Security:
Act II


Kasey

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EXT. White House - Day

CUT TO:

INT. Roosevelt Room - Day

TOBY, PATTY, CARL, and TOM are still sitting around the table.

PATTY:
Toby, we realize it's "policy", but it's bad policy made at a time when the president was running for re-election.

TOBY:
It's not bad policy.

PATTY:
Toby-

TOBY:
It's not bad policy! It says the good education doesn't just go to the rich kids.

CARL:
And that the public schools should just be for derelicts, juvenile delinquents, and kids who can't get into private schools.

TOBY:
It's not like every kid who can is gonna go to a private school.

PATTY:
No, 'cause if they can stay in a school that's falling apart, why would they want to go to a private academy?

CARL:
Not to mention the religion.

PATTY:
Carl's right - approximately 80% of all vouchers would go to religious schools.

TOM:
Which I think you understand poses a Constitutional problem.

TOBY:
Tom, I hardly think that's the central issue of-

TOM:
Well, it's one of the big concerns with a voucher program.

TOBY:
The other ones being…?

PATTY:
The other ones being the abandonment of public schools, the fact that the money could be used for a lot better things-

TOBY:
Used for better things.

CARL:
Absolutely.

TOBY:
Like what?

PATTY:
How 'bout school repair? How 'bout textbooks? How 'bout safety?

TOBY:
Let's just…stick to vouchers for this discussion.

PATTY:
Fine.

CUT TO:

INT. Sam's Office - Day

SAM is on the phone at his desk. His tone is cold.

SAM:
I understand that but -…No. You say you don't want to discuss this on the phone but you won't come down here to-…Yeah…Yeah, I'll let the guards know you're-…Yeah, okay.

JOSH stands in the doorway.

SAM:
(Cont.)
Yeah. Bye.

He hangs up.

JOSH:
Who was that?

SAM:
(Grumbling)
Alexia.

JOSH:
Who?

SAM:
(Dismissive)
A pain in my ass. How's Amy?

JOSH:
Spouting numbers and consulting dictionaries.

SAM:
What?

JOSH:
Nevermind.

SAM:
So how'd it go?

JOSH:
(Boasting)
I told her.

SAM:
Told her what?

JOSH:
That we were in charge so she could take a seat.

SAM:
Good.

JOSH:
Yeah…listen…

JOSH sits.

SAM:
(Suspicious)
What?

JOSH:
You remember what we were talking about…before Christmas?

SAM:
We talked about many things before Christmas, many of which we're still talking about, such as the thing you were just talking to Amy about-

JOSH:
I mean you and me.

SAM:
Well I still think there could've been something there if you would've brought me flowers.

JOSH:
Could ya…stop being cocky for a damn minute?

SAM:
Probably not.

JOSH:
You never told me.

SAM:
I woulda thought you coulda figured it out on your own.

JOSH:
I mean Lisa.
(Beat)
You never told me what-…You started to say something and then you spaced out and then you stormed off and, from what rumour's going around, yelled at the President and Leo in the Oval Office about always being the last to know.

SAM:
There's really rumours going around about that?

JOSH:
Yeah - Donna heard from Bonnie heard from Ginger heard from Nancy and Margaret-

SAM:
Hard to believe anything here ever gets done.

JOSH:
Isn't it, though?

SAM:
Josh-

JOSH:
What happened?

SAM:
It doesn't matter.

JOSH:
It does-

SAM:
It was four years ago. Four years ago and a couple weeks, if you wanna be precise, which these days I think you might-

JOSH:
Sam.

SAM:
Josh, please.

JOSH:
Why won't you just tell me and get it over with?

SAM:
Maybe 'cause it's none of your damn business?

JOSH looks a little hurt.

SAM:
I'm sorry, I…I'd rather not go into it. That's all.

BONNIE appears in the doorway.

BONNIE:
Josh, Donna just called and said she needs you.

JOSH looks from Bonnie to Sam, then back.

JOSH:
Yeah, okay.

JOSH stands and leaves.

CUT TO:

INT. The Situation Room - Day

JED enters, flanked by LEO and EVERYONE stands.

JED:
Sit, sit.

EVERYONE sits.

JED:
(Cont.)
What's going on?

NANCY:
Mr. President, we've just been informed that we have a domestic hostage situation on our hands.

JED:
Well, you've gotta tell me more than that. How many hostages?

NANCY:
27 at gun point, there are about 1000 or 1050 more in the building.

JED:
We're not sure how many are in the building?

NANCY:
No, sir. They're not sure at the moment how many are absent.

JED:
Where is it?

NANCY:
A small town just outside of Boston, sir.

JED:
What sort of group are we talking about in the way of hostages?

LEO:
Nancy, what's the guy holding up?

NANCY:
Mr. President, it's a private elementary school, Hawken Academy.

LEO:
(Murmured)
My God.

JED:
What do we know about the gunman?

A picture goes up on the large screen behind NANCY of a teenage boy.

NANCY:
He's a 17-year-old at Azalea High School, which is pretty close to Hawken Academy. The kid's name's Ryan Branch.

JED:
Do we know what might be his motive?

NANCY:
His mother and sister died in a car crash about two weeks ago, his sister attended the school he's holding up.

JED:
Yeah…Yeah, okay.

NANCY:
Mr. President?

JED:
I'm sending an FBI team to surround the school, meanwhile we need to get the rest of the people in that school out as quickly and as quietly as possible.

NANCY:
Yes, sir.

JED:
Keep me posted.

JED stands, thus so does everyone else, then JED and LEO leave.

FADE TO COMMERCIAL. END ACT II

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Part 4

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