad, really. Farmers,

unless they're a conglomerate, are always

operating on a paper-thin margin. I'm

afraid what we have here is a case of a

naive and lonely widow with a lot of

financial problems who chose to make

money through illegal means.

REPORTER:

That was John Fairchild, the DEA agent in

charge of this investigation. Officials

tell me that international law

enforcement agents are expected to arrive

here later today to question the Hunts.

This is Joe Jones, CNN, Love in Madison,

Wisconsin.

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