Hurricane Gustav--Realtime screenplays by James C. L'Angelle

HURRICANE GUSTAV
Realtime screenplays by James C. L'Angelle

WRITTEN AT
THE SHANNON DILLON COMBAT BASE

BREAKOUT FROM CAMP DELTA--
Realtime screenplay by James C. L'Angelle
WGA west# 1299340

FADE IN:
Zoom in from outer space, Western Hemisphere as geographic features begin to emerge on planet Earth below. Somewhere out in the Caribbean and above Haiti, a large hurricane is seen slowly moving northwest and in the direction of Cuba. Zooming in still further until Guantanamo Bay comes into focus, in particular the terrorist detention facility at Camp Delta just to the east of the naval base. Passing away further west and over the top of the naval base and proceeding even further west, the city of Santiago de Cuba comes into focus; zooming finally to the streets of the city and closing in on a large hotel. It's the Hotel Santiago and the subtitle reads "HOTEL SANTIAGO, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba"

EXT. Weather is blustery and rainy. Hotel. Workers are busy nailing plywood to large hotel windows as others are moving heavy planters into the lobby area as traffic comes and goes out on the busy boulevard in front of the hotel.

INT. Lobby of the hotel.--The bar in the lobby is crowded with tourists, locals and employees; most of whom are all huddled around television screens, some of which are broadcasting news and weather updates of the approaching hurricane in Spanish, others are broadcasting in English. At one particular booth near an English broadcasting TV set sits TIM SOLDIER, shabbily dressed and hung over, smoking a cigarette. SOLDIER is rugged, mid-forties, hair in nearly a crew cut and he's dressed in a mismatched military fatugue outfit. Sitting at the booth with SOLDIER is HECTOR LOPEZ, impeccably dressed in athree-piece light-colored suit. HECTOR is also smoking and both are watching the weather update as some EXPERT explains the latest on the hurricane. Both are reporters for the California based "Recon News Agency".

EXPERT (on TV screen)
As the viewer can plainly see from this map (onscreen with EXPERT) the path of Hurricane Gustav is clearly marked and it should be well off the Haitian coast by midnight tonight. It will strengthen and possibly become a category four storm before making landfall on the coast of Cuba just about here.

EXPERT indicates in a closeup with a pointer the location of Hurricane Gustav landfall.

EXPERT (voiceover)
It should hit the coastline just east of Guantanamo Bay and move along the coast toward Santiago de Cuba and be expected to impact that southern Cuban city about midday on Wednesday. Residents of that city should be making every possible effort to evacuate low lying areas, get all residential and commercial prepared for this dangerous storm and stock up on whatever goods the population can find that has bot already been bought up in the local stores.

Back at the booth, HECTOR takes a puff off a clove cigarette and snuffs it out in an ashtray.

HECTOR
Well, what do you think, Tim Soldier, we still have time to catch a flight out of here this afternoon. SOLDIER (finishing off a drink)
We're not leaving here Hector until we get an interview with that fugitive drug-runner Renaldo Vasquez. What time did his sister say she'd meet us here?

HECTOR
She's already an hour late and is probably caught up in the evacuation on the outskirts of the city.

Cellphone on the table rings, HECTOR picks it up, listens briefly, says "Si" and sets it back down.

HECTOR
That was Rosa just then. She'll be a little late but says she will be here as promised. Then she'll take us for that interview with her brother Renaldo. In the meantime, I've got to go up to the hotel room and get that video equipment in order.

HECTOR gets up from the table and heads out of the bar as SOLDIER sips more tequila and continues to watch the hurricane coverage.

INT. Elevator stops, door opens, HECTOR steps out and proceeds down the hallway. He makes a turn and stops as a door opens in the hallway, his reporter instincts suddenly telling him to look for a covert spot as he overhears voices, in Arabic, in the doorway. HECTOR finds a suitable reconnaissance location near a janitor's closet and behind a soda machine as three men approach out of the room. Two men are speaking in Arabic and a third is speaking in Spanish, as the first two reply in Spanish. HECTOR finds the door to the janitor's closet open, steps inside just within earshot of the three men. The two Arabs are ALI and MUHAMMED, the Cuban is HERALDO.

ALI (in Spanish to Heraldo)
With the cover of this huge Hurricane Gustav approaching, we will be able to free up our most important Al Qaeda intelligence officer Bin Raman and some of his operatives from the American detention base at Guantanamo. Do you have that escape route off the island ready, Heraldo?

The trio stops at the soda machine, ALI fishes into a coat pocket for some change, and puts it into the machine, a bottle of coke drops into the bin, he opens it.

HERALDO
All is planned exactly as you have requested. The vehicles will be waiting at the spot you have designated.

MUHAMMED
And what about the weapons?

HERALDO
I have all of that arranged; but it will be difficult to get to the airstrip if this hurricane is as bad as they say.

ALI
All the more need of the weapons just in case the Americans luck upon us before we make good our escape.

MUHAMMED notices the door to the janitor's closet ajar, goes over and swings it open.

HERALDO (shouting)
Who's in there? Come out right now!

HECTOR emerges wearing a janitor's jumpsuit, he's carrying a mop and a bucket. HECTOR acts surprised and scared, he hurries down the hallway and disappears around the corner. The trio walk off and return to their room as HERALDO mutters to the other two.

HERALDO
It's just the janitor, he doesn't know anything.

INT. Lobby bar. HECTOR hurries over to the table where TIM SOLDIER sits, now accompanied by ROSA VASQUEZ, the fugitive drug-runner RENALDO's sister. HECTOR still wears the jumpsuit and carries the mop and bucket.

HECTOR (sees ROSA)
Roas, you made it after all.

ROSA
Hello Hector, why the outfit?

HECTOR
Never mind about this. Tim, I have to talk to you immediately!

SOLDIER (wryly)
Well, well, Hector. I see you've finally given up the life of clandestine Recon News Agency journalist and found some gainful employment.

HECTOR
Very funny, Tim. Now if you don't mind, I have to...

SOLDIER
Come on now, Hector, whatever it is it will have to wait. We have to get the interview with Rosa before the power goes out.. Where's the video gear?..

The BAR MANAGER sees HECTOR standing with the mop and bucket and comes over to the table.

BAR MANAGER(in Spanish)
Excuse me, what are you doing? You must be new here. The rules are you discuss nothing with the customers and report to me. Now I have a spilled pitcher of beer over at table twelve and...

HECTOR hands the mop and bucket to the BAR MANAGER, grabs SOLDIER and ROSA, drags them up from the table and out the door of the bar. BAR MANAGER looks at the mop and bucket in his hands,looks up at the nearby TV screen

EXPERT
That just about covers it on Hurricane Gustav for now, back to Christine and Paul at the weather desk.

EXT. Early Morning. Camp Delta, Guantanamo is bare visible through the driving rain and wind that's causing the power to stall as images of Marine guards are seen scrambling from building to building. One particular building is a center of activity and on the outside as sign hangs on the side of the wall. "CAMP DELTA; COMMUNICATIONS HQ".

INT. Inside Communications, the lights are red and a number of computer screens flicker as reports, filled with interruptions and static come in over a radio channel. MARINES, some soaking wet, are huddled around the radio.

RADIO
Early reports indicate that the brunt of Hurricane Gustav is now coming ashore just twenty miles south of Guantanamo with winds in excess of 140 miles per hour. The eye is still one-hundred miles southeast of Cuba and the rainfall totals have been skewed by the fact that instrumentation is currently unavailable in the region.

The door to communications is blown open by a gust of wind and standing in it is Marine COLONEL SWANK; he steps inside as a CORPORAL hurriedly steps up and slams the door shut tight behind him; the other Marines rise to assume attention.

SWANK
At ease, men. Looks like we're in for a long day today.

SWANK removes a soaking wet field jacket and the CORPORAL is quick to relieve him of it; the Colonel walks over to the huddle where the radio has now filled completely with static.

SWANK
Where's Lieutenant Stick?

STICK
Here sir.

STICK comes forward holding a stack of charts, printouts and bulletins.

SWANK
What's the latest on the detainee lockdown?

STICK
All but fourteen are in their assigned quarters, sir. All of the hatches, billets, entrances and exits are sealed; the emergency generators are up and operational in case we're hit with a massive power blackout. The guard has been doubled around the billets and around the perimeter.

SWANK
What about those other fourteen?

STICK
NIne of those are over at the infirmary and had to be sequestered there because of their conditions and the fact the weather became too hostile to move them. The other four have been put on duty at the messhall. The east wall blew in and the place is flooded. All of our men are out on post somewhere so we asked for volunteers from some of the more trustworthy and they agreed to pitch in and help.

SWANK
Well as soon as you have that mopped up, I want them back in their cells. I don't need some bleeding hearts to show up and accuse us of cruel and unusual punishment because we made them mop the floor at the messhall.

STICK
Yes Sir!

The radio static is replaced by garbles and soon, more hurricane reports are coming across. SWANK and STICK join the others huddled around.

EXT. Outside, dark turns to a gray light as wind and rain pound on the structures with relentless ferocity. The sound of the communications radio fades as the Messhall can be seen, faint glow from a few lights cast tall sihouettes onto a wall of men mopping and others standing guard over them. Several buildings away is the infirmary which shows red lights from the windows.

INT. Infirmary. In a particular ward of the infirmary, several detainees are bedridden while others sit around a table and speak quietly with each other. One of those at the table is BIN RAMAN, the Al Qaeda intelligence officer who is about to make good his plans for escape. With BIN RAMAN are trusted OPERATIVES who have all managed to conveniently be in the infirmary at the same time.

BIN RAMAN (to OPERATIVE#1)
Where is Sulinam?

OPERATIVE#1(quietly) He was considered not ill enough to be quarantined in here with the rest of us. He was sent back to his cell before the wind began to howl.

BIN RAMAN
Then you will have to assume his duties.

OPERATOR#1
Yes Bin Raman. As for the plan, I do not like the idea of making this breakout in broad daylight.

BIN RAMAN
You should gave been with us a couple of months ago when we broke out of Kandahar prison; it was a sight to see. Hundreds of us running in all directions; shooting, shouting. I got caught over a simple mistake and sent here. This time I plan to get free and stay free. We will stick to the plan and when it comes time, we will execute that plan, is that agreed?

OPERATIVES
Yes, Bin Raman.

EXT. Near the Camp power station, wind and rain. A SQUAD of armed men loaded with explosives stealthily approach the power station where two lone guards are barely able to withstand the force of the storm. The two guards are quickly overtaken by the SQUAD of infiltrators who immediately fan out and plant explosive charges at key points around the power station.

INT. Communications, under red light. COLONEL SWANK huddles with others over charts and graphs near the garbled radio when suddely a series of loud explosions rip through the vicinity and knock down lights, computers and radios in the process. The MARINES all hit the deck instinctively and it's SWANK who's back on his feet first.

SWANK
Stick, get the hell outside and see what's going on.

STICK (climbing to his feet)
Sounds like something hit the power lines.

SWANK
Power lines, Hell. Those were satchel charges, coming from the direction of the power station. We are under attack!

STICK(shouts to CORPORAL)
Corporal, get my gear and some weapons, you two men, get your gear, we're going out to have a look around!

SWANK
And get those generators up; we need power in here!

STICK takes his team, throws open the door and rushes outside into the wind and the rain.

INT. Infirmary, the lights are all out and just a trickle of daylight allows for barely visible motion. MARINE GUARDS are peering out through the windows toward the direction of the power station unaware that BIN RAMAN and OPERATIVES are about to overpower them, and this happens instantly. Caught by surprise, the GUARDS are overwhelmed, their weapons taken from them and BIN RAMAN and OPERATIVES, wrapping themselves in whatever uniforms and field jackets they can find, make good their escape from the infirmary.

EXT. Messhall. BIN RAMAN and OPERATIVES sneak into the messhall, overpower the GUARDS, free up the remaining four OPERATIVES and all escape to a prearranged location along the fenceline in the direction of the power station to meet up with the infiltrator SQUAD.

EXT. Compound. LIEUTENANT STICK, the CORPORAL and others are attempting orientation in the barely visible early morning light, being hampered by 90 mile per hour wind, driving rain, and now debris ripping off nearby structures and flying dangerously through the air at fantastic speed; deadly. STICK notices a group of armed men approaching.

STICK (shouting above the howling wind)
You. over there! Halt, come forward and identify yourselves!

The GROUP quickens its pace.

STICK (loading his weapon and shouting)
Halt, I say! Or I'll open fire!

MARINES in STICK's contingent all load their weapons, spread out and assume firing positions.

The GROUP proves to be BIN RAMAN and OPERATIVES who are quick to open fire first on STICK and the MARINES. STICK takes a bullet in the right arm and falls to the soaking wet ground immediately as the other MARINES open return fire; but they are sorely outnumbered and forced to fall back using the wind and rain as cover and dragging the bleeding LIEUTENANT STICK with them.

In nearby shelter, CORPORAL attends to STICK's wounds, he refuses to be treated and crawls to his feet from the saturated ground.

STICK
Never mind me, dammit! Get word back to Swank we got a breakout. I'm going out to get those generators up!

CORPORAL
But sir...

STICK
THAT is an order Corporal, now step on it!

STICK grabs his weapon and charges out into the wind and rain, followed by two others, CORPORAL heads back toward communications.

INT. Communications. MARINES and COLONEL SWANK are in full combat gear and all are armed as the door flies open and CORPORAL returns, he reports to SWANK.

CORPORAL
Colonel, sir, we were ambushed just past the messhall; appears to be some escaped detainees. They may still be in the compound, Stick took a slug in the shoulder but went on to the generators.

As he spoke, the lights come on and the computers came back to life.

SWANK
They broke out from the infirmary, It was Bin Raman and a band of his operatives. Did you see which way they were headed?

CORPORAL
Dunno for certain, but it looked like the power station.

SWANK goes over to some maps, looks them over then gets on a hand held radio.

SWANK (into radio handset)
This is SWANK, looks like they're going to connect with the power station bunch, converge on that area.

EXT. MIDDAY, airstrip. A Soviet era transport plane sits on a remote jungle airstrip as rain and wind pounds the vicinity with relentless ferocity. Two military trucks approach and BIN RAMAN, OPERATIVES, ALI, MUHAMMED and HERALDO all egress from the vehicles. OPERATIVES fan out military style and begin to set up defensive positions around the aircraft. BIN RAMAN, ALI, MUHAMMED and GERALDO all gather in a small sandbagged bunker that serves as the nerve center for the airstrip. They watch progress of the storm on a moniter that's plugged into a hand-held device receiving its signals from overhead satellites.

BIN RAMAN
The eye of Gustav appears to be about an hour away, that will give us time to take off. Have the men prepare the field and aircraft immediately.

ALI and MUHAMMED leave the bunker, round up some OPERATIVES who begin to remove protective covering from the aircraft as others police debris that has been blown onto the runway by the force of the wind.

EXT. One hour later, the storm subsides as the eye of Gustav settles in overhead, the wind stops blowing and the rain lets up, an eerie calm ensues and the sun begins to break through the cloud cover. BIN RAMAN is out of the bunker and shouting orders.

BIN RAMAN
Ali, Muhammed, hurry, get the men in the airplane; we're not going to have a great deal of time before this canopy closes back up.

OPERATIVES are rounded up and prepare to board aircraft. Suddenly, gunfire erupts from the nearby jungle and two OPERATIVES are hit by bullets and fall to the ground. The rest scatter in a confused disoriented manner and attempt to return fire and engage an unseen foe in the ground cover. BIN RAMAN and ALI take up positions in front of the bunker.

ALI
Who is firing? The Americans could not have found us that quickly.

BIN RAMAN
Maybe its the Cuban military. No matter, we have to get airborne, try to get the men into the plane.

As he speaks, a small rocket flies out of the bushes and strikes the tail section of the aircraft, exploding and blowing the tail section into pieces.

EXT. Jungle road. A large patrol moves up the muddy road from Camp Delta. In the lead jeep sits COLONEL SWANK and LIEUTENANT STICK, the jeep and convoy comes to a halt. The sound of small arms fire and rockets exploding can be heard nearby.

SWANK
Sounds like Bin Raman has found himself a fight. Let's get over there and get into it!

The convoy is on the move once again in the direction of the airstrip.

EXT. Airstrip. BIN RAMAN and OPERATIVES are clearly pinned down with mounting casualties just as SWANK's convoy of MARINES burst into the fray, surround them and they are forced to surrender. A few minutes later, the OPERATIVES are all rounded up except for BIN RAMAN, ALI, MUHAMMED and GERALDO; who've managed to escape into the jungle.

STICK (reporting to SWANK)
They're all accounted for, Colonel, except for Bin Raman and a couple of others. They've escaped into the jungle. Should we send a patrol out for them?

SWANK
That's negative. The storm is about to close in again. We need to get back to Delta with these detainees. I'll call the Cubans and see if they can track them down and we'll have them secure this perimeter.

STICK
Yes Sir!

MARINES go about loading OPERATIVES into vehicles and soon the patrol leaves the vicinity as the aircraft smoulders in the drizzle. A few minutes later, from out of the brush, there appears at first one armed COMMANDO in paramilitary gear, then followed by others. Behind them appears HECTOR, TIM SOLDIER, ROSA and RENALDO VASQUEZ.

SOLDIER
That was quite a show your men put on for us, Renaldo. Did you get all of the fight on tape, Hector?

HECTOR
Sure did, certainly more than we bargained for from Renaldo. Your men performed brilliantly, and Rosa, I never realized you could handle a rocket launcher that well.

ROSA
My brother sent me to the Che Guevara School of Revolutionary Insurgency in Paraguay when I was very young.

RENALDO barks orders in Spanish to his men and they disperse back into the jungle. A Land Rover pulls up; ROSA, RENALDO, TIM SOLDIER and HECTOR all climb into it.

RENALDO
I never thought I'd be using my commandos to fight Al Qaeda in Cuba; but it makes for good training.

The Land Rover drives down the runway and disappears into the jungle just as the sky closes overhead, the rain and wind begins again.

EXT. Muddy jungle road. Later. The Land Rover is seen slipping and sliding down the road in the rain and wind when from all sides, a number of military vehicles bearing Cuban military insignias force the Land Rover to a halt. From out of a Cuban jeep steps COLONEL JUAN RODRIGUEZ; he walks over to the Land Rover and looks in the window.

RODRIGUEZ
Well, who do we have here? Renaldo, is that you? And Rosa? What are you doing driving around in the jungle in all of this rain. What was all of that shooting about a little while ago? Please, all of you, out of the vehicle.

CUBAN SOLDIERS surround the Land Rover and point loaded weapons at the occupants, who get out of the Land Rover; RODRIGUEZ does a cursory inspection.

RODRIGUEZ
Would you look at this. It's Tim Soldier and..., Hector Lopez.
Command will just love to have you pay them a visit.

SOLDIER
Hello, Colonel Rodriguez, Long time no see.

RODRIGUEZ
That is correct, Tim Soldier. I believe it was outside of Managua several years ago when the contras were about ready to execute you and Hector here. It was I, Colonel Rodriguez who came to your rescue.

SOLDIER
That's right, Colonel, I owe my life to you. Now if you'll just let us go about our business...

CUBAN SOLDIER reaches into Land Rover and produces a camera and video cassettes, hands the material to RODRIGUEZ.

RODRIGUEZ
What have we here? Have you gentlemen been spying on Cuba? We better look into this further, if you'll now just come with me. and please, do not try to resist, you are hopelessly outnumbered.

RENALDO and ROSA begin to walk toward a truck.

RODRIGUEZ
No, no, not you Renaldo. You and Rosa are free to go. Please, get into your Land Rover and disappear in a hurry. Soldier, you and Hector, please come with me.

SOLDIER (Walking toward jeep with RODRIGUEZ)
I assure you, Colonel, it's one big misunderstanding. We were here to do an interview with Renaldo when...

RODRIGUEZ
When you stumbled across a secret Al Qaeda training base and couldn't resist starting a war with them on Cuban soil. That's OK, Tim, I love helping American journalists out of tight situations. Believe me, when the public relations bureau gets a hold of this, I will make the rank of General. Are you going to deny me that promotion?

SOLDIER
Can I at least keep the video?

RODRIGUEZ
After we make certain it's in Cuba's best interests, Tim.

CUBANS return to vehicles, SOLDIER and HECTOR depart with RODRIGUEZ in jeep; RENALDO and ROSA disappear in Land Rover. Hurricane Gustav closes in once again and washes out the road in wind and rain.....

THE END.---8/27/08/High Noon EDT.

"State of Emergency"

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