Thirteen Days Page #24

EXT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

The belly door whines open like a silver eyelid, exposing the

camera's lense.

INT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

Anderson double checks his position, switches to the

autopilot for the stability only the machine can provide,

then hits the CAMERA ACTIVATE button on his joystick.

BAMABMABMABMA... The camera begins its photography.

Anderson watches the number on the film-remaining counter

spool down. He stares out the window. The towering clouds

below rise up magnificent, glorious... a glimpse of heaven.

Rapt, Anderson stares. And then suddenly a BLARING ALARM

GOES OFF IN THE COCKPIT. It shocks Anderson around to the

controls. It's his MISSILE WARNING LIGHT.

Anderson' hands flash out to the joystick, turning off the

cameras, disabling autopilot. He banks the U-2 hard.

EXT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

As the U-2 turns, far, far below, emerging from the clouds,

barely visible, rises a CONTRAIL. It arcs lazily toward us.

A beat, and then another CONTRAIL.

Then ANOTHER. The anti-aircraft missiles creating them are

too small to be seen with the naked eye.

INT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

The cockpit is a cacophony of alarms and lights, the horizon

outside tilted. Anderson's breath comes fast, rasping as he

does his strains going into the high-g turn.

He looks out the cockpit window, finds the first SA-2 missile

in pursuit only several thousand feet below him now. He

waits. Waits. Waits, still in the turn. The black head of

the missile now visible.

He puts the plane over, rolling out into an opposite bank.

EXT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

The spy plane's long flimsy wings weren't made for

dogfighting. They BEND terribly in the rollout. And then

the first missile STREAKS past, tries to correct its miss,

but can't and vanishes into the distance at a 90-degree

angle.

INT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

Anderson's breath comes faster and faster as the second

missile rises up, now visible. He puts the throttle as far

as it goes, trying to outrun death. Every second is a tenth

of a mile, and every mile shortens the missile's life span.

The rising missile drafts aft, closing on the U-2 from

behind.

EXT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

The second missile's contrail rises up behind the plane,

levels off, and closes on it at a tremendous rate.

The third missile rises up in the far distance behind the

second.

The second missile races up on the U-2, closer, right behind

it, can't miss. Then at a hundred yards, the contrail

suddenly peters out, and the missile, out of fuel, drops

away.

But the third missile closes.

INT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

Anderson glances out the window, sees the spent missiles fall

away, and spots the third missile still seeking him aft.

Hand pinning the throttle forward, he prays under his breath.

EXT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

The third SA-2 rides its billowing column of exhaust straight

for the tail of the U-2. This one is not out of fuel.

INT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

Major Anderson opens his eyes. He stares out the window at

the glorious wonder of cloud and sea and earth below.

EXT. U-2 - CONTINUOUS

And the missile looms. We have time to realize it's almost

as big as the plane itself before it SHEARS right into the U

2's tail and EXPLODES in a BLINDING FLASH.

INT. HALL OUTSIDE BUNDY'S OFFICE - DAY

Kenny, jogging down the hall, hears form an open door.

BUNDY (O.S.)

Kenny!

Kenny goes over to the threshold. Inside the office Bundy

stands up from behind his desk, grave. And Kenny knows.

INT. CABINET ROOM - DAY

All of EXCOM is there except for Bundy. Kenny sits behind

the President, deeply distraught over Major Anderson.

THE PRESIDENT:

Does this attack on our plane represent

a definitive, intentional escalation on

the part of the Soviets?

GENERAL TAYLOR:

The Soviets are in control of the SAMs.

It's hard to believe with their

centralized command structure that it

could be an accidental launch.

MCCONE:

Mr. President, taken with the events of

the past few hours, I believe this

confirms our worst fears. We're now

dealing with a hard-line Soviet

government, perhaps with Khruschev as a

puppet head, perhaps not.

In the silence, Kenny reads the faces around the room.

They're convinced by McCone's pronouncement. Kenny's not.

KENNY:

It could be a mistake.

McCone gives him a get-serious look. But Kenny presses on.

KENNY (CONT'D)

We need to be positive before we react.

Bundy enters the room. Everyone looks up. He stands there

in the doorway, his face tight.

Kenny sags in his chair. Bundy, of course, has more bad

news, and they all know it. A hopeless beat. The President

just stares at Bundy, unable to ask. Bundy nods, affirming

what everyone is thinking.

BUNDY:

A U-2 on a routine air-sampling mission

over Siberia got lost and penetrated

Soviet airspace. The Soviets scrambled

MIGs in pursuit, thinking it was a

bomber. It got out okay. Somebody

forgot to cancel the mission.

THE PRESIDENT:

Goddammitt. There's always some

sonofabitch who doesn't get the word.

All we need is the Soviets thinking

we're bombing them.

(facetious)

Anybody else?

The humor falls on a cold audience.

GENERAL TAYLOR:

Mr. President, our pilots are in danger.

We must order punitive airstrikes

against the SAM site that shot down

Major Anderson per our rules of

engagement.

And finally the moment Kenny has dreaded all this time has

come to pass. He looks at Bobby, then at the President. The

President stares at the cup of coffee in his hands, as if

trying to read the Fates' design in it. A long beat, and

everyone holds their breath.

THE PRESIDENT:

No. I want confirmation there wasn't

some sort of accident first.

LeMay clears his throat. Everyone looks at him, expecting

him to scream or jump up and down.

LEMAY:

I think that's a good idea, Mr.

President. It'll be safer for my boys

to get those SAMs on Monday when we get

the rest of the bastards. I can wait a

day and a half.

THE PRESIDENT:

Very well, then.

But he says it without any belief in the words, realizing

they're being tied fast to the train tracks of war.

INT. KENNY'S OFFICE - DAY

Alone in his office, shattered, Kenny stares out the window,

viewing the distant Ellipse through a gap in the trees. Kids

are out there playing football. He glances at his watch, and

grabs his jacket.

EXT. WHITE HOUSE - DAY

Kenny puts on his jacket as he goes down the steps into the

bright autumn day, walking away from the White House. It

drops behind him -- his step is faster, more urgent.

EXT. STREET - DAY

Kenny walks down the sidewalk, drawn toward the Ellipse. The

sixth grade FOOTBALL PLAYERS sweep forward with a running

play. Kenny scans them, searching, his breath coming hard.

EXT. ELLIPSE - DAY

He reaches the edge of the open field. And then he spots the

name on the jersey: O'Donnell. It's Kevin. The players

relinquish the ball and the offense comes off the field.

Kevin sees his dad.

KEVIN:

Hey! Dad!

Kenny manages a smile as Kevin trots over. Kevin pulls his

helmet off. They stand there a long beat, Kenny desperate to

take him up, abandon his post... but he doesn't.

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