Security:
Act IV
Kasey
INT. The Oval Office - Day
SAM, CJ, TOBY, JOSH, LEO, and JED are sitting on chairs and couches. We join the discussion in progress.
JOSH:
Do we have any sort of…demands from this guy?
LEO:
No. We don't know what he wants, quite honestly.
TOBY:
Then how do you negotiate with him?
CJ:
That's why there's experts.
TOBY:
I'd think the negotiations would go something like "We're the FBI and we say drop the gun" and the guy drops the damn GUN-
JOSH:
Hard to believe you're not on their team.
TOBY:
I know.
SAM:
He's gonna address the nation?
LEO:
Once we know what the hell's going on up there.
SAM:
Okay.
JED:
Y'know, sometimes I really don't even need to be here.
JOSH:
I'm sorry, sir, what do you think?
JED:
I didn't say you weren't doing a good job of channeling my thoughts.
TOBY:
So what do we do if the guy doesn't wanna negotiate? I mean we don't need a replay of Idaho here.
CJ:
Why did you look at me just now when you said that?
TOBY:
I didn't.
CJ:
You did.
TOBY:
I was looking at Leo.
CJ:
If you say so.
TOBY:
Leo?
LEO:
I very distinctly saw Toby looking in this direction.
TOBY:
I-I mean what do we do if the guy doesn't surrender?
JED:
That's a bridge we cross when we come to it.
LEO:
We oughta have a better answer than that.
JED:
Well, Leo, we don't exactly have a policy except that we do everything in our power to get everyone, especially the hostages, out safely. We try negotiators, we try whatever works. And when nothing works, we go back to the drawing board.
LEO:
Yes, sir, but my point is that we should have some idea - it's not like this is the first school hostage situation anyone's ever heard of, between the hostage situations and the shootings-
JED:
All of which I'm sure I'll be addressing in my speech later this month?
TOBY:
Yes, sir.
SAM:
Yes, sir.
JED:
Josh, Sam, CJ, Toby, why don't you go on about your business, we'll call you in when there's any more developments.
JOSH:
Yes, sir. Thank you, Mr. President.
TOBY/CJ/SAM:
Thank you, Mr. President.
JOSH, TOBY, CJ, and SAM exit, leaving LEO and JED sitting in the Oval Office.
LEO:
Mr. President, I was wondering if-
JED:
Look, Leo, I know you're worried, I know you're worried about your girl and about the others who are teachers like her and I think you're right - if there was a recent trend of hospitals being held hostage you bet your ass I'd be terrified…between Abby…Ellie and Zoey someday…
LEO:
Yes, sir, but there isn't that trend, there's this trend. The kids who are terrified to do what they're supposed to do without thinking about - they're afraid to go to school, afraid they're gonna end up dead, and their teachers are in the same boat - they're supposed to educate but how can they when they're too worried about being held at gun-point because some idiot with a gun decides he's pissed at the world!
JED:
These are all things I know, Leo, but what do we do about it? Start installing metal detectors everywhere? Have kids not go to school? There's no good solution to the problem, which is yet another problem on a long list of many.
LEO:
Yes, sir, but my point is that it's getting worse.
JED:
Yeah. And so is crime and poverty and all sorts of things we're trying to save…
(Wistful smile)
Remember when we went to school? The things we were most afraid of were the headmasters.
LEO:
Your father was something to be feared, my friend.
JED:
You bet your ass he was.
LEO:
(Laughing)
"Weapons in school" referred to slingshots…if you got picked on it meant you counted the days 'til summer vacation, the years 'til you'd be ruling the world and employing the kids who tormented you so you could torment them…
(Sighs)
It's a different world than that now.
JED:
(Quietly)
Yeah.
CUT TO:
INT. Communications Bullpen - Day
SAM and TOBY enter and go into Toby's office.
CUT TO:
INT. Toby's Office - Continuous
SAM:
We should start working on the address he's gonna-
TOBY:
Yeah.
SAM:
If we had any information about-
TOBY:
We know the school, we know where it is, we know the name and age of the guy, what more do we need?
SAM:
A good word for hostage-taker.
TOBY:
What?
SAM:
What's the word for the guy who takes the hostages? I mean, there's "gunman", but what if he doesn't have a gun?
TOBY:
What else would he have?
SAM:
A knife.
TOBY:
Knife-man.
SAM:
Yeah, that's a good one.
TOBY:
Okay, so go find a dictionary somewhere.
SAM:
Yeah, but the problem is what would I even look under?
TOBY:
Sam.
SAM:
"Hostage-Taker - See also?"
TOBY:
Thesaurus.
SAM:
(Looks behind him on the bookshelves)
Where?
TOBY:
I don't have one.
SAM:
I might have one.
TOBY:
Go look, please? So we can end this conversation?
SAM:
Yeah.
SAM exits Toby's office and enters his own. ALEXIA is standing by the window.
SAM:
Did you come to yell at me more?
ALEXIA:
I asked the woman out there, she said to wait here…
SAM:
Why'd you come back?
ALEXIA:
Because I wanted to apologize.
SAM:
Oh really.
ALEXIA:
For some of the stuff I said…mostly the way I said it.
(Double Beat)
I'm sure it was rough on you, I didn't mean to imply that it wasn't. Also I would have no way of knowing if you visited the grave at all so…yeah. Those are the things I apologize for.
SAM:
How…selfless of you.
ALEXIA:
Your turn.
SAM:
For what?
ALEXIA:
To apologize.
SAM:
I'm sorry.
ALEXIA:
For what?
SAM:
For not knowing what you want me to apologize for.
ALEXIA:
You know what I want you to apologize for.
SAM:
I don't apologize for things I didn't do so that leaves out "I'm sorry I killed her", what else?
ALEXIA:
(Quietly)
And you wonder why I never thought you were good enough for her?
SAM:
I heard that.
ALEXIA:
Good.
SAM:
Y'know what, Lex? I never liked you either, I didn't understand why you hated me so much, didn't understand why Lisa liked you so much, but that's been, like, four years, you'd think we coulda dropped it by now.
ALEXIA:
You obviously don't know me that well.
SAM:
What I'm saying is, what's the point?
ALEXIA:
Who knows.
SAM:
You shouldn't talk to reporters like that.
ALEXIA:
You shouldn't tell me what to do like that.
SAM:
I didn't kill her and you know it, so now 'cause you don't like me there's gonna be some kind of investigation into my past, y'know, a lot, and it's just a lot more dredging up old stuff that's pointless.
ALEXIA:
Poor baby, Sam.
SAM:
It's not like you think, Lex.
ALEXIA:
What isn't like I think?
SAM:
Most things. Me and her. Me in general. But it's been four years so most of it's probably not what I remember it as being, either. So y'know what? Why not just leave my office and leave me alone so I can do what I need to do and you can leave without being escorted by park police?
ALEXIA:
Fine.
She brushes past SAM and out into the Communications Bullpen.
CUT TO:
INT. Josh's Bullpen - Evening
JOSH appears in the doorway to his office.
JOSH:
Hey, Donna?
DONNA:
Yeah?
JOSH:
Where'd you put the CBO Spec?
DONNA:
Right here?
She hands it to him.
JOSH:
Thanks.
DONNA:
What's up?
JOSH:
I'm sorry?
DONNA:
What's going on, you look distracted.
JOSH:
Nothin', it's just…nothin'.
DONNA:
Okay.
JOSH:
Yeah.
DONNA:
How'd the thing go with Amy?
JOSH:
It went fine.
DONNA:
Good.
JOSH:
No thanks to you.
DONNA:
(Smiling)
Yeah.
JOSH:
(Double beat)
Lemme ask you somethin'.
DONNA:
Okay.
JOSH keeps looking like he's going to say something but doesn't. The phone rings. DONNA answers it.
DONNA:
Josh Lyman
(Pause)
Okay.
(To Josh)
They want you in the Oval Office.
JOSH:
Who was that?
DONNA:
Nancy.
JOSH:
Did she say anything?
DONNA:
Other than you're wanted in-
JOSH:
Yeah.
DONNA:
She just said "It's over."
JOSH:
Good.
DONNA:
Josh?
JOSH:
Yeah.
DONNA:
What's over?
JOSH:
Nothin'. Don't worry about it.
DONNA:
What did you wanna ask me?
JOSH:
I gotta go.
JOSH leaves toward the Oval Office.
CUT TO:
INT. Leo's Office - Same time
LEO enters from the Oval Office Corridor and walks slowly to his desk, then sits down, picks up the phone, dials, and leans back in his chair.
LEO:
(Trying to sound normal)
Hey Baby…how ya doin'?
FADE TO BLACK. END ACT IV.
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