True Lies Page #11

GIB:

(reading from a file)

Hardcore, highly fanatical, ultra-*

fundamentalist. Linked to*

numerous car-bombings, that cafe*

bomb in Rome, and the 727 out of

Lisbon last year. Major player.*

FAISIL*

Now he's formed his own splinter

faction called CRIMSON JIHAD.

GIB*

Guess he thought the other

terrorist groups were too warm

and fuzzy for his taste.

FAISIL:

They call him "The Sand Spider".*

TRILBY:

Why?

FAISIL:

(he shrugs)

Probably because it sounds scary.*

TRILBY:

This is impressive, gentlemen.

Of course, it would have been

even more impressive if you

actually knew where he was.

HARRY:

We'll get him.

TRILBY:

Yes. You will.

(meaning-- you damn

well better)

Harry, I still want you in

charge, even though your cover is

blown. Just keep a low profile.

(he slaps a newspaper

on the table)

I generally prefer it when my

covert operations don't make the

front page.

The agents look at the headlines: WILD WEST CHASE. Harry and

Gib wince.

112 EXT. HELEN'S OFFICE BUILDING - DAY

Harry and Gib pull to the curb in front of the building.

GIB:

What's going on?

Harry gets out of the car and turns back, leaning in the door

to talk to Gib.

HARRY:

Look, uh... I've got to talk to

Helen about this thing with Dana.

I'm just going to run in and see

if she can get away for lunch.

GIB:

You want me to just hang-- ?

HARRY:

Just hang a minute.

GIB:

I'll just hang then, shall I?

113 INT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY

Harry enters the office of Helen's firm. He stops at

reception.

RECEPTIONIST:

Hello Mr. Tasker. Just a second,

I'll buzz Helen.

HARRY:

No. No, I'd like to surprise

her. Thanks, I know where her

desk is.

He smiles and breezes past her before she has a chance to

object.

114 INT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY

TRACKING WITH HARRY as he moves through the offices. He passes

through a library-like maze of records stacks. Through them he

can see Helen at her desk. But as he approaches, still

concealed, ALLISON puts a call on hold and whips around to

Helen.

ALLISON:

Helen!

(grinning

conspiratorially)

It's your mystery man.

HELEN:

Simon? Ohmygod.

Helen, normally the image of composure, goes suddenly fluttery

and nervous as a high-school girl. She takes the phone,

turning away from Allison.

HELEN:

Hello, Simon?

(pause)

It's all right. There's no one

around.

Helen glimpses Allison with her ears cocked and gives her a

scowl and a shooing motion. Allison turns away, grinning.

115 INT. OFFICE - STACKS OF RECORDS - DAY

ON HARRY, behind the stacks, reacting. He silently mouths

"SIMON?!"

116 INT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY

HELEN:

You mean right now?

(she looks around

guiltily)

I guess so. Okay. I'll be right

there.

(pause)

Yes. I can't wait. Bye.

She hangs up, a little flushed. Then turns to Allison.

HELEN:

Can you cover me for an hour?

ALLISON:

Just an hour? You should tell

this stud to take more time.

HELEN:

Will you shutup. I should never

have told you about him.

Helen grabs her purse and rushes out, going right past the

stack where Harry is standing, dumbfounded. He looks like he

was slammed in the stomach with a lead pipe. His whole like is

unravelling.

117 EXT. BUILDING - DAY

Gib sees Harry crossing the street, holding his stomach. He

seems dazed. He is not so much walking to the car as wandering

in its general direction. He stops, in the street. Gib gets

out of the car and rushes to him. He pulls him out of the path

of a bus which is HONKING irritably.

GIB:

You look like you got gut-kicked.

What's the matter? You sick?

Harry leans against the car for support.

HARRY:

(barely audible)

He-- Helen. Helen-- it's Helen.

It's Helen, Gib.

GIB:

Something to do with Helen, is

what I'm getting.

HARRY:

She's having an affair.

Harry's best friend in the world brightens with the news. He

slaps him on the back.

GIB:

Congratulations. Welcome to the

club.

HARRY:

It can't be. Not Helen.

GIB:

Nobody believes it can happen to

them.

HARRY:

It can't be.

GIB:

Same thing happened to me with

wife two. I had no idea until I

came home and the house was

empty. I mean empty. She even

took the ice-cube trays from the

fridge. What kind of person

would think of that?

HARRY:

(not listening)

I still don't believe it.

GIB:

Relax. Helen still loves you.

She just wants this guy to bang

her. It's nothing serious.

You'll get used to it after a --

Harry wheels around on Gib, grabbing him by the lapels, and

slams him against the car.

HARRY:

STOP. CHEERING. ME. UP.

We see in Harry's rage, frustration, and hurt confusion a

vulnerability we never expected to see.

GIB:

What'dya expect Harry? She's a

flesh and blood woman. And

you're never there. It was only

a matter of time.

Harry sags. His friend is right. Gib opens the car door and

helps him in like an invalid, talking soothingly the whole time--

GIB:

I say we concentrate on work.

That's how I always got through

it whenever my life turned to

dogshit. Let's catch some

terrorists and then you can beat

the crap out of them. You'll

feel better.

Gib gets in and starts the car, full of stoic cheer for Harry.

GIB:

Women. Can't live with 'em.

Can't kill 'em.

118 INT. OMEGA SECTOR / LISTENING ROOM - DAY

Harry and Gib are in the LISTENING ROOM. Banks of tape-decks

recording calls, rows of technicians in cubicles processing and

collating transcripts.

GIB:

He's giving us a blank check on*

wiretaps. So I've set 'em up on

all of Juno's shipping agents,

her clients, and Faisil made up*

a list of possible contacts that

Crimson Jihad might have in this

country. Now all we can do is*

wait --*

He notices Harry is not listening.

GIB:

Is this national security stuff

boring you?

HARRY:

Put a tap on her phone.

GIB:

What're you talking about? We

have that.

HARRY:

Helen's phone. Her office line

and the line at my house.

Gib gives Harry a stricken look, and glances around nervously.

He pulls him into an empty office.

GIB*

(a whispered hiss)*

Okay . . .I have two words to*

describe that idea. In. Sane.

Unauthorized wiretap is a felony,

pard.

Harry grabs him and rams him up against the wall, his teeth

clenched.

HARRY:

Yeah, and we do it twenty times

a day. Don't give me that crap.

Just put on the taps. Now.

GIB:

Sure, Harry. I'm on it.

Harry releases him and turns away. Gib straightens his jacket,

looking at his friend like he's completely losing it.

119 INT. TASKER HOUSE - NIGHT

That night Harry is actually there on time for dinner. He

glances at Dana, who has been eyeing him warily. She looks at

her peas.

HARRY:

How was school today?

DANA:

Fine.

Harry takes a bite of his food, watching her. Silence. Helen

glances at him.

HELEN:

So. You came by to see me today?

She is a too casual, masking her nervousness.

HARRY:

I was in the area, and I thought

you might like to have lunch.

HELEN:

They must've just missed me.

HARRY:

They said you had to run out.

HELEN:

Yeah. It was a rush thing. They

needed some documents down at the

court house. I barely made it.

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