The Night Manager Page #2

He hands PINE a file. And ROPER heads out across the camp.

PINE watches him walk across the dust like Kurtz in his

jungle.

11 INT. LONDON. NEW IEA OFFICES. DAY. 11

BURR is at a table. Three or four other IEA OFFICERS there.

Including GRACE. MAYHEW stands watching.

GRACE:

The private jet left Istanbul at

8.20 am. We have no satellite

information available after that.

BURR:

Why not?

GRACE:

The Turks say they need a higher-

level request for all flight intel.

BURR:

So get me one.

GRACE:

I tried ma’am. They said no.

BURR:

I have lost my boy. I need to know

where he is.

The Night Manager ep 5

GRACE:

I’ll try again.

BURR gets up, turns to MAYHEW who has been watching. They

walk aside, alone.

BURR:

OK this is what we know. A British

ship -the Leila Jane made port in

Istanbul two days ago. It shouldn’t

be anywhere near Istanbul, it

should be in the Azores and it

should be full of crop sprayers.

Now it’s gone again. Its cargo was

taken off at Istanbul, and its

cargo was this:

He shows MAYHEW the PALFREY-leaked arms deals. DRE holdings,

Gardener-Fisher, Lessing, RM Aviation, Severance Technology,

Oregon Systems, and Pureweather.

BURR (CONT’D)

British and American arms. Seven

new deals in the last month.

They’re selling to a no-go customer

in the Middle East and Roper’s the

middle man. He is about to meet the

buyer somewhere in Turkey at a

place called the Haven. I need more

money, I need personnel on the

ground, I need sigint, and I need

someone to tell me where the bloody

hell my agent is.

MAYHEW:

Listen I need to talk to you.

Privately.

Something in his tone. They move aside. Beat.

MAYHEW (CONT’D)

The Permanent Secretary has

requested I no longer manage

Enforcement Agencies. I have

accepted her recommendation. As of

the end of this week I will be

reassigned. I thought I should tell

you in person.

BURR speaks quietly, entirely aware of the danger of what she

is saying.

BURR:

The Permanent Secretary leaked my

intelligence to Dromgoole. She’s

part of it.

The Night Manager ep 5

Deadly quiet. BURR would like to hit him hard across the

face. She doesn’t.

MAYHEW:

Angela we have no friends on this.

BURR:

And you need friends. Don’t you

Rex.

He is staring at photographs of APOSTOL. Dead, neck sliced

open.

MAYHEW:

None of us want to end up like him.

He walks out. BURR gets up and walks to her team. She looks

pale with rage. GRACE looks across.

GRACE:

You all right?

BURR:

Spare me the pity. Just find me our

boy.

12 INT. HILL FORT. PINE’S ROOM. DAY. 12

Military room in the Hill Fort camp. PINE lies on his bed,

reading the file Roper gave him. His eyes focus, as he reads

arms spec after arms spec. Taking it in.

13 EXT. HILL FORT. DAY. 13

ROPER, now in fatigues and mountain jacket, leads PINE and

LANGBOURNE across the compound. FRISKY and TABBY walk with

them. Generators hum, naked bulbs illuminate washhouses,

cinder-block dormitories, there’s a target range, and an

assault course visible against the mountain. It’s an army

training camp in all but name.

ROPER:

When a continent enters into chaos,

that’s when opportunities open up.

The British knew that in China, the

Americans in South America. Now I’m

doing it here. Took me five years

to get this up and running. We can

train armies to fight in

mountainous terrain, teach them

anti-guerrilla tactics, how to deal

with political insurgency. All

stuff no one knew when we started

in Afghanistan and Iraq.

(MORE)

The Night Manager ep 5

ROPER (CONT'D)

And when the going gets tough we

can even provide small teams of our

own to go in and deal with specific

targets. Assassinations. Fake

terror plots, even the odd coup.

Can’t we Jasper?

JASPER smiles. ROPER laughs.

ROPER (CONT’D)

Jasper looks like a p*ssy cat but

don’t let him near your neck on a

bad day.

Two SOLDIERS walk up and shake ROPER’s hand. PINE drops back.

SOLDIER:

Good to see you sir.

ROPER:

All right boys, how’s the world

treating you?

LANGBOURNE comes alongside PINE.

LANGBOURNE:

Not a bad set-up eh?

PINE:

He’s got his own army.

LANGBOURNE:

Of course. Roper’s king here. Just

how he likes it.

14 INT. HILL FORT. MESS. DAY. 14

ROPER and LANGBOURNE lead PINE into a mess-style canteen.

FRISKY and TABBY follow. The mess is peopled by mercenaries

from all nations. A cheer comes up as ROPER enters, ROPER

greets the applause with a smile and a wave.

ROPER:

You boys been busy while I’ve been

gone?

BRITISH MERCENARY

All ready for you chief. Spic and

span.

ROPER:

Good because Mr Birch here wants to

put on a good show for our guests

tonight.

BRITISH MERCENARY

Evening sir.

The Night Manager ep 5

PINE:

What regiment were you?

BRITISH MERCENARY

Royal Fusiliers. Company C.

PINE:

You lost two men in Basra. 2005. I

was there.

BRITISH MERCENARY

Yes sir. Friends of mine.

PINE:

Why did you leave?

BRITISH MERCENARY

Same as you I imagine. I’d done

three tours. Time to cash in the

chips.

ROPER:

All guns for hire here aren’t we

boys? You know what you’re looking

at Andrew. The real United Nations.

Laughter at the table.

ROPER (CONT’D)

I’ve got Russians, Ukrainians, US,

UK, French, Serbs, Croats, all in

one camp, all working together, one

happy family. Money breaks all

barriers. Privatisation of war. And

from a provider’s point of view,

the margins are favourable.

He toasts. More laughter. Everyone drinks. Noise, mayhem.

ROPER goes into conversation with JASPER. LANGBOURNE turns to

PINE.

LANGBOURNE:

Something’s wrong with him. He’s

looking at me like I shot his

mother.

PINE:

He thinks there’s a bad apple in

the cart.

ROPER turns, stares at PINE. The mass of hired guns before

them, all laughing, drinking, joking. ROPER’s face is one of

pure distrust.

15 EXT. HILL FORT. DUSK. 15

A black car on the horizon.

The Night Manager ep 5

The car continues on the crest of the hill and drives down

towards the compound.

ROPER is at the front to meet them. SECURITY GUARDS pour out

to meet the trucks. The Lebanese man Pine saw in Mallorca

emerges from the car in a suit and coat. OMAR BARGHATI.

FRISKY and TABBY bring him over to be greeted by PINE. ROPER

watches.

BARGHATI shakes his hand, knowing smile on his lips.

BARGHATI:

Mr Birch. It’s a great pleasure to

meet you.

PINE:

On behalf of everyone at Tradepass

welcome to the Hill Fort. You had a

good trip I hope?

He smiles. BARGHATI smiles but his look interrogates PINE’s

soul.

PINE (CONT’D)

Well let’s show you what you’re

buying. Frisky get the jeeps.

FRISKY signals. The jeeps roar to life. PINE smiles. ROPER

watches. They walk through the compound and into the jeeps.

The jeeps fly out of the compound.

16 EXT. EASTERN TURKEY. MOUNTAINSIDE. DUSK. 16

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