TRUE LIES WRITTEN BY JAMES CAMERON ----------------------- TITLE SEQUENCE 1 EXT. MOUNTAINS, NEAR GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - NIGHT The snow covered Alps stand out clearly in the light of a full moon. A fortress-like CHATEAU is situated in a flat saddle of forest partway up the mountain, next to a frozen lake. The property is surrounded by high stone walls, and the stately grounds are bathed in floodlights and patrolled by armed guards with dogs. 2 EXT. CHATEAU - NIGHT The driveway and motorcourt are filled with cars. A formal- dress party is in progress... a private reception for a middle- eastern dignitary. Tuxedoes men escort their diamond-encrusted ladies through the huge front doors, where they doff their overcoats and are politely scanned with hand-held metal detectors by white gloved security staffers. The walled perimeter of the house runs along the lake, forming a kind of rampart. There is an opening, to a kind of waterway or canal, which connects to the private docks inside the grounds. There is a steel grating across the opening. The bars disappear down into the thin ice of early winter. With the house visible BG, we CRANE DOWN below the parapet wall along which a guard is a white exposure-suit is walking... down along the dark wall to the grating... TILTING DOWN to see a glow pulsing under the ice. 3 EXT. BENEATH THE ICE, UNDERWATER - NIGHT Camera moving toward: A FIGURE in diving gear working at the metal bars with an oxygen arc cutting torch. One bar has already been cut out. Two quick cuts and a second bar falls to the muddy bottom. Lit now only from the floodlights filtering down through the ice, the figure slips through the bars and swims powerfully along the stone canal wall. Seem from below, the figure is a black shadow moving against the rippled-glass of the ice above. 4 EXT. CANAL AND BOATHOUSE - NIGHT A dock extends into the frozen canal, just behind a large boathouse. There is a faint chipping sound. The ice breaks quietly, and the pieces are slid back. A head appears, in a rubber drysuit hood. The DIVER slips the regulator out of his mouth and turns slowly, scanning... revealing: HARRY TASKER. Our hero. Harry floats with just his eyes above the surface, silent as a water snake, as a guard passes on a footpath nearby. After a few beats Harry slips out of his tanks and fins, letting them sink, and climbs the frozen ladder onto the dock. He moves like a ninja into the shadows of the boathouse. Opening a WATERPROOF BAG, he pulls out a walky talky. HARRY Honey, I'm home. 5 INT. / EXT. SURVEILLANCE VAN, MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT Meet Harry's partner, ALBERT "GIB" GIBSON, an overweight twenty- year-man with a lived in looking face. Gib answers Harry via his headset. GIB Roger that. (he covers the mike and turns) Hey, Fize! Get your butt in here. Harry's inside. Outside, FAST FAISIL, an Iranian-American, finishes making yellow snow and hurries back to the van. They are parked on a winding mountain road a half-mile from the chateau, whose lights are visible through the trees. Faisil jumps in and goes to the eyepiece of a huge telephoto nightvision scope. The eerie green image lurches as he sweeps the grounds, locating the boathouse. 6 EXT. BOATHOUSE - NIGHT Concealed in the shadows, Harry is shucking out of his drysuit. Underneath is he is wearing black tux pants, suspenders, cummerbund and a formal shirt. He puts a tiny plug, like a hearing aid, deep in his ear canal. A SUB-VOCAL TRANSCEIVER. Very advanced. HARRY Switching to sub-vocal. Gib, you copy? GIB (OVER) It's Talkradio. You're on the air. Harry slips into his shoulder harness... holster on one side, containing his .45 auto Glock-22, and the transmitter pack for the ear-piece slung on the other. He slips on a formal jacket, concealing the rig. Then a final touch. A little aftershave from a tiny plastic vial. Harry adjusts his bow-tie and strides confidently out of the shadows, crossing quickly to the main house. He looks ultrasharp in his black tux with the white silk cummerbund and his hair slicked back. He enters the main house through a back service entrance. 7 INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT Harry strides through the huge kitchen like he owns the place. The kitchen staff are scurrying around, too busy to really notice. He finger-tastes a dish as he passes. HARRY (French/ subtitled) This needs more garlic. He breezes through unchallenged, exiting into the-- 8 INT. MAIN HALL - NIGHT Here the party is in full swing. Harry blends smoothly into the crowd of foreign dignitaries, businessman and minor mid- east nobility. They are a high-octane mixture of new oil money and old European money, and run the spectrum from stodgy bankers to playboy arms dealers. Harry strolls amiably among the glittering woman, the cigar smoking men, casually snagging a glass of champagne and a canape from the passing waiters. He nods to someone as if he knows them. Greets another is quite fluent Arabic. People in his wake look at each other like "Do you know him?" They shrug, go on with their conversation. Harry moves through the crowd. Scanning. HARRY There's Daddy Petrobucks. HARRY'S POV - Through the crowd is sees JAMAL KHALED, the host of the party and owner of the chateau. He is fat and animated, greeting guests with a flourish. As Harry watches he warmly * greets a beautiful WOMAN. They become absorbed in a * conversation. The woman glances up and sees Harry checking her out. There is a frank moment of returned interest. Then the crowd shifts, cutting off their view of each other. 9 INT. STAIRCASE AND SECOND FLOOR - NIGHT Harry makes his way up the grand staircase to the second floor. * He slips through doors into the private area of the mansion. * 10 INT. LIBRARY - NIGHT The doors open and Harry slips into the darkened library. He * crosses quickly to a window and opens it onto a terrace. * 11 EXT. BALCONIES - NIGHT * Harry goes onto the terrace, and in a display of acrobatic * prowess, he pulls himself up onto the third floor balcony * directly above. He lets himself into-- * 12 INT. KHALED'S OFFICE - NIGHT * Khaled's office is ornately furnished. Beautiful antiques glint in the moonlight coming in the French-doors. Harry crosses to an immense desk and boots up the computer there. Bathed in the glow from the screen, he pulls a FLAT BOX, about the size of a paperback, from the back of his cummerbund. He connects it quickly to the modem port in the back of the computer. HARRY Modem in place. Transmitting... now. He pushes a button and a green light comes on. 13 INT. VAN - NIGHT Gib and Faisil watch as their monitor screen lights with DATA from Khaled's private computer. FAISIL Affirmatory. We are in. * Fast Faisil is a computer ace. His fingers fly on the keyboard as he types rapid key commands. We see familiar "windows appear". The words are all in Arabic characters. FAISIL These are encrypted files, guys. This is going to take me a few minutes. 14 OMITTED * 15 INT. 2ND FLOOR HALLWAY - NIGHT * TIGHT ON LIBRARY DOOR. It opens a crack and a dental mirror * comes out, looking around like a U-boat periscope. Seeing the coast is clear Harry slips out. But just as he is closing the door, a GUARD rounds the corner ten feet away. Harry turns smoothly. He smiles sheepishly and moves toward the guard. HARRY (In Arabic/ subtitled) Where's the john around here? I have to take a major leak. The guard points warily down the corridor. Harry nods and heads that way, back toward the party. 16 INT. MAIN HALL/ STAIRCASE - NIGHT Harry comes down the staircase amid the glitter of the party. He is sipping champagne and looking bored. He sees two security guys moving purposefully through the crowd toward the stairs, walkies in their hands. He turns away as they pass him and pretends to study a large fragment of bas-relief... a temple frieze depicting a war chariot drawn by four horses. He senses someone next to him and turns. It is the WOMAN. She * is captivatingly beautiful, and her gaze is piercing. HARRY (indicating the bas- relief) Magnificent, isn't it? WOMAN Yes. Hi, I'm Juno Skinner. I thought I knew most of Khaled's friends but I don't believe I know you. Harry offers his hand to her. HARRY Renquist. Harry Renquist. 17 INT. VAN - NIGHT Gib whirls to the screen displaying the mission database. He scans rapidly for-- GIB Skinner. Skinner. Come on... Gib finds the entry he's looking for. Juno's picture and data appear on the screen. GIB Juno Skinner. Art and antiquities dealer, specializing in ancient Persia. 18 INT. MAIN HALL - NIGHT Harry turns back to the fragment of frieze. HARRY This is Persian, if I'm not mistaken. JUNO Very good. It's sixth century B.C. Do you like the period? HARRY (shameless) I adore it. 19 EXT. DOCK/ BOATHOUSE (NIGHTVISION POV) - NIGHT Seen through the starlight scope, we see one of the guards shining his light on the hole in the ice and then on Harry's footprints leading to the boathouse. He calls to one of the other guards, who comes running over. 20 INT. MANSION - NIGHT Harry, still with Juno, hears Gib in his ear: GIB (VO) Harry, we got a problem. Guards are swarming all over the dock. Harry glances up the stairs. Khaled's SECURITY CHIEF is gesturing to several of his men, and speaking quickly into a walky. Three SECURITY MEN come down the stairs, scanning the crowd. Harry turns smoothly away from them and takes Juno's arm. HARRY Do you dance, Ms. Skinner? He steers her toward the dance floor. 21 INT. VAN - NIGHT Gib, listening, rolls his eyes. He looks through the night- vision scope. Guards are running around outside the chateau. Harry's stirred up the hornet's nest. Faisil is still jamming at the keyboard. FAISIL Okay, files are unlocked. I'm in. I'm down, baby. I got my hand up her dress and I'm going for the gold. I'm-- GIB Just copy the goddamn files! (into his headset) Harry, don't be stopping to smell the roses, now. You hear me, Harry? 22 INT. MAIN HALL - NIGHT Harry whirls Juno aggressively across the dancefloor. She responds deftly. They are well matched. She parries each of his smooth moves with a flourish. It is a contest of wills, and a surprised appraisal for each that the other is worthy. Juno is hot. He bends her back at the waist, then snaps her up. She twirls into the crook of his arm. Their faces are inches apart. Wow. The music ends and she gives him a wry grin. JUNO Well. And I thought this was going to be just another bunch of boring bankers and oil billionaires. GIB (OVER) Harry, seconds count, buddy. Ditch the bitch, let's go. HARRY Unfortunately, Juno, I have a plane to catch. She slips a card out of a pocket in her otherwise sheer dress. She hands it to him, maintaining eye contact. Serious sparks. JUNO Call me, if you'd like to see some of my other pieces. HARRY I'd like that. 23 INT. VAN - NIGHT Gib can't believe this conversation. GIB (to Faisil) Son of a bitch is with her two minutes and she's ready to bear his children (to Harry) What's your exit strategy Twinkle Toes? 24 EXT. CHATEAU/ FRONT ENTRANCE - NIGHT Harry nods to the security men at the door as he strides confidently through. He goes down the steps to the broad terrace above the motor court. Behind Harry, a GUARD lowers his walky talky and starts after him. GUARD May I see your invitation, sir? Without turning, Harry slips a small flat box out of his breast pocket. A REMOTE DETONATOR. HARRY * Here's my invitation. * He pushes the button and-- * KABOOM! The second floor office windows blow out in a fiery explosion. Using the diversion, Harry leaps off the terrace before the guard can open fire. 25 INT. / EXT. VAN - NIGHT Gib sees the rising fireball a half-mile away. He starts the van. GIB Aw, shit. Here we go-- 26 EXT. CHATEAU AND GROUNDS - NIGHT Harry sprints across the snow-covered lawn, through the trees. Guards with automatic weapons run after him, firing. The snow explodes around him with bullet hits. TWO DOBERMANS pelt toward Harry, leaping at him in perfect unison. He waits... and knocks their heads together in mid- leap with a crack like a baseball bat. The dogs drop to the snow, wobbling around like they're drunk. As Harry sprints on, ANOTHER DOBERMAN lunges out of the bushes ahead, leaping directly for his throat. Harry grabs the dog and shot-puts him up into a tree without breaking stride. Dog Fu. The dog yelps and scrambles to hold onto an icy branch, looking down in amazement. 27 EXT. PERIMETER WALL/ MOUNTAIN SLOPE - NIGHT Harry leaps down on the outside of the wall, hitting a snow bank and sliding downhill. He sprints down the gentle slope toward the highway. Harry looks back as TWO GUARDS ON SKIS come out of a guard station beside the main entrance. TRACKING WITH THE SKI-GUARDS, searching through the trees with lights. They have lost Harry. They stop. A snowbank behind them EXPLODES as Harry leaps out. He disables them both with vicious street-fighter moves. Harry looks upslope as-- A service gate opens in the perimeter wall and TEAMS OF SECURITY MEN in white snow-suits pour out, some on skis, some on SNOWMOBILES. A HELICOPTER rises over the wall in a blast of swirling snow. Its xenon lights rake through the trees, casting lurid wheeling shadows on the snow. ON Harry, snapping closed the ski boots he has stolen from one of the disabled guards. He pops the boots quickly into the bindings and takes off downhill with one of the guard's FN FAL rifles slung across his back. The helicopter swoops downhill, its searchlight blazing through the forest. Snowmobile headlights illuminate the ski-patrols zig-zagging among the trees. Harry slashes expertly downhill. He cuts a distinguished figure in his black tux. Automatic weapons fire rips through the trees from behind him. Harry is going flat-out. The xenon light hits him. A 7.62 mm machine gun in the chopper rips the * slope into white clouds around him. Harry slashes, turns, weaving among the trees at breakneck speed. A snowmobile is closing in, outflanking him. He turns toward it, suddenly. Hits a mogul. Uses the air to slash his skis right across the rider's face. The snowmobile crashes and tumbles into the night. 28 INT. / EXT. VAN - MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT GIB'S VAN takes an icy turn in a hairy slide. INSIDE Gib is peering upslope, trying to see what's going on. All he can see are lights and gunfire. GIB Harry, what's your twenty? I need a position, buddy-- Suddenly a skier in a black tux launches across the road from the slope above, RIGHT OVER THE VAN, and lands deftly downslope. GIB Uh... right! I'll catch you on the next bend. Behind the van, pursuing guards leap across the road. Only about half can make the jump. The rest crash horribly. The helicopter thunders overhead. 29 EXT. MOUNTAIN SLOPE - NIGHT Harry sees the chopper start an attack run. He comes out into the open, going straight downhill like a rocket. The chopper gets suckered in... trying to hit him, getting right down behind him... and suddenly-- Harry slides to a stop in an explosion of powder and whips up the rifle. P-P-P-POW! He rakes a burst across the windshield. The startled pilot swerves and-- Suddenly two tall pine trees are right in front of him. K-WHACK! The main-rotor blade snaps clean off and the chopper drops into the snow, plowing into a snowbank. It slides right to the edge of a steep ridge and stops, teetering. Firing from a snowmobile, one of the guards puts a burst right across Harry's path. Harry's skis are hit and he tumbles, comes out of it... running down the hill like a juggernaut in his heavy boots. He has lost the rifle somewhere in the snow. Harry takes cover behind the burning wreck of the downed chopper, which still has its engine running. The ski patrol opens fire from upslope. Rounds whacking against the disabled helicopter. Harry looks down the slope and gets an idea. He jerks the unconscious pilot out and pushes on the fuselage, rocking it. It slips over the edge. He leaps inside as it topples forward and slides down the slope. 30 INT./ EXT. HELICOPTER - MOUNTAIN SLOPE - NIGHT Harry adds throttle and works the footpedals, using the tail- rotor to steer. The chopper had snow-skids, and Harry is skiing the damn thing down the mountain. The copter is burning as it rockets down the slope on its * skids. Bullets are hitting the fuselage, and everything around it. Skiers are wiping out, hitting trees. A snowmobile hits a rock and flies spectacularly into a ravine. GIB (OVER) Harry! Where are you! HARRY In the helicopter. 31 INT./ EXT. VAN - MOUNTAIN ROAD - NIGHT Gib slides the van around a curve. GIB (deadpan, to Faisil) He's in the helicopter. Big is scanning above for the chopper. Then upslope he sees the burning fuselage skiing expertly among the trees. The chopper hits a jump and launches into the air-- It crashes through trees, still soaring and-- Gib looks up, screaming as-- The chopper drops right toward him-- He hits the brakes and-- BLAMMO! It drops onto the road ten feet in front of the skidding van... then slides over the edge and tumbles into a rocky canyon where is BLOWS UP! The fireball lights up the night. Gib and Faisil jump out of the van. They look downslope at the burning wreckage. GIB Harry? HARRY?! HARRY What? Gib and Faisil spin to look behind them. Harry is lodged in tree-branches hanging over the road. Gib hands his MP-5K * machine gun to Faisil and reaches up to Harry, who grabs his * hand and pulls. Harry tumbles down into the snowbank. He stands, brushing snow off his tux, and clomps toward the van in his ski-boots. He is completely unruffled. HARRY Let's go. We can still make our flight. As Faisil is getting into the van behind Harry, TWO GUARD TEAMS ON SNOWMOBILES roar around the bend behind them, fish-tailing on the ice. Faisil OPENS FIRE. One snowmobile swerves over the embankment. The other pulls up broadside, and the guards duck behind it. Gib floors it and the van roars down the mountain. Faisil is still Ramboing on full-auto. FAISIL This is GREAT!! I never get to shoot! CUT TO: 32 EXT. DULLES AIRPORT - NIGHT An American Airlines 747 touches down amid puffs of tire smoke. 33 EXT. SUBURBAN D.C. STREET - NIGHT A NON-DESCRIPT SEDAN pulls to the curb in a neighborhood of modest middle-income tract homes. The street is deserted. It is 4 A.M. Gib is at the wheel, dropping Harry off at his house. 34 INT. SEDAN - NIGHT Harry is emptying his pockets... passport, business cards etc. All documents under his name "Renquist". He double checks that his pants and jacket pockets and empty. Gib fastidiously puts the items into a plastic zip-lock. HARRY Empty. Go. Gib starts handing him items from a briefcase. This should all feel like a tired ceremony between them. GIB Harry Tasker wallet. Harry Tasker passport. Plane ticket stub, hotel receipt, Tasker. Two postcards of Lake Geneva. House keys. Souvenir snowing Swiss village. Gib snows him how is snows when you shake it up and turn it over. HARRY What's this for? GIB For Dana, schmuck. Bring your kid something. You know. The dad thing. HARRY Got it. Nice touch. Okay, pick me up at eight. The de-brief is at ten hundred. Harry opens the car door. GIB Hey, hey, hey... what are we forgetting? Gib holds up Harry's gold wedding band. Harry puts it on. HARRY What a team. See you at eight. GIB Yep. Sleep fast. 35 INT. TASKER HOUSE - NIGHT Harry slips inside. He sets down his suitcase and walks quietly down the hall. He pauses at a door with lurid labels and stickers plastered all over it (Toxic Waste, STAY OUT!, IF IT'S TOO LOUD YOU'RE TOO OLD, etc.) Harry silently opens the door and looks in at his sleeping daughter, DANA. She looks like an angel in the moonlight coming in the window. In fact, she is a typical 14 year old girl, and therefore hardly an angel. But to Harry she is unflawed. 36 INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT Harry, undressed now, slips into bed next to... a lump in the covers which we presume to be a human being. This is HELEN TASKER, Harry's wife of 15 years. He kisses her on the cheek and she stirs. She rolls toward him, giving him a sleepy hug and a kiss. HELEN (a drowsy murmur) Hi, honey. How was the flight? HARRY Fine, honey. Stay asleep. HELEN Okay. As she drifts off, Harry puts his head on the pillow and stares at the ceiling. DISSOLVE TO: 37 INT. TASKER HOUSE - DAY (MORNING) TIGHT ON SWISS VILLAGE. It is snowing. ON DANA, reaching to the present Harry just gave her. DANA Hey, thanks dad. I never had one of these. They are in her room, which is your basic room from Hell. Pearl Jam posters, and an unbelievable clutter of junk, magazines and cheap jewelry. Harry kisses her on the cheek, to which she submits dutifully. He looks at his watch and heads for the door. HARRY You better hurry. You're going to be late for school. Harry hurries out and Dana considers the Swiss village a moment. DANA Really lame. She plonks is straight in the wastebasket. 38 INT. HALLWAY/BEDROOM/ BATHROOM - DAY Harry strides down the hall, avoiding their small but * incredibly ugly dog, GIZMO, who skitters past him going the * other way. HARRY Dana, don't forget to feed Gizmo! * Harry crosses the bedroom, hurrying past Helen who is clearly rushing to get ready herself. We get our first good look at Helen. She is wearing a terrycloth robe as she picks out an outfit. Her hair is wrapped in a towel. To call her plain would be inaccurate. She could be attractive if she put any effort into it, which doesn't occur to her. HARRY I'm late. HELEN Me too. They talk without looking at each other, the way people who have been together a long time do. HELEN How'd it go at the trade show? You make all the other salesmen jealous? HARRY Yeah. You should have seen it. We were the hit of the show with the new model ordering system, the one for the 680... how you can write up an order and the second the customer's name goes into the computer, it starts checking their credit, and if they've ordered anything in the past, and if they get a discount... She is already tuning him out. And it hits us: SHE HAS NO IDEA WHAT HARRY REALLY DOES. HELEN (barely listening) That's fabulous Harry. HARRY Yeah, it was wild. Harry glances at her, oblivious to him and brushing her teeth. He smiles. The best lies are told with enthusiasm. 39 INT. FRONT HALLWAY, LIVING ROOM - DAY Gib opens the door, knocks a bit, then strolls in like he lives there. He is wearing dark Ray Bans, like he's doing a Roy Orbison impression. Gizmo runs toward him, yapping, but Gib gives him the evil eye. GIB Come any closer I'll kill you. The dog backs up, whining plaintively. Gib throws his jacket over the back of the couch and then, inexplicably, he takes out a pack of CAMELS and sets it on the mantelpiece. He adjusts its position carefully. Hmmmm. 40 INT. BATHROOM - DAY Harry and Helen maneuver around each other expertly. She is doing her make-up. HELEN The plumber came yesterday. He said they have to dig under the slab or something and it's going to be six hundred dollars to fix. Harry is not really paying attention as he ties his tie in front of the mirror. His mind is elsewhere. He couldn't care less about there domestic problems. HARRY Uh huh. Okay. HELEN It's not okay. It's extortion. HARRY What did you tell him? HELEN I slept with him and he knocked off a hundred bucks. HARRY Good thinking, honey. Harry kisses her on the cheek and exits. 41 INT. KITCHEN - DAY Gib enters and pours two cups of coffee. Dana is drinking orange juice from the bottle at the fridge. GIB Hi, kid. DANA Hey, Gib. What up? She EXITS, eating an uncooked pop-tart. Harry comes in a second later and Gib hands him his coffee. HARRY Thanks dear. GIB Here, check these out. Gib hands Harry the glasses. Harry studies them, seeing the VIRTUAL VIDEO DISPLAY inside the left lens of the Ray Bans. Harry glances down the hall, making sure no-one is looking, then he puts them on. HARRY'S POV - INSIDE THE GLASSES - A black and white video image of his own living room. GIB The CCD camera and transmitter and inside a pack of smokes. Slick little unit, huh? IN POV we see Dana enter the living room. She looks around carefuly, then quickly lifts Gib's jacket and slips out his wallet. She palms two twenties in the blink of an eye and puts the wallet back. Pro moves. HARRY Son of a bitch! GIB What? Harry whips off the glasses and charges out of the kitchen. Gib goes after him. 42 EXT. HOUSE - DAY Dana comes out the front door, letting it slam behind her, and runs to her boyfriend, TRENT, who is waiting for her in the driveway on his idling YAMAHA. Trent is 16, dressed in grunge- rock style, trying to look tough. Harry comes out the front door as Trent revs the motor. HARRY Dana!! She waves from the back of the bike as Trent pops the clutch and they shoot down the driveway. DANA (yelling over the engine) Can't stop, I'm late. Bye, Dad! 43 INT. / EXT. GIB'S CAR/ STREETS OF WASHINGTON - DAY They are driving through D.C. Harry is still shocked by his * daughter's behavior. GIB Kids. Ten seconds of joy. Thirty years of misery. HARRY She knows not to steal. I've taught her better than that. GIB Yeah, but you're not her parents, anymore, you and Helen. Her parents are Axl Rose and Madonna. The five minutes you spend a day with her can't compete with that kind of constant bombardment. You're outgunned, amigo. Gib and Harry turn onto Pennsylvania Avenue, heading toward Lafayette Square. Capital Hill is behind them. 44 INT. TEKTEL OFFICES - DAY * Harry and Gib come out of an elevator on the 12th floor. * Behind the receptionist is a burnished metal sign which reads * TEKTEL SYSTEMS. They cross a open floor of cubicle spaces. * There is the hum of activity everywhere. A normal day at a * normal business. * SECRETARY * Morning, Mr. Tasker. * HARRY * Morning, Charlene. GIB See, kids now are ten years ahead * of where we were at the same age. You probably think she's still a virgin-- HARRY Don't be ridiculous. She's only -- how old is she? GIB Fourteen, Harry. HARRY Right. She's only fourteen. They go into a corridor. * GIB Uh huh. And her little hormones are going like a fire alarm. I * say even money that physicist on * the bike is boinkin' her. * HARRY No way. Not Dana. They stop at a door, like any other along the corridor. It is * blank. * GIB Okay. Okay. De-nail ain't just a river in Egypt. She's probably stealing the money to pay for an abortion. HARRY Will you just open the door! * Gib touches a plastic card to an unmarked spot just above the * doorknob. There is the CLUNK of a SOLENOID LOCK. * GIB Or drugs. 45 OMITTED * 46 INT. CORRIDOR - DAY They enter a long corridor, which is featureless except for * video surveillance cameras. They walk along the silence for a * moment, then . . . * GIB Twenty here, fifty there... I figured my wife's boyfriend was taking it. HARRY I thought you moved out. GIB Well . . . I moved back in. My lawyer said it would give me a better claim on the house in the property settlement. Don't change the subject... you owe me two hundred bucks. They approach another door, with a (bulletproof) glass window * in it. Beyond is a brightly lit room, with a woman sitting at a desk... and nothing else. Gib presses a buzzer. 47 INT. OUTER SECURITY ROOM - DAY JANICE sits at the non-descript desk like a receptionist... but she is a highly trained security specialist. She is also hefty through the shoulders, aggressively unattractive and utterly humorless. She watches them on a monitor screen as they stand outside the door. Harry and Gib appear as living X-Ray images. Their weapons are visible in their shoulder harnesses. Janice puts one hand automatically on the butt of a .45 tucked in a holster riveted beneath her desk. She buzzes Harry and Gib in with the other. JANICE Gentlemen, please idenitify yourselves to the scanner. Harry and Gib step up to the combination retinal-thumbprint- voice scanners. Harry presses his thumb against a black-glass plate for laser scan, and looks into the eye-piece of the retinal scanner. HARRY Harry Tasker. One zero zero two four. GIB Albert Gibson. Three four nine nine one. Their clearance appears on a monitor on Janice's desk. JANICE Thank you. You are cleared. She stands to give them plastic I.D. badges which they hang around their necks. GIB Janice, how many years have you been buzzing us in? JANICE Ten, Mr. Gibson. GIB And you still reach for your piece every time. JANICE Yes sir. GIB God! You have no idea how much that turns me on. I've never had the courage to say this before but... I love you, Janice. JANICE Yes, sir. He kisses her wetly on the cheek as he goes by. She does not react is any discernible way. They pass through a heavy stainless steel door which opens automatically. Beyond is a kind of airlock... a SALLY PORT. Behind a lexan shield are TWO GUARDS armed with MP5s. They nod but do not speak at Harry and Gib pass them. HARRY You better watch it. She might file on you for sexual harassment. GIB In her dreams. 48 INT. OMEGA SECTOR INNER SANCTUM - DAY Gib and Harry pass through the inner door of the sally port into a large austere atrium. ANGLE FROM ABOVE as they cross. A huge graphic logo covers the floor. Across the center is says OMEGA SECTOR. In smaller print, around the perimeter, is the motto: "THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE". They enter a high-tech office space. It is a maze of glass partitions surrounding a central floor-space of cubicles. There is a hushed quality here. People do not joke. They do not hurry. There are a lot of computer screens displaying information from around the world. It looks like a combination of NASA mission control and FBI headquarters. Fast Faisil greets them, yawning, as they pass his partitioned cubicle. HARRY Come on, Fize. We're late for our butt-grinding. Faisil gulps his coffee and hurries after them. 49 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY A dark and severe conference room, with large-screen computer displays at one end. Glowering at one end of the long, polished table, is SPENCER TRILBY, the chief of Omega Sector. Visualize a cross between Colin Powel and J. Edgar Hoover. TRILBY Jesus, Harry! You guys really screwed the pooch last night. Please tell me how I can look at this, that it's not a total pooch- screw. HARRY Total is a strong word-- GIB There are degrees of totality. FAISIL It's a scale really, with "perfect mission" on one end and "total pooch-screw" on the other and we're more about here-- TRILBY Faisil. You're new on Harry's team, aren't you? FAISIL Yes. TRILBY So what makes you think that the slack I cut him in any way translates to you?! FAISIL Sorry, sir. Uh... here's what we got. He hits a button and a photo of Khaled fills a wall-screen. FAISIL Jamal Khaled. We think he's dirty so we raid his financial files... Check it out... Faisil hits some buttons and a second screen lights up with the data for their raid. FAISIL One hundred million in wire transfers from the COMMERCE BANK * INTERNATIONAL-- * GIB Which we all know is a front for certain nations to fund terrorist * activities. Something big is * going down -- FAISIL * And we know that a week ago four * MIRV warheads were smuggled out * of the former Soviet Republic of * Kazakhstan . . . HARRY * We think Khaled's group has * bought the nukes and is bringing * them to U.S. soil. * TRILBY * So far this is not blowing my skirt up, gentleman. Do you have * anything remotely substantial? * Don't be pumping beets up my ass * here. Do you have hard data? * HARRY * Not what you'd call rock hard. * GIB * It's pretty limp, actually. * TRILBY * Then perhaps you better get some * ... before somebody parks a car * in front of the White House with a nuclear weapon in the trunk! 50 INT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY It is the interior of a huge law office. Helen works there as a paralegal. She is going to the break room for coffee with her friend, ALLISON, a secretary. Allison is black, younger then Helen, and still single. HELEN I mean, it's not like he's saving the world or anything. He's a sales rep for Chrissakes. Whenever I can't get to sleep I ask him to tell me about his day. Six seconds and I'm out. But he acts like he's curing cancer or something. ALLISON So I guess you didn't get away * for the weekend after all? * HELEN Are you kidding? Harry had to go out of town. ALLISON I'm shocked. HELEN Yeah. You know Harry. Helen's nerdy boss BRAD, comes up behind her, scowling. BRAD Helen, have you pulled those files yet? I need them by lunch. HELEN I won't let you down, Brad. Brad leaves. HELEN * (under her breath) * You little pencil-neck. * (to Allison) * So... yo... sista! D'you do * anything interesting? ALLISON * Oh... Eric and I drove up to this * little romantic inn, and... * pretty much lapped champagne out of each other's navels for two days. HELEN You bitch. ALLISON Girlfriend, you got a man. You * just have to take control . . . set up the right mood. * HELEN Harry only has two moods: busy... * and asleep. ALLISON Then you better do something to * jumpstart that man's motor. You know... wake up the sleeping giant of his passion. They both crack up at that one. 51 INT. OMEGA SECTOR (DATA CENTER) - DAY * Harry meets up with Gib and Faisil coming from the ANALYSIS * Department. * HARRY What'ya got? The following will play as they wind their way through the rows * of data-analysis workstations. FAISIL (handing Harry a printout) Here, check this out-- GIB It's a two million dollar disbursement from Khaled to... Juno Skinner. (Harry raises an eyebrow) Uh huh. The babe at the party. * HARRY It doesn't mean anything. She buys antiquities for Khaled. GIB Nope. The art buys are in a separate ledger. FAISIL And this is a little above market- * rate for the horizontal bop, even * for a total biscuit like her. HARRY Alright, I want a complete workup on her. Do we know where she is? FAISIL Uh huh. Right here in river city. HARRY You're kidding. FAISIL She lives in Rome, but she does stuff here the Smithsonian and has a lot of diplomatic connections, so she has offices * here. * Gib starts tangoing with an imaginary partner. GIB Sounds like a job for a specialist. 52 INT. TASKER HOUSE/ KITCHEN - NIGHT (10PM) DING! Harry opens the microwave as his dinner finishes re- heating. He sits down alone at the kitchen table and pulls the Saran-wrap off the plate. Another solo supper two hours late. His motions are so automatic we gather that this is the rule, not the exception. Helen comes in from the living room, holding the suspense novel she is reading. HELEN I need you to talk to Dana. The vice principle called and she cut class again this afternoon. HARRY I'll handle it. Harry picks up his porkchop and goes out the back door. 53 EXT. DRIVEWAY - NIGHT A basketball hoop is bolted to the garage and Dana is shooting baskets in the driveway. Moths orbit the outside floodlights. She sinks one, dribbled back to the foul line. Harry comes up behind her and lifts the ball out of her hands as she stands poised to shoot. She turns. HARRY Dana, Mr. Hardy called. Why weren't you in class today? DANA He lies! I was there! I was in the nurse's office, cause I had a headache. HARRY You seem fine now. DANA Great! You're going to believe that fat dweeb Mr. Hardy over your own daughter. HARRY I'm not sure what to believe anymore, young lady. You never used to lie to me. But lately you don't seem to know the difference between right and wrong. Dana studies something really fascinating at the end of a fingernail. HARRY Dana, are you listening to me? DANA Yeah, Dad. HARRY You know you can always talk to me. Right? Whatever is going on in your life, your mom and I'll understand. DANA Okay, Dad. HARRY You'd tell me if there was something wrong, wouldn't you, pumpkin? DANA I'm not a pumpkin! Okay?!! Do I look even remotely like a pumpkin?! I'm not a muffin, or a cupcake or a honeybear either! And you don't understand anything Dad... Dana runs into the house, agent. Hold on Harry, superagent, * unable to comprehend the mind of a 14-year-old. He looks up to * see Helen at the backdoor. * HELEN * (macho voice) "I'll handle it". CUT TO: 54 OMITTED * 55 INT. / EXT. LIMO - DAY (NEXT MORNING) A BLACK LIMO cruises through a morning fill of bright promise. INSIDE, Gib is at the wheel in a chauffeur's uniform. He talks to Harry, riding in the back, without turning. GIB It's all set up... ghost phones and fax, all the usual stuff. You have a suite at the Marquis Hotel under Renquist. Okay, reality check. Go. HARRY Hi, I'm Harry Renquist. I own a-- 56 INT. JUNO'S OFFICES - DAY HARRY --corporate art consulting company in San Francisco. I have an appointment with Ms. Skinner-- Harry is extending his business card to the receptionist as Juno breezes into the lobby from a corridor. She is dressed sharply and looks as stunning as Harry remembers. JUNO Harry! I thought I might see you again. I just didn't except you to call so soon. Juno lingers a second or so long on the handshake. HARRY Well, what's the point of waiting? JUNO I agree. There is definitely unholy magnetism here. She indicates for Harry to walk with her and leads him through the suite of offices. There are mounted fragments of ancient sculpture in niches on either side, and beautifully restored mosaics and tablets of hieroglyphics mounted on the walls. JUNO So your clients want something for the lobby of their new corporate headquarters? HARRY That's right. They want something... dramatic. I spoke to a number of people who said you're the one to see. Juno leads Harry through a door into a large warehouse area. There is a bustle of activity as workmen unpack crates. An overhead crane is used to move huge stone pieces. There are massive columns, and statues two stories high. Even the entire facade of a tomb. JUNO So what did these... people... say about me exactly? They stroll amongst the statues, as coveralled workmen move around them with tools, scaffolding, pneumatic equipment. Most of the workers are middle-eastern. HARRY Let's see... that you can read ancient Sanskrit without having to sound out the words. And that other dealers and archeologists don't like you much. JUNO Those wimps. It's because I use * my diplomatic contacts to export cultural treasures from countries which tell them to take a hike. (yelling in Arabic to two workmen) I told you to move those crates an hour ago. Come on guys, let's get going. We realize that A WORKMAN is watching them intently from nearby. He is an intense looking MIDDLE-EASTERN MAN in his mid- thirties. JUNO You see, a lot of these pieces are from ancient Persia. Unfortunately, ancient Persia is twenty feet under the sand of * Iran, Iraq and Syria. Not the most popular places lately. So I've had to become an expert in international diplomacy. Juno stops and looks at Harry. Her smile indicates the possibility of more than just business. JUNO Well, do you see anything you like, Mr. Renquist? CUT TO: 57 INT. HOTEL SUITE - DAY Harry, Gib and Fast Faisil are in a luxury suite at the MARQUIS HOTEL. It is a corner suite, with a spectacular view of the city. Faisil is routinely sweeping the room for bugs with an electronic DETECTOR. HARRY She's importing stuff from all over the mid-east. GIB She could be moving money, guns. Anything. FAISIL And the second you left there, we started getting calls to the * ghost numbers. They were checking out the Renquist front. HARRY Okay. Let's step up the surveillance on her. Put on two more guys. 58 INT. JUNO'S WAREHOUSE - DAY WE FOLLOW the WORKMAN we saw watching Harry earlier. He catches up with Juno, who is going through the doors to the office area. His name is MALIK. MALIK Ms. Skinner? Can I speak to you for a moment please, in your office? His manner is self-effacing. Humble. He doesn't meet her gaze. She nods and they go into the private office. 59 INT. JUNO'S OFFICE - DAY MALIK comes in behind her and closes the door. The moment they are away from public observation, his manner changes. His humble posture straightens and his eyes flash intensely as he approaches her. Without warning he SLAPS HER HARD ACROSS THE FACE. MALIK You stupid undisciplined bitch! Her jaw clenches but her reaction is surprisingly submissive. JUNO It's a good thing you pay me well. MALIK Do you realize that there are surveillance teams watching this place right now? Your phones are almost certainly tapped. And you are busy laughing and flirting like a whore with this Renquist, who may be a-- JUNO No. He checked out okay-- Malik slaps her again. MALIK That is for interrupting. (He backhands her) And that is for being wrong. We do not tolerate mistakes. Juno bites her lip. JUNO What do you want me to do? MALIK Find out who this Renquist it. JUNO How? MALIK Use the gifts that Allah has given you. 60 INT. TEKTEL SYSTEMS OFFICES - DUSK * The phone rings on the desk of CHARLENE, Harry's secretary at * Tektel Systems, the permanent front-company for Omega Sector. * SECRETARY Hello, Tektel Systems. Mr. * Tasker's office. 61 INT. TASKER HOUSE - DUSK Helen is in the kitchen, showing Dana how to put icing on a large birthday cake. HELEN Hi, Charlene? It's Helen. Is he there? 62 INT. TEKTEL OFFICES - DUSK Charlene doesn't hesitate a microsecond. CHARLENE Harry's in a sales meeting, Mrs. Tasker. Let me try him in there. Hold please. She punches a key, engaging a digital scrambler and connecting to-- 63 INT. SUITE AT THE MARQUIS - DUSK A PHONE RINGS. Gib opens his briefcase and looks at the console of the cellular scrambler-phone inside. The display reads TEKTEL/CALLER ID POS -- TASKER, HELEN. * GIB It's Helen. * Harry picks up the phone. INTERCUT THE FOLLOWING WITH HELEN. HARRY Hi honey. What's going on? * HELEN Sorry to bother you in a meeting, but you have to promise me that * you'll be home at eight. I don't * want Dana and I sitting here by ourselves like we were last year. You promise? HARRY (laughing) Baby, I said I'd be there. Really. Trust me. (the room phone RINGS) Gotta go, honey. Bye bye. RING. Harry raises an eyebrow as he answers. HARRY Hello? Oh, Juno, hi. (pause) Well sure. I can be there in twenty minutes. Harry hangs up. Gib, checking his watch, has a look like he's got a bad gas pain. HARRY What? It's on the way. She says she's got something for me. GIB Yeah, right. 64 INT. JUNO'S WORKSHOP - NIGHT A WORKMAN guides Harry through the maze of statuary. He points toward the back of the warehouse and then leaves. Harry is left alone in the vast space. Only a few lights are on, rendering the place somewhat Gothic. Harry strolls in the direction the workman pointed. Ahead of him, is the huge facade of a royal tomb. There is a flickering light inside. A shadow moves across the wall in the entryway. HARRY Hello? He enters the stone doorway of the tomb. FOLLOWING HARRY as he steps into the inner chamber. There is an oil-lamp burning on a stone sarcophagus, the only light. The room appears empty. REVERSE ON HARRY. Behind him a figure emerges from a shadowed alcove. It is Juno. She looks ethereal in the strange light. JUNO Hello, Harry. Harry whips around, startled. JUNO Do you like my tomb? The museum * financing fell out, so I thought * your clients might be interested. HARRY It's certainly... dramatic. JUNO Especially in this light. This is the only light they had then, * so I like to study it this way. I love this place. I love all ruins. HARRY Is that why you got into this business? Juno turns to him in the flickering half-light. She moves closer. Her eyes seem to glitter. JUNO I've always been a collector at heart. When I see something I want, I have to have it. HARRY And you have a reputation as someone who gets what she wants. She is very close to him. Her eyes seem to glitter in the light from the oil lamp. She is unbelievably beautiful. JUNO Yes, I do. 65 INT. GIB'S CAR - NIGHT Gib is sitting in the car, in the shadows, up the street... with his earphone in place. Listening. GIB Harry, this is your conscience speaking... 66 INT. TOMB - NIGHT Juno picks up the lamp and walks along the wall, holding it up so that the flickering shadows seem to bring the bas-relief figures to life. Stone faces shift and change, stone eyes move. JUNO Look at this. People who dies twenty centuries ago. Juno presses her cheek against the cold stone. She runs her fingers slowly across the figures. It is strange and erotic. JUNO They breathed and loved and wept, just like us. And now their ideals, their religions, their social orders... are gone like mist. What did any of it matter? She crosses to Harry. JUNO I only hope they lived well. That they got what they wanted. She puts her hands on him and pulls herself close. It is a hypnotic moment. JUNO Getting what you want is the only important thing. She kisses him, very lightly, with infinite sensuality. 67 INT. GIB'S CAR - NIGHT GIB Harry? Listen to the following code word. Helen. H-E-L-E-N. Now, do you want me to I beep you? 68 INT. TOMB - NIGHT Harry breaks the kiss... slowly pulling back. HARRY Yes. JUNO Yes what? HARRY Uh, yes, it is important. Juno is moving in for a more passionate lip-lock when-- BEEP BEEP BEEP!! Harry pulls his beeper off his hip and looks at it. The moment is spoiled. HARRY Uh, it looks like I have to run. I'll call you tomorrow. Your proposal is very interesting. 69 INT. GIB'S CAR - NIGHT Gib lets out a big exhale of relief. He looks at his watch. 70 INT. TASKER HOUSE - NIGHT Helen and Dana are sitting expectantly at the dining room table. There is a big cake, and presents piled on the buffet. The food is getting cold. Helen looks at her watch. DANA See. 71 INT./EXT. GIB'S CAR - NIGHT Harry is changing clothes, getting ready to be Harry Tasker * again, as Gib drives through evening traffic. Gib keeps checking the rearview. GIB We have a friend. Five cars back, inside lane. They've been * on us since we left Juno's. * Harry adjusts the passenger side mirror. HARRY Station wagon? GIB Uh huh. Want me to lose them? HARRY * No. We need this lead. * (into his Rover) * Unit Seven. * UNIT SEVEN (FAISIL) * Seven here. HARRY (into Rover) * I need you at the Georgetown mall * in three minutes. * SEVEN Copy that. We're rolling. GIB Helen's going to be pissed. HARRY See, that's the problem with terrorists. They're really inconsiderate when it comes to people's schedules. 72 INT. STATION WAGON - NIGHT There are three men in the car. YUSIF and MAHMOUD are in the front, with Mahmoud driving. In the back, shadowed, we can just make out ABU MALIK. Yusif is massively built, with a body like a beer-keg. Mahmoud is skinny and intense. 73 OMITTED * 74 INT./EXT. GIB'S CAR - MALL - NIGHT Harry puts his SUB-VOCAL TRANSCEIVER into his ear canal. HARRY Test two three. (Gib nods, receiving) Pull over here. Gib pulls the car to the curb near the mall entrance. Half a block behind them the station wagon does the same. Harry slips on the virtual-image sunglasses and gets out of the car. 75 EXT. MALL - NIGHT Harry pauses on the sidewalk a moment to light a cigarette. He coughs slightly. GIB (in his ear) You don't smoke, dickhead. Harry lets his hand drop to his side, holding the pack of cigarettes casually. He turns his hand. The tiny lens in the cigarette pack glints. POV VIDEO SCREEN --inside the left lens of the glasses. The camera in the cigarette pack reveals Yusif and Mahmoud getting out of their cars, crossing the street half a block away. HARRY strolls into the mall. It is an open promenade design, with a moderate crowd of shoppers and movie-goers. Harry watches in the glasses as Mahmoud and Yusif slip through the crowd behind him. GIB (VO) What's the plan? HARRY (apparently mumbling to himself) Gonna try to get a closer shot of * Beavis & Butthead. * 76 INT. / EXT. GIB'S CAR - NIGHT Gib looks in the rearview, studying the car behind him. GIB There's another guy, still in the car. HARRY (on radio) Stay on him. All Gib can see is a silhouette in the car. A soft cherry glow, the tip of a cigarette in the dark. No features. 77 EXT. MALL - NIGHT Harry turns off the main concourse, into a narrower walkway between shops. In the video-glasses he watches Yusif and Mahmoud, who have split up to look less conspicuous, as they track him through the pedestrian traffic. 78 INT. / EXT. GIB'S CAR - NIGHT Gib in on the cellular phone. GIB Helen? Hi, it's Gib. Harry remembered something he left at the office. You know Harry. As he is talking he sees that a bus has blocked his view of the station wagon. 79 INT. HARRY'S HOUSE - NIGHT She sighs fatalistically. HELEN Yeah, Gib. I know Harry. Helen hangs up the phone just as Dana strides through the room, putting on a jacket and heading for the front door. HELEN Where are you going? DANA Out. If Dad doesn't care enough about us to be here on his birthday, then why should I care? I'm going to a movie. HELEN No you're not. You're going to stay here until your father gets home and have cake! DANA Mom, wake up! Dad barely knows we exist. We see the hurt in her eyes. She doesn't hate her father. She just misses him. HELEN That's not true, honey-- DANA It is true! He doesn't know anything about me. He still thinks I'm like ten years old or something. As long as I just smile and say yes to whatever he says, like his good little fantasy daughter, he thinks everything's fine. But it's not fine. Nothing's fine. Dana runs out the kitchen by the other door. Helen runs after her. HELEN Dana! Come back here! The slamming door is her answer. 80 EXT. MALL - MEN'S ROOM - NIGHT Yusif sees Harry, up ahead, enter a public restroom. He signals Mahmoud with his eyes and the two of them close in on the restroom. 81 INT. / EXT. GIB'S CAR - NIGHT Gib hangs up the car-phone. Ten the bus blocking his view finally pulls away and Gib see that the station wagon is empty. No silhouette. GIB Oh shit. (into his headset) Harry, I lost the third guy. Harry? 82 INT. RESTROOM - NIGHT Harry can't answer because Mahmoud just entered the room behind him. Harry is at one of the urinals, apparently taking a leak. Mahmoud goes to the mirror. Starts combing his hair. He doesn't much notice the pack of Camels sitting on the counter nearby. Harry is whistling. Shaking himself. HARRY'S POV - In the video glasses Harry sees himself and Mahmoud. Yusif comes into the restroom, seemingly ignoring both Harry and Mahmoud, as if heading for the stalls. As he passes behind Harry he reaches into his coat-- Harry spins lightning fast. He knocks away the SILENCED PISTOL aimed at the back of his head with a sweeping block, capturing Yusif's arm in an arm-lock. The shot goes wide, shattering a urinal. Harry slams his palm into Yusif's face like a piledriver, and spins him against the steel stalls. The silenced pistol goes skittering across the floor. Mahmoud whips a pistol out of his waistband. Still holding the bear-like Yusif, Harry draws his Glock so fast we can barely see him move. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Three .45 slugs go through Mahmoud's chest, shattering the mirror behind him. He flops on his butt, slumping against the wall. Yusif, who is easily Harry's size, bellows and grabs his gun arm. They smash against the walls, struggling for the gun. Yusif, locked to Harry, hurls him against the stalls. They hit a locked door, which pops open, banging inward. Yusif drives Harry to the floor. Harry's head is between the shoes of an OLD GUY sitting on the can, who looks down uncomprehendingly at him. Yusif slams Harry's gun hand repeatedly against the doorframe of the stall. He twists Harry's wrist brutally. He even pounds against Harry's hand with his knee. The old guy winces. That's got to hurt. Harry cries out in pain and the gun drops. Yusif reaches for it, but Harry kicks it under the stalls. He punches Yusif in the face, driving him back. They grapple, spinning. Harry drives Yusif's head into the counter. Then he elbows him in the throat and they crash together on the filthy floor. Harry grabs Yusif's hair and pounds his face repeatedly against the rim of a urinal. In case you haven't noticed, this is a messy, nasty fight. Survival is like that. Yusif sags into submission. Harry pulls a nylon zip-strip out of his pocket and uses it like hand-cuffs, securing Yusif's wrists. 83 EXT. MALL - NIGHT Gib is running full out, drawing his gun. He has one finger jammed in his ear. His gut is doing the rumba as he runs. GIB Harry? Harry, you copy?! Shit! 84 INT. RESTROOM - NIGHT Harry is pulling Yusif to his feet when the door bangs open behind him. He turns, thinking it is Gib. It's not. Malik raises a FULL-AUTO BERETTA 92-F and opens fire. Harry spins Yusif between him and the machine pistol. Yusif's beer-keg body stops the spray of 9mm slugs form hitting Harry long enough for him to dive into a stall. Malik hoses the room with the Beretta. The metal stalls are riddled with hits. HARRY is in the stall with the old guy, who's just sitting there. The walls of the stall are pimpling with the hits on the far side. Harry reaches under the stall, retrieving his Glock. MALIK goes empty. Harry hears that and pops out, cranking off rounds-- Malik is a blur going out the door, as Harry's shots shatter tiles on the doorframe. Then silence. HARRY (to the old guy) Sorry. 85 EXT. MALL - NIGHT MOVING WITH MALIK, who backs rapidly away from the restroom, reloading. GIB (OFF) FREEZE!!! Malik spins to see Gib nearby, going into a firing stance behind a light-standard. The terrorist doesn't hesitate. His Beretta ROARS at 900 rounds per minute. Gib tries to hide behind the light-standard, which is about half as wide as he is. Shots hit all around him, shattering window glass behind him. His stomach sticks out from behind the pole. He sucks it in. Now his butt is sticking out on the other side. Shots clang into the steel column, and riddle everything behind him. GIB WRONG! THIS IS NOT GOOD! Just when it looks like Gib is going to get a 9mm tummy tuck, Malik turns and sprints away, through shocked pedestrians. Harry runs out of the restroom, trying for a shot, but there are too many people in the line of fire and Malik knows it. HARRY Get back to the car! Gib nods and heads the other way as Harry takes off after Malik. Malik is fast and vicious. He hurls people out of the way, sending shoppers sprawling. Harry is ruthless in his pursuit. They pound through the mall and out onto the street-- 86 EXT. STREET - NIGHT Malik sprints straight into traffic. A car screeches, not stopping in time... Malik goes right over the hood. Harry leaps over the hoods of cars after him. Malik sees Harry coming after him like a juggernaut. He turns and sees a MOTORCYCLIST coming down the street, accelerating from a right-turn. Malik runs at him, clothes- lining him right off the bike. The terrorist picks up the nimble little Kawasaki 250, which is still running, and leaps on. He pops the clutch and takes off. Harry pounds after him like a locomotive. He sees Malik turn, taking the bike path into a large PARK. Harry cuts into the park on a diagonal. 87 EXT. PARK - NIGHT ON HARRY, running. Ahead is a MOUNTED COP. Harry doesn't break stride, heading right for the cop on the horse. The cop turns, surprised, a split second before-- Harry pulls him off the horse and slams him to the ground (he's wearing a helmet). HARRY Federal Officer in pursuit of suspect! Sorry. Harry is in the saddle and galloping after Malik before the cop can get his gut out of the holster to stop him. MALIK roars through the park on the Kawasaki. He looks back, amazed to see Harry charging after him on a horse. They scatter joggers and bicyclists, people walking their dogs. TRACKING WITH THEM as they rocket through the park. Malik leaves the winding path and goes straight through the trees. Harry charges through some rollerbladers who go sprawling. Malik fires his Beretta straight back at Harry, emptying it. He drops the pistol and crouches over the bike, twisting the last bit of throttle out of it. They are going flat out, through the trees, in a kinetic blur. 88 EXT. STREET - NEAR MALL - NIGHT Gib, panting and heaving, pulls his car into traffic. The Unit Seven car pulls out as well, up the block. GIB Harry, what's your twenty? 89 EXT. PARK/ STREETS - NIGHT Harry is legging the police horse hard. He has his reigns in one hand, his Glock in the other. It's the wild west. HARRY Westbound in the park... suspect is on a motorcycle... he's going to come out on Franklin. Hang on-- Harry leaps a park bench like he's in a steeple chase. HARRY (CONT'D) I want you on 14th in case he turns south. And I need Seven on the north side to box him in. 90 INT. /EXT. GIB'S CAR - NIGHT Gib is weaving furiously through traffic. He slides into a turn. GIB Copy that. HARRY And make it fast. My horse is getting tired. ON GIB, mouthing "Your horse?" 91 EXT. STREET - NEXT TO PARK - NIGHT Malik explodes through the bushes and out onto the street. Cars skid around him, out of control. He turns south. Weaving through traffic. Harry leaps the hedgerow behind Malik and gallops among the spun-out cars. He goes right over the hood on one which is blocking his path. The driver ducks as the horse's hoof cracks the windshield. 92 EXT. STREET/ HYATT REGENCY HOTEL - NIGHT Up ahead traffic is stopped, jammed tight at a light. Malik goes into the oncoming traffic lanes, which are empty. Gib's car slides around the corner in a blare of horns and comes barrelling down the street toward him. Gib cranks the wheel the slides the car broadside, blocking both lanes. Malik locks up the brakes and the bike slides to a stop. Then the terrorist pops the clutch and wheels the bike around-- Jumping the curb and going straight at the entrance of THE HYATT REGENCY HOTEL. Bellmen and guests scatter as the bike roars right at them. The sliding doors and opening for a bellman coming out with bags and Malik blasts past him into the lobby. HARRY ducks, galloping through the doors after him. 93 INT. HOTEL - NIGHT Acres of marble and red carpet. Liveries porters. Guests dressed for evening, the men in suits, diamonds on the women. And sudden pandemonium as Malik roars through the lobby, with Harry charging along behind him. Malik guns it across the lounge, knocking over tables. He gets air at the top of the steps going up to the RESTAURANT. Harry swerves to avoid a panicking guest and finds himself careening toward the JAZZ QUARTET at a full gallop. He gathers the animal and LEAPS (in glorious SLOW MOTION) over the bassist, who is diving for the carpet. Harry and horse land deftly and then he urges his mount right up the steps after Malik. 94 INT. HOTEL RESTAURANT - NIGHT Malik roars between the tables, looking around wildly for a way out. Harry charges in, ducking to avoid the chandelier. Waiters, trays, dinners, tables... everything seems to be flying at once as people dive out of the way. 95 INT. HOTEL - MAIN HALL - NIGHT MALIK skids out into the main hall by another door, and sees-- the ELEVATORS. The door is just closing on one of them. He guns it and slides through the doors. HARRY RIDES out of the restaurant in time to catch a glimpse of Malik as the doors close. 96 INT. SCENIC ELEVATOR - NIGHT Harry canters the horse into the next elevator, which has just been boarded by an older couple. He has to practically lie down on the horse to fit through the door. The animal barely fits, nose to tail, in what turns out to be-- A GLASS ELEVATOR with a view of the whole atrium of the hotel as it rises, right to the top of the building. Harry looks through the glass at the elevator car next to him, fifteen feet away. Malik is inside, punching a button. He glances up and sees Harry. There eyes meet for a moment, just before Malik's car ascends rapidly. Malik's malevolent glare is etched on Harry's retinas. The older couple is jammed against the side-wall by Harry's panting, snorting horse. It clomps around the tight elevator. The woman is trying to crawl between her husband and the wall. HARRY Can you just press the top floor, please. The man nods mutely and complies. Their elevator takes off, rising after Malik's. 97 INT. HOTEL LOBBY - NIGHT Gib runs in with Faisil and Keough. They follow the path of destruction, growing more and more amazed. Gib yells to one of the porters. GIB The guy on the horse?! The porter points at the elevators. 98 INT. / EXT. SCENIC ELEVATORS - NIGHT Harry has slid off the horse to get next to the control panel. He can look up at an angle and see Malik in the car above him. His thumb hovers over the emergency stop button. If Malik gets out at any floor, Harry will have a moment to react and stop. Malik can look down and see this. He knows Harry's got him. He just keeps going, floor after floor, using the time to think. The older woman is still just staring, trying not to breathe. The horse flicks her in the face with his tail. 99 INT. /EXT. ROOFTOP - NIGHT * The rooftop has a spectacular view of the city. TRACKING WITH * Malik as he comes out of the elevator, rides to the far edge of * the roof and slides to a stop. He looks down twenty stories. THE SECOND ELEVATOR arrives. The doors part and Harry comes * out, with his Glock poised and ready. He sees Malik revving * his bike. The terrorist brodies the bike into a fast one- eighty and speeds back toward the edge of the roof. Amazingly, he increases speed, ROARING RIGHT OFF THE EDGE, ARCING THE BIKE SUICIDALLY OUT INTO SPACE! Harry rides to the edge in time to see Malik, on his bike, CLEAR A 60 FOOT JUMP and SPLASH INTO THE ROOFTOP POOL of a * LOWER BUILDING next to the hotel! Harry is out of control now, seeing the guy setting away. He wheels his mount and charges across the roof to get some running space. Then he turns again, back toward the edge Malik jumped from. He kicks the horse's flanks and yells HAAHH!! The horse's hoofs thunder on the roof as they go full tilt toward the edge. But a horse is not a motorcycle. It is slightly smarter. It slams its front hoofs down together, stopping suddenly. Harry goes right over its head. He flies forward, almost going right off the roof. He slams to the edge, with his legs dangling over, holding onto a piece of pipe with one hand. His Glock tumbles down into darkness. Harry sees Malik far below, climb out of the pool, running to the roof door of the other building. Getting away. Harry clambers up onto his own roof, breathing hard. He walks over to the horse. HARRY What the hell were you thinking? We had the guy and you let him get away. He looks into the horse's innocent brown eyes. Pats its neck fondly. HARRY What kind of cop are you? 100 INT. TASKER HOUSE - NIGHT Helen is asleep at the dining room table next to a half-eaten cake and some melted ice cream. His unopened presents are piled at one end of the table. She raises her head as Harry enters sheepishly. HARRY Look, I know you're upset. I'm really sorry, honey. I raced home as quick-- HELEN It's okay, don't bother, Harry. He goes to her and puts his arms around her. He is tender with her. He wishes he can tell her the truth. HARRY I'm sorry. Thank you for the party. HELEN Yeah. It was great. Helen finds a smile for him somewhere. She really does love him, though more and more often lately she finds her heart in pain. HELEN Let's go to bed, Harry. There's only one present you have to open tonight. She grins and arches one eyebrow meaningfully. 101 INT. BEDROOM / BATHROOM - NIGHT Helen walks Harry to the edge of the bed and sits him down. She puts her hand on his chest and pushes, causing him to lie back. HELEN Don't move. I'll be right back. She turns on the stereo. A Kenny G disc she put in there earlier. Soft tenor sax flows around the room. Helen enters the BATHROOM and shuts the door partway. She opens a cupboard and quickly pulls out some things she hid there earlier. A bottle of champagne on ice. Two glasses. Some trashy lingerie. HARRY Come on to bed, you don't have to brush your teeth. HELEN I'll just be a second. So what happened tonight at the office? HARRY I couldn't believe it. I go back to get this report I need, right, and the phone is ringing, so like a bonehead I answer it-- Helen is hurrying to put on the unfamiliar lingerie. G-string panties and low-cut bra. She holds up the garter belt, turning it backward and forward, trying to figure out which way it goes. ON HARRY, yawning. Lying with the ease of years of practice. HARRY It's the big client in Japan, and it's the middle of the morning there and their whole system is crashed... this guy's having a meltdown-- HELEN (keeping him talking) What'd you do, honey? HARRY Well I pull out the manual on their setup, which is the new 680 server... Helen is pulling up the black stockings. She fastens the garters to the tops. Her features are a scowl of concentration. She is very earnest in her preparations. HARRY (CONT'D) ...and I'm troubleshooting it with them over the phone... talking to a translator, right, who's getting half of it wrong... it was unbelievable... really wild. HELEN (putting on black pumps) It sounds wild. So now you're a big hero, right? For fixing their system. HARRY (faintly) Uh huh. HELEN My husband the hero. Red lipstick. Then she puts a little perfume on her wrists. HELEN I'll be right there, honey. Just a minute. Harry doesn't answer. Helen puts a little perfume down the front of her panties. HELEN Just a second. Helen quickly pours two glasses of champagne. Then she slinks around the doorframe, making her entrance. She looks like a living 900 number. Helen stands before the bed, looking down, holding the champagne glasses. ON HARRY: sprawled on the bed, fully clothed, snoring softly. A little bit of drool is coming out the side of his mouth. HOLD ON HELEN, all dressed up with no place to go. She gazes down at him, her shoulders slumping. HELEN Happy Birthday, Harry. She sighs deeply and downs her champagne in one long gulp. CUT TO: 102 EXT. STREET/ NEAR HIGH-SCHOOL - DAY It is the following morning. Harry and Gib are staked out watching the front of Dana's school. Actually, Harry is staked out, scanning the crowds of kids with binoculars. Gib just keeps looking at his watch. He picks up a cellular phone and pretends to call the office. GIB Hey, did that guy Harry chased last night call in to give himself up yet? Cause apparently that's the only way we're going to catch the son of a bitch -- HARRY (not listening) Okay. Here she comes. 103 EXT. STREET - DAY HARRY'S POV THROUGH BINOCULARS - We see Dana come out to the curb and meet Trent, who pulls up on his bike. She gets on behind him, adjusts her walkman headphones over her ears and he launches out into traffic. 104 INT. HARRY'S CAR - DAY Harry, who is behind the wheel, pulls out after her. Trent weaves radically through the light traffic, going in between the cars. HARRY Look at the way the little punk is driving. He's all over the place. Look-- he hasn't signalled once. GIB Goddammit! That's outrageous. Harry speeds up. Somebody honks as he cuts them off to stay with Trent. 105 EXT. MOTORCYCLE - DAY ON DANA AND TRENT as she looks back and sees Harry following her. She is mortified that her father is actually tailing her DANA Oh my God! I think that's my dad! TRENT Hang on! Trent downshifts and punches it. The nimble little bike screams as it zips between cars. 106 INT. HARRY'S CAR - DAY HARRY (clenching his jaw) So, you wanna play huh? You little-- GIB (rolling his eyes) That's it. Get 'im Harry (he draws a pistol) We'll teach that little puke not to signal. 107 EXT. MOTORCYCLE BACK ON TRENT, who's actually a really good rider. He zig-zags through the cars, cutting between them at the next light where Gib and Harry get blocked. He cuts a sharp right turn and disappears. 108 INT. HARRY'S CAR - DAY Harry is stuck in stopped traffic. He pounds the wheel in frustration. GIB (exploding with laughter) Ha! The little prick ditched you! That is so goddamn funny. HARRY Son of a bitch! GIB Can we go to the office now, Mr. Superspy? CUT TO: 109 INT. OMEGA SECTOR / I.D. ANALYSIS ROOM - DAY Harry is sitting at a computer workstation, lit by the monitor screen. Gib and Faisil look on as he clicks through HEADSHOTS of known terrorists. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. Harry is very focussed. He stops. He goes back one. Studies the face. 110 INT. ANALYSIS ROOM - TIGHT ON THE SCREEN - DAY A defiant looking Syrian with a full beard. HARRY holds up his hand, blocking out the beard, concentrating on the eyes. HARRY That's him. 111 INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Harry slaps photos down in front of Trilby. HARRY Abu Kaleem Malik. 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. Harry watches her lying to him with some amazement. You can see the jaw muscles clenching. HARRY So, a little excitement in an otherwise dull day. Did is work out okay? HELEN Oh, sure. Fine. (she gets up suddenly) I'll get some more gravy. DANA I'm done. Dana bolts. She has eaten about four bites. Harry sits at the table, alone. He feels isolated, knowing that everybody is lying to everybody else. He is a man without a center, lost. CUT TO: 120 INT. OMEGA SECTOR/ LISTENING ROOM - DAY TRACKING ALONG THE BANK OF RECORDERS. Harry comes to a particular set of machines. He reaches past the technician and picks up the hard-copy of the transcripts. ON HARRY walking and leafing through the phone transcripts. Gib watches him through a glass partition, shaking his head slowly. Harry freezes, staring at the page and WE HEAR THE SOUND OF THE CONVERSATION OVERLAID: HELEN Hello? SIMON Helen? It's Simon. Is it safe to talk? HELEN Yes. Go ahead. 121 INT. CAR - FLASHBACK SEQUENCE - DAY A man in his mid-thirties, sitting in a car SOMEPLACE (DAY), speaks into a cellular phone. This is SIMON. He is dark haired, and fairly good-looking in an off-beat way. He is unshaven and his clothes look slept in. He glances around in a furtive manner. SIMON I can't talk long. Can you meet me for lunch tomorrow? I must see you. 122 INT. HELEN'S OFFICE - DAY NOW WE SEE HELEN, at her office. HELEN Yes. I suppose so. Where? SIMON The same place. One o'clock. I have to go now. See you tomorrow. Remember, I need you. 123 INT. LISTENING ROOM - DAY The last line is played ON HARRY, reading. Now he is seeing the proof in black and white. He slowly crumples the paper in one hand, his expression dark. 124 INT. TASKER HOUSE - NIGHT Helen is reading in bed. She glances up as Harry comes into the room. Gives him a quick smile. Too quick. HARRY I thought we might have lunch tomorrow. HELEN I can't, honey. I promised Allison I'd go shopping with her. Sorry. Harry watches her smoothly lying to him. It's surreal to him. HARRY No problem. He surreptitiously picks up Helen's purse from a dresser and * goes into the hall. * 125 OMITTED * 126 EXT. TASKER HOUSE - NIGHT * THE FRONT DOOR OPENS and Harry comes out, walking Gizmo on a * leash. Harry walks briskly along the sidewalk, jerking the poor dog along twice as fast as his little legs will go. * 127 EXT. SIDEWALK, BY GIB'S CAR - NIGHT He reaches Gib's car, half a block up, and hands him Helen's * purse. Gib eyes the dog warily. He growls at it. Gizmo hides * behind Harry's legs. GIB Look, Harry. I know this is rough. I felt the same way the first time it happened to-- Harry holds up one finger. His eyes and expression are so intense, Gib just soft of trails off. GIB * Right. * (hefting the purse) * So . . . the usual, right? * GPS locator, telemetry burst * transmitter, audio transmitter, * power supply. HARRY * Just have is back in two hours. * 128 thru OMITTED * 129 130 INT. / EXT. HELEN'S CAR - DAY TIGHT ON THE PURSE sitting on the seat next to her as Helen drives through the city. 131 INT. / EXT. N.D. SEDAN - DAY Harry drives while Gib watches-- 132 INT. SEDAN, CLOSE UP ON MAP - DAY A COMPUTERIZED MAP below the dash. Helen's purse appears as a moving blip on a street-map of the city. 133 INT. / EXT. SEDAN - DAY GIB Okay, she's turning on Seventeenth. Make a left, you should see her. Harry makes the turn. HARRY There she is. 134 EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY Up ahead they see Helen's RED ACCORD pulling into a parking low next to a CAFE. Harry parks the car a block away and gets out his binoculars. 135 EXT. HELEN'S CAR THROUGH BINOCULARS - DAY HARRY'S POV through the scope. Helen gets out of her car and looks around as she walks to the cafe. It is not a nervous look, but it is clear she is making sure she is not followed. She goes inside. 136 INT. SEDAN - DAY HARRY Give me audio. Gib hits a switch and they hear the clamor of the cafe at lunch rush come over a speaker. 137 INT. CAFE - DAY The restaurant is nothing fancy. A little dark. Helen makes her way to a booth in the back. Sitting in the shadows, facing the door, is SIMON. She sits down opposite him. He doesn't smile or kiss her in greeting, but glances around the room like he expects a threat to leap out at any moment. SIMON Are you sure you weren't followed? HELEN I kept looking back, like you taught me. I didn't see anyone. SIMON Okay. It's just, things are a bit hot for me right now. If I get a signal... (holds up a cigarette lighter meaningfully) I may have to leave suddenly. HELEN I understand. SIMON It's my job to risk my life, but not yours. I feel bad about bringing you into this, but you're the only one I can trust. Simon creates an atmosphere of danger. His haggardness give him an air of mystery and desperation. HELEN Where were you? On a... uh, * mission? SIMON Ssshhh! We say Op. Covert * operation. And this one got a little rough. HELEN Worse than Cairo? * SIMON Cairo was a day at the beach next * to this. 138 INT. SEDAN - DAY Harry and Gib turn to each other, shocked with the dawning awareness. GIB Guy's a spook! HARRY Yeah, but for who? * GIB He could be working her to get to you. Harry waves his hand, silencing Gib. INTERCUT FROM HERE ON BETWEEN HARRY/GIB AND HELEN/SIMON. 139 INT. CAFE - DAY SIMON puts a newspaper on the table, sliding it over to Helen. SIMON Did you read the papers yesterday? HELEN Yes. SIMON Sometimes a story is a mask for a covert operation. See-- two men killed in a restroom, and two unidentified men in a running * shootout, ending at the * Marriot... 140 INT. SEDAN - DAY HARRY AND GIB react, realizing that it is the story of their operation gone awry. 141 INT. CAFE - DAY HELEN That was you?! SIMON You recognized my style. See, you're very good. You're a natural at this. 142 INT. SEDAN - DAY Harry starts to get it. Then is dawns on Gib. GIB The guy's a fake! He's taking credit for our moves. 143 INT. CAFE - DAY HELEN LEANS CLOSE TO SIMON. She clearly is hanging on his every word. HELEN Tell me what happened? SIMON I'm sorry, I can't. HELEN You can trust me completely. SIMON I know. But it would compromise your safety too much to know certain things. HELEN Right, of course. I was worried when I didn't hear from you that night. SIMON It's strange. I knew I was in a woman's thoughts when I was shooting it out with those assassins. 144 INT. SEDAN - DAY HARRY REACTS to the outrageous fabrication. GIB Unbelievable. 145 INT. CAFE - DAY BUT HELEN is eating it up. HELEN Were they trying to kill you? * SIMON Three of them. Hardly worth * talking about. Two won't bother * me again. HELEN And you chased one? SIMON Something came over me, I just had nail him, no matter what the * risk. It was pretty hairy. I thought he had me, a couple of * times. But I really can't take credit . . . HELEN * You can't?