The Skies of September - Film Script

THE SKIES OF SEPTEMBER

Written by

Martin Gargaro

Based on the novel by Martin Gargaro

INT. SANDRA KAY DANIELS CLASSROOM, BOOKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-MORNING

PRESIDENT BUSH sits next to MRS. DANIELS (44, black, heavy-set) intently listening to a reading lesson. There are sixteen students in front of them. A full press corps is in the back of the classroom, along with staffers and several parents. DANIELS pulls out the book, The Pet Goat. ANDREW CARD (54, graying brown hair) enters the classroom and approaches the president from behind.

CARD (whispering in the president’s ear)

A second plane just hit the second tower. America is under attack.

A tense expression clouds BUSH’s face. An eerie silence fills the room as the press corps get the phone calls. He looks at the faces of the children. The faces of innocence. He remains calm and collected, not wanting to alarm them.

How do you pronounce that word?

BOY (7-9, black)

Gate.

BUSH (nodding and smiling)

I think you’ve all done a terrific job. (stands up)

FEMALE REPORTER (stepping out)

Mr. President, are you aware of the…

BUSH

(putting a hand up to cut her off) I’ll talk about it later.

BUSH shakes MRS. DANIELS hand and leaves the room, escorted by CARD.

INT. EMPTY CLASSROOM-MORNING

Some of the staff watch the attacks unfold. Another member holds a phone call. Their faces reflect the gravity of the situation.

INT. ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, RECREATION HALL-MORNING

COLONEL MARC SASSEVILLE and LIEUTENANT HEATHER PENNEY join other pilots watching the latest broadcasts coming out of New York City.

PENNEY

That was no Cessna. That was a big jetliner!

Everybody is clueless on how to deal with this crisis.

SASSEVILLE (turning to the crowd)

Alright guys, listen up, we need to get our aircraft ready as soon as possible. Let’s move! Let’s go!

The pilots rush out of the room to head for their fighters.

EXT. ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE TARMAC-MORNING

The jets have no fuel and are only armed with dummy ammunition for training exercises. The base and the nation is caught completely off-guard and unprepared.

SASSEVILLE

INT. FAA COMMAND CENTER-MORNING

BEN SLINEY and FAA STAFF MEMBERS watch the second jet hit the other tower. Their faces are shrouded with utter disbelief.

SLINEY

I want a complete shutdown of New York Center. No one takes off or lands at their airports, and no one even passes through the airspace. This is a full-tier ground stop.

Should we stop some of the other centers, like Boston or D.C.?

Keep all flights away from New York. Contact every major control center. Report any deviations, frequency errors, incorrect transponder codes, or missed check-ins immediately for relay to the military.

FAA SPECIALIST 2 (calling over to SLINEY)

Mr. Sliney, I’m on the line with Indy Center. They lost contact with another plane; American 77, bound for L.A.X. from Dulles. He made an unauthorized turn and then shut off his transponder. Looks like a third hijack.

Ask them about his last position, his speed, his altitude, everything. We got to know where he’s headed.

SLINEY gazes at the air traffic control screen, full of dots

SLINEY

How many planes do we have in the air now?

I estimate between 4,000 and 5,000.

(hissing quietly) Damn! (turns to others) Alright fellas, I want a full ground stop across the nation. We already have enough aircraft to deal with as it is. I don’t want to add to the commotion.

None. (shaking his head) Everything’s grounded from now on.

INT. NEADS BATTLE CAB-MORNING

COLONEL MARR holds a phone in each ear, one with MAJOR NASYPANY and another with his superior, LARRY ARNOLD. Everything is in complete pandemonium.

NASYPANY

I hesitate on that. There could be more attacks elsewhere, and we don’t want to have our resources funneled in one place.

But we can’t keep the Otis birds airborne until their fuel runs out.

I know that. We’ll see if we can scramble some tankers. And make sure the Langley birds are on standby if we can’t. Do we have authorization to head for New York?.

Not yet. There’s still too much traffic. We can’t get their approval.

To hell with the FAA. Get those birds over to Manhattan and set up CAP, immediately!

Roger that. AFIO has been declared. Send our guys to fly CAP over Manhattan.

MARR hangs up on NASYPANY and continues with the general, the anxiety etched on his face.

INT. TED OLSON’S OFFICE-MORNING

TED OLSON watches the attacks on TV. A SECRETARY enters the room.

OLSON SECRETARY

(sighing) Oh, she’s okay. (grabs the phone) Barbara, how are you?

Ted, my flight has been hijacked.

I’m not hurt, if that’s what you’re asking.

What can you tell me about these guys?

INT. AMERICAN 77 PASSENGER CABIN-MORNING

BARBARA is on the phone. The pilots are mustered to the back of the cabin with the passengers and the flight attendants. Muscle hijackers KHALID AL-MIHDHAR, MAJED MOQED, and NAWAF and SALEM AL-HAZMI stand guard, holding two flight attendants hostage.

These men are dangerous. They have knives. They’ve herded all of us to the rear of the jet.

TED (PHONE LINE O.S)

Do they know you’re on the phone with me?

BARBARA looks towards the HIJACKERS. They either don't notice or are indifferent to the phone call.

BARBARA

The line gets disconnected.

INT. AMERICAN 77 COCKPIT-MORNING

HANI HANJOUR is at the controls, a photo of the Pentagon fastened to the throttle.

INT. PENTAGON, VARIOUS LOCATIONS-MORNING

An eerie stillness descends as everyone watches the events at the World Trade Center unfolding on the televisions.

INT. ARMY PERSONNEL CENTER, C RING, SECOND FLOOR, PENTAGON-MORNING

LT. COL. TED ANDERSON breaks out in a cold sweat, unable to focus. Suddenly, a loud ringing breaks the silence. ANDERSON jumps, thinking it's an alarm. It’s just the phone, much to his relief. He answers it. His wife is on the other end.

INT. PENTAGON BUILDING OPERATIONS COMMAND CENTER, 1st FLOOR-MORNING

STEVE CARTER and his assistant KATHY GREENWALL watch the attacks unfold on a bank of video screens. They call maintenance and engineering staff, preparing them for necessary measures and to lock down sensitive areas.

INT. ARMY PERSONNEL CENTER CONFERENCE ROOM, E RING, SECOND FLOOR, PENTAGON-MORNING

COL. PHIL MCNAIR hosts a meeting for eleven other personnel for the Army Chief of Staff. Among them, LT. COL. MARILYN WILLS, wearing a black cardigan sweater over her uniform. No one is aware of the unfolding attacks.

INT. NATIONAL MILITARY COMMAND CENTER, PENTAGON—MORNING

Servicemen try to figure out how to help with the crisis in New York City. They are torn between allocating their resources to New York and keeping a few on standby in the event of an attack elsewhere.

INT. OFFICE FOR VICE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS, E RING, PENTAGON-MORNING

Tension builds as reports of a third hijacked jet come in. A NAVY CAPTAIN looks out of the windows overlooking the National Mall. His expression is grave. His eyes dart from the White House to the Washington Monument to the Capitol Building.

CAPTAIN (in shock)

INT. UNITED 93 PASSENGER CABIN—MORNING

DEBBIE WELSH exits the cockpit and approaches ZIAD JARRAH, staring at his wife’s photo.

WELSH

Excuse me, sir. Could I get you something?

I’ll just have some tea.

WELSH heads to the service station to pour some tea. She notices the picture in JARRAH’s hand.

WELSH

I married her just recently.

A few rows back, SAEED AL-GHAMDI and AHMED AL-NAMI observe the interplay between JARRAH and WELSH. They grow concerned.

AL-NAMI

What is he doing? We have a mission.

WELSH walks past the two.

AL-GHAMDI

(to AL-NAMI) Excuse me. (gets out of his seat and sits next to JARRAH) Ziad, have you forgotten our objective?

Now is not the time. Get back to your seat.

JARRAH (adjusting his glasses)

AL-GHAMDI reluctantly returns to his seat, impatience etched on his face.

AHMED AL-HAZNAWI adjusts a fake bomb he has strapped to his belt, becoming more anxious.

INT. SOUTH TOWER, STAIRWELL A, NEAR 81ST FLOOR-MORNING

BRIAN CLARK, wearing a reflective vest, leads employees to safety, shining their path with a flashlight. As they near the 81st floor, a HEAVY-SET WOMAN and a THIN MAN make their way up.

WOMAN

It’s bad down there. There’s fire, there’s smoke. We got to get fresh air.

Many of the employees began siding with the two. CLARK tries to convince them to stay together.

PRAIMNATH (O.S.)

CLARK (to RON DIFRANCESCO)

DIFRANCESCO (40s, Canadian)

It's coming from over there. (pointing to a doorway) Let’s check it out.

CLARK and DIFRANCESCO head over to investigate. The others turn around and go back up the stairs, never to be seen again.

INT. SOUTH TOWER, 81ST FLOOR, FUJI BANK-MORNING

In a scene of destruction, with torn clothes and a bruised body, PRAIMNATH struggles amidst debris, fires, and hazardous conditions. The office is in ruins, but miraculously, the desk and his Bible atop it remain relatively intact. Survival seems nearly impossible, with threats of suffocation, burns, electrocution, and collapsing ceilings. PRAIMNATH crawls through the shattered offices, facing obstacles, with one wall blocking the escape route.

PRAIMNATH (looking up to Heaven)

Lord, I don’t want to die! Please send somebody, ANYBODY, to help me!

CLARK and DIFRANCESCO walk through the devastation. DIFRANCESCO hacks up a storm, holding a briefcase in front of his mouth.

CLARK (waved his flashlight around)

PRAIMNATH (O.S.)

DIFRANCESCO (overcome by smoke)

There’s too much smoke in here. I got to get out of here now.

DIFRANCESCO exits. CLARK goes over to investigate, the smoke subsiding as if by a pair of divine hands.

PRAIMNATH (O.S.)

Suddenly, a hand pops out just a few feet in front of CLARK.

CLARK

CLARK and PRAIMNATH dig at the debris.

INT. SOUTH TOWER, STAIRWELL A-MORNING

DIFRANCESCO climbs up to a landing where the other people in his group are lying on the floor, gasping for air. He sets his briefcase down and is about to join them but hesitates. He looks up the stairs, and then down the stairs, indecisive about where to go. He turns around and descends, covering his face.

CLARK surveys the wall standing in the way.

CLARK

(climbing on the debris.) Alright, you’re going to have to jump up and over this wall.

PRAIMNATH climbs up the debris pile and jumps, missing the top.

PRAIMNATH (begging)

PRAIMNATH steps back from the debris. In a leap of faith, he rushes towards the wall and jumps with all of his might, this time reaching the top. CLARK hooks his arms around PRAIMNATH and yanks him over. PRAIMNATH lands on top of CLARK. Grateful, PRAIMNATH grabs CLARK and gives him a big kiss.

CLARK (backing up)

Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing?! (extending his hand, awkward voice) Brian Clark.

All my life, I was an only child. I was born and raised in Canada. I always wanted a brother, and I find that man today.

Close up on CLARK’s left hand gently touching PRAIMNATH’s right hand, both bleeding from similar injuries.

CLARK (CONT’D)

As of today, we’re blood brothers. (gripping PRAIMNATH’s injured hand with his own) Come on. Let’s get out of here. (putting other hand on PRAIMNATH’s shoulder)

Overwhelmed, PRAIMNATH bursts into tears as he and his guardian angel begin their long journey home.

INT. SOUTH TOWER, 78TH FLOOR SKY LOBBY-MORNING.

In the aftermath of the crash, survivors find themselves in a grim situation. Blown-out elevator doors, raging fires, and the scattered remains of those directly in the flight's path create a hellish scene. The air is filled with the stench of aviation fuel, charred flesh, and blood. Amidst the darkness and smoke, survivors, unsure of the floor's stability, face a dilemma: attempt to escape into uncertainty or wait for help in the shadow of the dead and dying.

CROWTHER (O.S)

CROWTHER emerges from the clouds of darkness like an apparition, wearing his red bandana and holding a fire extinguisher.

I found a stairwell! Follow me! Only help the ones that you can help!

CROWTHER leads the survivors to a door, spraying out any fires along the way.

CROWTHER (CONT’D)

These are the only stairs that are intact. Take them, and you’ll be on your way out.

He notices a black woman in shock.

CROWTHER (CONT’D)

LING YOUNG (38, short hair, glasses, Chinese, severe burns)

YOUNG grabs the fire extinguisher, not burdened its weight. CROWTHER slings the black woman over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

INT. SOUTH TOWER, STAIRWELL A-MORNING

The smoke and heat begin to fade as CROWTHER leads the survivors down to safety. CROWTHER sets down the black woman, and takes off his bandana, letting it hang from his neck like a western outlaw.

You folks go on from here. I’m going back up for any others.

CROWTHER heads back up the stairs. YOUNG sets down the extinguisher and joins the other survivors down.

INT. SOUTH TOWER, 78TH FLOOR SKY LOBBY-MORNING.

A new batch of trapped survivors are waiting. Conditions deteriorate as beams crash through the walls.

SKY LOBBY SURVIVOR 1

SKY LOBBY SURVIVOR 2 (pointing opposite stairwell)

CROWTHER (appearing before them)

Camera follows CROWTHER as he guides the survivors down Stairwell A. As they descend to safety, he goes back up to search for more.

INT. NORTH TOWER, STAIRWELL B-MORNING

CAPTAIN JAY JONAS and his COMPANY climb amidst a surprisingly calm and organized evacuation. Office workers move in the opposite direction. A Golden Retriever guides his blind owner to safety, and colleagues assist a handicapped person. People dress burned colleagues, offer water to firefighters, and provide support.

OFFICE WORKER 1

OFFICE WORKER 2

OFFICE WORKER 3

CAPTAIN JONAS and his COMPANY show appreciation as they ascend the stairs and into the unknown.

EXT. FDNY COMMAND POST, WEST AND VESEY STREET INTERSECTION-MORNING

Sirens are wailing. People are panicking. Debris is scattered everywhere. A sign knocked down by part of a jet engine. DEPARTMENT CHIEF PETER GANCI and COMMISSIONER BILL FEEHAN observe the operation, their faces reflective of the ordeal.

FEEHAN (shaking his head in defeat)

In all my years of service, I never expected to see anything like this.

GANCI

It’s funny how you prepare for everything. Arson, car bombs, chemical. (pauses) And yet these bastards find a way to get the upper hand.

FEEHAN

Ever since ’93, we knew they would come back to finish the job. But to fly a jumbo jet into the building like a kamikaze? (pauses) We could never prepare for that.

A police helicopter circles the towers, unable to make a landing in the conditions. Orange tongues of flame lick up the sides of the building. The trapped people hang out of the towers, waving and screaming for them to come back. Some fall out of the windows to their deaths.

How do we get those people down?

I can get everyone out below the fire, but getting anyone above is impossible. Landing that helicopter on top of that inferno would be suicide.

GANCI and FEEHAN look up, completely hopeless.

We’re going to lose a lot of men today.

Camera pans up from GANCI and FEEHAN to the clear blue sky above the smoke and flames. We see a United Airlines 757 soaring overhead: Flight 93

INT. UNITED 93 COCKPIT—MORNING

PILOT JASON DAHL (44, brown hair, white) and COPILOT LEROY HOMER (36, black) receive a text message from flight dispatch. It reads: “Beware any cockpit intrusion. Two a/c hit World Trade Center.” The pilots are bewildered.

How is that possible? The skies were perfectly clear when we left Newark.

INT. UNITED 93 PASSENGER CABIN—9:28 A.M.

Fed up with impatience, AL-GHAMDI, AL-HAZNAWI, and AL-NAMI, wrap on their red headbands and brandish knives. Tension rises as AL-GHAMDI seizes WELSH, holding a knife to her throat. Passenger MARK ROTHENBERG (52, graying hair), seated in 5B attempts negotiation, but AL-HAZNAWI swiftly stabs him in the chest.

NAMI (standing next to JARRAH)

JARRAH pauses to reevaluate.

ATTA (V.O.)

Purify your soul from all unclean things. Completely forget something called ‘this world’. You should feel complete tranquility because the time between you and your marriage is very short. Afterwards begins the happy life, where Allah is satisfied with you, and eternal bliss ‘in the company of the prophets, the companions, the martyrs and the good people, who are all good company’. Ask Allah for his mercy and be optimistic, because peace be upon him, used to prefer optimism in all his affairs.

JARRAH (snapping out of his conflict)

AL-GHAMDI (to WELSH)

Open the cockpit door! Open it, and no one else will be hurt!

INT. UNITED 93 COCKPIT–MOMENTS LATER

DAHL and HOMER hear the screams and shouts coming from behind them but feel that the situation can be managed. Suddenly, there is a knock at the door.

HOMER gets out of his seat and opens the door. The hijackers invade the cockpit and attack the pilots.

INT. CLEVELAND AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER–MOMENTS LATER

Technicians at their screens hear the cries for help and the struggle from the cockpit of United 93.

UNITED 93 COCKPIT’S VOICE

Mayday! Mayday! Cockpit breached! Get out of here! Get out of here!

INT. UNITED 93 PASSENGER CABIN–MOMENTS LATER

TOM BURNETT pulls out his cell phone and calls his wife, DEENA.

BURNETT (softly)

No, I’m not. I’m on a plane that’s been hijacked. It’s United 93 from Newark to San Francisco. They’ve knifed a guy, and there’s a bomb on board. Please call the authorities.

BINGHAM (gesturing to ROTHENBERG, a bloody body)

BURNETT approaches ROTHENBERG and checks for a pulse. He feels nothing.

The commotion alerts passengers and flight attendants in the back. Suddenly, a group of passengers burst through the curtains, AL-HAZNAWI trails them, holding the wires to his fake bomb.

Suddenly, the plane lurches forward violently. People are thrown to the floor, grabbing the seats for dear life.

INT. UNITED 93 COCKPIT–MOMENTS LATER

JARRAH struggles into the cockpit, jumps into the pilot’s seat and levels out the plane. AL-GHAMDI is still holds WELSH hostage.

AL-GHAMDI (to JARRAH)

JARRAH gives no answer.

INT. UNITED 93 PASSENGER CABIN-MORNING

WANDA GREEN (49, black) watches from behind the curtains as AL-GHAMDI kills WELSH before receding into the cockpit.

GREEN (sobbing)

AL-HAZNAWI (threatening GREEN with his bomb)

GREEN fearfully joins the other flight attendants huddled in the service station, SANDRA BRADSHAW (38, blonde), CEECEE LYLES, and LORRAINE BAY (58, glasses, short, light brown hair).

They killed her! They took her and they stabbed her, and they went into the cockpit.

INT. UNITED 93 COCKPIT—MORNING

AL-GHAMDI gets in the co-pilot seat. JARRAH collects himself and catches his breath. He puts on the headset to make an announcement but hits the button for air traffic control instead of for passengers.

Hi, this is the captain. We’d like you all to remain seated. There is a bomb on board. We are going to turn back to the airport, and to have our demands. So please remain quiet.

INT. UNITED 93 PASSENGER CABIN—MORNING

BURNETT calls his wife again.

BURNETT (softly)

Deena, they’re in the cockpit now. The guy they knifed is dead. I tried to help him but I couldn’t get a pulse.

BURNETT pauses as his wife answers. His eyes widen in shock.

BURNETT (softly)

Oh, my God! It’s a suicide mission! What kind of planes were involved? Who are these people? (pauses as DEENA answers) Alright thank you.

BURNETT hangs up the phone and turns back to the other passengers.

Guys, listen. I just called my wife. They’re hijacking commercial airliners all up and down the East Coast and they’re using them for kamikaze attacks. They crashed two of them into the World Trade Center.

Other passengers gasp in shock and start making phone calls. They soon realize what the plan is.

INT. CLASSROOM, BOOKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL-9:29 A.M.

PRESIDENT BUSH enters a classroom filled with parents, staff members, and students, all of them blissfully unaware of what has been happening. The president’s face is grim.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a difficult moment for America. I, unfortunately, will be going back to Washington after my remarks. Secretary Rod Paige and the Lt. Governor will take the podium and discuss education. I do want to thank the folks here at Booker Elementary School for their hospitality. Today, we’ve had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country.

The smiles of the crowd transform into expressions of shock and concern.

BUSH (CONT’D)

I have spoken to the Vice President, to the Governor of New York, to the Director of the FBI, and have ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help the victims and their families, and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act. Terrorism against our nation will not stand. And now if you would join me in a moment of silence.

Everyone bows their heads and closed their eyes.

BUSH (CONT’D)

God bless the victims, their families, and America. Thank you very much.

Bush shakes a few hands and exits.

EXT. BUSH and his staff enter the armored limousine. The doors close and the motorcade zooms off.

INT. NORTHEAST AIR DEFENSE SECTOR HEADQUARTERS-MORNING

COLONEL MARR and his officers struggle to keep control of the situation. They are in the fog of war.

FEMALE OFFICER

COLONEL MARR stands stone-faced in the battle cab, listening to the reports.

Get those Langley birds airborne! I don’t know how many hijacks there are, but we have got to stop them before they get in range of Washington.

INT. TED OLSON’S OFFICE-MORNING

TED is on the phone with the Justice Department.

Send a security officer up here as soon as possible. (hangs up) I want to know what we should do to deal with the situation.

The phone rings again. It is BARBARA.

TED (CONT’D)

INT. AMERICAN 77 PASSENGER CABIN-MORNING

Do any of you know which direction we’re headed?

I think we’re going northeast. Back to Washington.

We’re headed northeast. (looks out windows) There’s a lot of houses down below us. It looks like we’re flying over a residential area.

INT. TED OLSON’S OFFICE-MORNING

Ted’s face is etched with anxiety. He takes a slow, but painful, deep breath, struggling to find the words.

The World Trade Center got hit by two jetliners this morning. Apparently, both of them were hijacked earlier.

INT. AMERICAN 77 PASSENGER CABIN-MORNING

Barbara is at a loss for words. She looks at all the other passengers, specifically the five children on board: DANA and ZOE FALKENBERG, BERNARD BROWN JR. (11, black), ASIA COTTOM (11, black), and RODNEY DICKENS (11, black). DANA buries her face in CHARLES’s shoulder. The others stare wide-eyed at their captors, fearful of what’s next.

BARBARA (trying to stay optimistic)

It’s not over, Ted. We’re still flying. Maybe this isn’t like those other jets.

You’re right. Everything may be fine. They might land the plane and the authorities can take care of it.

Suddenly, the flight lurches forward and banks violently.

FLIGHT 77 PILOT (getting out of his seat)

(to hijackers) You have to let me back in the cockpit!

BROWN JR. (turning to COTTOM and DICKENS)

My dad works at the Pentagon. I wonder what he would do in something like this.

BARBARA (trying to stay optimistic)

We need to do something. How do we stop this? (she glances at the two pilots) What should I tell the pilots to do?

The line cuts off.

INT. TED OLSON’S OFFICE-MORNING

TED hangs up, his face grim and on the verge of tears.

EXT. GOFER 06, a lone C-130 Hercules, flies over the D.C-Arlington skies. There is a perfect view of the National Mall.

ATC TECHNICIAN’S VOICE

Gofer 06. Traffic at your 11 o’clock, 4 miles eastbound. Do you have it in sight?

INT. GOFER 06 COCKPIT

STEVEN O’BRIEN (early 40s) is at the controls. American 77 approaches just a few miles in front of him, making a sharp turn.

O’BRIEN

He’s filling up my cockpit window. Looks like a 757 with a silver fuselage. American Airlines.

ATC TECHNICIAN’S VOICE

Can you tell me what he’s doing?

Yes, sir, he’s descending. He’s in a turn to the southeast.

EXT. GOFER 06 veers out of the way slightly to avoid a midair collision with Flight 77.

EXT. PENTAGON FIRE STATION, WEST WALL-9:37 A.M.

Firefighters ALAN WALLACE and MARK SKIPPER inspect the fire truck. They hear roar of a jumbo jet and look back. A Boeing 757 descends low, as if about to land.

EXT. PENTAGON HIGHWAY–MOMENTS LATER

In a traffic jam, drivers stare in disbelief as a plane roars overhead, just feet above their cars. Its wings knock over streetlamps, shattering a taxi windshield. An engine strikes a portable generator.

EXT. PENTAGON FIRE STATION, WEST WALL–MOMENTS LATER

WALLACE and SKIPPER flee for their lives as Flight 77 plows into the Pentagon. The building heaves upward and erupts in massive fireballs.

INT. PENTAGON, VARIOUS LOCATIONS

-CONFERENCE ROOM: WILLS is mid-sentence when a fireball rips through the floor, hurling her across the room.

-OFFICE SPACE: ANDERSON clutches his phone as a shockwave blasts past. Lights flicker. Ceiling tiles collapse.

-HALLWAYS: Flames race like a tidal wave down corridors, devouring desks and walls in a jet-fueled inferno.

INT. PENTAGON BOCC, 1st FLOOR–MOMENTS LATER

STEVE CARTER reads through an email when he is interrupted by a dull boom and a sudden shudder. The TV screens flicker. Fire alarm systems on a computer monitor turn red at an astonishingly fast rate.

BOCC STAFF MEMBER

There must have been some explosion. Looks like it knocked out our alarm system, so answer any phone calls. (grabs his walkie-talkie) Assemble the damage control teams together ASAP.

EXT. Washington D.C. is in lockdown mode. Cars stop in the middle of the road with their doors open. Military vehicles speed through the streets like ants at a picnic.

INT. WHITE HOUSE, VARIOUS LOCATIONS-MORNING

Staff are evacuated to the underground bunker. Among them, DICK CHENEY and CONDOLEEZZA RICE. The nation is now at war.

INT. PENTAGON, NATIONAL MILITARY COMMAND CENTER-AFTERNOON

The room is cloudy with thick smoke, making it inhospitable for the servicemen inside.

NMCC SERVICEMAN 1 (coughing, eyes burning)

NMCC SERVICEMAN 2 (coughing, eyes burning)

It's still working, but it's only going to buy us so much time against these fumes.

EXT. PENTAGON, WEST WALL-AFTERNOON

A BATTALION CHIEF organizes a team to deal with the smoke threatening those in the NMCC.

PENTAGON BATTALION CHIEF

Okay, here’s the plan. We got to surround the Command Center and create a barrier to push back the flames. It’s the only way we can stabilize the conditions.

PENTAGON FIREFIGHTER 1

But there’s only one problem; we don’t know where it is.

PENTAGON BATTALION CHIEF (turning to the nearby serviceman)

Is there anyone who can take us to the National Military Command Center?

LT. COL. ANDERSON steps forward.

PENTAGON FIREFIGHTER 2

Hey pal, we only bring gear for every man on the truck and don’t go thinking that we’re just going to hand you ours.

ANDERSON gives the firefighter a hard stare. A smirk unfurls across the firefighter’s face. It gives way to a laugh, which is echoed by the others and even ANDERSON himself.

PENTAGON FIREFIGHTER 2

The firefighters give ANDERSON an oxygen tank and a helmet. He quickly sees the firefighters' military-like organization. They plan their operation as if going into combat against the fire inside the Pentagon. They share a silent understanding—they're all soldiers in this battle.

ANDERSON leads them through the maze of corridors, filled with darkness and destruction, until finally reaching their destination. The men start beating back the inferno, all while measuring oxygen levels.

INT. PENTAGON BOCC, 1st FLOOR-AFTERNOON

STEVE CARTER rallies together a crew of HVAC technicians, addressing the situation at the NMCC.

Normally we can control the airflow by computers, but the controls are out of action, so it’s all going to have to be done by hand. Head up into the mechanical rooms and see if you can do something about getting fresh air in the NMCC. These guys are counting on you!

INT. PENTAGON MECHANICAL SPACES-AFTERNOON

The technicians rush to restart fans and adjust vents after the jetliner crash. The hum of motors and the visual cues of rotating fans signify the restoration of ventilation.

INT. PENTAGON, NATIONAL MILITARY COMMAND CENTER-AFTERNOON

As fresh air replaces smoke, occupants experience relief; breathing becomes easier, and the pain in their eyes dissipates. Their lives are saved by Average Joes who are anything but.