Outbreak Page #12

(CONTINUED)

65.

CONTINUED:

FORD:

You don't obey orders, Gillespie.

You're the last person I'd send.

GILLESPIE:

I'm sending a letter to the Surgeon

General right now. I'm going to

create a paper trail. You will fry.

Gillespie storms out. Ford remains unruffled.

INT. GILLESPIE'S SMALL, CLUTTERED OFFICE

Gillespie bursts into the room and slams the door.

He grabs the glass PAPERWEIGHT off his desk and throws it

against the wall. It SHATTERS.

He stops. A moment of hesitation.

INT. FT. ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE - CONTORL TOWER

SERGEANT MUCIA picks up the phone. The wall clock reads

midnight.

SERGEANT MUCIA:

Fort Andrews. Air traffic control.

Sergeant Mucia.

INTERCUT MUCIA WITH GILLESPIE IN HIS OFFICE

GILLESPIE:

Sergeant, this is Colonel Gillespie

at Fort Detrick. We're on code

red status for Bonneville, Oregon.

Time of departure 01:00.

SERGEANT MUCIA:

That's not possible, sir.

GILLESPIE:

Is that Mucia with a 'C' or an

'S'?

SERGEANT MUCIA:

(nervous)

'C,' sir.

(CONTINUED)

66.

CONTINUED:

GILLESPIE:

Get it done, Sergeant. That's a

direct oroder from General Ford.

SERGEANT MUCIA:

Yes, sir.

CUT TO:

EXT. FT. ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE

Flood lights illuminate dozens of enlisted men rapidly

wheeling equipment into the open hatch of the huge C5A

standing on the tarmac.

Gillespie, Salt, and Berman approach the plane, Gillespie

in the lead, the others two steps behind.

SALT:

The C.D.C. asked us? That doesn't

sound like them.

GILLESPIE:

They're going to have to show the

President they did everything

possible.

There's a nervousness in Izzy's face, something we've

seen before.

GILLESPIE:

Get a bunch of paper pushers scared

enough, they'll do anything.

CUT TO:

INT. FORD'S OFFICE

He punches the words "Bonneville, Oregon" into his

computer. The computer answers: "Population: 1218.

Portland Metropolitan Area: Population: 532,000." He

punches another key. A TELEPHONE speed dial WHISTLES

across the room.

CUT TO:

EXT. DUGWAY (UTAH) - NIGHT

A gila monster hunts for prey, its eye darting back and

forth, its tongue twitching hungrily. It runs off,

vanishing in the dry chaparral and desert that stretches

for hundreds of miles.

(CONTINUED)

67.

CONTINUED:

We're seemingly in the middle of nowhere until we find -

An electrified barbed-wire fence emblazoned with signs

warning:
"U.S. Military Property: Trespassing Strictly

Prohibited."

Behind the fence stand rows of huge satellite scanners.

Behind them are rows of duplexes. Inside one of the duplexes

a light comes on.

INT. DUPLEX

McClintock grabs the PHONE RINGING by his bed.

INTERCUT FORD AND MCLINTOCK

FORD:

The genie's out of the bottle in

Bonneville, Oregon, Donny, and

we've got to get him back in.

General McClintock looks dumb.

FORD:

Cancel all leaves. Mobilize all

personnel. I'm going to want wind

conditions and transmission rates

-- for all insects, animals,

marine, and human vectors. If

this virus is spreading, I want to

know how fast and where.

He looks at his computer monitor, which projects a map of

Western Oregon:
the town of Bonneville is close to the

Columbia River.

FORD:

Bonneville's only five miles from

the Columbia River and if this

mother gets there, we're in big

sh*t trouble.

CUT TO:

EXT/INT. C5A

Flying in heavey weather.

COMPUTER KEYS POUND: September 3, 02:30.

The Radioman turns to Gillespie, seated with Izzy and

Salt in the back of the cockpit.

(CONTINUED)

68.

CONTINUED:

RADIOMAN:

We've got the Secretary of Defense

on the radio. They had to wake

him up.

Gillespie unstraps himself and takes hold of the

microphone.

GILLESPIE:

(into mike)

Tell him it is Colonel Mike

Gillespie, Commander of the U.S.

Army Motaba Virus Task Force.

INTERCUT WITH:

SMALL OAK-LINED STUDY (VIRGINIA)

where PHILLIP GOODELL, the Secretary of Defense, is

dressed in his pajamas.

GOODELL:

Give that to me one more time,

Colonel.

GILLESPIE:

We've got to quarantine the entire

town of Bonneville and do it

quick. Morning will be too late -people

will panic and try to leave.

If even one infected person gets

out, the entire effort could be

for nothing.

GOODELL:

Why can't the State Police do it?

GILLESPIE:

They can shut down the major

roads, but we need a much larger

force to encircle the town.

GOODELL:

Where would I get troops at this

hour and have 'em in Bonneville,

Oregon before sunrise?

GILLESPIE:

Fort Lewis, Washington, or Ford

Ord, California. Closer is

better. Sir, this is a doomsday

disease.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

69.

CONTINUED:

GILLESPIE (CONT'D)

As deadly as A.I.D.S., but it kills

within days. It could spread over

the entire country.

Goodell's wide awake now.

GOODELL:

Does your commanding officer know

about this?

GILLESPIE:

Yes, sir, of course. He asked me

to call you.

GOODELL:

Colonel, all I can do is refer the

matter to the National Security

Council. An action of this scope

would require the President's

approval.

GILLESPIE:

Then get it, sir. Right away,

please.

They break radio contact. Salt looks at Gillespie with

awe.

IZZY:

If the C.D.C. asked us to help, why

did you have to call the Defense

Secretary? Why didn't General

Ford make the call?

Gillespie shifts uncomfortably. Salt realizes he's in

trouble.

IZZY:

You bet your ass, Captain.

Colonel Gillespie has taken it

upon himself to circumvent the

entire chain of command.

The plane bounces in the turbulence. Salt turns to

Gillespie.

SALT:

You're shitting me?... Sir?

GILLESPIE:

I'll take full responsibility for

whatever happens.

(CONTINUED)

70.

CONTINUED:

IZZY:

That only means they'll hang you

first.

GILLESPIE:

Don't worry, the C.D.C. -- and the

President -- will invite us to

Bonneville.

(beat)

They'll invite Mary and Jesus too.

CUT BACK TO:

DEFENSE SECRETARY GOODELL'S OAK-LINED STUDY

GOODELL:

(into phone)

I just got a disturbing call from

one of your officers, General.

INTERCUT WITH:

FORD IN HIS OFFICE

sitting at his desk. As we hear Goodell go on, a look of

anger builds on Ford's face.

GOODELL:

I can tell the President we're

looking at a situation you can

contain with minimal loss of life,

can't I?

FORD:

Of course.

CUT TO:

GILLESPIE'S BL-4 LAB (02:30)

TRACK PAST the open aluminum caskets holding the remains

of Jimbo and Alice to Owi working under a negative pressure

hood. He removes a rack of test tubes, suddenly

freezes.

Facing him are General Ford and four men dressed in BL-4

suits and carrying automatic weapons in plastic sheaths.

One soldier closes the caskets and starts moving them out.

The others start unpacking the freezers.

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