Tomorrow Never Dies Page #15

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

The American presidential candidate called

to complain about that sex story -

HARMSWAY:

Send him a $10,000 campaign contribution,

and explain I have no control over

what my journalists write -

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Your bankers want an answer about the

Brazilian TV stations

HARMSWAY:

No -

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

The Queen invited you to dinner -

HARMSWAY:

Yes -

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

And the 9:
30 news meeting is waiting.

HARMSWAY:

Excellent.

They've passed from the bridge, through reception, into:

INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - HNN HEADQUARTERS - CONTINUOUS - DAY

A glass conference roam, whose PARTIALLY CLOSED BLINDS obscure the

view of the MAMMOTH HNN NEWS CENTER. (We'll see this, in full,

later.) Meanwhile, a DOZEN RAMBUNCTIOUS EDITORS react to:

HARMSWAY:

Morning, all my golden retrievers.

What kind of havoc shall we create in

the world today?

NEWS EDITOR 1

- A ferry sank and burned in

Pakistan; 457 dead.

HARMSWAY:

Good.

NEWS EDITOR 2

American jetliner down in Omaha -

HARMSWAY:

Better.

NEWS EDITOR 3

Economic summit ends in Tokyo -

HARMSWAY:

Boring -

NEWS EDITOR 1

Riots broke out at the World Cup soccer

finals -

HARMSWAY:

Dog bites man.

(explains)

Man bites dog is a news story. Riots at

the World Cup soccer finals is a social

announcement. Next?

NEWS EDITOR 4

This just came in: There's something

up with the British Navy in the

Strait. Rescue planes, helicopters;

two ships supposedly sailing from the

Persian gulf. They just chased away

one of our news boats.

HARMSWAY:

(feigning complete innocence)

Is that so?

NEWS EDITOR 4

Yeah. Sounds like a plane went down

or something... Either way, they're

calling it - all together now:

ALL AT TABLE:

"A routine training exercise."

HARMSWAY:

I'm shocked!! Issue the usual vehement

protest:
Freedom of the press, people's

right to know... Lather it up with a lot

of righteous indignation.

(off their laughter)

Next?

INT. SEA KING HELICOPTER - AIRBORNE - DAY

Frowning, Bond peers at the Sonar Operator's screen.

BOND:

Still nothing?

The operator shakes his head. The pilot calls back from the cockpit:

CO-PILOT

Commander Bond:
They've found one of

the crewman's bodies!

EXT. COASTAL INLET - MARSHLAND - STRAIT OF MALACCA - DAY

The Sea King comes in above several police cars and boats. Bond

jumps the last ten feet, and the chopper peels off.

MALE VOICE (O.S.)

Yo! Jimbo!

Bond turns to look: It's JACK WADE.

BOND:

Wade, what the hell are you doing here?

WADE:

I am not here, ol' buddy. The CIA has

absolutely no knowledge of the

missing ship, the missing gold, where

it was going, or when it left Hong

Kong.

BOND:

That's reassuring.

WADE:

Hey - the world is my office.

BOND:

Let's take a look at the body.

As Bond moves off, WADE SNIFFS THE AIR, savoring the aroma:

WADE:

Smells like... Coffee plants.

NEW ANGLE -

A POLICEMEN pulls a white sheet from the body. (We don't see it.)

Bond and Wade look down at something gruesome:

WADE:

Colorful... Shark attack?

Bond shakes his head grimly.

BOND:

I don't think so. The veins are

cauterized - as if they were sealed

by heat...

(beat, confounded)

But there are no burn marks on the

flesh. It doesn't make sense.

(to the policeman)

Who found the body?

POLICE OFFICER:

(points to)

Dato. Local fisherman. Says it came

in with the tide early this morning.

BOND:

Ask him if it could have washed in

from the west side of the Strait.

The POLICEMAN has an animated conversation with FISHERMAN. Then:

POLICEMAN:

No. He says it's not possible. The

current could have only brought the

body in from the east.

BOND:

(to Wade)

You have a boat?

WADE:

I don't know if you'd call it a boat...

BOND:

Something with an engine? Not oars?

WADE:

Step into my office.

EXT. 'THE RUNNING DOG' CIGARETTE BOAT - STRAIT OF MALACCA - DAY -

Smashing through the water at breakneck speed. Wade and Bond yell

over the engines.

WADE:

What do you want with the Harbor Master?

BOND:

Tide and current charts. Work

backward from the body - find where

the ship sank.

(Wade nods appreciatively)

Where did you get the boat?

WADE:

Seized it from a guy smuggling

computer chips out of Bangkok.

(beat)

Should have seen his rose garden:

Blooms the size of hand grenades.

Bond looks at Wade: The man remains, forever deranged.

EXT. PORT KLANG - ESTABLISHING - DAY

The Harbor Master's tower overlooks a small armada of yachts, fishing

boats, etc. A series of long dockways jut out into the harbor.

CIGARETTE BOAT - (PORT KLANG - WATERWAY) - DAY

Wade's boat is moving slowly along the waterway at the end of the

docks. Looking off, Bond spots the Harbor Master's Tower:

BOND:

Over there.

Wade turns the boat down one of the dock channels.

NEW ANGLE - WADE/BOND'S POV - DOCKWAY CHANNEL -

A SLEEK LAUNCH is ROARING TOWARDS them, on a dead collision course.

A WOMAN in a baseball cap is at the wheel.

WADE pulls his boat to the right; the LAUNCH ROARS AROUND THEM,

rocking the cigarette boat with its wake.

BOTH BOND and WADE clock the woman - who we will later learn is

SIDNEY WINCH. Wade stares after her:

WADE:

I think I've just seen my next future

ex-wife.

BOND:

(seeing they're about to crash)

Not if you kill us first - unless

that's how you plan to leave Muffy.

Wade scowls, setting the boat back on course.

DOCKSIDE - PORT KLANG - DAY -

Bond hops off the boat, securing the lines. Wade joins him.

WADE:

By the way, Jimbo - whatever happened

to that girl - in Cuba - ?

Finished tying the boat, they walk toward the Harbor Master's office.

BOND:

Natalya?

WADE:

Yeah. Russian Minister of Transportation.

BOND:

She married a hockey player.

WADE:

I envy your 'undercover' assignments.

BOND:

(a look, then)

We work in the dark. We do what we can.

INT. HARBOR MASTER OFFICE - PORT KLANG - DAY

The local Malay harbor master puts a stack of charts on the counter.

HARBOR MASTER:

Wind, tide, currents... You're the

second person today asked for a full

set of charts.

(holds out a clipboard)

If you'd just sign here -

Bond takes the clipboard -

INSERT CLIPBOARD - read signature: SIDNEY WINCH.

Bond returns the clipboard:

BOND:

Thanks.

(apparent afterthought)

By the way - was there anything

strange the night before last? Odd

weather, lost boats - ??

HARBOR MASTER:

No... Unless you're talking about

the bus problem.

BOND:

...Bus problem?

HARBOR MASTER:

Captain Cheong's ferry was late. He

runs the line across the Strait

between here and Sumatra. The lumber

mill workers coming back for the

weekend missed the last bus. Slept

on the docks. Hundreds of them.

BOND:

Thanks.

EXT. HARBOR MASTER'S TOWER - DAY

Bond emerges, carrying the charts, along with Wade.

BOND:

I have to get these to London. Do

you know this Captain Cheong?

WADE:

Spends his nights at the Kuala Lumpur

yacht club.

BOND:

Can you arrange a meeting?

WADE:

Hell. The CIA built that club.

EXT. KUALA LUMPUR YACHT CLUB - NIGHT

Palm trees, torch lights, and Rolls Royces.

INT. KUALA LUMPUR YACHT CLUB - NIGHT

A local band plays on the verandah. We find Wade at a POKER TABLE

with five local Malay Chinese. He CUTS THE CARDS, exuberantly:

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