The Siege Page #10

Tina watches them. She rolls her eyes at Frank. And then:

THE GROUND SHAKES

A low RUMBLE as the light FLICKERS and the chandelier sways.

FRANK:

Whoa... What do they put in these

drinks --?

TINA:

They got earthquakes in Manhattan?

But Elise is not too drunk to make her way to the door. Hub

joins her. Already, in the distance, the WAILING OF SIRENS.

IN THE TOWN CAR -- SPEEDING UPTOWN ON MADISON AVE

Blue light FLASHING. Hub, Elise and Frank sit grimly silent.

TRAFFIC:

Is snarled and gridlocked at 40th. Finally, they can take it

no longer and step out into a chorus of HONKING HORNS.

THEY BEGIN TO RUN

Past the frustrated drivers. Turning the corner at 41st where:

SMOKE BILLOWS:

From the New Victory Theatre -- where a gala benefit is taking

place.

GIRL IN A PRADA GOWN

Walks toward CAMERA. She's stunning. From the jeweled

clutchbag to the tasteful necklace, everything is perfect,

except:

HER RIGHT ARM IS MISSING

And now we SEE:

THE BLACK-AND-WHITES

Haphazardly pulled-up over the steps and the FIRETRUCKS

already unspooling their hoses. Cops, Firemen, EMT's.

Everybody's SCREAMING. Hub and Elise race past.

MAN IN BLACK TIE

Sits, weeping quietly beneath the once proud stone lions.

THE FEW SURVIVORS

Their faces cut and bleeding, stumble around, disoriented.

As Hub and Elise continue toward a SOUND we have never heard

before in this country. A kind of keening.

A NYPD SERGEANT is the senior OFFICER on the scene. Hub shows

his shield to the man who appears a bit shell-shocked.

NYPD SERGEANT:

-- f***ing bastards waited 'til

intermission. Everybody standing

around... Oh, Jesus...

GLASS crunching underfoot, they can only watch as horribly

disfigured BODIES are carried out. A NEWS REPORTER shoves a

microphone in Hub's face.

NEWS REPORTER:

Is it true the governor was attending

tonight's benefit --?

HUB:

I don't know.

NEWS REPORTER:

Who it is I'm speaking to --?

Hub ignores the reporter. He sees that Elise is already

tearing off part of her skirt to bandage a SOCIETY MATRON.

He takes off his coat and goes to work beside her.

CUT TO:

A DARKENED AIRPLANE

Hub sits alone.

PILOT (O.S.)

Folks, as you can probably tell, we

have begun our descent into

Washington's National airport.

THE HIGH-PITCHED WHISTLING SOUND IS HEARD AGAIN

Hub reaches up to his DAMAGED EARS. As anyone who's ever

flown with a sinus problem knows, the pain is excruciating.

STEWARDESS:

-- You alright?

But we can only LIP-READ her question. He's sweating now.

Over this, we HEAR:

ARMY GENERAL (V.O.)

Either we answer this threat quickly

and convincingly or next week there'll

be a hundred more all over the world.

Sequence omitted from original script.

ON CAPITOL HILL -- LATER THAT DAY

As Hub climbs the steps toward the gleaming dome, the debate

continues within:

CONGRESSMAN MARSHALL (V.O.)

Sounds great, General, except why

can't we find out who's behind it --

?

IN THE ROTUNDA LIBRARY

A strategy session chaired by General Devereaux. Sleeves

rolled up, silver coffee service. Staff members abound.

FBI DIRECTOR:

These sects are organized so you

need a kill to your credit to get

inside. It makes undercover operations

impossible. What that leaves us is...

we're working on it.

SENATOR WRIGHT:

How about who's behind who's behind

this?

CIA DIRECTOR:

Libya. Iraq. Iran. Possibly Syria.

CHIEF OF STAFF:

Ask a question. Get an atlas.

SENATOR WRIGHT:

All I know is that we must respond.

CHIEF OF STAFF:

Respond, sure. But how?

SENATOR WRIGHT:

Find out who it is and bomb the sh*t

out of them.

CHIEF OF STAFF:

And if we can't find out --?

The question hangs in the air.

CONGRESSMAN MARSHALL

Look it keeps escalating. First a

bus, then the theatre. What's next?

SENATOR WRIGHT:

Anything but leadership.

DEVEREAUX:

With all respect, Senator, why don't

we just stipulate that the President

is a dumb son of a b*tch so we can

all get down to business.

An icebreaker. Everyone laughs.

CONGRESSMAN MARSHALL (V.O.)

What about sending in the Guard?

ATTORNEY GENERAL (V.O.)

The National Guard are trained for

riot control not counter-terrorism.

SENATOR WRIGHT:

The Army then. I've seen the

contingency plans.

ATTORNEY GENERAL

It's settled legal doctrine, posse

comitatus, that the Army not be turned

against our own people.

SENATOR WRIGHT:

Even if that's what our own people

are asking for, three to one?

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

If the President is willing to declare

a State of Emergency --

SENATOR WRIGHT:

President Lincoln declared martial

law in 1862. He suspended --

ATTORNEY GENERAL

-- which the Supreme Court later

found un-constitutional. Ex parte

Milligan.

CONGRESSMAN MARSHALL

And I've got an election in November.

Ex-United States Congressman.

CHIEF OF STAFF:

Guys, guys, the President lost a lot

of friends last night --

CONGRESSMAN MARSHALL

Not to mention six points in the

polls.

CHIEF OF STAFF:

-- And his plane lands in two hours.

We owe it to him to have a consensus.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

You don't fight a junkyard dog with

ASPCA rules. What you do is take the

leash off your own, bigger, meaner

dog.

CHIEF OF STAFF:

...General?

DEVEREAUX:

The Army is a broadsword not a

scalpel. You do not want us in an

American city.

CHIEF OF STAFF:

But hypothetically... how long would

it take you to --

DEVEREAUX:

We only go if the President invokes

the War Powers Act.

CHIEF OF STAFF:

I understand that, General. Let us

imagine, though, for a moment, that

the order has been given.

CLOSE on Devereaux. As he weighs his remarks, we FLASHCUT,

almost imperceptibly to:

AN ANONYMOUS ROOM

As WATER is poured over anonymous hands in a ritualized

manner. O.S. we HEAR the SOUND of chanting.

BACK TO -- THE SITUATION ROOM -- SAME TIME

DEVEREAUX:

...Twelve hours after the President

gives the word we can be on the

ground. One light infantry division

of ten thousand seven hundred men.

Elements of the Rapid Deployment

Force combined with Special Forces --

Delta. APC's, tanks, helicopters.

And of course, the ubiquitous M-16A1

assault rifle, a humble weapon until

you see a man carrying one outside

your local bowling alley or Seven-

Eleven. It will be noisy, it will be

scary and it will not be mistaken

for a VFW parade.

BACK TO -- THE ANONYMOUS ROOM

Where the same anonymous hands lift a cotton shroud. We watch

in SLOW-MOTION as it drifts down a shoulder.

BACK TO -- THE SITUATION ROOM

DEVEREAUX:

That means civilian casualties. At a

minimum it's a drunk private joyriding

in a Hummer who runs down an old

lady in Greenpoint. At a maximum...

(sighs)

Make no mistake. We will hunt the

enemy. We will find the enemy. And

we will kill the enemy.

BACK TO -- THE ANONYMOUS HANDS

Turning the key in an ignition. An engine rumbles to life.

BACK TO -- THE SITUATION ROOM

DEVEREAUX:

(looks at them)

And no card-carrying member of the

ACLU is more deadset against it...

than I am. Which is why I urge you...

no, I implore you not to consider

this option.

A long beat. The Chief of Staff sighs.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes