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Lesson 24
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Lesson 24: Dr. Amador’s missing scenes.
***What I lender from this assignment is that I probably will have more scenes to fill in, but this one sets the “metaphysical” mythological tone that will be a sub-theme of “are we alone in the universe.” Although I still question what the ultimate premise/theme of my film is.
LESSON 24: I/E – GRANDPA’S HACIENDA – FRONT PORCH – DAY – FLASHBACK
PLACEHOLDER [Background on Robert: he was raised by his grandfather: He is loved and Grandfather tells him how smart he is, how good his english is: someday he’ll be best Astronomer]
PLACEHOLDER: WE LEARN OF MAYAN CALENDAR/CIVILIZATION AND MAYAN ASTRONOMERS?
FADE IN:
SUPER YUCATAN PENINSULA 1562
EXT. CHICHEN ITZA-EL CASTILLO SQUARE – DAY
Spanish soldiers descend on mayan town square. They unsheathed their swords and start slicing up men, women, and children.
The Spanish conquistadores enter sacred mayan pyramid, slaughter mayan priests. once in inside center of pyramid, conquistadors grab mayan leader.
Captain of Conquistadores removes helmet, takes out scroll from his satchel. He YELLS out his decree.
CAPTAIN CONQUISTADOR
By other of the King and His Holiness Pope Julian, We sentence you to death and destruction of all your demonic ways.
Behind horse of Captain, a jesuit monk sprinkles holy water on temple floor. The conquistadores slaughter sacred mayan priests, gather all documents and set sacred texts on fire.
JESUIT PRIEST GATHERS MAYAN SCROLLS
JESUIT PRIEST
Captain, your excellency, these texts have knowledge of their gods of the cosmos.
CAPTAIN
Heathen satanic writings. Burn them!
JESUIT PRIEST
BUT your excellency, these people have built pyramids!
CONQUISTADOR SLAMS HEAD OF PRIEST WITH METAL GAUNTLET. PRIEST FALLS UNCONSCIOUS.
CLOSE ON SCROLLS WITH SACRED WRITINGS BURNING.
CUT TO :
ROBERT’s Grandfather telling him of the mayan calendar and their knowledge of the sky people.
END SEQUENCE
ROBERT races through the desert. shooting stars illuminate the sky.
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SUBJECT: Mark Napier’s Filled in Missing Scenes
What did I learn? I learned its useful to have all your formatting laid out in advance. 20% dialog still needs written. I have an idea of the missing scenes and need to still develop, but used placeholder or made notations where I need to create more scenes.
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ACT ONE
ACT 1:
BEAT SHEET: OPENING SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION IRAQ (CHIEF OF OPERATIONS OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
–Mark finds himself on a midnight rendition operation to secure, disarm and escort an Agency employee for immediate expulsion from the country over an incident that later reveals a ‘Top Secret’ ironic twist.
ACT 1:
OUTLINE: OPENING SCENE:
BEGINNING: Mark is astonished by Banks’ (Chief of Operations) cursing and suddenly calls Mark and Station’s Chief of Security (Tom) into the Deputy Chief of Station’s office. Banks is filling in as ‘Acting’ Chief of Station in the absence of the Chief and Deputy Chief of Station.
MIDDLE: Banks orders Mark and Tom to board a helicopter for Tikrit, Iraq and take into custody one of Mark’s Military Liaison Cell team members and take him to the CIA airfield in Baghdad for immediate expulsion from country.
END: Mark and Tom depart the office without questioning the orders.
ACT 1:
DIALOG SCENE: OPENING SCENE:
(VOICEOVER INTRODUCTION: Black background with just the Hero’s voice narrating):
“In life, …most of us will agree that we like to get kissed before we get fucked. …I just got fucked! …. I wasn’t even offered a tug off the cigarette! ….You’re laughing, but this is my story.”
(Then fade into the Opening Scene)
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION IRAQ (CHIEF OF OPERATIONS OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: Chief of Operations (COO) Banks storms out of his office into the adjoining office of Deputy Chief of Station. The Chief of Station (COS) and Deputy Chief of Station (DCOS) are not in the country and are not expected to return for another week. Mark is working at his computer and looks up when he abruptly strutting from his office to the DCOS’ office and hears Banks make an astonishing remark…
BANKS: “I am going to throw that son-of-a-bitch in prison!”
DESCRIPTION: Banks calls out to Mark and Tom, the Station’s Chief of Security, to come into the DCOS’ office. Both arrive and remain standing in Bank’s presence.
BANKS: TE 1: ”I have a mission for you both and it involves two of Mark’s team members
up range in Tikrit.
: TE 2: “I just got a call from the Cell Leader…Joe…that he had a heated argument with
Gary who is the Communications Officer there. Gary threatened Joe with a knife that
Gary threw at him.”
: TE 3: “ I want you guys to report to the flight line and board a helicopter. I’ve already
arranged the helo and it will be here in 30 minutes. Time now is 1230 AM. Be at the flight
line by 1 AM. Your mission is to secure, escort and expel Gary from country.
IMMEDIATELY!…No ifs, ands, or buts about it!…. GO!”
DESCRIPTION: Mark and Tom glance at each other and immediately depart the office without a word to grab their survival gear and report to the flight line.
——– ——– ——–
ACT 1:
BEAT SHEET: INCITING INCIDENT:
SLUG: EXT–CIA FLIGHT LINE, BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
–Mark and Station’s Chief of Security board helicopter for Tikrit, Iraq.
SLUG: EXT–CIA MILITARY LIAISON FLIGHT LINE, TIKRIT, IRAQ–NIGHT
–Mark apprehends the person of interest without incident, but their plea for help is summarily dismissed by the Station’s Chief of Security.
SLUG: EXT–CIA FLIGHT LINE, BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
–Gary reveals to Mark the truth of what the altercation was about and makes a plea for Mark to call Headquarters to confirm his story.
ACT 1:
OUTLINE: INCITING INCIDENT:
BEGINNING: Mark and Station’s Chief of Security (Tom) arrive in Tikrit, Iraq to take Gary back for deportation from country. Gary pleads for Tom to read his supporting evidence, but is ignored.
MIDDLE: Mark takes custody of Gary at the flight line to ensure his departure. Mark cannot hear what is being said because of background aircraft noise, but notices the flight line Security Chief’s facial reaction of surprise to a comment made by Gary.
END: Gary reveals the secret of what transpired between him and Joe and that child pornography is involved. He was merely admonishing Joe for his illegal activity and did not use a knife to attack Joe as he had claimed.
ACT 1:
DIALOG SCENE: INCITING INCIDENT:
SLUG: EXT–CIA FLIGHT LINE, BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: In the dark of night Mark and Tom are wearing helmets and gear as they sit strapped into their seats and deep into their own thoughts. Mark has known the Station Chief of Security for 12 years, since when both were assigned to the Security Duty Office and Operations Center at the time of the 1993 CIA Headquarters shooting incident perpetrated by Mir Aimal Kansi.
(45 minutes later)
SLUG: EXT–CIA MILITARY LIAISON FLIGHT LINE, TIKRIT, IRAQ–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: Mark and Chief of Security disembark the helicopter that remains on standby and both walk to the building that houses Mark’s team. Mark enters the office and finds Gary with his duffle bag at his feet already prepared for their arrival, as if he knew what was coming. Tom bravely takes a position behind Mark using him as a human shield, if something were to go wrong that Gary did not wish to be disarmed.
MARK: (with empathy)…”Hi Gary! You no doubt know why we are here. ”
(Gary nods his head yes.)
: “I am sorry, but I am going to have to ask you for your side arm. Gary says..”Yeah,
no problem!” (Gary hands over his empty Glock 9mm and 3 magazines to Mark.)
TOM: (Comments sourly)…”And the knife too.”
(Gary complies and reaches into his side cargo pocket to pull the knife out and hands
Mark the knife that has about a 6 inch bell shaped blade to it.)
MARK: ”OK…Well let’s go. We have a helicopter outside waiting.”
GARY: “But wait!”
(Gary extends a handful of documents out to the Chief of Security.)
GARY: ”Can’t you read this first?” Please???
(Tom nods his head to say no and makes no effort to take possession of the documents.)
TOM: ”No. Let’s go!”
(45 minutes later)
SLUG: EXT–CIA FLIGHT LINE, BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: Mark disembarks the helicopter with Gary to ensure he is on the outbound flight for Washington, DC. Tom decides he will go back to Station. Mark and Gary stay on the flight line awaiting the CIA’s ‘J-Lo flight’ to arrive. Gary is starting to stress out and begins to feel ostracized for doing what he thought was right. The flight line Security Chief (Sal–short for Sallie) arrives soon after to meet them and knows only what the Station Chief of Security has told her. Sal struts up to Mark and Gary and introduces herself.
SAL: “Hi!…Early good morning to you both. Which one is Gary?”
(Gary raises his hand and moves closer to her.)
: “I have a container here so you can place your belongings in. Is there anything else I
can help you with?”
GARY: “I cannot believe what’s going on here. Why am I being treated this way?” …
…”Why is Joe not being kicked out as well? …I mean I did nothing wrong!”
DESCRIPTION: Sal who is standing closer to Gary winces in surprise when Gary leans forward to tell her something, but Mark cannot hear what was said as an aircraft was landing.
SAL: “Would you like me to arrange for you to speak with a psychiatrist in Jordan during your
layover? I can tell you are visibly stressed about the ordeal.”
GARY: “Yes…..Yes I think I need to.”
(Sal then wishes Mark goodbye and for Gary to have a safe trip and she departs.)
: “Look Mark, can you do me a big favor and read this material I tried to give
to the Chief of Security? ….Please?
DESCRIPTION: Gary extends about 20 pages of handwritten notes to Mark who accepts it and briefly scans through it. At this point, the aircraft that landed as Gary was speaking to Sal happened to be the CIA’s J-Lo flight and is being refueled.
GARY: “Please call OMA in Washington. “They will tell you what is going on.!”
:TE4: “This incident is about Joe downloading child pornography onto two CIA Top
Secret computers… (Mark winces in dumbstruck and surprised.)
: “Joe’s wife is from Thailand and you know what it’s like with those folks. They could be
18 years old, but look like a 8 year old. I am a grandfather and when I saw that shit I was so pissed I chewed his ass. I told him I was going to kick his ass.”
: “Then Joe said…’You got a knife!’…so I pulled the knife from my pocket and tossed it on the couch and told him I am ready to kick his fat ass! That is when the fat bastard ran to the phone to call Banks.”
MARK: “You never laid a hand on him or threw the knife at him?”
GARY: “Hell no!”
——– ——– ——–
BEAT SHEET: PROTAGONIST REACTS EMOTIONALLY TO INCITING INCIDENT:
SLUG: INT–CIA FLIGHT LINE (SECURITY OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
–Mark confirms with CIA Headquarters the irony of the turn of events and though he cannot change the outcome of Gary’s expulsion, Mark tries to restore Gary’s faith in his innocence.
ACT 1:
OUTLINE: PROTAGONIST REACTS EMOTIONALLY TO INCITING INCIDENT:
BEGINNING: Mark contacts CIA Headquarters’ OMA home office who confirms that child pornography was downloaded onto two Agency Top Secret computers.
MIDDLE: HQs asks Mark to stop the expulsion, but it’s too late as Gary has just minutes to go.
END: As a gesture of good will and faith in restoring some dignity to Gary who is lost over the ordeal, Mark hands back Gary’s knife demonstrating trust and belief in him. Two days later Mark notices, in sharp contrast, how Joe is permitted to leave the country with dignity.
ACT 1:
DIALOG SCENE: PROTAGONIST REACTS EMOTIONALLY TO THE INCITING INCIDENT:
SLUG: INT–CIA FLIGHT LINE (SECURITY OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: Mark and Gary quickly step over to the security office and make a secure line call back to our home office. Our Branch Chief (Doug) answers the phone.
DOUG: “Office of Military Affairs Exercise and Contingency Office. How may I help you?”
MARK: “Doug this is Mark. I am standing on the flight line here in Baghdad just minutes away
from tossing Gary out of the country.”
DOUG: “Mark, do you know what this is about?”
MARK: “Evidently not, since Station and I have been kept completely out of the loop on this.”
DOUG: “This is about Joe downloading child pornography onto Agency computers. You got to
stop Gary from being expelled!”
MARK: “Look Doug. I am just now learning the truth of what’s going on and Gary is a minute
from getting on that aircraft homeward bound. I have no means of communication with
Station as Banks is not in his office and it’s like 5 am here.
: “Gary will have to leave as ordered. I am sorry, but you guys just ambushed me.”
DESCRIPTION: Mark concludes the call with Doug. Nods his head as if agreeing with Gary and at this point Gary asks for his knife back.
GARY: “Can I have my knife back, please?”
DESCRIPTION: Mark realizes that protocol would say “Oh Hell Naw!,” but Mark felt an injustice was being committed against Gary. So as a gesture of good will and to demonstrate faith in Gary, Mark pulls the knife from his cargo pocket and hands it back to Gary. Gary was visibly pleased and nods his head as a gesture of thanks, turns and walks briskly to the mobile stair to board the aircraft.
(2 Days later)
DESCRIPTION: Mark would be forced to stay at the flight line for another 2 days before travel back to Station could be arranged. Upon his return by helicopter he notices Joe is onboard. In sharp contrast, however, Joe is allowed the dignity of departing the country with grace and has his sidearm with him.
——– ——– ——–
BEAT SHEET: TURNING POINT 1:
SLUG: INT–CIA IRAQ STATION (MARK’S CUBICLE OUTSIDE DCOS/COO OFFICES), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–DAY
–Mark returns to a short lived hero’s welcome by Banks, but Mark’s cable report will leave Banks speechless and in silence.
SLUG: INT–CIA IRAQ STATION (MARK’S CUBICLE OUTSIDE DCOS/COO OFFICES), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
–Mark knows the outcome of his cable will yield negative favoritism with Station, in particular with Reilly, and insist with the home office that he return as he is tired of cleaning up HQ’s mess.
SLUG: EXT–CIA IRAQ STATION, FLIGHT LINE, BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
–While boarding a helicopter for his return to the states, Mark bids farewell with the middle finger to Pedro, who facilitates environmental hostilities at Station as he got off the helicopter.
SLUG: EXT–CIA IRAQ STATION, FLIGHT LINE, BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
–Reilly returns to Station to read Mark’s cable report that yields an immediate negative opinion of Mark.
ACT 1:
OUTLINE: TURNING POINT 1:
BEGINNING: A hero’s welcome soon falls flat as Chief of Mission who is Acting Chief of Station is stunned into silence for his and the Chief of Security’s mishandling of the investigation and the revelation that child pornography by a repeat offender was overlooked.
MIDDLE: Mark decides it’s time to pop smoke. He has been the whipping boy for Station all because he is covering up his home office’s blunders. Mark demands on returning early from his tour as he is not going to give in to Station leadership’s the satisfaction of an undeserved ass chewing.
END: The real excitement will begin when the Deputy Chief of Station returns and his temper is anticipated to go nuclear. Given the fact that Reilly already has a beef with Mark, Reilly has started to promote a hostile work environment against Mark. Now he seeks vengeance.
ACT 1:
DIALOG SCENE: TURNING POINT 1: ((REASSESS IF TOO MUCH MESSAGING))
SLUG: INT–CIA IRAQ STATION (MARK’S CUBICLE OUTSIDE DCOS/COO OFFICES), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–DAY
DESCRIPTION: Mark returns to Station and jumps on his computer to catch up on work and more importantly follow up with his office at Headquarters on the crisis at hand. Mark presumes after 2 days have passed since the incident that his home office, let alone the CIA flight line Security Chief at the airport, has addressed the situation with Station or that Station’s Chief of Security would have at least followed up with Headquarters in Washington. Before Mark can turn his computer on, Banks steps out of his office.
BANKS: “Mark!….Job well done!” (Banks slaps Mark on the back and returns back to his office.)
MARK: “Thank you!”
(Shaking his head.) “Of all the millions of sperm….his was the one that made it.”
(1 hour later Banks reappears from his office.)
BANKS: TE 5: “Mark I want you write up a cable for Headquarters on the incident.”
DESCRIPTION: Banks walks back to his office without another word. Mark immediately starts working on the cable, but it’s not as easy of a task as COO thinks and proceeds to knock out a rough draft. Four hours later, Banks impatiently walks out of his office.
BANKS: “Mark!…Where is that cable?
MARK: “Chief, I’ll send you what I have.”
DESCRIPTION: Banks walks back into his office and after reading the draft and final cable is not seen, nor heard from the remainder of the day.
DALE: “Hey…I saw Joe around Station this morning at the mess hall. … Did he fly in with you
this morning?”
MARK: “Yeah.” Mark nods his head.
DALE: “It’s good to see him. … I’ve known him for 20 years. He’s a good guy. He’s a retired
communications officer ya know. … Was he out there in Tikrit as part of your team?
MARK: “Yes,…he was the Cell Team Chief there.”
DALE: “He certainly is a chatterbox and seems all worked up about something. I’ve not seen
him act this way since the time he downloaded pornog…” ….Dale pauses for a few
seconds not completing his word…”Is that what this is about?”
MARK: (Mark slowly nods his head in confirmation.)
DALE: (Has an astonished look on his face, he shakes his head negatively and slowly
turns in his swivel chair back to his computer and says nothing further.)
INCITING INCIDENT: TP 1: Mark’s contacts his home office to run his cable by his branch chief via the internal notes email system……
MARK: NOTES EMAIL SYSTEM:
“Dough…the cable I am about to send out basically implies Stations incompetence in
handling the investigation and injustice of tossing a member of Station out of country for
taking the correct action. The cable reveals that not only did Station not understand the
facts when the decision was made to expel the staffer in question from the country, but
that Station was in a rush to judgment. Evidence provided by the employee was ignored.
Furthermore, I have to reflect that OMA and Office of Security were fully aware of the
situation when Station and I–who is in charge of the Military Liaison Cells–were left
completely out of the loop. I outlined what events really happened and the course of
action I took to verify the information in writing this cable.
I also have a spoiler alert….I just learned of a major unexpected twist, while speaking to
Station’s Chief of Communications (Dale). He just made a surprising revelation that
Joe has a history of downloading pornography on Agency networks..
That’s it in a nutshell….Any questions or concerns?”
DOUG: NOTES EMAIL SYSTEM:
“Mark… Thank you for all the hard effort you put into this. Dale’s tidbit of information
adds a whole new twist to this.
Yeah…we should have let you guys know what was going on to have mitigated some of
this grief. We’ll just have to take our lumps too.
The situation was overcome by events as it were. Let me know Station’s reaction is.”
MARK: NOTES EMAIL SYSTEM:
“DOUG…You will be the first person I call, but I have a pretty good idea what Station’s
response is going to be!…Cheers!
DESCRIPTION: Mark then duplicates a copy of his cable and places it in his notes email system as backup should Station try to alter his official report.
(Later that night)
SLUG: INT–CIA IRAQ STATION (MARK’S CUBICLE OUTSIDE DCOS/COO OFFICES), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: TP 2: Mark anticipates tempers will flare and hostilities against him will increasingly persist, once the Deputy Chief of Station returns back to Station. Mark begins typing on his computer using the Agency internal instant messaging system to Doug.
MARK: INSTANT MESSAGING: “Doug… You there?”
DOUG: INSTANT MESSAGING: “Yes.”
MARK: INSTANT MESSAGING: “The shits about to hit the fan here. Banks asked me to write
my findings up and I had to be brutally honest in my report as
you know from yesterday’s chat. I have not seen him all day
and I sit outside his office. He must be shitting himself and
using the office trash can for that and dumping out the window
to be able to hold his bowels so long otherwise. It does not
look good for me here.”
DOUG: INSTANT MESSAGING: “I know….sorry.”
MARK: “When Reilly (DCOS) and the D’Angelo (COS) returns, you know they are going to hit
the ceiling. It really did not help for HQ to keep Station out of the loop. They look like a
Three Stooges operation now.”…..
….”and I have had it up to here with the hostile work environment and long hours I am
having to put in to cover your all’s asses back there…. cuz they think I am screwing
things up out here.”
“OMA’s keeps sending non experienced CIA personnel (contractors) with no training on
our computer systems and software… out to support the mission.”….
…”I had one idiot that did not know how to turn on a computer, much less know how to
operate a CIA system… …I have to drop everything to spend 2 to 3 days to bring these
guys up to speed and Pedro (that Cuban ass clown hates all women in authority or who
make more $$$) sees what’s going and no doubt fueling hostilities with Reilly. ……I
mean this is turning into disorganized shit show out here.”…
…”and let us not forget the raving review from that report by the DCI representative
about the CIA still not seriously supporting the US military out here, just like during
Operation Desert Storm in 1990.”
“Now toss in the COS routinely referring to the 3rd Infantry Division commander as a
jackass and refusing to meet with the 42nd National Guard Division commander
because they could not spare a helicopter, despite the COS having his own fleet.”
DESCRIPTION: Doug, overwhelmed by Mark’s typing and not wanting any further chain of evidence leading back to him as the CIA keeps records of all electronic data systems, tells Mark to call him on the Green Line that is not monitored as much.
DOUG: “Call me on the Green Line.”
MARK: “OK.” Mark picks up the Green Line secure phone and dials up Doug.
DOUG: “Hi Mark?”
MARK: “Yes Doug its me…. I need to get the hell out of here. Between COS, DCOS, COO,
Pedro and this new Colonel taking sides to be accepted by Station, I am catching a lot of
flack.”
DOUG: “What do you mean?”
MARK: “I am being excluded from Station meetings and between Pedro’s harassment and the
Colonel who thinks that because I am an Army Reservist I have to answer to her…is bull
shit…. She is trying to restrict my every move…. She cannot even keep her fucking
pistol in the damn holster as it keeps falling out onto the floor or sidewalk…. Thank God
she keeps it unloaded.”
(Doug can be heard laughing on his end of the phone….)
(Being serious in tone…..)
MARK: “It all sounds funny, until you are on this end of being hung out to dry for issues outside
my control and being fully blamed… I have covered for OMA far too long…..”
“I told you guys I would come out here for a year…. It’s been 3 months and this child
porn case is going to blow the lid off when Reilly gets here….”
I am just not going to deal with this shit any longer because of HQ’s mistakes…”
“With or without your help I am leaving Station on the next flight.”
(Taking a more serious tone.)
DOUG: ”OK Mark I got ya….I have a Liaison officer coming out on a flight and should be there
in two days. I will arrange for your return flight on that aircraft…..Hang tight and put a
Transition Book together for the follow on guy.”
MARK: “OK will do.” Mark hangs the phone up.
(2 days later)
SLUG: EXT–CIA IRAQ STATION, FLIGHT LINE, BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: (NARRATED VIDEO VIGNETTE): Before Mark leaves, he puts his pay voucher cable together and has the Station’s key personnel (Chief of Finance, Chief of Human Resource and COS’ Secretary) present to confirm what he is doing is correct and they all concur. Without a word from COO Banks who apparently refuses to speak, Mark waits the two days out. Mark boards a helicopter to the airport for the J-Lo flight back to Washington. As Mark is about to board the helicopter he sees Pedro disembarking and flips him the bird. Pedro is startled and immediately angered by the gesture.
(5 days later)
SLUG: EXT–CIA IRAQ STATION, FLIGHT LINE, BAGHDAD, IRAQ–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: COS D’Angelo and DCOS Reilly return to Station 5 days later where Banks briefs his version of what transpired to Reilly. As predicted both hit the ceiling. Reilly is so filled with the rage of anger and hate toward Mark that he is out for blood and wants vengeance.
BANKS: “Hi…Welcome back for what it’s worth.” Not smiling, Bank holds a copy of Mark’s cable
in an extended hand to pass to Reilly with a cup of coffee in the other.
REILLY: “What do you mean by that?” Reilly snaps the cable from Bank’s hand and accepts the
coffee with the other which he sits on his desk.
BANKS: “Your buddy Mark tossed us under the bus, once again. …Set us up. …. Then left town
without a word.”
REILLY: “What?? … He Left?” (Visibly surprised and face beginning to flush his Irish red
heritage)… (Banks leaves to go back to his office.)
DESCRIPTION: Reilly slowly sits down into his chair with eyes glued to the subject line of the 15 page cable to Headquarter: “BAGHDAD, IRAQ–IMPULSIVE TQW STATION INVESTIGATION MISTAKENLY SANDBAGS WRONG OFFICER FROM COUNTRY WHO REPORTED CHILD PORNOGRAPHY.” Reilly, goes nuclear and Station personnel in the adjoining offices and bay area can hear him.
Reilly: “THAT GOD DAMN SON-OF-A-BITCH!!!! ….THAT …GOD… DAMN… SON-OF-A-BITCH!!!!”
DESCRIPTION: The sound instantaneously follows of a ceramic coffee cup shattering against the wall. Reilly storms out of the office heading toward the COS’ Office.
(NARRATED VIDEO VIGNETTE) Following the 9/11 attacks, Reilly acknowledges he became so filled with hate and rage that vengeance was all he wanted against the Taliban who harbored Asuma Bin Laden. Being second in command of the CIA’s first team into Afghanistan and being responsible for maintaining constant communications with the Northern Alliance, it would be easy to speculate that is why he looked the other way when the Northern Alliance left 3,000 prisoners of war to die in the desert sealed in train box cars in what would become known as the 2001 Kunduz Massacre. Reilly of course reported the massacre weeks after the event occurred.)
———————————————–
ACT TWO
ACT 2:
BEAT SHEET: REACTION TO THE TURNING POINT SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (OFFICE OF SECURITY-INVESTIGATOR’S OFFICE), LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
–Mark briefs Headquarters security investigator on case in question.
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (OFFICE OF MILITARY AFFAIRS-BRANCH CHIEF’S OFFICE), LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
–Mark accepts a new mission assignment in Afghanistan.
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION (DCOS OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–DAY
–DCOS tries to pressure the OMA Office Director to have Mark fired.
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION (DCOS OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–DAY
–DCOS fabricates a ruse to have Mark charged with a felony and be prosecuted.
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION (COS OFFICE), KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
–Mark arrives in Afghanistan to be briefed by COS “The Spider” to be Deputy Chief of Base
ACT 2:
OUTLINE: REACTION TO THE TURNING POINT SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (OFFICE OF SECURITY-INVESTIGATOR’S OFFICE), LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark briefs Headquarters security investigator on case in question. He also expresses concern for the employee who is wrongfully accused and outlined the negative atmosphere toward him.
MIDDLE: He reveals his insightful discussion with Station’s Chief of Communications and the precaution he took to ensure his report was not altered.
END: Mark expresses concern and anticipation of being retaliated against in hopes Office of Security will not give credence to false allegations.
ACT 2:
DIALOG SCENE: REACTION TO THE TURNING POINT SCENE:
((DOUG needs to ask more questions than MARK dominating the dialog))
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (OFFICE OF SECURITY-INVESTIGATOR’S OFFICE), LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
DESCRIPTION: After Mark lands at the Washington-Dulles International Airport and disembarks to report to his home office in the New Headquarters Building, he is informed that he has a message from the investigator in charge of the case and needs him to report to her office in Old Headquarters Building. Mark knocks on her office door and introduces himself.
MARK: “Hi….Mark here from OMA. I just got in from Iraq Station. ….I understand you left a
message inviting me for a ‘fireside chat’ ? ….. I suppose it’s related to the Iraq Station
fiasco that got the wrong guy deported?”
INVESTIGATOR: “Oh hi!… Yes..Yes… Please come in and have a seat.” The investigator is
dressed in a black suit and skirt with white blouse.
: “I’ve read the detailed cable report which pretty much captured the essence of what
took place. …. I know you used to work for the Office of Security as a Security Protective
Officer years back, so you wrote it like a police report.” (They jovially laugh)
MARK: “Yes…force of habit I suppose.”
INVESTIGATOR: “Is there anything else beyond the report that you’d like to add?”
MARK: “First and foremost, I think Gary was horribly treated in this matter and was raped of his
dignity. … I know he requested to see a psychiatrist in Jordan, but I did all I could to set
the record straight for him after my office confirmed his report.”
(She nods her head in agreement.)
….“Second, prior to this incident I was being subjected to a hostile work environment that was compounded by three events. ….”
….”The DCI’s representative from the Associate Director of Military Affairs visited Station and four military command elements that the CIA has embedded 2 man cell teams with and the feedback he got was not flattering for Station. The DCOS, Reilly, blamed my teams…. “
…”Then Station’s Internment Facility Coordinator Officer…Pedro, he worked near me got pissed to find out I made more money than him and became aggressive after that…I don’t quite understand why since I only worked for the CIA 16 years before becoming an Independent Contractor versus his 3 years??? …He asked how much I made and I was honest with him is all.”…..
…”Incidentally, he apparently creates hostile work environments for women as well. …I have seen him personally go after a woman and make her cry and another analyst he called her analysis stupid… forgetting he cc:’d her on the return message to a slough of folks.”
…”That triggered nasty notes back and forth like 10 times before the DCOS finally sent out a message in big bold red letters: ‘CEASE FIRE…CEASE FIRE…CEASE FIRE.’ “
….”Before Pedro became abrasive towards me he admitted sheepishly towards me that his home office of the Crimes and Narcotics Center told him: ‘You need to get out of our face for two years.’ …So, don’t take my word, ask CNC.“
…”Bottom line is I got tired of the negative atmospherics, being isolated from important staff meetings, and Pedro feeding into the chaos …..plus covering for OMA for sending folks out with no training, let alone no CIA experience. …That’s why I was working long hours to mentor and guide these folks on my team like children. ….It was ridiculous!”
INVESTIGATOR: “Well thank you for that insight…and it was admirable that you stepped up to
the plate at great risk to yourself and career here at CIA.”
MARK: “Well …. As noted in the report, I was told that the guy who downloaded the child
pornography apparently had a history of this before. … I obtained that insight while
talking to Station’s Chief of Communications who knew the guy (Joe) for 20 years.” ……
….“I never said a word about what unfolded, but he made the astute observation that he never saw Joe behave in such a manner, since the last time he downloaded child pornography.“
…”He stopped in mid sentence and it hit him like a brick in the face, before he figured out on his own what was going on.” ….
DESCRIPTION: The investigator remained silent allowing Mark to talk uninterrupted, but was clearly absorbing it all in.
MARK:…“I suppose you’ve been tracking communications between Joe and whoever he’s
talking to for your investigation?”
INVESTIGATOR: “Oh yes.”
MARK: “You no doubt realize that I anticipate being retaliated against by Iraq Station? …I have
had to endure a good deal of hostilities from Station as is.”
DESCRIPTION: The investigator’s posture stiffened as she motioned her head in complete concurrence without a word. She knew it was the cultural norms of CIA executives to wield their positions as a weapon of mass destruction and the Directorate of Operation was no exception.
MARK: “Anything else? ….Oh by the way! … I do not know if Station will try to alter my cable,
but I placed a copy of it in my notes system and sent it to myself as an electronic
backup. I do not trust Station leadership and particularly I do not trust the DCOS…..Also
one other thing.” ….
…..”In addition, to being new to the IC (Independent Contractor) world I was working longer hours as I said….well I had to call together the Station’s Chief of Finance, Chief of Human Resources and the COS’ secretary who has final approval before the finance cables go out to review and approve my pay voucher, so I hope they don’t sit on it.”
INVESTIGATOR: “OK…Great! … Thank you for stopping by. I know you must be exhausted
from the long trip.”
DESCRIPTION: Mark departs her office and heads to the Agency cafeteria to ‘grease his belly’ before returning to the office for his follow on assignment.
ACT 2:
OUTLINE SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (OFFICE OF MILITARY AFFAIRS-BRANCH CHIEF’S OFFICE), LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark learns that DCOS Reilly is raising Hell with OMA, but Mark discusses with his branch chief that the whole ordeal could have been avoided, if Station had not had a knee jerk reaction to the incident.
MIDDLE: Mark also addresses the problem between COS and military commanders on the ground and how the entire affair is turning into a repeat of Operation Desert Storm, whereby the US military felt that they did not get adequate cooperation from the CIA, then.
END: Mark accepts a new mission assignment in Afghanistan to become the CIA’s Deputy Chief of Base at Bagram Airbase, Afghanistan that elevates his standing as an Intelligence Officer. His responsibility will be to support CIA counterterrorism operations countrywide.
ACT 2:
DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (OFFICE OF MILITARY AFFAIRS-BRANCH CHIEF’S OFFICE), LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
DESCRIPTION: Mark steps into the office to see what Doug has in store for him on his next assignment.
MARK: “Hey Doug! …. What’s the word?”
DOUG: “Mark…Hey bud …how are you? … I’m seeing the flack from your cable has hit a raw
nerve with Station. ….Your early departure without a word did not go over well either.”
MARK: “As I expected it would. ….I lost a lot of beauty sleep dealing with that ordeal. After 40
hours of no sleep, l was looking like the poster child for birth control.” … Doug laughs.
“Besides…After the way I was treated with disdain and disrespect??? … I wanted them to symbolically see my elbows and asshole in defiance walking away.“
“…So they can blow it out of their asses, if they think I was going to give them further satisfaction by screaming at me….Absolutely no way.”
DOUG: “I can understand your point of view.”
MARK: “The worst part is that this whole affair could have all been prevented had Banks took a
moment to talk to both parties. … Also had Station’s Chief of Security not blown off Gary
then they all would be viewed as superheroes right now.” ….
“Plus….D’Angelo, the COS, if he ever stopped with his ‘SUPERIORITY COMPLEX” mentality in dealing with the regular military….Things would go a lot smoother in relationships with the Warfighters on the ground if the chip on his shoulder fell off….”
DOUG: “….Would you agree their unwillingness to deal with conventional forces is simply
creating tensions and lack of cooperation….. just as it did during Desert Storm?….”
MARK: “Yes…. Anyway…that’s neither here nor there…..Bottom line, this office sending out
inexperienced folks from the Station do not help the situation either.”
DOUG: “I agree, but we’re so short handed …We’re just tossing warm bodies out to fill the gap.
…Right now as it stands, Reilly is furious. ….He’s been raising Hell with the office.”
MARK: “I’ve already addressed my concern with the investigator overseeing this. …I told her flat
out that I expected to be retaliated against.”
DOUG: “Well….On that note, I’ve arranged for you to replace our guy in Bagram, Afghanistan
as the Deputy Chief of Base. He has been there a while and is ready to come home. …I
originally had you scheduled for Kuwait to sit on the US commanding general’s staff, but that’s been in flux and has not come to fruition just yet.”
MARK: “Who’s the Chief of Base out there?”
DOUG: “Joe is his name…highly respected by his peers I am told.”
MARK: “OK.. Interesting…. Has the Chief of Station there approved of my coming out?” … and
who is the COS there?”
DOUG: “He’s called ‘The Spider’ by President Karzai himself…Greg Vogel. …He’s been there
nearly two years himself at Karzai’s request after he saved Karzai’s ass from an
assassination attempt.”
MARK: “Ok… So what will my mission be overall and when do you have me heading out?”
DOUG: “Your primary function will be to support Agency counterterrorism operations
countrywide in theater with the resources that the airbase has to bring to table.”
….“As for your departure…You are already scheduled on the flight heading out in 2 weeks. …. So go home, relax and get your affairs in order and be ready to head out then. ….See you in two weeks.”
MARK: “Okie Dokie! … See ya then, but in the meantime you can use your desk as a bunker to
shield yourself from incoming rounds from Reilly. ….Mark laughs as he departs.
DESCRIPTION: Doug doesn’t find not much to smirk at, since he knows he dropped the ball in the whole matter leaving Mark holding the bag in Iraq.
ACT 2:
OUTLINE SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION (DCOS OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–DAY
BEGINNING: DCOS tries to pressure the OMA Office Director to have Mark fired and blames him for mishandling the situation when new information came to light, just as he is to blame for the negative review of Station’s interaction with the military.
MIDDLE: OMA Director admits his office was partly responsible and basically takes his lumps from Station.
END: DCOS notes his intentions to hold up Mark’s pay cable voucher pending his staff’s investigation of irregularities.
ACT 2:
DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION (DCOS OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–DAY
DESCRIPTION: DCOS Reilly calls OMA Director (Redcloud) on the Green Line to express Station’s disappointment of Mark’s tour and how he handled the entire affair. Reilly tries to get the Director to fire Mark, but the Branch Chief defends Mark and squashes the idea.
REDCLOUD: (Answers his phone): “OMA Director!”
REILLY: “Redcloud…Reilly here in Iraq Station. ….What the Hell is going on with you
guys?… I asked for support from your office and all I get out here is a shit bag sent out
here!…I’m talking about Mark. ….Since day 1 he’s been nothing, but a disaster.”
REDCLOUD: “Yeah I am surprised as you are by his actions to leave so soon.”
REILLY: “Not just that….He should have gotten a hold of Banks who was Acting Chief
of Station to head this off, but instead he leaves us a shit show. …..”
: “…Just as he did with the Director’s negative feedback on Station’s relationship with the US military. …He made us look stupid, once again! He is unreliable. …I want him fired!”
REDCLOUD: “Well…there is more involved before we can take such an action. ..His branch
chief says we are partly to blame…. and in regards to the DCI’s representative and my
Branch Chief who met with the four military command elements says Mark was busy
taking care of logistics to get them in and out of Iraq in 5 days, so he was not present,
but for only one meeting. That one nearly got them all killed when the aircraft engine
failed in mid air.”
REILLY: “I don’t care about that!….He needs fired. …I don’t want him anywhere near this
theater of operation. ….GOT IT???”
REDCLOUD: “Yeah …Yeah!”
REILLY: “Well…one more thing! …His cable he submitted noting hours worked for 3 months
that needs to be filed monthly shows discrepancies and I am holding up approval of his
cable pending further investigation and I’ll be responding then.”
REDCLOUD: “Fair enough.” Reilly hangs the phone up.
ACT 2:
SCENE OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION (DCOS OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–DAY
BEGINNING: DCOS fabricates a ruse to have Mark charged with a felony and be prosecuted.
MIDDLE: Reilly lays out his plan and intentions to Pedro who eagerly approves.
END: Pedro takes charge of writing the cable for the DCOS and appropriate Station personnel to concur on.
ACT 2:
DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION (DCOS OFFICE), BAGHDAD, IRAQ–DAY
DESCRIPTION: DCOS Reilly is dissatisfied with OMA’s lack of balls to fire Mark so he calls Pedro into his office to discuss Mark’s pay voucher. Reilly has an underlying plan to quench his thirst for revenge by having Mark investigated and prosecuted for committing a felony, if all goes right with his scheme.
REILLY: “Pedro!!! …..Come in here!.” Pedro stands up from his computer sitting in the corner
of the bay and scurries off to Reilly’s office.
PEDRO: “You called???”
REILLY: “You bet I did….. Listen up…I need to review that pay voucher of Mark’s. I want you to
assess when he was not here in your presence to observe that he was actually working.
…I need you to tally up the hours and reflect that in a cable that you are going to
write….I want a dollar figure amount.”
PEDRO: “OK??”
REILLY: “My intentions are to fuck the son-of-a-bitch over and send him to prison, if we can
show that he tried to overcharge the Agency for hours not worked.” Pedro smiles and
nods his head in approval.
PEDRO: “Got it Chief! …I’ll get right on it!”
REILLY: “Take your time… The longer the asshole has to wait for his money the better as far as
I am concerned.”
(Pedro chuckles and slowly shuffles to his desk imitating the speed he is to take.)
ACT 2:
OUTLINE SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION (COS’ OFFICE), KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark arrives in Afghanistan two weeks later to be briefed by COS “The Spider” to be Deputy Chief of Base and that his title is what the military will recognize as Station’s representative to Division Headquarters, not his pay grade.
MIDDLE: COS outlines Mark’s mission and expectations while serving as D/COB.
END: Mark prepares to disembark for Bagram on his new assignment, but not before he visits the CIA’s Talibar.
ACT 2:
DIALOG SCENE:
SLUG: INT–CIA STATION (COS’ OFFICE), KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
DESCRIPTION: “The Spider” (Greg Vogel) welcomes Mark to Station and provides his expectations of Mark serving as the CIA’s Deputy Chief of Base of Bagram Air Base. Mark assures the COS that he will do his very best and outlines his history with the CIA and US Army Reserves.
GREG: “I’ve heard a great deal of your exploits.”…in a joking manner…Mark cracks a smile,
not sure if the COS has really heard anything. …..
MARK: “Sir, the one thing that I must remind you is that I am an IC and under COTR (Contract)
regulations that I am not supposed to assume a leadership role.”
GREG: “Yes, I know but out here I make the rules and you will assume that leadership role.
It’s a title the US military respects and they do not need to know the details…..Bottom
line you represent the CIA under Kevin who is Chief of Base out there.”
…”Joe has been COB for a year and has several months to go before his tour ends so
it will be a good overlap for the two of you.”
…”Your mission here is to get to learn Bagram Airbase inside and out. You will be the go
to guy for everything as you will be supporting Station and all its bases countrywide in counterterrorism operations…..
…”That means fuel, medical support, supplies, military and Agency air operational support, and you’ll also be the guy who interacts with the Bagram Internment Facility that houses all the bad guys.”
…”Any more dumb questions?? …(He laughs.)…
MARK: “Yes sir….just one! ….You are called ‘The Spider’! …..Would you say you favor the
Tarantula?…Grand Daddy Long Leg?….Camel Spider…Black Widow?….or Brown
Recluse?”
GREG: (Laughing) “At my age I’m probably considered the Grand Daddy!…”
DESCRIPTION: Mark departs the COS’ office and visits the infamous CIA “Talibar” he’s heard so much about for the first time hoping for a drink and wonders facetiously to himself, if they have a “Gift Shop.” Then his next stop is the cafeteria, follow by the flight line for his last stop to Bagram.
——– ——– ——–
ACT 2:
BEAT SHEET MIDDLE SCENES: PROTAGONIST’S NEW PLAN IS EXECUTED:
SLUG: INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
–Mark reports to the base at Bagram, coincidently just a few days after four high level Al-Qaeda members escape the internment facility there and unexpectedly he is greeted by an armed Afghani at his door with a proposal.
SLUG: INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–NIGHT
–After nearly 3 months goes by at Bagram, Mark’s pay voucher cable is finally released by the DCOS in Iraq that falsely accuses Mark of a ruse which Mark eventually decides to ignore.
SLUG: EXT/INT–BAGRAM FLIGHT LINE AND CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
–Mark is paid an unexpected visit from his home office director and the DCI’s Associate Director for Military Affairs.
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (OFFICE OF SECURITY-INVESTIGATOR’S OFFICE), LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–Day
–Office of Security reviews DCOS Iraq cable accusing Mark of intentionally overcharging the Agency (a felony), but decides not to investigate, question, charge, nor prosecute as it’s considered to be an act of retaliation by Reilly.
SLUG: INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
–Mark’s 17 month tour is complete and he brief’s his replacement who followed behind him in Iraq and warns Mark that Reilly still has a burr up his ass for him.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE: PROTAGONIST’S NEW PLAN IS EXECUTED:
SLUG: INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
BEGINNING: After Mark reports to base for introductions and orientation. Later he is greeted at the door by an armed Afghani with a proposal to help the base acquire a Stinger component.
MIDDLE: Mark and Joe discuss the recovery of a Stinger missile component with an Afghan interpreter who works for the US Army. The seller is from the Pakistani side of the border
END: The Chief of Base later tells Mark four high level Al-Qaeda members escaped just a few short days before from the Bagram Internment Facility and Mark straps his sidearm on from then on. The purchase of the Stinger component ultimately takes 6 months.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG: PROTAGONIST’S NEW PLAN IS EXECUTED:
SLUG: INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: The CIA base consists of double stacked cargo shipping containers that are sandbagged on the roof laid out in a square shaped formation surrounded heavily by concertina and chain linked fencing with only one ingress/egress point. Each container has sleeping, living and bathrooms with showers independent of each other. The facility can house as many as 24 CIA personnel, if doubled up per container, plus office space. Other government agencies like DIA, NSA etc are collated near the Agency and collectively known as OGA. The 10th Mountain Division Headquarters and Bagram Internment Facility are each located a mere 300 feet from the CIA base. Other coalition forces are distributed around the air base that is occupied with approximately 14,000 personnel (military and contractors). Just north of the CIA base, a mere 500 feet, was the airstrip. The Bagram Air Base itself sets in Parwan Province and was a Soviet era airbase. The ancient village of Bagram sits just outside the base south and east with the base itself located 25 miles north of Kabul.
MARK: “Good afternoon Chief! … I am the new guy… Mark your new DCOB.” Mark extends his
hand out to shake the COB’s hand with a smile.
JOE: “Welcome to Bagram. …I’ll let you get settled in and meet our
communications officer and the senior Science and Technology advisor when they get
back from lunch. “
“….Then we will get you oriented to the place. The guy you replaced departed this
morning.”
MARK: “OK!… “
(Mark takes his gear to his quarters and returns to the office to start work placing his
sidearm in the gun cabinet. Later that night, Mark hears a knock at the office door and
goes to answer it.)
MARK: “Hi ….(surprised to see an armed Afghan inside the base’s perimeter)…. (without
missing a beat) …How may I help you?”
AFGHAN: “Hello….my name is Nangali …(he places his right hand across his heart and bows
his head) …and I am trying to speak to your people as I have someone I know that has
an item of interest to your Agency….I am an interpreter for the Army here……”
MARK: “Ok….please come in.” (Mark calls for the Chief to come down and Mark introduces
Nangali to him and that he has a proposal).
NANGALI: “I have a contact that has part of a Stinger…you know the missile that shoots down
aircraft….I understand that your Agency is willing to pay for their return? …Is that
correct?”
JOE: “Yes, that is correct. ….what exactly is the part of the Stinger that he has?”
NANGALI: “I do not know exactly, if it’s the Stinger itself or what….I have to reach out to him as
he approached me a few weeks ago about it and he lives on the Pakistan side of the
border. I visit my family when I get the chance and his family knows my family.”
JOE: “OK I will need you to contact your guy and let’s set up a meeting to discuss in
detail….You can contact Mark for this in the future as he does not know it yet, but this is
part of his job here!”
(Joe glances a smirk at Mark as he looks over the rim of his eyeglasses.)
(Mark shows the guest to the door and wishes him a good night.)
MARK: “You know Chief…. when I answered the knock at the door, the last thing I expected to
see at our base was an armed Afghani…I put my shoot’n iron in the gun safe not
thinking I would need it.”…. (Mark and Joe laugh)
JOE: “Well….coincidently we just had four top Al Qaeda members housed at the internment
facility that just escaped three nights ago and they have yet to be found. That facility sits
just 300 feet from us and that’s another one of your duties too.”….
: “….Command does not know how they got out, nor if they are still on the base.”
: “Ohhh …by the way….Welcome to Bagram!”
(Joe walks up the stairs to his desk.)
(Mark walks to the gun safe and straps his Glock 19 back on and for the remainder of his
17 month tour.)
DESCRIPTION: (VOICEOVER:) Six months would pass before Joe and I would purchase a Stinger grip stock for $10,000. The four Al Qaeda detainees were never captured.
ACT 2
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–NIGHT
BEGINNING: The Iraq Station DCOS finally releases Mark’s pay cable. The Chief of Base flags the cable to Mark’s attention as it poses a serious accusation.
MIDDLE: Mark carefully reviews Reilly’s cable and fights the strong desire to contact the Agency Inspector General, the Ombudsman and Office of General Counsel to file a complaint.
END: Mark ignores the cable and wants to focus instead on the mission at hand, but other events will overtake Mark’s attention, as well.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG:
SLUG: INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: Nearly two months into the tour, Mark has a cable flagged to his attention by the COB (Joe). Mark takes a moment to review the cable and advises the Chief that it’s in relation to what transpired in Iraq. Deep down Mark wants to file a complaint in writing, but that will take much of his time and he already puts in a full day and ports of the night.
JOE: “Mark a cable just came in for you and you really need to address it.”
MARK: “OK…Thanks.”
: “Chief!… This cable is basically a retaliation by DCOS in Iraq to the incident I told you about regarding child pornography. Reilly has been sitting on my pay voucher for like 3 months. I finally called the DCI’s Chief of Finance a week ago and forced the issue. ….“
JOE: “OK…but you need to seriously respond to it nonetheless as its damning allegation.”
MARK: “In due time Chief. Thanks!…. At least I finally got paid, even though I was short a few
bucks, but I’ll make it up.”
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: EXT/INT–BAGRAM FLIGHT LINE AND CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark is paid an unexpected visit from his home office director and the DCI’s Associate Director for Military Affairs. Mark is greeted like a long lost pal from the DCI Representative, but his Office Director avoids Mark speaking only to Joe the COB.
MIDDLE: Redcloud seeks to place a cap limit on the hours Mark works. Joe scoffs at this idea and tells the director he may as well pull his support from the base as that idea would shift the lion’s share of work on him.
END: Mark feels reassured from the COB’s efforts to stand up for him and feels no further action will like be taken given the warm reception he had from the DCI Representative that his office director clearly witnessed.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENE DIALOG:
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
DESCRIPTION: Two months into Mark’s tour, Joe alerts Mark that the OMA office will be paying our base a surprise visit and seeks a meeting with the 10th Mountain Division commander. Mark is expected to pick the 2 visitors up at the flight line and bring them to base.
JOE: “Mark I just got word from Station that VIPs…being your boss –the OMA Office Director,
Redcloud, is surprising us with his presence and he’s bringing along the DCI’s Associate Director for Military Affairs (Galland)…..”
: “….I need you to go get them at the airfield and I’ll be taking them over to meet the
Division Commander…..they’ll be here in an hour.”
MARK: “Roger!! ….sorta sudden isn’t it?. …”
SLUG: EXT/INT–BAGRAM FLIGHT LINE, BAGRAM AIR BASE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
(Video Narrated Vignette)
DESCRIPTION: Mark meets the visitors at the flight line. The DCI’s Representative remembers Mark from the last time he visited Iraq and acts as if they are old buddies from years past given they nearly died in the near mid air accident. Calland shakes Mark’s hand and gives him a hug and several slaps on the back. Redcloud, however, is distant, and has no interest to address
Mark speaking only to Joe the COB. …following the meetings the VIPs depart and Joe tells Mark what transpired between him and Redcloud.
JOE: “Mark…..Redcloud had a chat with me. He asked that I restrain you to just working 14
hours a day….”
: “…I basically told him that he may as well pull you out and withdraw his office’s support because we can work 14 to 20 hour days depending on what mission support we are doing for Station or other bases.”
: “He was not happy with that notion, nor was I …because I did not want to lose sleep pulling your workload too.”
MARK: “I was hoping to address Redcloud, but he dissed me. .… “
: “….This is obviously in response to Iraq Station’s Reilly to persistently badger and
harass me because his inner child was pissed off….” (Mark says sarcastically)
: “I should send Reilly a cable telling him that if he has such trauma from the ordeal of me reporting the truth, then I have a special HOT LINE for him to call….”
: “It’s a simple number really!…it’s 1 – 800 – WAAAAAA….the big baby.”
(Joe laughs out loud ….rocking back in his chair clapping his hands.)
DESCRIPTION: (VOICEOVER:) For the remainder of my tour I heard nothing further from Reilly and his attempts to retaliate. I figured the Office of Security and the Associate Director for Military Affairs was keeping my office and Reilly in check.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (OFFICE OF SECURITY-INVESTIGATOR’S OFFICE), LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–Day
BEGINNING: Office of Security Investigator reviews DCOS Iraq cable accusing Mark of a felony and decides to discuss the case with her Branch Chief.
MIDDLE: The investigator notes Mark’s history with the Office of Security and the fact he obtained guidance from three key Iraq Station personnel.
END: The CIA Office of Security chooses to shelve the case and does not choose to investigate, question, charge, nor prosecute Mark in the four years that follow the incident, while Mark continues to serve the CIA.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (OFFICE OF SECURITY-INVESTIGATOR’S OFFICE), LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–Day
DESCRIPTION: The investigator sitting at her desk sees the incoming cable from Iraq Station calling into question Mark’s three month pay voucher. She briefs her Branch Chief.
INVESTIGATOR: “Chief… I am looking at a cable that just came in from Iraq Station.
BRANCH CHIEF: “Yes….I saw it. That’s the case we’ve anticipated to be a reprisal against the
OMA officer?“
INVESTIGATOR: “Yes….A review of the cable reflects the personnel testifying were simply not
present at the time Mark was working late at night, after they had all gone to
bed. Station asserts that Mark tried to overcharge the CIA $14,000–a felony if
it were true. This is the retaliation that Mark and I anticipated.”
BRANCH CHIEF: “As I recall, you said he used to work for the Office of Security?”
INVESTIGATOR “Yes.”
BRANCH CHIEF: “Then he would know that the CIA has a long history of prosecuting staffers
and contractors who break the CIA’s trust and have prosecuted many for
embezzling $100, $500, $1000, $12,000 and more and that OS electronically
disseminates those findings monthly Agency wide.”
INVESTIGATOR: “Correct. … He does not strike me to be as stupid to pull such a stunt, plus he
told me he consulted with three key Station personnel involved in ensuring he
wrote the voucher correctly. He’s new at being an IC…. yes, but not stupid.”
BRANCH CHIEF: “OK… We’ll not take action on this and let it die on the grapevine.”
INVESTIGATOR: “OK…I completely agree…I’ll close the case, unless something new pops up
on the radar to prove us wrong. …Thank you for your time.”
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark’s 17 month tour is complete and he brief’s his replacement who followed behind him in Iraq. Mark gives his replacement the load down of his job and being a liaison.
MIDDLE: Mark addresses some of the pitfalls of the job like the Silent Salute ceremonies and dealing with injured Afghan forces that support their respective CIA bases, as well as a 14 year old that lost three limbs in an explosion.
END: Bob warns Mark that Reilly has not forgotten about him and advises Mark not to let his guard down or take for granted the protection he may have enjoyed before.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENE DIALOG:
SLUG: INT–CIA BASE OFFICE, BAGRAM, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
DESCRIPTION: After 17 months of service, Mark is briefing his replacement as DCOB (Bob) who followed after Mark in Iraq. Mark is discussing responsibilities and success he has experienced while serving as DCOB. Bob advises Mark to head his warnings that Reilly is still looking out for blood.
MARK: “Good Morning Bob. …I am going to give you an overview of what your primary
function as DCOB will be and what you may encounter or should be prepared to encounter, if the situation arises.“
BOB: “Sounds great!”
MARK: “Your will find that you wear many hats and Station and our eight other bases–excluding
us–will seek you out as you are the go to guy…..”
: “Your primary mission is supporting CIA country-wide Counterterrorism operations
logistically and operationally…”
: …“This includes the application of our aircraft used in targeting key terrorists….”
: …”You will liaison with Division Headquarters here and the coalition allies, air
operations with the air traffic control tower, fuel, the MASH unit, and Bagram Internment
Facility.”
BOB: “OK…Anything else specific that I should be on the lookout for? In preparing for the
assignment I read where you guys bought a Stinger???
: …”Yes, another one of your functions will be to get leads on acquiring our Stinger
missiles left over from the Mujahideen days when the Soviets were stomping around
here…”
: “Those damn things are still good and effective despite sitting in the ground 30 years later unlike the Soviet shit.
: “You will facilitate purchasing the items…like batteries, grip stock and missile as a
whole or in part. We paid $10 grand for a grip stock and will go as much as $150,000 for the whole component…. So you basically become an arms dealer too.”
BOB: “I saw too that you were assisting the Brits in the recovery of Blowpipes too?”
MARK: “Yes …when you come across components for British Blowpipes…they too are like our
Stingers…very effective. So I have a British office I have helped.”
“He tries to give me leads too, but I have assisted him more in recovering like 80 missiles alone. ….“
BOB: “I did see where our 2,000 Stingers back it the day were conveniently stored in a cave
that accidently blew up, so they’re a lot harder to come by. …”
MARK: “Exactly!…The Brits do have a cute accent, but on the other hand, are a bit more
‘cavalier’ (Mark holds two fingers up in both hands to emphasize a quotation) in leaving
their Blowpipes laying around the countryside….“
; “But I’ll introduce you to him this evening with a spot of tea.”
(Mark says with his best British accent and pinky finger extended.)
(Bob laughs)
: “Oh one last point on that subject… I have also tried to coordinate with the Army here in
buying back Apache gunship Hellfire missiles and mobile towed radar systems from the black market.”
BOB: “Whaaat???”….What the fuck?? ….Seriously?….How the hell do you lose a Hellfire
Missile, let alone a radar system? … That’s a tank buster!!”
MARK: “Well the Army can’t fly all the equipment in, so they have it shipped into port in Pakistan
and rely on the Pak military for security to transport. …”
: “Lord knows how much take payers have lost and the US Army sure as hell keeps
Records of the losses, but keep mum about it….Just keep a watchful eye and see if they want it back.”
: “Last time the Army only wanted to give up $5,000 for a missile they confirmed was missing that cost taxpayers like $100,000 plus. The seller scoffed at the idea, so it likely wound up as an IED.”
BOB: “Have you guys been hit by any rockets or mortars or experienced any suicide bomber
attacks nearby?”
(Video Narrated Vignette)
MARK: “No, but while inspecting 12 crates of Soviet era Mig fighter air-to-air missiles, along with
three dump trucks filled with explosive munitions, I was exposed to nearly 3 hours of radioactive material leaking from them. …The makings for a dirty bomb”
: “The Special Forces soldier who was inspecting the munitions, as well, waited until the
end to run the Geiger Counter over the shit. …..My heart sank.”
: “Having been an export control analyst in my previous life with CIA and experienced in
nuclear, biological and chemical warfare from my Army training…I was none too happy.”
: “The Army got a great deal for the US taxpayer that day as they paid three Afghan
drivers $100 each to deliver the munitions to Bagram….”
BOB: (Laughing) “Only a hundred?”
MARK: “Yes!….And It took only three days, Allah’s Will, and Haji’s only pair of underwear to get
the stuff here, but they did it!…” (said sarcastically with right index finger making a point)
: “Out here the average Afghan, if they have a job, makes $40 a month. So that was
damn good pay day for them. ….. “
: “Hell I’ve known of them push their ailing kids in front of a
US military convoy knowing Uncle Sam will cough up $10,000 as retribution. “
BOB: “What would you say is the most difficult part of your job?”
MARK: “Keeping the folks from DIA next door from not blowing the base all to Hell…. (Mark
laughs.)….”
BOB: (a squeamish puzzled look once again came across his face) “What do you mean?”
(Video Narrated Vignette)
MARK: “A few months after I got here shit hit the fan when the commanding general discover
DIA was collecting all sorts of explosive material they obtained in trades…like mortars, C-4 explosives and anti tank mines… They had 1/3rd of a connex filled with the stuff…”
: “Never mind ‘JIHAD JOE’ getting us…it was the enemy within…”
(laughing and sarcastically said)….
: “Had that went off ….it would have blown the shit house door off a tuna boat around here…the entire OGA intelligence community would have been wiped out and every thing else in a 500 meter radius.”
: “Nonetheless….They had their asses ejected out of the country with …an armed military escort… like in 4 hours to ensure they were on the plane. The general was not kidding around that day!” (both laughing)
: “But to answer your question, in all seriousness…Joe would have agreed with me on this if he were here, but attending the Silent Salute ceremonies.”
BOB: “Silent Salute???” (He asks with a puzzled look on his face.)….
(Video Narrated Vignette)
MARK: “Yes, that occurs when a US soldier is killed. ….14,000 soldiers and contractors will line
both sides of the road here on Route Disney to render, while standing at attention, a salute in silence as a flag draped casket is driven slowly to the airfield for a small ceremony before the remains are placed in the belly of a C-130 for the journey home.”
: “I ‘ve personally have attended 23 such ceremonies and it gets harder and harder….”
: “Joe has lost count at the number he attended and when it got to that point he stopped going….”
BOB: “You mentioned the MASH unit ….. how does that fit into your duties?
(Video Narrated Vignette)
MARK: “Well…I’ve been called upon to arrange incoming medevacs for our own guys and
indigenous forces that we train at the bases or persons of interests to PSYOP. ….”
: “I had a Ground Branch contractor take a million dollar bullet that struck him on the left side of his pelvic area that hit no major arteries and exited out his butt. He came off the aircraft carrying his own IV bottle….”
: “After he was treated, I was due for R&R and was to escort him back on the J-Lo, but then we had a slight setback….. On take off as the aircraft was just about to completely lift off the airstrip….”
: “Suddenly the right engine explodes. We then hit hard on the landing strip….”
: “And If you don’t know it…the Kabul runway is surrounded by a minefield…. And the JSOC unit here found two x 500 pound bombs the Soviets left behind buried in the ground in the center of their camp….”
: “Funny thing is…. They were digging holes in the ground to install new port-a-potties.”
BOB: “SHIIIITTT!…One sizable FART could have taken them all out!”
MARK: “So if you survived the landing and landed in the minefield and did not explode, then you
get to exit the aircraft into a minefield…”
: “Anyway,….That rule applies here at Bagram too…Never walk or drive in the grass.”
BOB: “Can you imagine if you were this guy surviving a Hell of a firefight where you are outnumbered by the Taliban?…Then after you are medevaced back here for treatment… you start to fly back home and die in a plane crash?… “
MARK: “Yeah…This guy had to call in the AC-130 Gunship that, for the first time I know of, ran out of ammunition protecting our guys. ….”
BOB: (Shakes his head in disbelief)
(Video Narrated Vignette)
MARK: “Then there was the one air insertion training exercise that disembarked a team into a
old Soviet minefield that resulted in the Afghan soldier getting a leg blown off…..
(Bob squeamish at the idea)….”
: “The sad part was that during the training mission an Afghani soldier stops one of our advisors from stepping on a mine then turns and steps on one himself.”
BOB: “Daaammmnnn! (shaking his head is disbelief) …Can you visit them?“
MARK: “Oh Hell yes!…. I make it a point to do so twice a day. …”
: “It raises their spirits and even the families of the Afghan forces have notice how I, as
an American, cared more about their soldiers than the commanders who never came.”
: “So its good PR.”
(Video Narrated Vignette)
: “A short war story for you…I got called up one time from our Asadabad Base PSYOP
officer to arrange first class care for an influential tribal elder’s son…”
: “His son was picking up sprint brass to sell….on our base. “
: “The boy was 14 years old. He picked up an unexploded M203 grenade and had three
limbs blown off.”
: “…I spent two months visiting the boy twice a day. He grew very fond of the hospital
staff and with me too. The day he left we all cried.”
(Bob smiles at the thought…and sarcastically tries to pass Mark a napkin from his
desk.)
BOB: “Is there anything, other than the Internment facility, you find interesting in the job?…I
read the report about the escape and your first armed Afghan encounter like nearly the
same day. …” (Bob laughs)
MARK: “Yes…I’ve worn my Glock since! ….We do get a lot of senior officers visiting and we
usually are part of the tour. I’ve me the CENTCOM commander and Afghan Coalition
commander as well…..”
: “…Of course there is no alcohol allowed on the installation except OGA…for medicinal
purposes, of course… hence I notice the command seems to periodically get sick here in
our down stairs bar.” (both laugh)
(Video Narrated Vignette)
: “But the highlight came during President George Bush’s surprise visit…that was quite
interesting…..The US Secret Service sends out a detail to coordinate his visit 2 weeks in
advance of the President’s arrival. …”
: “Of course, YOURs TRULY (Mark exaggerates) is the one who links them up with the
powers that be, here at base. …”
BOB: “Of course you were…” (Bob says with a smile)
MARK: “They of course need housing support, so they ask if I can assist?…. So I plan to house
them here as the initial game plan.”
: “So two days out with US Secret Service in tow comes in this full bird US Army Colonel
with a huge chip on his shoulders…. You can tell by the ego the guy thinks he is the big
cock in the hen house.”
: “He then says…’OK! ….This will do!’ …Referring to our facility that he
intends to occupy… I said I am sorry Colonel, but the US Secret Service coordinated with me two weeks ago.”
: “His lordships response…’I am the Department of Defense Liaison for
Presidential visits and what I say goes on DoD installations!’….”
: “I then reply….’I completely understand Colonel’ as I shake my head yes in
agreement… to set him up for the kill ..(Mark laughs)…’The problem is Colonel ….that this is a CIA installation and I am the Deputy Chief of Base for CIA and what I say goes on this CIA Base. …. YOU GO and the Secret Service stays!’….”
(Bob is laughing his ass off at this point)
: “That Colonel just about shit himself leaving out with his tail tucked between his legs. …. (Mark and Bob laughing) ….
: “And then no sooner that the door shut behind the Colonel the lead Agent shouts so loud that I know the Colonel had to hear it….”
“YES!!!…YOU ARE THE FIRST ONE TO TELL HIM TO GO FUCK
HIMSELF!!!”
(Bob laughing even louder and harder)
: “Apparently, the Secret Service has to deal with this guy upending their best laid plans
and this was their first plan that went right. …..”
: “In the end I got my photo taken with George Bush, along with challenge coins and a
signed copy of photo of Air Force 1 from the pilot. …So you’ll know what to expect the
next time a President decides to come out.”
BOB: “Well it sounds like you had a lot of fun!…It certainly beats the Hell out of Iraq.”
MARK: “Oh yes…that’s correct…. I was willing to stay the year, but OMA was setting the playing
field up for failure and I was the whipping boy. I did not want to throw them under the
bus, but I was not going to let Station walk away scot free from their blunderous mistake.
BOB: “Yes ….Well when I got out their and Reilly was still fuming and I was pretty much
restricted on what I could and could not do. You created a transition book for the next
guy and that book I did not find until we spoke on the secure line 4 months into my tour.”
MARK: “Well things have since simmered down as I have not seen anymore attempts by Reilly
to retaliate. … I also had Office of Security and more importantly I had the DCI ADMA’s
good rapport to provide cover and protection from retaliation is what I suspect.”
BOB: “Don’t take it for granted Mark. …. You know yourself that he will sit back and wait for
the right time to strike. …. “
: “I was there when you apparently called the DCI’s Chief of Finance and Reilly got
pissed… He discovered then that you were here in Bagram. …”
“Just be careful and cover your backside. …. So what is your next assignment?”
Mark: “I expect to be sent to Kabul for a short tour before they deploy me along the Afghan/Pak
border to conduct Hogan’s Heroes style PSYOP functions in support of counterterrorism
operations. …. It should prove to be interesting.”
Bob: “Best of luck to you Mark. …. And again be safe on your flight back to the states and be careful with Reilly.”
DESCRIPTION: (VOICEOVER): To this day I still suffer from the memories of attending those many Silent Salute ceremonies during my tour. Years later…for reasons you will understand later, I would wish I could have swapped places with those who died with honor.
((PLACEHOLDER: DIALOG SCENE NEEDS TO FOLLOW WITH REILLY’s SEARCH FOR MARK))
——– ——– ——–
ACT 2:
BEAT SHEET MIDDLE SCENES: PLAN FAILS…THEN…:
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA STATION, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
–Mark takes on the new role as Station’s Psychological Warfare Operations in Kabul, Afghanistan and carries out his first mission at hand.
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA STATION, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/Night
–Mark uncovers an important Station asset’s secret.
SLUG: INT–CIA SAFEHOUSE, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–NIGHT
–Mark facilitates Taliban defections, including two suicide bombers that he uses in a campaign.
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
–Mark redeploys along the Afghan/Pak border of Kunar Valley in what would test his skills and it begins with cleaning up a Navy S.E.A.L. operation gone bad.
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
–The new Chief of Station for Afghanistan arrives, it’s Mark’s old boss from Iraq that results in rising tensions and another hostile work environment the last 5 months of his tour.
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
–A Congressional Delegation visits Falcon Base and Mark is asked to brief his successes.
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
–One month from leaving his post, Mark suddenly experiences catastrophic failure across the board on assets and PSYOP resources that had a proven track record for 2 plus years.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE: PLAN FAILS…THEN…:
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA STATION, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark moves on to his next 3 month assignment as a Psychological Warfare Officer to support the CIA’s Counterterrorism operations countrywide from the Station in Kabul, Afghanistan. He begins first to restore harmony to Afghanistan by saving a cat, before his first mission.
MIDDLE: Mark prepares to conduct his first mission to serve as the “Milkman” carrying $300,000 in cash to the presidential palace.
END: Mark succeeds in his efforts to make it to the palace without incident and is warmly welcomed by the National Security Council’s assistant.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG: PLAN FAILS…THEN…:
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA STATION, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
DESCRIPTION: Mark’s 3 months are anything, but dull. During his stay at the CIA Station which occupies the former Hotel Ariana in Kabul, Afghanistan known as the American Embassy Annex. The facility sits just blocks from the Afghan presidential palace where Mark will find himself making the “Milkman Run” to deliver $300,000 a month in cash each month to the National Security Council’s office. “The Spider” is replaced by COS Chris.
COS CHRIS: “Good morning Mark. ….What’s new?”
MARK: “Well…I did my part to restore harmony here in Afghanistan…
CHRIS: “Really??? ….How so?”
MARK: “I saved a feral cat that had fallen into the water pond out front from drowning in the cold
wintery temps outside…”
CHRIS: “Hah!…Really? …How did you get him out?…They usually are not too friendly.”
MARK: “I extended my leg out…I am wearing my combat boots so the cat grabbed onto my boot
to make its escape before shaking the cold water off. …..”
: “He or she had no objections to my help and likely would have
succumb to hypothermia and drown.”….
: “It looked up at me as if to say thank you and walked off.”
CHRIS:“Well… today I have another opportunity for you to restore harmony in Afghanistan for at
least the next three months.”
: “Your responsibility as Station’s PSYOP officer will be to deliver once a month $300,000
in 100 dollar denomination to Karzai’s presidential palace…”
: “Go down to the Finance office and they’ll hook you up. ….Your load will be heavy and I
know you’ll be wearing your sidearm, but maintain situation awareness as you are going
alone so as to not draw attention.”
MARK: “Really??? ….No back up?…..Wow!…(Mark says jokingly in a low voice) Here’s my
opportunity to make up for being short $14,000.“
CHRIS: “Huh??…What was that?”
MARK: “Nothing Chief…just making an inside joke to myself really.. Ok so no escort!”
CHRIS :“No not necessary…the palace is just a few blocks from here so get directions from
finance before you make someone else happy by delivering to the wrong place.”
(Chris smiles)
: “You can’t miss the place ….It’s the building that heavily fortified with a heavy security
presence.”
MARK: “Chief…I don’t know if you get out much around here….but damn near every building is
heavily fortified and has a heavy security presence….” (said sarcastically)
(Chris laughs flinching his head back)
(Video Narrated Vignette)
DESCRIPTION: Mark is seen collecting the money from Station Finance, sealed in four large manilla envelopes and stuffed into two large satchels. The Finance officer points to a map on the wall to show where Hotel Ariana sits in relation to where the palace sits. Mark picks up both heavy satchels and exits through the hallway down the steps and out the front door of the ‘hotel’ passed the water pond where he had saved the feral cat’s life earlier then through the streets of Kabul’s heavily quarantine area two blocks over to the presidential palace. Mark is permitted to by pass the palace security and directed to the National Security Advisor’s office where he is greeted by an assistant. Mark passes the two satchels that are promptly emptied of their contents and returned back to Mark. Mark smiles and thanks the assistant and returns back to Station in good health..
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA STATION, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
BEGINNING: Mark sets up a meeting with an important Station asset who thinks he is slick with the $200,000 he repeatedly tries to avoid accounting for.
MIDDLE: Mark meets with the asset to ascertain the status of the receipts and progress of the asset’s project that was being funded. Mark turns up the heat asking the asset for the projects location and photographs. Visibly defensive, the asset tries a runaround with Mark and goes so much as to provide a misleading photograph to throw Mark off his trail.
END: Mark starts from scratch and performs an asset assessment the way the professional Case Officers are suppose to routinely perform. Mark learns the asset is not just trying to pull the wool over the Station’s eyes on the project, but has a very important secret that opens up a whole new opportunity for the CIA.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG:
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA STATION, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
DESCRIPTION:
CHRIS: “Well Mark…Now that you did that mission so good, I have a someone of great
importance to the Station that you will have to take over. He is an important asset.”
MARK: “OK.”
CHRIS: “We have financed him for the last couple of years since we recruited him. ….”
: “His name is Saad and he oversees a power projection platform in country and he
is becoming a bit cocky. …The Chief of Operations here recruited him a few years back.”
: “I need you to reel him in and remind him who he answers too, but maintain good
rapport as much as you can. Don’t lean on him too hard unless you have too. Headquarters briefed you too on needing $200,000 in receipts that he has yet to account for, so I need you to follow up on that too.”
MARK: “Will do…How do I meet this guy?”
CHRIS: “The guy you are replacing–Charles–has met with him mostly in Dubai. That seems to be the place Saad and Charles enjoy the most, but set up a meeting before Charles leaves. ….”
MARK: “I just assume I will conduct my meetings here, so I’ll avoid Dubai for now. ..”
DESCRIPTION: Mark arranges a meeting that evening at Station’s conference room under cover of darkness. Mark’s game plan is to request not just invoices, but photographs too of the project Saad is working on to ascertain progress..
MARK: “Saad….Glad to meet you…. I know it was short notice, but I just had to do a hand off
with Charles who is heading home and I am the new guy you will be working with the
next few months….”
SAAD: “Hi..Mark!…No problem…I so glad to meet you…. Station seems to rotate you guys
around alot…”
MARK: “Yes…well we are in demand you might say. ….Look I know you are praised highly as a
regional power player and your time is important, but the purpose of this get
together is to obviously introduce who I am and follow up on a few items of interest at Headquarters in Washington. …”
SAAD: “OK…Your timing was perfect as I was just coming from the office….”
MARK: “Good… first and foremost…I’ve been asked for receipts for that $200,000 that was
provided to you to support the operation to set up an internet cafe. What kind of progress are you making on that program and do you have photographs, if not I would like some to pass to the powers that be at Headquarters?
SAAD: (Visibly annoyed at being asked for receipts) “Look…I have provided receipts before and
they seem to be losing them… I’ll try again to pull up the receipts again to pass for the
4th time.”
MARK: “Ok….Well the receipts the folks back in Washington got claims what you provided was
not in concert of what you would normally have for establishing an internet cafe. So that
is why they are a bit puzzled…..”
SAAD: (Obviously trying to avoid the subject) “OK …I’ll look into it.” As for the photographs
previously requested by Station, I have some I brought with me that should satisfy them
in Washington. ….”
(Saad passes one photo to Mark that is clearly a market ploy for advertisement. It depicts professional models standing and sitting in a lobby having coffee with a counter table. The table and floor are so clean you can eat off it in comparison to the typical Afghan establishments that would be shut down by US standards with not one computer in sight….Mark suspects deception, but smiles through it all.)
MARK: “OK great!!…..Also, one more thing while we are at it….I need to know the location of this
Project.”
SAAD: ”OK well…It’s down downtown off the main drag.”
(He grows more uncomfortable in his answer that is vague rather than precise) ….
MARK: “You have something more precise? ….Like a landmark or a street intersection? …You
know I am new in town and I cannot exactly get out much?…”
SAAD: “Yes its Wazir Akbar Khan road in vicinity to 9 street.”
MARK: “OK thanks for the information. …I’ll have the security element drop you off near your
office and you can go about your business.”
(Video Narrated Vignette)
DESCRIPTION: Mark suspects something is up. Mark reviews Saad’s dossier: Saad is married to an Australian woman, but has an Iranian American girlfriend, hates Iran and all it stands for, and is periodically invited by the Chief of Operations to have lunch at CIA Headquarters when he is in town where he is also debriefed. In the meantime, Mark has Saad’s phone number ran through NSA’s network to assess what numbers Saad is in contact with. Then Mark makes arrangements with Station’s Afghan American interpreter to accompany him on a road trip to search Kabul for the mysterious internet cafe in question for program verification purposes only to discover that the site in question is a 10 story building that is purchased apparently about the time Saad asked for $200,000. Mark notices an internet cafe happens to be not more than 100 feet from the building in question that stands empty for the time being. The lobby where the models in the photo were depicted having coffee is the same. Mark learns too that Iranian literature is what is on display in the lobby. The two initiatives yield positive results for Mark, a major issue for Saad, an embarrassment to the Case Officer who recruited him and an opportunity for the CIA. After Mark shotguns back a cable to his home office to assess who Saad is calling is when Mark learns Saad is in contact with a senior Iranian intelligence officer that he has neglected to tell Station. This senior intelligence officer as it turns out was responsible for shooting down a US military aircraft in the 90s. Additionally, according to my interpreter, Saad’s name is Iranian which adds more of an interesting twist to the equation. Headquarters suddenly decides a CounterIntelligence Case Officer needs to handle Saad.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–CIA SAFEHOUSE, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–NIGHT
BEGINNING: Mark is approached by a Case Officer (John) who is a former DELTA FORCE soldier and he and Mark embarks on a mission to facilitate the defection of Taliban commanders and two suicide bombers that would be similar to the Kit Carson Scouts initiative during the Vietnam era.
MIDDLE: Mark was able to secure funding for a safehouse and with the assistance of the ‘Peace Through Strenth’ program, Mark and John are able to facilitate 14 Taliban commanders through the defection program for a pardon, in addition to two drugged suicide bombers hooked on heroin.
END: Mark would use–with the help of the Afghan Minister of Defense–the two suicide bombers who defected to counter Taliban/Al Qaeda propaganda campaigns.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG:
SLUG: INT–CIA SAFEHOUSE, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: Two months into the job and Mark is presented with an interesting opportunity that has not been seen since the Vietnam era. John, a Case Officer, handles high level figures that often riles competing Case Officers who are jealous and try to sabotage him by providing derogatory reporting against his assets. John is casual in his demeanor and is the closest thing to ‘James Bond’ Mark has seen himself in the Agency, though he’s heard about one other 10 years ago. John approaches Mark to see if his office can fund a safehouse in Kabul to house Taliban commanders defecting back to the Afghan government in exchange for their followers to lay down their weapons. Mark agrees and immediately sends a message through the internal notes system back to Washington for their thoughts and funding before sending an official cable.
JOHN: “Hi…I understand you are the Station’s PSYOP Officer?…”
MARK: “Yes the one and only we got here until reinforcements get here……(he laughs)…what
can I do for you?”
JOHN: “An opportunity has been offered up through my sources to have several Taliban
commanders defect to the Afghan government in exchange for having their troops lay
down their arms….”
: “I understand you have access to the Peace Through Strength initiative that facilitates
such offers. …..”
: “I also need to set up a safehouse for these guys if all goes well so we can
debrief them. …..”
: “My office is limited on what can be funded, but your office may being willing to support
this initiative.”
MARK: “I am willing to bet they would….let me fire back a note to the home office and wet their
appetite on this one as I am sure it will stir a response. … (John nods his head
casually).. I’ll get back to you as soon as I see a response.”
JOHN: “OK great thanks!.. …
MARK: “Where can I find you when I know they say yes?”…(Mark laughs)
JOHN: “I am down on the ground floor by the Comms Center….”
MARK: “OK …I’ll likely see you shortly and run you down.
(John nods his head in compliance and strides out of the office. Mark can tell he has no ego to flex or chip on his shoulder, nor feels he has to prove anything to no one as he has done it all.)
: “…It’s refreshing to see a real professional.”
DESCRIPTION: Mark has an answer in like 10 minutes. Mark tracks John down in his office.
MARK: “John….as I suspected Headquarters was in a flurry of conversations. …”
: “One guy even compared this initiative to the ‘Kit Carson Scouts program during
Vietnam, so you know he’s an old fart… “
: “It’s where the North Vietnamese defectors worked for the Marines.”
: “So the answer is yes they will fund it…I just need to know how much you need?”
(Video Narrated Vignette)
DESCRIPTION: With COS Chris concurrence, John makes his journey to the Afghan/Pak border where he convinces 14 Taliban commanders from Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s clan to come with him under the Minister of Defense’s command to Kabul and where they will be housed in a guarded safehouse. Mark arranges for Haji Mohammad Khan of the PTS program to facilitate and explain the process with the commanders. At any point, any member wishes to withdraw their interest before their commitment to the Afghan government they are permitted to leave freely. A 15th commander would later visit to assess the legitimacy of what was transpiring and leave after meeting with the Minister of Defense. Eventually two suicide bombers identified by the senior Taliban defector would be enticed across the border by John who has them leave their vest behind. The two young recruits who lived in poverty in the refugee camps were heavily sedated with heroin which made them easy prey to be trained as suicide bombers. It took nearly a month of them screaming in agony and pain from withdraw for the two to return to a normal life. Mark would eventually with the aid of the Minister of Defense to have the two suicide bombers interviewed in a press conference to discuss how young men are being recruited, misled, drugged heavily with heroin and mislead into committing suicide. This initiative helps to counter the Al Qaeda and Taliban propaganda initiatives to recruit more suicide bombers. Upon certifying the entire group for a pardon, Mark arranged for a group photograph to be taken that included CIA Station’s 4 man security detachment, Mark and John all with smiles including the Minister of Defense who thought the photograph would remind the defectors of their commitment. Not all the defectors were smiling in the photo, however, as they knew there was no turning back.
DESCRIPTION: (VOICEOVER): In my time I served in Afghanistan, If it did not try to bite you, stab you, or stick you it tried to eat you, it shot at you, rocketed, mortared, or layed an IED to kill you and I survived it all to include another near mid air disaster. However, I never thought I would see the day that I would have several smiling Taliban leaders wave at me to say thank you and goodbye.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
BEGINNING: Mark redeploys along the Afghan/Pak border of Kunar Valley and puts his skills to the test with just two weeks on the ground as he begins a month-long cleanup to hide the hand of the US Government after a Navy S.E.A.L. operation goes bad.
MIDDLE: Mark wages a counter offensive using a night letter to support a false flag operation to save the life of an influential tribal elder who will owe him a great debt of gratitude.
END: Mark finds he is now a permanent addition to the base in what was initially supposed to be a 3 month tour to appease the Falcon Chief of Base.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG: ((PLACEHOLDER: MORE DIALOG NEEDED HERE))
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: Multiple base assets report an Al Qaeda facilitator is operating across the border in Arandu, Pakistan from Dokalam, Afghanistan. The base has an embedded Navy S.E.A.L. team, but it becomes necessary to fly in two more S.E.A.L. snipers who have been tasked to conduct a ‘clandestine’ cross border shot to remedy the operative harmless. However, on that day, three of our nation’s finest cannot hit water if they fell out of a boat in the middle of the Atlantic.
COB KEVIN: “Mark…I know you just joined the base just two weeks ago and had road trip to
the village we are preparing an operation for. ….How confident do you think the
tribal elder we met will support our operation?
MARK: “I am sure he’ ll be supportive as it was his nephew who was killed by that Al Qaeda
guy…You see…Al Qaeda targeted an Afghan Border Patrol convoy and it was his
nephew who was killed. …So he has a blood feud going on.”
((PLACEHOLDER: MORE DIALOG NEEDED HERE))
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
BEGINNING: The new Chief of Station for Afghanistan is about to arrive in country, it’s Mark’s old boss from Iraq that will result in rising tensions and another hostile work environment the last 5 months of Mark’s tour as atmospherics abruptly change toward him by a Case Officer colleague (John) who will act as Chief of Base until COB Robert returns.
MIDDLE: COS Reilly visits the base and Mark notices Reilly speaking discretely to John. As time passes Mark is being excluded from participating in staff meetings.
END: John is frustrated that the case officers are excluded from participation in a very important briefing that Mark is called upon to solely contribute. The Navy S.E.A.L.s sponsored a briefing to the visiting new commanding general over the Afghan Coalition Forces.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG: ((PLACEHOLDER: MORE DIALOG NEEDED HERE))
SLUG: INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: Falcon staff meetings take place in a fortified bunker they call an office that consists of the Chief and Deputy Chief of Base, 10 Case Officers, 5 Navy S.E.A.L.s, a 4 man Black Water security team, 1 Communications guy, 1 Logistics guy and Mark PSYOP.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
BEGINNING: A Congressional Delegation visits Falcon Base and Mark is asked to brief how his operations are so successful. Mark explains what his mission is then addresses the culture of Afghan society and their code for survival as second instincts.
MIDDLE: Mark then addresses his acts of sabotage, use of the radio station, night letter operations and the use of agents of influence to target the populace and the intended outcome of degrading recruitment and support of terrorists.
END: Mark finally wraps his briefing up saying that in essence he took a page out of former President Bill Clinton’s Democratic rule book and that abruptly ended the meeting.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG: ((PLACEHOLDER: MORE DIALOG NEEDED HERE))
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES OUTLINE:
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
BEGINNING: One month from leaving his post, Mark suddenly experiences two catastrophic losses. The death of a team member and failure across the board on all of his assets and PSYOP resources that had a proven track record for 2 plus years.
MIDDLE: Base suffers a blow when a member (Chief Petty Officer Joshua Harris) of the Navy S.E.A.L. team loses his life in a training mission that Mark is directly supporting. Mark flies an American flag in his honor over base and seeks to pass to Joshua’s family, one of which is his twin sister Kiki Harris, an accomplished Hollywood celebrity.
END: Mark suspects treachery by Case Officer John in cahoots with COS Reilly as the reason for his program being shut down. Mark tries to contest the sudden derogatory information, but Headquarters is too behind the decision leaving Mark puzzled.
ACT 2:
MIDDLE SCENES DIALOG: ((PLACEHOLDER: MORE DIALOG NEEDED HERE))
SLUG: EXT/INT–CIA FALCON BASE, KUNAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN–DAY/NIGHT
DESCRIPTION:
——– ——– ——–
ACT 2:
BEAT SHEET: TURNING POINT 2: MID–POINT:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
–Mark returns to the US for a 4 month R&R and makes arrangements for his return to Falcon Base.
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
–Returning back to Washington, DC for a 3-day mission prep and medical clearance in May, as directed, before his deployment to Afghanistan.
SLUG: INT–WASHINGTON-DULLES INT’L AIRPORT (CHECK BAGGAGE) CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA–DAY
–Mark checks in his baggage, but later learns it disappeared with a treasure trove of identity theft material and coincidentally the CIA has a facility at the same site with access to the terminals and carousels.
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–After a month of his office stalling, Mark learns by phone he has been Blacklisted.
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–Mark begins to contest his Blacklisting and in the meantime makes arrangements to return back to active duty with his Army Reserve unit, but suddenly falls ill that takes 5 months to recover from before the life changing diagnosis is delivered.
ACT 2:
OUTLINE: TURNING POINT 2: MID–POINT:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark returns to the US for a 4 month R&R and makes arrangements for his return to Falcon Base. Mark expresses concern to his Branch Chief (Joe) that all his assets were suddenly declared unworthy to be used, despite a plethora of program verifications and some were polygraphed.
MIDDLE: Joe looks troubled by the notion that all assets were rendered unfavorable and makes an inquiry to the Collection Management Officer overseeing analysis that rendered the decision.
END: Joe learns the CMO based their decision from recent multiple derogatory reporting from Case Officer John’s reporting.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE: MID–POINT: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
DESCRIPTION: Mark’s return to Headquarters to express his concerns about the assets being denounced causes raises eyebrows and more controversy for Joe than he cares for.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
BEGINNING: Returning back to Washington, DC for a 3-day mission prep and medical clearance in May, as directed, before his deployment to Afghanistan.
MIDDLE: Ironically, Mark finds he is becoming uneasy and senses something is wrong, but refuses to accept his own gut instincts. His instincts are validated when he sees COS Reilly in the Agency cafeteria.
END: Mark learns the deployment is not going as planned and directed to return home. He is asked to turn in his badge and passport. This is not the first time such a request has been made of Mark so he is not surprised.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–CIA HEADQUARTERS (Home Office) LANGLEY, VIRGINIA–DAY
DESCRIPTION: Mark, however, is growing increasingly uncomfortable to be at CIA Headquarters as his guts tell him something is wrong. He joins a colleague (Nathan) he has known for 16 years for lunch in the CIA cafeteria and there he sees COS Reilly.
DESCRIPTION: (VOICEOVER) As Mark prepares for his mission he reads about an American soldier who was captured by the Taliban. Ironically Mark recalls reading about a captured soldier the month before he returned home. The soldier in question is Bo Berghdal who is identified as a traitor who went AWOL and was held in captivity for 5 years. Ironically the official date of his capture is noted six months after Bo Berghdal reportedly disappeared.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–WASHINGTON-DULLES INT’L AIRPORT (CHECK BAGGAGE), CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA–DAY (AND)
SLUG: INT–DELTA AIRLINE TERMINAL, PALMBAY, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark checks in his baggage for his return flight and is glad he no longer is on the same flight with COS Reilly. Mark prays the J-Lo crashes with all onboard to survive, but him.
MIDDLE: Once Mark arrives home in Florida, he notices his luggage is not present at the terminal. The luggage contains a treasure trove of identity theft tax information material and Mark files a notice with Delta Airlines of the missing luggage.
END: Mark remembers that the CIA has a facility at the same site with access to the terminals and carousels. Mark knows that only the Chief of Counterterrorism Center could order his bag removed and through a little research discovers the former COS of Iraq (D’Angelo) is in charge of CTC, hence Reilly and D’Angelo, he suspects are behind the theft of his luggage.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–WASHINGTON-DULLES INT’L AIRPORT (CHECK BAGGAGE), CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA–DAY (AND)
SLUG: INT–DELTA AIRLINE TERMINAL, PALMBAY, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: After a month of his office stalling, Mark learns by phone he has been Blacklisted. The Branch Chief tells Mark he is baffled that after 2 plus years of service that he is surprised by the office director’s move.
MIDDLE: Mark discloses to Joe that he is being retaliated against by COS Reilly because his ego was bruised when Mark disclosed that his Station had screwed up an investigation that involved the downloading of child pornography on two CIA Top Secret computers.
END: Mark insists that an investigation needs to be opened into this and that he will take legal action and contact his US Senator who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark begins to contest his Blacklisting and in the meantime makes arrangements to return back to active duty with his Army Reserve unit to buy time while he takes on the CIA in a civil lawsuit that he intends to make publicly. He arranges for a medical physical as required by the US Army.
MIDDLE: Mark suddenly falls ill which ultimately takes 5 months to recover from. Mark believes that the Mononucleosis that he has suffered twice before and brought on from stress is what is afflicting him.
END: Mark receives a phone call 4 months after his Army physical. His unit’s brigade surgeon proceeds to scream over the phone that Mark has HIV and that he will be processed for discharge. Mark’s life changing diagnosis is delivered so bluntly and disrespectful he grabs his 44 magnum to commit suicide.
ACT 2:
TURNING POINT 2 DIALOG SCENE: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
——– ——– ——–
ACT THREE
((MORE ANTAGONIST DIALOG NEEDS INCORPORATED))
BEAT SHEET: ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–Mark is now suicidal and devastated by the news of his diagnosis and it could not have come at a worse time with the Great Recession in full swing.
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–After no employment for 10 months, Mark is feeling the pinch and cannot afford to fly up to his Army Reserve unit in Fort Dix, New Jersey for procedures to support a medical discharge.
ACT 3:
ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark is now suicidal and devastated by the news of his diagnosis and it could not have come at a worse time with the Great Recession in full swing. Blacklisted by the CIA, an outcast by the US Army and non deployable as all prospective employers would require one to be to support the intelligence community or military
MIDDLE: As news spreads among family and friends of Mark’s predicament, he finds he is discarded and forgotten and no longer wanted. It does not take long before Mark realizes that he feels his country too has turned its back on him.
END: Mark begins to fall into severe depression as there is no hope in sight. He fears losing all that he has worked for in 30 years and figuratively handed an epitaph that sums up his life at that point.
ACT 3:
ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT: DIALOG SCENE: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
For Outstanding Service and Loyalty to Country
Stigmatized and Slandered
Betrayed and Dishonored
Impoverished and Homeless
Discarded and Forgotten
Blacklisted by a Grateful Nation
ACT 3:
ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: After no employment for 10 months, Mark is feeling the pinch and cannot afford to fly up to his Army Reserve unit in Fort Dix, New Jersey for medical discharge procedure. Holding the rank of a US Army Major, Mark would normally be picked up at the Camden, NJ airport, but now he must walk 32 miles to the base and arrives to sleep on a park bench at 1:30 AM. A tree stands by the bench leaving Mark to wish he had a rope to hang himself.
MIDDLE: Mark feels everything is crashing down around him. He is constantly being harassed by creditors daily and called by the same company 5 times a day asking when they will get their money. Mark’s unit sends him for medical evaluations at Walter Reed Army Hospital’s Infectious Disease unit in Washington, DC, where he finds 30 other soldiers (both male and female) in attendance going through the similar ordeal of being discharged.
END: Mark tries to seek employment at various other commercial industries, but the growing recession is preventing him from securing a job even at McDonalds or even Walmart.
ACT 3:
ACT 3 REACTION TO MID POINT: DIALOG SCENE: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
——– ——– ——–
ACT 3:
BEAT SHEET: ACT 3 MAKES A NEW PLAN:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–Mark taps his retirement savings plans to generate revenue to sustain himself and cover the mortgage and utility bills, in addition to bartering personal property, short selling the house and dumbing down the resume to increase employment opportunities as a strategy to avoid failure.
ACT 3:
ACT 3 MAKES A NEW PLAN: OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark begins to barter to pay off vacant land he owns in Colorado as a backup plan to move there using his household goods, a couple of vehicles and heavy machinery he bought to support his oldest brother’s business that no longer exists. Mark cashes in his US Government and Military savings plans to pay off as much debt and to carry him, until he secures employment.
MIDDLE: After sending out approximately 200 applications over the course of six months with no results, Mark tries a different approach on his resume by dumbing it down to appeal to employment opportunities one would find at Burger King, Walmart and Winn Dixie.
END: Mark attempts to put his house on the market for a short sale in an attempt to prevent his credit from being destroyed.
ACT 3:
ACT 3 MAKES A NEW PLAN: DIALOG SCENE: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
——– ——– ——–
ACT 3:
BEAT SHEET: ACT 3 THINGS GO WELL, UNTIL…:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
–As the Great Recession grows worse and no hope for employment Mark soon depletes his savings, cannot pay utilities, nor buy food and worse yet the IRS files a nearly $500,000 civil suit for back taxes.
ACT 3:
ACT 3 THINGS GO WELL, UNTIL… OUTLINE:
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: As the Great Recession grows worse and no hope for employment Mark soon depletes his savings, cannot pay utilities, nor buy food.
MIDDLE: The IRS files a nearly $500,000 civil suit for back taxes Mark owes from the four years he spent in two combat zones for his country. Had he not had his luggage stolen by the CIA that contained his tax material, Mark had estimated he would have only owed $125,000. Now Mark is left without water and electricity for three months in a house he will lose.
END: The Internal Revenue Service reaches into Mark’s bank account and takes his last $600 shoving him and his small dog penniless into the streets.
ACT 3:
ACT 3 THINGS GO WELL, UNTIL…: DIALOG SCENE: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–HOME, VIERA, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
——– ——– ——–
ACT 3:
BEAT SHEET: ACT 3 PROTAGONIST FACES THEIR LOWEST LOW:
SLUG: EXT–STREETS OF MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY/NIGHT
–Mark soon finds himself homeless and joining the ranks of the “Walking Dead.”
ACT 3:
ACT 3 PROTAGONIST FACES THEIR LOWEST LOW: OUTLINE:
SLUG: EXT–STREETS OF MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY/NIGHT
BEGINNING: Mark soon finds himself homeless and joining in the ranks of the “Walking Dead” that will eventually consume 675,000 people. He is not just bankrupted financially, he is also bankrupted physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally as he becomes an abandonment of self. Mark feels he is a complete failure in life and blames himself for not taking a more confrontational and aggressive proactive stance against COS Reilly.
MIDDLE: Mark begins to fall deeper into severe depression triggering PTSD, sleep insomnia, and is increasingly becoming more short tempered and violent. To hear people thank him for his service begins to anger him all because he stood up and did what was right and followed military leadership values. Now Mark finds himself having to become a strip dancer at gay bars to survive.
END: As Mark drops deeper into depression he begins planning his suicide to get out of his wretched misery.
ACT 3:
ACT 3 PROTAGONIST FACES THEIR LOWEST LOW: DIALOG SCENE: ((NEED DIALOG))
SLUG: EXT–STREETS OF MIAMI AND FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY/NIGHT
DESCRIPTION: DESCRIPTION: Unbeknownst to Mark his transformational journey from a professional 20 year CIA and 26 year Army Reserves officer will lead to five years of chronic homelessness. The only way to put food in his hand for him and his dog is to strip dance at gay bars where he is at least not stigmatized and is accepted. Mark turns his weaknesses into opportunity for success to survive by having the advantage of looking 12 years younger than he is and has the core strength to pull off many of the stunts on the stripper pole that many “Twinkies” half his age cannot do. Mark also has his vast life experience to engage the customers beyond “I’m an Aries…What’s your sign?” butt nugget conversations. By day Mark and his dog wonder the streets homeless, but by night he sneaks his puppy in his backpack into the bars where he performs.
——– ——– ——–
ACT FOUR
ACT 4: ((MORE SCENES WITH ANTAGONIST NEEDS INCORPORATED, REFLECT INJUSTICE, NEW WAYS INJECTED IN THE JOURNEY–like a ‘Balanced Scorecard’ approach))
BEAT SHEET: ACT 4 REACTION TO THIRD ACT TURNING POINT:
SLUG: INT–LA QUINTA HOTEL ROOM, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–NIGHT
–Mark is into his 4th year on the streets and starts to turn to crystal meth (Tina) to help him escape the reality he is in after becoming a complete failure in life and no hope of rebounding.
ACT 4:
OUTLINE: ACT 4 REACTION TO THIRD ACT TURNING POINT:
SLUG: INT–LA QUINTA HOTEL ROOM, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–NIGHT
BEGINNING: Mark has tried to commit suicide twice, but each time it seems devine intervention throws a distraction to give him hope to hold on. He is often reminded of Tony Bennet’s song…”Who can I turn to? (When nobody needs me)” and unknowingly looks to his dog for emotional support, but his strong desire to take his life is overwhelming.
MIDDLE: Christmas eve is no different from any other day on the streets, but Mark is treating his dog to a hotel room for the first time in years as her gift and watches her reaction as she runs around the room extremely filled with joy and happiness to stretch her legs. Mark immediately breaks down and cries knowing he has not just been a complete failure in life, but he has dragged his little girl down with him to Hell with him. He had been scheduled earlier to strip dance tonight, but a water main pipe ruptures and shuts down the bar destroying all hopes of making extra funds to pay for one more night’s stay.
END: In a final act of desperation the next day, Mark seeks to find a client that will not just furnish cash for his services, but crystal meth to assist him in masking the ordeal. Mark estimates 30% of the strip dancers during the Great Recession are homeless and has known three personally to have committed suicide and countless others that are on drugs to include himself. This is the level Mark has sunk to.
ACT 4:
DIALOG SCENE: ACT 4 REACTION TO THIRD ACT TURNING POINT: ((NEEDS DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–LA QUINTA HOTEL ROOM, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION:
——– ——– ——–
ACT 4:
BEAT SHEET: PROTAGONIST FACES THEIR DILEMMA:
SLUG: INT–CLIENT’S HOME, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–NIGHT
–Mark’s carelessness in using drugs endangers his little dog resulting in distraught and a move for change of environment.
ACT 4:
SLUG: INT–CLIENT’S HOME, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–NIGHT
OUTLINE: PROTAGONIST FACES THEIR DILEMMA:
BEGINNING: Mark finds a client to visit where Tina is smoked and slammed. Mark later finds that his dog has accidentally been exposed from the smoke and begins panicking from the withdrawal hours later. Mark leaves the client’s home.
MIDDLE: Mark is heartbroken to see his carelessness has affected his little girl and feels the best decision is to give her up to a good home, then take his life. He has the plan laid out in his mind to go to the site in Miami’s Biscayne Bay where he laid in the bay the flowers from both parents’ caskets. He intends to wade into deep water and “slam” crystal meth into his arm’s vein and drown peacefully. However, his thoughts are on his little girl.
END: Mark is desperate to see his dog not suffer any longer, then it hits him. Mark makes a decision to break free of his current environment instead and transition to Colorado to live off the land and try to make a new start there. Mark lives for his little girl’s deserved happiness, wellbeing and long life and she ‘is’ his driving force for hope. She is 4 years old at this point.
ACT 4:
DIALOG SCENE: PROTAGONIST FACES THEIR DILEMMA: ((NEEDS DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–CLIENT’S HOME, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–NIGHT
DESCRIPTION:
——– ——– ——–
ACT 4:
BEAT SHEET: ACT 4 REACTION TO THIRD ACT TURNING POINT:
SLUG: INT–MARK’S APARTMENT BEDROOM, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY
–Mark is off the streets with the assistance of the Veterans Affairs and after a few years decides to runs for US Congress with a platform for the ‘Discarded and Forgotten,’ placing pressure on the CIA and US Congress for CIA reform.
ACT 4:
OUTLINE: ACT 4 REACTION TO THIRD ACT TURNING POINT:
SLUG: INT–MARK’S APARTMENT BEDROOM, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: Mark is off the streets and after a few years decides to run for US Congress 15 years from when he was Blacklisted with a platform for the ‘Discarded and Forgotten.’ Mark is the first in the US to qualify as a candidate using “In-Kind” contributions. Placing pressure on the CIA and US Congress for CIA reform, Mark uses his press releases and campaign message to target 90 members of Congress and 13 committees to push for further Whistleblower Protections.
MIDDLE: Mark reaches out to an independent reporter who has successfully sued the Agency to force it to release the reports on child porn incidents and their status of prosecution. The case Mark reported is not one of them, heavily suggesting the CIA blew off a federal judge. Mark eventually loses the race for Congress.
END: Mark in the meantime plans to surreptitiously (hiding the hand as he was trained) take vengeance on Reilly preferably using a ‘vertical impalement’ idea from the Crusades he read about as an effective way of sending a message to CIA leadership on accountability.
ACT 4:
DIALOG SCENE: ACT 4 REACTION TO THIRD ACT TURNING POINT: ((NEEDS DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–MARK’S APARTMENT BEDROOM, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
——– ——– ——–
ACT 4:
BEAT SHEET: PROTAGONIST FACES THEIR DILEMMA:
SLUG: INT–MARK’S APARTMENT BEDROOM, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY
–Mark does some soul searching and does not like what he discovers.
SLUG: INT/EXT–US NEWS MEDIA/CONGRESS/CIA, WASHINGTON, DC–DAY
–Mark decides not to give in and after being hit by a freight truck, fortune smiles upon him to carry out a PSYOP campaign against the CIA, Congress and Reilly to restore his faith.
ACT 4:
SLUG: INT–MARK’S APARTMENT BEDROOM, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY
OUTLINE: PROTAGONIST FACES THEIR DILEMMA:
BEGINNING: As Mark does some soul searching he realizes that Reilly was not the only one that should be held accountable. In a twist of irony Mark realizes that he himself played as much of a role in destroying his own life by not simply taking a firm stance in being assertive and confrontational in the first place. It was the enemy within that destroyed himself too. It seems once the illness that overcame him and the sudden disclosure of his diagnosis broke his spirit and that became a major distraction from taking civil action against Reilly and the CIA’s abuse of hiding behind “protection of sources and methods” to avoid accountability.
MIDDLE: Mark begins to fall back into depression and PTSD takes its toll. Someone once told Mark that they would like to think “God is in the trenches with you!” to which Mark replies..”Then God needs to call in more fire support, because I am getting my ass handed to me.”
END: Mark lives in poverty as a veteran and knows his ability to carry out his plan to seek vengeance against Reilly is not likely to happen. At this point Mark reaches a juncture in life and decides to take his own life, after all. A suicide letter he intends to leave behind simply states…”I did not hate what I did to survive, it was what I had to become to survive is what I hated.”
ACT 4:
DIALOG SCENE: PROTAGONIST FACES THEIR DILEMMA: ((NEEDS DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–MARK’S APARTMENT BEDROOM, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
[PLACEHOLDER: Mark tells his anecdotal story about “The Bear and the Rabbit”]
ACT 4:
SLUG: INT/EXT–US NEWS MEDIA/CONGRESS/CIA, WASHINGTON, DC–DAY
OUTLINE: SCENE:
BEGINNING: Mark decides not to give in and after being hit by a freight truck, fortune smiles upon him to carry out a PSYOP campaign against the CIA, Congress and Reilly to restore his faith. Mark decides to call attention to his story of injustice by running major campaign ads in well known newspapers, commercials during the news hours, social media, website and radio in Washington, DC catching the CIA, Congress and Reilly off guard. Mark “CALL TO ACTION” for protests at the CIA and Reilly’s home also raises eyebrows of the Department of Justice who pulls Mark in for questioning (on behalf of the CIA), but the DOJ is on thin ice because of the media attention and press conferences Mark’s attorney holds.
MIDDLE: Mark learns his old behavioral ways and tactics will not work, so he applies his new strategy of going on the offensive and ripping off the CIA cloak to reveal publicly embarrass the Agency in a major ambush that leaves them scrambling. Timing is of the essence and Mark must have all “agents of influence” ready to launch and produce a ripple effect that spark media and public outcry, but most importantly, place members of the US House and Senate on the defensive during an election year for ignoring Mark’s pleas for help. Reilly, is outraged and tries to obtain an injunction for Mark to cease and desist, but the damage is done and finds himself and senior CIA officials to include the Director subpoenaed before Congress. The court of public opinion is just too much for Congress or the Agency to overlook.
END: Mark’s first strike and aggressive campaign approach stokes the fire in various elements of the media to his advantage. Public humiliation and embarrassment for the Agency, Congress and Reilly results in reforms for Whistleblowers protections and support for those who come forward to report wrongdoings within the US government, in addition to accountability checks and balances within the CIA. Congress decides to revisit and hold hearings on the Kunduz Province, Afghanistan Massacre where nearly 3,000 Taliban prisoners of war were left in train box cars to die, during Reilly’s watch when he was in close and continuous communications with the Afghan Northern Alliance.
ACT 4:
DIALOG SCENE: ((NEEDS DIALOG))
[PLACEHOLDER: USE IN DIALOG MY QUOTE I MADE UP… “WITH A LOT OF LUCK, BUBBLE GUM, BAILING WIRE, AND MY MOTHER’S OLD BRAZEER” MARK WISHES HIMSELF LUCK!]
SLUG: INT/EXT–US NEWS MEDIA/CONGRESS/CIA, WASHINGTON, DC–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
——– ——– ——–
ACT 4:
BEAT SHEET: RESOLUTION:
SLUG: INT–MARK’S NEW HOME, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY
–Mark helps Reilly into the next afterlife and obtains justice holding the CIA accountable and shaping reform.
ACT4:
OUTLINE: RESOLUTION:
SLUG: INT–MARK’S NEW HOME, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY
BEGINNING: Feeling the pressure from companies Reilly advises and outrage from public humiliation Reilly suffers a hemorrhagic stroke and eventually dies 30 days later, but not before he learns Mark has placed a ‘false flag’ lien on his house to push Reilly into the next afterlife. The CIA acknowledges wrongdoing towards Mark and the Director of Central Intelligence for the CIA orders the release of all 45 cases involving child pornography and sex trafficking of children the Agency has not prosecuted, but for two.
MIDDLE: Mark is contemplating running for office a second time using his new found fame to be an advocate for Whistleblowers, in addition to campaigning again for the Discarded and Forgotten (low income, the impoverish, the homeless, foster care children and the middle class). Mark has also decided to pursue setting up a transitioning center to move the homeless from the streets to assist in rebuilding their lives.
END: Mark no longer feels discarded, nor forgotten, but instead accepts himself. His faith in himself, self esteem, self worth is restored. Mark is at peace finally with himself. Meanwhile, Mark pays a visit to Reilly’s grave site weeks later and lets his dog pee and poop on Reilly’s grave just about where Reilly’s head would be. Mark takes his dog’s lead, but not before he does his best “Dirty Harry” impression…”Go ahead…Make my day”… and takes a piss too….right between the eyes. Justice has finally prevailed 16 years later. Mark looks back on the time when God must have heard him, ‘while in the trenches’ asking God to call in more fire support because his ass was being handed to him.
ACT 4:
DIALOG SCENE: ((NEEDS DIALOG))
SLUG: INT–MARK’S NEW HOME, FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA–DAY
DESCRIPTION:
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Lesson 24 Trish’s Filled In Missing Scenes
What I learned doing this assignment is that I could take 2 weeks to finish this exercise. Instead, I made script notes where I want to add more later.
1. Do a quick read of your script to pinpoint possible missing scenes. When you discover one, put a placeholder that you can return to.
I think I have a lot of things to fill in, beyond what I’ve noted in script notes. I need to finish writing all my placeholder scenes and reassess then. Overall, the story moves too quickly and is too short.
2. For each missing scene, create a quick outline.
Done for existing scenes.
3. Write a high speed first draft for the most important of those scenes.
Need to do later.
4. Tell us what scenes you added and why.
N/A
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Assignment #24: Missing Scenes
What I learned doing this assignment is that I forgot to write this scene the first time through. I also had to release any expectations of my first draft miraculously being extraordinary. It was a lesson in reading and accepting what was there before making changes.
1. Do a quick read of your script to pinpoint possible missing scenes. When you discover one, put a placeholder that you can return to.
2. For each missing scene, create a quick outline.
EXT. PARK PLAYGROUND – DAY
Carla introduces Harriet to Sam, which goes gangbusters! They both think one another are awesome. Carla tells Harriet the plan for working back at the agency with Jennica failed. Carla invites Harriet over for dinner.
Beginning: stop at the park on the way home from school
Middle: Harriet shows up and Sam is introduced
End: they have fun playing he even introduces his imaginary friend Rocky. Carla tells Harriet it didn’t work out with Jennica.
3. Write a high speed first draft for the most important of those scenes.
4. Tell us what scenes you added and why.
I added a scene where Sam meets Harriet at the park because it explains why he know who she is when she shows up for dinner, where Mark can’t see her.
5. Answer the question “What I learned doing this assignment is…?” and put it at the top of your work.
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