The Final Countdown Page #2

Time plus two minutes.

- What the hell's goin' on?

- General quarters, sir. Come with me.

Time plus three minutes.

Time plus four.

Report when all stations

are manned and ready.

Got him right there!

Comin' in! A-7 Corsair!

Heads up on deck!

He's in bound to the barricade.

Green jackets

to the barricade.

We can't hear you.

All right.

Crash on deck! Crash on deck!

All personnel respond now!

Let's get out there

and watch for fire!

Red shirts, front and center!

Move it, move it!

Move it!

- Go back to course 350.

- Aye, aye, sir.

Okay! Take 'er down!

All personnel on the Flight Deck,

let's turn to.

Blue shirts, locks and chains

on the aircraft.

Is this the last known position

of our destroyers before the storm?

- Yes, sir, Captain.

- Skipper.

Dan, go down and check out

the Threat Board.

- Keep me posted.

- Right.

- Get CAG up here.

- Yes, sir.

I want to talk

to CI NPAC Fleet.

Captain, we're down across the board.

Antennas check out, but we're off the air.

- Any word from our destroyers?

- We aren't getting anything

except some code transmissions

in the 200-meter band.

Otherwise, we're dead

as a doornail.

- Ops, what's our radar picture?

- Radar shows us clear, sir.

Clear? Can't you see

that Russian trawler?

I have the signal officer

on deck, but no visual sighting, sir.

Keep me advised.

Navigator, what's our posi?

Oh, Dick. Launch a Hawkeye

to check ship's communications

a Crusader to make a photo run over

Pearl and put two Tomcats on ready alert.

- Aye, aye, sir.

- Captain! Captain!

Hey, what happened?

Frankly, I don't know.

Lieutenant, have the heads

of all departments

meet me at C.V.I.C.

immediately after the launch.

Aye, aye, sir.

- Mr. Lasky, I want you to stay with me.

- Captain's off the Bridge.

It's a code.

Can you break it,

Chief?

- I think someone's putting us on.

- Why?

Because I learned this code

at Great Lakes. It's ancient.

Thanks, Chief.

Stand clear at 012.

Hawkeye rotating.

Off the bow, stand clear.

736 lifting for plane guard.

Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!

- Go hold your own!

- Who said that?

Chrissakes, Chief, all we want to know

is what's going on.

- Whatever it is, you'll be told.

- When?

- As soon as the skipper's ready.

- That's what they always say!

Hey, Ex-O, what's goin' on?

Attention on deck!

Carry on.

Gentlemen, we're at general quarters,

because I don't have any idea what's happened.

But I don't exclude

the possibility of war.

- A nuclear strike?

- Possibility.

- Now, what action's been taken?

- Well, Skipper

there's nothing on the Threat Board

and there's been no

significant damage to the ship.

- The crew's in good shape.

- Air wing is intact. First team's ready to go.

E-2 is now showing the area clear,

and reconnaissance aircraft

should be coming up on Pearl, sir.

The reactor is stable.

All readings are normal.

Capable for maximum speed,

Captain.

- Lloyd.

- We can transmit and receive

- but we haven't been able to reach anybody.

- Why's that?

Tried everybody in the book...

CI NPAC, Joint Chiefs...

I even took a crack

at the White House.

Now, we do have some low-band

transmissions...

strictly manual

stuff with very low power.

We'll have to do some retuning

to transmit in that range.

Get on with it!

- Ops?

- All radar's up, all weapon systems check out.

- We're ready, sir.

- Mr. Lasky. You have anything to add?

- No, sir, not at this time.

- Skipper.

I have a reconnaissance report

coming in now, sir.

Flight level 250.

Camera rolling.

There doesn't appear to be any damage.

Seems to be some unusual shipping traffic.

I'll make another pass

for a close-up series.

- Over.

- E.T.A. to Nimitz, 12 minutes, sir.

Skipper, we're picking up some weird

traffic on the A.M. broadcast band

on the entertainment circuit,

but the signal strength is very weak.

Boss, I told you. I tried and tried,

and I can't get Carmichael to go to sleep.

Rochester, that polar bear's

got to go to sleep.

- He's supposed to hibernate.

- Jack Benny?

Where is he now?

Sittin'up in bed,

readin' Esquire.

Esquire? Well,

take it away from him.

Oh, come now, boss.

He's been around.

Lloyd, tape and monitor

all transmissions.

Ops, I want a closer look on all air,

surface and subsurface contacts

within 250 miles

of this ship.

Dick, put some tankers and a medium-sized

strike force on a 30-minute alert.

- Aye, aye, sir.

- Any questions?

Skipper, the ship is still at general quarters.

Request permission to go to condition 3.

Granted. I'll be on the Bridge.

I want answers.

Attention on deck!

Secure from general quarters.

Set condition 3.

- I stand relieved.

- Very well.

- Bridge.

- Captain's on the Bridge.

Captain, C.I.C. reports a surface contact

bearing 350 at 130 miles.

- I want an I.D. on the surface contact.

- Yes, sir.

- Launch the ready alert.

- Aye, sir.

Which, translated

into world terms

means a worldwide reduction

of armaments

to such a point

and in such a thorough fashion

that no nation

will be in a position

to commit an act

of physical aggression

against any neighbor anywhere

in the world.

What the hell's the matter with him?

He's asking us to trust our enemies,

and he knows better.

You're absolutely right.

Hey, Laurel,

you finished that very quickly.

Well, I hope so. Let's see,

where were we? Uhh...

"And there"...Oops.

"And therefore"...Ah, here we are.

"So if he does choose

to support my program

let Senator Chapman

be assured now

that I am fully aware

of those qualities in him

which recommend him

as cabinet material."

I think that says it exactly.

You agree, Arthur?

- Miss Scott, you should've been a diplomat.

- I rather thought I was.

Well, you certainly cooked up

a compromise that's gonna make your boss

the next vice president

of the United States.

I better type this up before you two start

trying to improve on it.

- Thanks, Laurel.

- Here in downtown Honolulu

the weather is 78

under partly cloudy skies.

Arthur, will you leave the girl

enough clothes on not to catch cold?

She's too valuable to me.

Have you slept with her yet?

What kind of a question is

that to ask a married man?

- You son of a gun!

- Think I better go check what she's doin'.

- Oh, sure!

- Arthur, have another drink

and stop thinking about how

much everybody else is gettin'.

- Thanks!

- See you later.

We swung it, Laurel. How about that?

We really swung it!

- Did you tell him you were sleeping with me?

- What?

Laurel. I wish I was.

- I'm not gonna lie about it.

- People assume you are anyway.

- I'll just have to live with the fact.

- Fact?

Of what they think.

You're a strange girl,

Laurel.

You give more back talk and less

cooperation than any girl on Capitol Hill.

I don't know why I put up with

you and your dog.

I don't know why

I just don't fire you.

Because I'm the best

political assistant you'll find

and you're still more interested

in politics than sex.

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