The Eiger Sanction Page #6

your luggage taken up.

Yeah, and have them

send up a case of beer.

You know, after you left,

all hell broke loose.

Government agents

all over the place,

asking questions, making

a**holes of themselves.

They find anything?

Yeah, you know that big guy

you creamed in the bar?

Found him blown in

half with a shotgun.

Miles, they found on the

sand, dead as Kelsey's nuts.

What the hell are you here for?

I don't want you to concern

yourself with that, Ben.

I'm just here doing something

for an old friend.

Let's call off the climb. Tell

them you're sick or something.

You know I want

another shot at this hill.

CONCIERGE:
Herr Bowman?

Yeah?

(IN GERMAN ACCENT) Karl Freytag wants

us in the sitting room immediately.

Stragglers will be shot.

Only the lucky ones.

Ah, lady, gentlemen.

Jonathan Hemlock,

Jean-Paul Montaigne.

- Jean-Paul.

- I've looked forward to

meeting you, Mr. Hemlock.

My pleasure.

This is my wife, Anna.

Anna.

Hello. Care for a drink?

And this is Karl Freytag.

- Karl.

- Herr Doctor.

And this is Andrei Meyer, Jon.

- Hello.

- Andrei, I've read a lot about you.

I used to read a lot about you.

It appears that we've read

a lot about each other.

It's snowing out there.

How are the weather reports?

Oh, not too good. We've got

a couple of good days,

and then we've got a bunch

of weak fronts moving in.

It's gonna be

pretty dicey after that.

Good, that settles it.

HEMLOCK:
Settles what?

We must leave immediately.

Do we have time to

finish our drinks?

(ALL CHUCKLING)

I mean, as soon as possible.

With a storm coming in,

in maybe four days?

Well, the Eiger has

been climbed in two.

BEN:
But supposing you

don't make it in two?

Supposing you get pinned down

up there by the weather?

Oh, Benjamin has a point there.

We must not take childish risks.

We can't climb without some risks.

(CHUCKLING) Perhaps the young

face these risks more easily.

Good weather, bad weather. Now or

later, any time's good for climbing.

All right, an impasse.

Two in favor of climbing,

two opposed.

The democratic process.

What do you suggest, Doctor? Professor

Hemlock, that we climb halfway up?

Ben has a vote.

Yeah, but he will not

be climbing with us.

He's our ground man. Until we hit

the wall, he has complete control.

Has that been decided?

MEYER:
It's always like that.

The ground man has

the last word now

and the leader

once we're on the face.

Okay, that brings us to another

issue. Who's to be the leader?

I thought that was settled.

I thought you were gonna lead.

(CHUCKLES)

Okay. That decision was made before

the original American member of the

team had his unfortunate accident.

You know, I think we should

make sure we agree on

who's to lead, especially

now that you've joined us.

You make a good point. Jonathan has

climbed the mountain twice before.

Correction, if I may. The good

doctor has failed to climb

the mountain twice before.

(SCOFFS) I don't want to offend you,

Herr Doctor, but I'm forced to say

I don't consider a record of failure

automatically grants you the right to lead.

I'm not offended.

I think it's important

that you lead.

Okay. Good, then,

let's come over here.

Let's move over here.

I've spent months studying

a new route up the Eiger.

Taking the face by a new route

will put us in the record books.

MEYER:
What is this new route?

Okay, we won't take the Hinterstoisser

Traverse. Instead, we go this way.

Our first bivouac should be high

above the difficult cracks.

That's about here.

And the next morning, we have to

move up this vertical rock face.

That'll be pretty tough, I guess.

We go all the way up and come out

next to the highest visible ice field.

That's here. And then

it's up to the top.

But nobody's ever been

on that part of the face.

We don't know what's there.

Supposing you can't

cling to the edges?

Suppose you get forced down

into the gut of the chute?

KARL:
Well, I've no

interest in suicide, Ben.

If the edges are not a go, we'll retreat

and follow one of the more classic routes.

Where all that can

stop us is the weather.

Just one thing.

You know, your route doesn't allow for

retreat in case we're blocked from above.

Well, I consider it self-defeating

to plan in terms of retreat.

I consider it stupid not to.

Okay, I'll leave the planning for

a retreat route to Dr. Hemlock.

After all, he has more

experience than I in retreating.

Okay, may I take it

my plan is accepted?

Fine.

Our business is settled.

Now, I suggest we relax

and have a drink.

JEMIMA:

Is this hotel always so crowded?

Only when there's a climb.

Then the Eiger birds

start flocking in.

Eiger birds?

Yeah, jet-setters.

Assorted zombies who come

here to watch a climb.

If they get lucky, they get to

watch a man die on the mountain.

That's grim.

So is the Eiger.

It even looks grim.

Do you have to go up?

Unless the search division

identities the assassin first.

They've come up empty.

Is that what you came here

to tell me? As a courier?

I could have phoned.

I just wanted to come up

and be with you.

Oh, Jonathan, I had this

fantastic speech planned.

I mean, I was going

to say it really quick

before you interrupted me

or walked away.

Well, how's it go?

I forgot.

Well, first, why don't you

tell me why you set me up?

I did it because I believe

you had to take this sanction.

All right, I've taken it.

And you and me,

working side by side,

like loyal Americans,

not to mention Dragon and Pope,

will save the republic yet.

Have you met the other climbers?

Mmm-hmm.

Any suspicions?

Could be any one of them.

Could even be Madam Montaigne.

She's a very destructive woman.

You know the type.

(CHUCKLES)

I'm cold.

Jonathan, you know

what I don't have?

No. What don't you have?

I don't have a room for the night.

Jesus.

(SCOFFS)

I see, so you're a condemned

man's last wish, huh?

4:
00 p.m. We leave in 12 hours.

We must do the first thousand feet

before the sun loosens the ice chunks.

BEN:
If the weather holds.

It will hold.

It's certainly magnificent.

A perfect choice

for my last mountain.

Hey, Jon, sit down, have a beer.

I've got a friend checking in, but I

guess I can always go for a beer.

What's this about

your last mountain?

Well, I'm not longer

young, Jonathan.

Think of it. At 42, maybe I shall be

the oldest man to climb the Eiger.

What do you think

about that, Madam?

How do you feel about climbing?

I consider mountain climbing

the biggest nonsense.

MONTAIGNE:

I've never been in better shape.

Ask Anna. Every night for 6 months,

I perform two hours

of exercise before bed.

By now, she must be very anxious

to see you climb the mountain.

WAITER:
Doctor, a message

from the gentleman outside.

I think I'll take a stroll. Madam

Montaigne, would you care to join me?

Well, I think I shall

return to my room.

If you will excuse me?

Well.

Well.

What got into Jean-Paul?

I don't know.

A little jumpy, I guess.

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