Special Correspondents Page #6

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- and they'll say we're not there. Right?

- Right. Yeah.

What will he think

if you don't call him at all?

- That something's happened to us.

- We're just missing?

Yeah, that we're missing.

They can trace us, though.

That's what they'd do

if they thought we were missing.

- So, we'd have to destroy our phones.

- We only have to destroy the SIM card.

- Right.

- Oh, God.

How can you destroy it? It doesn't...

You can't even...

Shall I just swallow it?

Yeah, swallow it so they can trace it

straight to your ass!

Why didn't we just go back

in the first place and just say:

"Sorry, we threw away the tickets

and passports"?

Why did you throw the f***ing ticket

and the passport away in the first place?

- [shouts] That's the f***ing question!

- Shut up!

What will they think

we're arguing about downstairs?

- I don't care!

- Are you mental?

F***ing hell.

There. It's destroyed, okay?

What are they gonna say,

"What were you arguing about last night?"

- In their house.

- [sighs]

You're such a pig.

[Mallard] We haven't heard from them

since 10:
00 last night.

Maybe they lost communication,

maybe they've been arrested.

Whatever the case, we need to

be very quiet about this for now.

All right, drop everything,

check the hotels, hospitals,

anybody we might know in the area

who might have seen them.

And at some point,

we have to let Ian's wife know.

- Leave it with me.

- Okay.

- [phone rings]

- I need a map of Ecuador, ASAP.

- [Claire] Got it.

- Q365 News. Hold on.

It's Barrymore at the New York Post.

[Barrymore] There's that little guy.

Okay, Barrymore, I gotta tell you,

I don't have time. What?

I know you've got a big problem.

I just spoke to my correspondent in Quito.

I don't know anything.

I can't say anything.

I need photos for a profile piece.

Should I send a courier?

- Being a bit hasty, aren't you?

- If I know about it

then other people do, too,

and it'll get out.

Send your courier.

Okay, story's out. Change of plans.

You're going on at 7:00.

Just say we've lost contact

with our special correspondents in Ecuador

- but let's not panic everyone.

- Right.

- You got this.

- Yeah.

Okay.

Oh, hold on.

Excuse me, have you got PC Gamer?

Look. Look.

And uh, and the New York Post.

Thanks. Cheers.

[Finch groans, sighs]

- [Eleanor] Do you want a drink?

- [Claire] Uh, no, I'm fine. Thank you.

You know,

when you're in broadcasting...

any number of things can happen,

but they aren't necessarily serious.

If that's the case,

then they're gonna call any minute now.

Do you know Frank well?

Uh, Frank?

We've been working together

for about five years.

He's a great journalist.

Bit of a loner. But I've been

working with Ian even longer.

He's such a kind soul.

- You must be worried sick.

- Yeah.

What do you mean, "loner"?

Uh...

Well... you know what?

Actually, I could do with a drink.

Aren't you gonna record

our conversation?

Oh, no. This is strictly off the record.

Because I tell you,

it is a very interesting story.

My life, before I met Ian.

- Before? Yeah.

- Yeah, you know, special interest.

Because it might make people

engage with their plight even more.

Well, maybe next time.

I don't wanna add to your... stress.

I mean, sometimes I think

that my life has been too dramatic.

And I almost wish it was more, like, uh...

plain and boring.

Well... [chuckles]

- I should go. Sorry. I'm so sorry.

- Clumsy.

[clears throat]

[Claire] Nothing yet leads us

to give in to anxiety,

even if foreign journalists today

incur increasingly real risks.

[man] Thank you, Claire Maddox.

And coming up next, baseball.

If you don't get in touch at all,

they're going to think you're dead.

- Or taken hostage, or, yeah.

- Taken hostage?

- Yeah.

- We're taken hostage.

- What do you mean?

- If we can fake being in Ecuador,

- we can fake being taken hostage.

- That's bad.

- That's not a good idea.

- [Frank] It's not bad, it's genius.

You're a genius.

- Am I?

- Yeah.

- He's a genius.

- He is a smart man.

Nah.

- It's a very good idea.

- [Finch] Is it?

I don't know.

- [Domingo] Baby, you're blocking Ian.

- [Brigida] Oh, sorry.

- [Domingo] Okay. Okay.

- [Finch] Okay.

[Domingo] It's recording.

- And...

- [Brigida] Wait, wait, wait!

- Okay.

- [Domingo] Okay.

Ready?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

Hello.

Don't smile and say "hello."

For God's sake.

- What do you mean?

- You're in mortal danger.

You got two guys that wanna kill you.

Are they high heels?

- What rebel soldier wears high heels?

- They make my legs look longer.

- It looks good, baby. [growls]

- [Brigida] Thank you, baby.

Okay, no smiling. No hello.

Just straight to it.

[sighs]

We are hostages

of the Ecuadorian Liberation Front.

Um, and I am talking to the

president of the United States here

when I say the situation is simple.

If you do not pay the ransom,

we will be executed.

- Stop. Okay.

- What?

Why are you talking so casually,

so nonchalant?

You gotta be begging.

Begging for your life.

This guy, he wants to kill you.

He wants to stick you like a pig,

so you need to beg.

- A nice word to your family, to your wife.

- Yeah.

The lens?

That's the whole world, right there.

- You gotta connect.

- Yeah.

- Do you understand?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

President.

Beg the president, mention the family,

yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay.

No smiling.

We are hostages of

the Ecuadorian Liberation Front,

and I beg you, Mr. President,

please help us.

Also, uh, tell my family I love them,

tell my wife...

Why are you asking the president

to run errands for you?

- Ugh. I don't know, I just... You said...

- Talk to them directly, to the lens.

- Dear Mr. President, wife, family...

- Stop.

- Get up.

- [groans] What?

- [Frank] Okay. Shake it out.

- Oh!

- [Brigida] Take that, American pig!

- That wasn't part of the video.

- What was that for?

- To help you get into your role.

Who am I? Daniel Day-F***ing-Lewis?

Why am I doing this

- if you're the charismatic broadcaster?

- Exactly. I can't do it.

No one's gonna feel sorry for me.

I got the looks, I got the charm,

I got the body. No sympathy.

You, on the other hand,

you begging for your life? It's pathetic.

It's like an ugly runt, mongrel dog

that no one wants,

- that has to be put down.

- Yeah, I get the point.

[whispers]

Didn't have to hit me.

[Brigida] You've got this, Finch.

My name is Ian Finch.

This is Frank Bonneville.

We work for the New York radio station

Q365 News.

[Frank] You wanna see these?

No, I don't wanna see anything.

And I'm not talking to you.

As you wish.

In the end, you were great, though.

I'm sorry for what I did,

but it was for authenticity,

- for the good of the cause.

- Didn't have to hit me that hard.

So, can I hit you now?

- [scoffs] You can try.

- No, I should just be allowed to hit you.

- Why?

- For the good of the cause.

But it wouldn't be,

that would just be you getting revenge.

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