PERMANENT INTERESTS - EPISODE 19

The chase is on…

INT. ANNE'S SUITE - CARLETON HOTEL - LATER

Anne, David and George confront Vic, who sits on the sofa. His Men stand at the window and door.

DAVID

(accuses Vic)

That password you used: January 30, 1933 was the birthday of the Third Reich.

Anne takes her two rings and slams them down on the table.

ANNE

Somebody on your side has sold The Bomb to the Nazis.

(silence all around)

Right?

(Vic's expressionless)

Right.

VIC

Sit down.

They do.

VIC

There are those who seek short-term advantage regardless of global consequences. My people discovered preparations for a certain transaction. We notified your government, and they sent Charles Sims to assist us.

ANNE

"A certain transaction?" Harry was right, but even he couldn't imagine this: the Fourth Reich has bought Russian nukes with Third Reich gold!

Vic gathers up and pockets her two hawk-talon rings.

VIC

You are no longer involved.

ANNE

Wanna bet? You have three choices here: one, you leave me here and I run with your complicity in this monstrous plot for our next report. Two, you take us along and we get the real story, or three...

(regards him)

... you kill us all right now.

David swallows at her third choice.

Vic's eyes betray that he'd go with Number Three, but...

VIC

I'd hate to mess up this beautiful hotel.

EXT. MEDITERRANEAN SEA - DAWN

Pink light glints on the helicopter's canopy as it flies low over the sea.

EXT. AHSAN'S YACHT - DAWN

The helicopter lands on the deck and the door opens.

Rotor-wash whips Ahsan as he rushes over and climbs inside.

INT. HELICOPTER - LIFTING OFF

Ed Wilson helps Ahsan strap in.

EXT. MEDITERRANEAN SEA - DAWN

The helicopter disappears in the disc of the sun.

EXT. ODESSA AIRPORT - UKRAINE - ESTABLISHING - DAY

A British Airways Airbus comes in for a landing.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - ODESSA - LATER

Ukrainian "first class".

As Anne unpacks her suitcase, David paces around the room.

He winces and rubs his bad leg.

ANNE

Are you okay?

DAVID

Sometimes, the leg's got more sense than I do. Do we really know what Vic's game is?

ANNE

We'd still be playing footsie with Lewis if it wasn't for him. And he did get me this.

She grabs her passport from the dresser and waves it at him.

DAVID

Freebies scare me. There's always a hidden price. Has he ever come right out and said he's The Man From Moscow?

ANNE

What's the difference? While everyone plays their games, I sneak a peek between the lines.

DAVID

Just remember: "Assume" makes an ass out of you and me.

ANNE

(hands on hips)

My God, David, when this place came apart, Ukraine inherited one hundred and seventy-six Soviet ICBMs.

DAVID

Which they announced have all been returned to Russia...

INT. HOTEL MANAGER'S OFFICE

Vic is alone with the door closed. He listens on headphones and watches a tape recorder...

ANNE (V.O.)

There were a thousand warheads here, and the people who are responsible for them don't even get paid in borscht. Don't you think it might be possible not all those warheads went where they were supposed to?

INT. HOTEL ROOM

DAVID

Even so, do you seriously think there's anybody in power now in Russia who could survive if it came out they were cooperating with the West in this?

ANNE

You're forgetting who wants to buy the warheads.

DAVID

Not likely. Just consider that Vic's playing us for his own ends.

ANNE

Nobody tells me what to report! Hand me my carry-on.

David jerks the small case by its handle...

ANNE

Careful!

David holds the carry-on out to her. She doesn't take it.

DAVID

Now what?

She takes the carry-on and examines the handle.

ANNE

Someone fixed it.

DAVID

Let me see...

David works the handle loose with his pocket knife. He removes a SMALL MICROPHONE AND TRANSMITTER hidden inside the hollow handle.

She's stunned as he holds it out to her.

DAVID

(sarcastic)

Vic really helped us through customs, didn't he?

INT. VAN - MOVING - LATER

Vic, David and Anne in back. OUT THE WINDOW, passing streets of Odessa. David glares at Vic but says nothing.

VIC

For you, this is just a ride- along, like your TV show "COPS." You wait here.

Anne nods sullenly as Vic slips a MAC-10 inside his windbreaker.

EXT. ODESSA STREET - DAY

The van pulls to the curb and Vic climbs out. Several other MEN climb out of other cars. Vic motions, and they all make their way around the corner.

EXT. GRAND HOTEL - DAY

They disappear through a side door.

INT. VAN - DAY

David and Anne crowd in front with VAN DRIVER and listen to the radio. Anne is tense as can be.

VIC (from radio)

It's showtime, folks.

INT. HOTEL ROOM - GRAND HOTEL - DAY

Ahsan Al-Akhbar, Ed Wilson, and their BODYGUARDS are taken by surprise as a SHOTGUN BLASTS OFF THE DOOR HINGES...!

VIC AND HIS MEN - appear out of the smoke...Their SILENCED WEAPONS take out two of the Bodyguards as...

AHSAN AL-AKHBAR - cringes behind an overstuffed chair and...

ED WILSON AND HIS BODYGUARD - take out two of Vic's men...

WILSON - pulls a smoke grenade and throws it...

INT. VAN

Anne and David hear SCREAMS AND SHOTS on the radio.

EXT. ROOF - GRAND HOTEL - DAY

Purple smoke billows from a service door as Wilson bursts out, a Bodyguard close behind him...they run...

VIC - and one of his men burst through the smoke...

THE BODYGUARD - shoots Vic's Man. Vic rolls to the side...

WILSON AND HIS BODYGUARD - jump to the next roof...

THE BODYGUARD - sprains his ankle landing and opts to cover Wilson's escape...

VIC - comes to the first roof's edge and shoots it out with the Bodyguard...

THE BODYGUARD - goes over the edge...

ANNE'S POV OUT THE WINDSHIELD - As the Bodyguard SPLATS atop the van and SHATTERS THE GLASS!

ANNE - is first from the van at the impact...She sees Wilson atop the roof...then parallels him RUNNING DOWN THE STREET, past PEDESTRIANS...

DAVID - breaks away from the Van Driver and follows Anne...

ANNE'S POV - UP - VIC chases Wilson along the cluttered roof line...

ANNE - gets ahead of them on the ground and SEES a fire escape...

ON THE STREET BEHIND HER - David can't run as fast...

ANNE - climbs the fire escape...

WILSON - leaps a gap...almost doesn't make it...then pulls himself up and runs...

VIC - easily leaps after Wilson and closes the gap...

WILSON - leaps to a broad roof ledge that then angles steeply upward into a peaked roof...He lands just as...

ANNE - comes up the fire escape...Wilson's SHOT drives her behind a ventilator...

DAVID - hears the shot...He looks up at the empty roofline...

DAVID

ANNE!

VIC - leaps to this roof...he shoots at Wilson, misses...

WILSON - shoots at Vic and misses as Vic ducks through a service door...

WILSON - scrabbles up the steep roof...

DAVID - reaches the top of the fire escape and grabs Anne in relief.

DAVID

Are you okay?

ANNE

Piece of cake.

WILSON - slides down the opposite side of the roof...

ANNE - pulls away from David and starts up onto the roof...

WILSON - reaches the broad ledge on the other side just before Vic emerges from the access door on this side...He has Vic dead in his sights...

WILSON

Fuck you, Vic.

VIC - fires first - ZFFT! ZFFT!

WILSON - gapes at the spreading red on his chest and dies.

VIC'S PANNING POV - Over Wilson's body - up the roof...to where Anne stares back down at him.

EXT. ODESSA STREET - DAY

Vic's men load Wilson's body into the trunk of a car. Others hustle their own wounded and dead into vehicles.

Ahsan comes out of the hotel with one of Vic's men. Vic shakes his head in answer to Ahsan's unasked question, then he opens the van side door. Ahsan climbs in.

INT. VAN

Anne and David are already inside.

Ahsan smiles them as he smooths his slacks and sits in back.

AHSAN

Good day, Miss Hamilton.

Vic slips in and GIVES AN ORDER IN RUSSIAN to the Driver.

EXT. ODESSA STREET - DAY

The van drives off as DISTANT SIRENS COME CLOSER

You can support That’s Another Fine Mess with a paid subscription for only $7/month or $70/year, saving $14.

Comments are for paid subscribers.

.