The Siege Page #2

HUB:

Still, the rhetoric sounds political.

Militia?

TINA:

Not their style.

HUB:

Frank --?

FRANK:

Jihad isn't known for their sense of

humor, and Hamas is raising so much

money here, why queer their deal?

TINA:

Anyway, isn't Green the color of

Islam, not blue?

FRANK:

-- And, excuse me, but why do we

immediately assume they're Arabs?

HUB:

I want a composite of the suspects

in circulation by the end of business

today. Tina, you cross-check it

against the mainframe. Mike, have

you got the lab analysis on the paint?

MIKE:

Not yet...

HUB:

-- See if any was sold in quantity

the last month. Danny --

Tina's phone buzzes. She picks it up as Hub keeps going:

HUB:

-- find out what stop these guys got

on the bus, maybe there's a witness.

FRANK:

Hub... I think we're all eager to

give up our weekends on this. It

just occurs to me, has anybody even

committed a crime here? I mean,

assault with a deadly color?

Hub deals with Haddad's irreverence by ignoring it.

HUB:

Here's what I don't like. They know

explosives. They know our response

time. They put in a call and walk.

A young agent, FRED DARIUS, hands Hub a piece of paper:

FRED:

Excuse me, sir. I think you should

see this. Came in on the Fax.

Only two words are written: "RELEASE HIM."

HUB:

Release him? Him who? Who are we

holding?

TINA:

Marv Albert?

SUSSMAN:

McVeigh? Sheik what's-his-name from

the Trade Center.

FRANK:

-- Omar Abdel Rahman... a**hole.

FRED:

The Hamas guy got released in April.

FRANK:

Under protest.

HUB:

(looks at the fax)

Why be coy about it?

SUSSMAN:

You think it's phony?

TINA:

(covering the phone)

Hub, somebody's flashing a government

badge over at the warehouse where

they're working on the bus. Our tech

guys want to know if we're cooperating

with any other agencies on this thing.

Off Hub's look, we:

CUT TO:

AN OLD WAREHOUSE IN BROOKLYN - DUSK

Hub and Haddad join AGENT FLOYD ROSE, a tall Black man.

AGENT ROSE:

-- She's looking for wiring signatures

on the device and asking for copies

of any latent prints we've managed

to lift.

HUB:

-- Agency?

AGENT ROSE:

Smells like it. Turns out she's also

been talking to some of the

passengers.

THEY OPEN THE DOOR

In the klieg lights -- THE BUS. Men in white coats dust every

inch and generally behave as if investigating a crashed UFO.

In their midst, a young WOMAN, midwestern pretty in a serious

suit. She looks up as Hub enters.

HUB:

Hi.

WOMAN:

Hi, there.

HUB:

Special Agent Anthony Hubbard. FBI.

WOMAN:

Oh, sh*t, I've been trying to liaise

with you all day. My name is Elise

Kraft, National Security Council.

She offers her hand. Hub doesn't take it yet.

HUB:

-- And you've been trying to "liaise"

with me all day? Did you think of

trying the phone book, Elise? We

have fourteen lines, that's not

counting the unlisted ones.

ELISE:

(still holds out hand)

Hi, I'm Elise Kraft, National Security

Council.

Finally, he takes her hand. And doesn't let go.

HUB:

And I'm Colin Powell. What exactly

do you people want with my bus.

She tries to take her hand away, but he tightens his grip.

ELISE:

We're all on the same team here,

Agent Hubbard.

HUB:

Who exactly is "we" on this particular

team, Elise?

ELISE:

It's never the question that's

indiscreet, only the answer.

He smiles. She smiles back. Convinced she's charmed him.

HUB:

Tell you what, you send me an official

inter-agency request for cooperation

on this and I'll give you copies of

everything we come up with. Otherwise,

get your ass on out of here before

you contaminate my crime scene any

more than you already have.

ELISE:

There's no reason to be nasty.

HUB:

You think this is nasty?

(smiles)

In case you haven't heard. The CIA

has no charter to operate

domestically. Which puts you in

violation of federal law.

ELISE:

Not according to the Cooperation

Agreement, Special Order 12333 -- I

suggest you reread the paragraph on

sharing information. I happen to be

well within my authority.

HUB:

Special Order 12333 refers to domestic

terrorism. You got something you

want to "share" with me?

(he waits... but no

answer is forthcoming)

Us being teammates and all?

ELISE:

(holds up a clipboard)

Unfortunately, not yet. But as soon

as I do, I'll --

HUB:

-- get back to me, yeah, I know.

(takes the clipboard

from her hands)

Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna

have a couple my "teammates" here

escort you back to wherever you came

from. And then I'm gonna go back to

the office and wait for that official

cooperation request. Okay by you?

ELISE:

Swell.

HUB:

Nice meeting you, Elise. Is that

Elise with an "E" or an "A"?

ELISE:

Nice meeting you, too, Special Agent

Hubbard.

OUTSIDE THE WAREHOUSE

Hub watches as Elise is led away by two AGENTS. Agent Rose

stands nearby.

HUB:

Tail her.

NICE LIVING ROOM -- NIGHT

In Frank Haddad's home. The Haddad's are celebrating the day

FRANK JR. has finished reading the Holy Koran.

FRANK JR (O.S.)

(in Arabic)

"In the Name of Allah, the beneficent,

the merciful. Say: I seek refuge in

the Lord of Men, the King of Men."

Frank's TEACHER offers the final benediction. Those who are

Muslim cover their face with their palms.

TEACHER:

(in Arabic)

"Make me know that which I have become

ignorant of; and make me recite it

in the hours of the night and the

day; and make it an argument for me

O Thou Sustainer of all the worlds!"

Ameen!

ALL:

Ameen.

Later --

The guests mingle, eat pastries and drink sweet tea.

TINA:

...Nice, wasn't it?

HUB:

Very.

TINA:

(after a moment)

You ever gonna stop by, pick up your

things?

Nearby, Mike and Danny observe them.

DANNY:

-- He doing her?

MIKE:

Some detective you are. They stopped.

FRED:

Really? I wonder if she likes white

guys.

DANNY:

I wonder if she likes bald guys.

Hub, meanwhile, congratulates Frank's wife, NAJIBA.

HUB:

You must be so proud...

NAJIBA:

Small children, small worries. Big

children --

FRANK:

-- big orthodontia bills. Someday,

you'll understand.

And then Frank notices Hub's DRIVER standing in the doorway.

FRANK:

Where we going?

HUB:

You're staying with your family. I'm

back in the morning.

CUT TO:

Sequence omitted from original script.

Sequence omitted from original script. (ALREADY SHOT)

INT. HUB'S OFFICE - EARLY MORNING

Hub is looking at surveillance photos of Elise. Frank enters.

FRANK:

You sleep here?

(Hub smiles, but

doesn't look up)

Immigration called.

A SMALL GREEN ROOM -- AS SEEN THROUGH A TWO-WAY MIRROR

Hub and Frank watch a dark-skinned MAN being questioned by a

uniformed OFFICIAL. An INS Supervisor shows them a false-

bottomed suitcase stuffed with money.

INS OFFICIAL:

-- all in small bills. So we figure,

smurf, right? Then I think,

considering the gentleman's

nationality, plus where he's been

recently, we better call Frank.

FRANK:

-- who's trying to score points with

his boss, bigtime.

HUB:

Has he broken any laws?

INS OFFICIAL:

No, sir. He's twenty bucks under the

$10,000 limit.

FRANK:

(pulls out a $20 bill)

Not anymore.

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