THE TERMINAL LIST Based on the JAMES REECE book series by Jack Carr
Written By: David DiGilio
Pilot 2/13/20
Copyright © 2020 MRC II Distribution Company, L.P. All Rights Reserved. This material is protected under the laws of the United States and other countries, and its unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution .
FADE IN:
INT. THE REECE HOUSE -- LIVING ROOM -- DAY An OVERHEAD FAN whirs away on a lazy Sunday.
JAMES REECE (40, a bear of a man with the facial scruff to match) relaxes in front of a football game. His daughter LUCY (8, intense focus) draws a picture on an easel in the corner. Reece’s wife LAUREN (35, a plant-based triathlete who fell in love with a meat eater) enters. LAUREN Really? You’re spending your last day home on the couch? REECE It’s the Chargers, babe. LAUREN I’m pretty sure they moved to L.A. Lauren reveals she’s holding a pitcher of MARGARITAS. LAUREN (CONT’D) Last good drink for six months. REECE Knew there was something I’d miss. LAUREN Some thing?... Reece playfully pulls Lauren in for a kiss. Lucy watches her parents’ display of PDA and GIGGLES. REECE Hey, Picasso. Let me see what you’re drawing. LUCY It’s not done yet. REECE Great art is never done. And what happens if I leave before it’s finished? LUCY Okay... I’ll trade you... A song! She points excitedly to an old ACOUSTIC GUITAR leaning against a bookshelf.
2.
REECE A song for a picture? Sounds like a fair trade to me. Reece grabs his guitar, gives it a quick tune, and starts the quiet country ballad “A Man Who Was Gonna Die Young .” REECE (CONT’D) I like fast cars and shop dreams, Chased a lot of crazy things, Left behind my share of broken pieces, This morning I turned 36-- LAUREN (interjects) 36, is it? Lucy laughs as her father keeps playing. It’s a soulful song, and Reece is surprisingly good. The lyrics resonate deeply with Lauren for reasons we’ll soon come to understand. REECE
...I put the rage in a river, roll in a thunder, But you kept me from going under, When that current got too heavy... I always thought I'd be a heap of metal, And a cloud of smoke, foot stuck to the pedal, Sold for parts like a junkyard rusted-out Chevy... Fear I've had none, What the hell made you wanna love, A man who was gonna die young?...
Reece finishes and Lauren brushes away a tear and pulls him in for another kiss. This time she won’t let him go. Reece doesn’t want her to. But they’re interrupted by a loud THUMP. It jolts them out of the kiss, and all three members of the Reece family walk to the sliding glass door. Outside, on the back patio... A MOTIONLESS STARLING THAT FLEW INTO THE GLASS. LUCY Is she okay, Daddy? REECE She’ll be fine. She’s probably just stunned. (then) Now, a trade’s a trade. Let me see that picture of your-- But when Reece looks up Lucy’s gone... HER CRAYON rolls across the floor and disappears under the couch.
3.
REECE (CONT’D)
Where’d she go? LAUREN I don’t know... Luce?
Lauren looks behind the couch, the only plausible place Lucy could have hidden so quickly... But the space is empty. REECE ‘The hell’d she go, Laur? LAUREN I don’t know. She was right here. QUICK CUTS: Reece and Lauren search the room. Under chairs. Pull back curtains. But there’s no sign of their daughter. LAUREN (CONT’D) Lucy, come out. This isn’t funny. Reece and Lauren split up. The panic of a lost child setting in. We FOLLOW: Reece down the hallway, checking closets and bathrooms. Empty. Empty. We HEAR Lauren in the kitchen. LAUREN (O.S.) (CONT’D) Should I call 911? REECE She’s gotta be hiding-- A CRASH... Reece rushes towards the sound... He enters... THE KITCHEN LAUREN’S CELL PHONE sits on the floor, glass SHATTERED... But no sign of Lauren... Reece’s wife has vanished as well. REECE (CONT’D) Laur?... Lauren!?... Lucy!--- Off Reece, panicking... SMASH TO: INT. CARGO HOLD -- NIGHT A HAND wakes Reece from the nightmare. A Navy SEAL OPERATOR (30, Asian-American, chewing gum) stares down at Reece. KANG 5 mikes out, boss. You good? Reece gets his bearings. He’s back in his other life... as Lieutenant Commander of SEAL team 7, ONE Troop. He shakes off the dream, instantly compartmentalizing.
4.
REECE All good. You? KANG Ride or die, sir. REECE Ride or die, brother.
Reece walks through the hold, taking stock of ALPHA PLATOON. 16 AMERICAN SPEC-OPS SOLDIERS supported by 3 SYRIAN SDF TROOPERS, and one BELGIAN MALINOIS war dog named ZEKE. QUICK CUTS: ONE SEAL checks his IR LASER SIGHT... THE MEDIC (Ramirez) kisses a LUCKY MEDALLION around his neck... A TALL THIN OPERATOR downs TWO GREEN PRESCRIPTION PILLS chasing them with water... A YOUNG SEAL (25) takes a piss in a bottle. REECE (CONT’D) How much Kill Cliff you drink, Donny? DONNY Last time I checked, we still work in the desert. Stay hydrated, bitches! LAUGHTER cuts the pre-op tension as Reece pulls himself through a hatch, and we REVEAL: INT. NAVY GUN BOAT -- EAST MEDITERRANEAN -- MOVING -- NIGHT We’re in the cockpit of a STEALTH GUNBOAT skimming silently across the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. TWO CREWMEN pilot the ship. PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS ERNEST “BOOZER” VICKERS (30s, small stature, big heart) monitors SURVEILLANCE FEEDS. BOOZER But Reece looks anything but relaxed as he stares at the outline of the dark Syrian Coastline up ahead... PRE-LAP: REECE (V.O.) What are we missing?... INT. U.S.S. INDEPENDENCE -- T.O.C. -- FLASHBACK A COMMUNICATIONS ROOM deep inside a U.S. Warship. OFFICERS and PERSONNEL file out after a briefing. But Reece stays to talk with SEAL TEAM 7 COMMANDER COX (50, still mission fit) and his second MASTER CHIEF INBRUCK (48, an aging pitbull). We’ll be at insert in 4 mikes. Smooth sailing, boss. New boat rides better than a Tesla.
5.
REECE ‘Cause this is fucked, sir. COMMANDER COX You have concerns about the Op? REECE The intel’s lined up too easily. COMMANDER COX The tip came from SDF. CIA confirmed. REECE Yeah, but usually we’re the ones generating and pushing it upstream. COMMANDER COX
We got a chance to grab Dr. Douchebag on foreign soil. You know him better than anyone, but if you are not on for this, I can get Lt. Pritchard-- REECE By the time Bravo Platoon got here, Kahani could be back in Iran... Alpha’s got this. Reece packs his things, rubbing his temples, unconsciously. MASTER CHIEF INBRUCK Ram might have something for that headache. REECE It’s not a headache, Master Chief. It’s my bullshit meter. Reece grabs the intel and departs... CUT TO: INT. GUNSHIP -- MOVING -- NIGHT -- PRESENT Reece pulls himself into the Cargo Hold, Boozer on his tail. PLATOON CHIEF CORTESE (32, bald) falls in behind them. REECE 1 mike out! PLATOON CHIEF CORTESE Line it up. IN THE HOLD: the men line up like paratroopers... Reece notices a young SYRIAN SDF TROOPER struggling with his night vision goggles, looking nervous as hell. Reece takes pity and helps him lower and lock the goggles.
6.
REECE You’re good, kid. Just stay close.
Cortese hits a LEVER. A door lowers in the back of the boat, revealing DARK WATER slipping past the electric engines. INT. WASHINGTON D.C. WAR ROOM -- DAY 5,000 miles away, a dozen POLITICIANS and HIGH LEVEL MILITARY convene in the basement of the Pentagon. If Reece’s SEAL team is the clenched fist of the military, this room is its brain. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE LORRAINE HARTLEY (50s, straight-backed, Civilian) enters a room full of men who stand at attention. SEC DEF HARTLEY Take seats, gentlemen. The men sit around a briefing table. ADMIRAL GERALD PILLAR (55, 3rd Gen Navy) slides Hartley a TABLET COMPUTER. CIA LIAISON
SDF got a tip that Iranian Chemical Warfare specialist Dr. Jahan Kahani is back in Syria. ADMIRAL PILLAR An element from Seal Team 7 is on route. They will secure the compound, capture Kahani and conduct SSE. CIA LIAISON The Ayatollah and Assad end up with egg on their face. It’s a Golden Ticket operation, Madam Secretary.
Sec Def Hartley considers a DRONE FEED of the compound on the wall. A three story house, HEAT SIGNATURES asleep inside. SEC DEF HARTLEY
What about tunnels? There are always tunnels with these guys. I don’t want a repeat of Al-Baghdadi blowing himself up with kids and dogs. ADMIRAL PILLAR There are tunnels, Mam. But this time we know exactly where they are.
EXT. SYRIAN COASTLINE -- NIGHT The grey-skinned boat silently slides to a stop on a coastal inlet. The Platoon leaps out two at a time into waist-deep water. Even the dog hits the water and swims. INTERCUT WITH:
7.
EXT./INT. U.S.S. AMERICA -- NIGHT 10 miles east, a U.S. AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP cuts across quiet seas. Inside the mission’s T.O.C. (tactical operations center), Commander Cox, Master Chief Inbruck and COMMUNICATION TECHS watch over Reece’s team via DRONE and SAT FEEDS. Reece’s RADIO FEED plays on digital SPEAKERS. REECE (OVER THE SPEAKERS) External Security, 100 yards south. KANG (OVER THE SPEAKERS) Alpha Two Four copies. On the feeds, the two man SNIPER TEAM (our sniper KANG and his spotter JANSEN) split off and scramble up the steep bank. EXT. SYRIAN COMPOUND -- SHORELINE -- NIGHT At the mouth of a LARGE DRAINAGE PIPE, A SEAL named LECRONE uses an EXOTHERMIC TORCH to slice through RUSTED BARS. DONNY MITCHELL (the SEAL prone to pissing in bottles) catches the last bar and slips it into the water. Reece steps forward, eyeing the pitch black tunnel warily. REECE (QUIETLY) Boozer, on relay. Rest on me. We switch to NIGHT-VISION. Boozer stands guard at the mouth of the tunnel, while Reece takes his men inside... INT. WASHINGTON D.C. WAR ROOM -- DAY Hartley sips black coffee, cool as can be, watching the SEAL team’s HEAT SIGNATURES disappear underground one at a time. EXT. SYRIAN COMPOUND -- NIGHT Kang and Jansen set up their SNIPER’S HIDE in a pile of LOW BRUSH. SOUP’S SCOPE POV: scans the compound’s dark facade. KANG (INTO COMMS) Alpha Two Four is set. Compound is dark. No movement.
EXT. SYRIAN COASTLINE -- MOUTH OF TUNNEL -- NIGHT Boozer watches the gunboat idling just off shore. BOOZER (INTO COMMS) Alpha Two Six has eyes on Fast Track.
8.
INT. TUNNELS -- NIGHT DEEP INTO THE TUNNELS Reece’s men creep forward silently through knee high waste water... Operator Mitchell on point, followed by Zeke and his K9 handler MALLORY... Then Reece who wades through sewage of broken baby dolls & toilet paper. The tunnels reach a FORK... Reece signals a hold to his men. Donny checks the MAP velcro’d to his wrist. DONNY (QUIETLY) Says we go left, boss. Reece pulls off a glove. Holds his hand up. REECE There’s a draft to the right. DONNY I don’t feel it. Reece looks to an operator in the rear, motioning for him to stay and cover the fork at the tunnel. REECE LeCrone, cover down. Lecrone, peels off and stays to guard the split in the tunnels. As the rest of the SEALS move on... INT. DEEPER INTO THE TUNNELS -- NIGHT TILT DOWN: to find the line of SEALs still searching for the access point. The tunnel jogs left into a LARGE SECTION of the old aqueduct. There’s a rounded ceiling with four smaller sanitation tunnels branching off. Up ahead, a GRATE with MOONLIGHT streaming in. Reece breathes easier. REECE (INTO COMMS) Access point, 20 meters. ANGLE ON: A TRIP WIRE hovering just above the knee deep waste water... Donny Mitchell heading right for it, when... ZEKE alerts next to his dog handler MALLORY... Mallory GRABS the back of Mitchell’s PLATE CARRIER... stopping the young operator inches from the booby trap... Beat. Reece holds up a hand. The platoon stops once more... REECE (QUIETLY TO HIS MEN) (CONT’D) E.O.D. up. No comms.
9.
Reece and Danny stand aside as E.O.D. CHIEF CROWLEY (30s) examines the TRIP WIRE. His lights trace the thin filament to the ceiling, where it splits into a NETWORK OF WIRES that disappear into the four smaller tributary tunnels... Reece shines a light down one of the side tunnels and discovers they aren’t just lined with one tripwire, but a whole SPIDER-WEB... This entire section is wired to blow. Reece raises his left hand and gives a signal that means I.E.D. Then he points back the way they came... TIME. TO. GO. The Platoon turns and starts to double time it back out... INT. WASHINGTON D.C. WAR ROOM -- DAY A DIGITAL MISSION CLOCK ticks away... It’s all too quiet. SEC DEF HARTLEY What’s happening, Admiral? ADMIRAL PILLAR (INTO A PHONE) Hammerhead, pass SITREP. INT. U.S.S. AMERICA -- T.O.C. -- NIGHT Commander Cox stands over his Techs, watching the SAT FEED... COMMANDER COX (INTO PHONE) INT. TUNNELS -- NIGHT Tension mounting, Donny, Mallory and Zeke, and Reece tail the line of SEALs hurrying back down the tunnels... Finally away from the I.E.D.’s, Reece re-opens his comm link. REECE (INTO COMMS) November Zero One to Hammerhead. We are negative on the Access Point. They enter the stretch of tunnel where LeCrone is stationed. LECRONE What’s up, sir? REECE We’re moving to secondary-- Before Reece can finish the sentence... KRAT-RAT-RAT-RAT!!! GUNFIRE TEARS THROUGH LECRONE’S BODY. Out of nowhere... TWO DOZEN SYRIAN LOYALISTS flood in from the fork in the tunnel, blocking off the SEALs’ escape route... Possible counter measures detected, sir. They’ve gone dark on comms.
10.
In an instant, the tunnel transforms into a CAVE FULL OF FIRE- FLIES... TRACERS RICOCHET off the tight concrete ceiling and walls... the SEALs return fire, stuck out in the open... THWACK!... Mallory, the dog handler, takes a slug to the throat and goes down... Reece HEADSHOTS the Loyalist who shot his man... But when one enemy falls there are two more to replace him... REECE (CONT’D) One’s base! Two’s back! The AMBUSH forces the SEALs back into the large section filled with I.E.D.s. RAMIREZ pulls Mallory to cover. Zeke WHINES at the site of his handler’s blood. Ramirez rips open a med pack, pressing CELOX GAUZE into Mallory’s wound. RAMIREZ Hang on, Mal. You’re good. WITH REECE: firing on the LOYALISTS in front of them, well aware of the DOZENS of tripwires. They are so far from good. REECE Donny, hold here. We can’t go any deeper! EXT. SNIPER’S HIDE -- NIGHT Up top, KANG and his Spotter keep eyes on the quiet compound. But they can hear the CHAOS over the comms. COMM TECH (OVER COMMS) November Zero One, this is Hammerhead. Repeat... Pass SITREP... Kang takes his eyes off the scope for half a second. KANG The fuck is going on down there? Out of nowhere, Jansen sees MULTIPLE SPARKS appear from the Compound windows. The SPARKS grow larger, until he realizes: JANSEN Incoming! BOOM!!! RPGs level the sniper’s hide with a DIRECT HIT. EXT. SYRIAN COASTLINE -- MOUTH OF TUNNEL -- NIGHT The EXPLOSION that takes out the snipers LIGHTS up the night sky. Boozer looks at the gunboat IDLING off shore.
11.
BOOZER (INTO COMMS) Fast Track, this is Alpha Two Six. Troops in contact. Request extract! Say again, request hot extract now!
INT. TUNNELS -- NIGHT -- CHAOS --Reece and the SEALs exchange fire with the Loyalists... --Two more SEALs go down in the gun battle... --And that’s when REECE notices the Young SDF Trooper (the one he helped earlier) start to FREAK OUT in the FIREFIGHT. The Trooper holds his ears, muttering something in ARABIC. REECE Calm down, soldier... Nabil!... Reece calls over a SDF INTERPRETER (young, but collected). REECE (CONT’D) Tell him to calm the fuck down, or I will shoot him... Tell him! The Interpreter moves to help his friend as T.O.C.’s RADIO FEED continues to SCREAM in Reece’s ear... COMM TECHS (OVER COMMS)
--QRF is ready to launch. November Zero One, pass SITREP, do you copy? REECE Donny, I need to get QRF in here! Hold this line!
Donny nods, as Reece moves deeper into the tunnels, carefully stepping over the trip wire. He reaches the GRATE, beneath the MOONLIGHT, and opens up his COMMS. REECE (INTO COMMS) (CONT’D)
Hammerhead... I pass troops in contact, I say again troops in contact... Multiple W.I.A.--
Reece is cut off by a SCREAM... he sees THE SDF TROOPER push the Interpreter off of him and rise, scared out of his mind. The Trooper rushes straight into the MAIN SECTION of tunnel, Reece can see what’s coming before it even happens... REECE (CONT’D) NO!!!-- But the trooper hits the wire and...
12.
KA-FUCKING-BOOM... The tunnels ERUPT... RAMP DOWN: The SHOCKWAVE blows Reece backward into the waste water... the flames LICK the surface above him... FULL SPEED: The flames set off the other booby trapped CHARGES in the tunnel where the SEALs are hunkered down... BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!... FLAMES engulf the SEALs and LOYALISTS in a Maelstrom of fire. EXT. SYRIAN COASTLINE -- MOUTH OF TUNNEL -- NIGHT A MASSIVE FIREBALL shoots out the mouth of the tunnel, DWARFING Boozer, who ducks to the side... INT. WASHINGTON D.C. WAR ROOM -- DAY The DRONE FEED shows THE PLUME OF HEAT exiting the tunnel... SEC DEF HARTLEY ‘The hell was that? The T.O.C.’s frantic voices FILL the war room... COMMANDER COX (OVER SPEAKERS) November Zero One! Do you copy-- COMM TECH (OVER SPEAKERS) I lost Alpha--! INT. TUNNELS -- SAME Back in the tunnels, Reece emerges from the waste water, GASPING for breath. Ears RINGING. His world on fire... Reece holds his head. BLOOD coats his hands. His helmet is gone. He spots a helmet floating in the water and grabs it... but there’s a fucking head inside... Donny Mitchell’s... Reece drops it, horrified, then stumbles through the flame, looking for any survivors... But there’s no one left... Until, a LONE FIGURE emerges through the fire... BOOZER. BOOZER (ECHOING/DISTANT) They’re gone, boss! Reece, concussed out of his mind shoves Boozer off of him and keeps searching the charred remains... Reece wobbles. Boozer puts his shoulder under his Commander and starts hauling Reece back towards the boat...
13.
INT. WASHINGTON D.C. WAR ROOM -- DAY A different kind of chaos. Confusion of overlapping orders. ANGLE ON: Sec Def Hartley briefly overwhelmed by the loss, but then buttoning up her emotion. She turns off the tablet and rises, staring daggers at the rumpled CIA LIAISON. SEC DEF HARTLEY Golden ticket?... The analyst wilts, knowing his career’s over. Hartley exits. EXT./INT. GUNBOAT -- NIGHT UNDER FIRE from LOYALISTS on the banks, Boozer HAULS Reece into the rear of the gunboat... Boozer lays Reece against the side of the hold and quickly WRAPS Reece’s head wound... BOOZER Fucking hold on, boss. We’ll get you home-- Chaotic CHATTER bleeds back from the COCKPIT, as the Crewmen communicate with T.O.C. and an AC-130 FLYING IN ABOVE... GUNBOAT CREWMAN (INTO COMMS) SPECTRE FOUR SEVEN, this is FAST TRACK, over. We are a waterborne craft moving north west marked by IR strobes. Target is enemy troops in the open on the shoreline 150 yards south east of our position... BOOZER Let’s go!!! The CREWMEN SLAM the gunboat in gear... getting the fuck out of Dodge... Boozer leaps up to RAISE the REAR DOOR... AC-130 COMMUNICATIONS (OVER COMMS) Good Copy, Fast Track. Be advised, QRF inbound. Rounds away. The RADIO CHATTER becomes a DISTANT ECHO as we go TIGHT ON Reece, eyes glazed, BLOOD covering half his face... The sound FADES until it’s just REECE’S HEARTBEAT... Through the cargo bay door, Reece watches an AC-130 GUNSHIP rain down SHELLS that turn the LOYALISTS on the bank into DUST... Then TWO MV-22 OSPREY fly past overhead, ready to help mop up the mess... Reece’s HEARTBEAT SLOWS... and SLOWS... As Reece finally loses consciousness... CUT TO BLACK. OVER BLACK:
14.
A cheesy TECHNO BEAT, accompanied by Turkish POP VOCALS that crescendo to an English chorus “Be Happy! ...” FADE IN: INT. INCIRLIK AIR BASE (SOUTHERN TURKEY) -- HOSPITAL -- DAY A WALL-MOUNTED TV plays the ever-cheesy EUROVISION SONG CONTEST. Boozer picks at bad HOSPITAL FOOD while watching the god awful reality show. Boozer looks jumpy, like he hasn’t slept in two days. A GROGGY VOICE interrupts. REECE (O.S.) Please turn that shit off. Boozer looks up, relieved to see Reece awake in a hospital bed. His head is wrapped. Cuts bandaged. But he’s alive. BOOZER I’ll take this music all day if it gets you to wake the fuck up. Reece sits up a bit in bed, coming back into his body. REECE How long I been out? BOOZER ‘Bout 12 hours. They say you have a bad concussion. You want the Doc? REECE No. But I’m starving. I’ll take some of that food... If that is food. BOOZER Whatever you need, boss. Boozer turns off the TV and starts for the door. REECE Boozer, where are they treating the rest of the team? Same floor? Boozer stops. He was dreading that question. BOOZER Yeah, boss. No. We’re the only ones. REECE On this floor? BOOZER ...Who made it out.
15.
Reece stares at Boozer, thinking he didn’t hear that right. BOOZER (CONT’D)
Snipers took a direct hit from an RPG. Rest of the platoon was lost in the tunnels. QRF went in, but all they got was body parts and DNA swabs. (then) The fuck happened in there, boss?
Off Reece, trying to remember... SNAP TO: EXT. FRACTURED MEMORIES -- POP FLASH --IN THE WIDE SECTION, Reece sees the SDF Trooper rushing towards the trip-wire, freaked out of his mind... --KA-FUCKING-BOOM... Reece is blown backwards into the murky water... the EXPLOSION roils over him... --AFTERMATH, Reece grabs a helmet floating in the water, only to see Donny Mitchell’s head staring up at him... SNAP TO: INT. HOSPITAL ROOM -- PRESENT REECE They knew we were coming. I should never have taken us in. BOOZER Boozer heads into the hallway, leaving Reece to ponder the magnitude of the loss. 14 of the best soldiers and friends he’s ever known... gone. INT. NCIS OFFICES -- THE NEXT DAY CAMCORDER POV: Reece sits at a FOLDING TABLE in a windowless room. On the wall behind him, a BULLETIN BOARD filled with BOLOs (Be-on-the-Lookouts). But Reece is in his own world; a commander feeling the growing isolation and anger of losing his men. (NOTE: Reece’s head-wrap has been replaced by a bandage. And he’s out of a hospital gown and back in Crye-Pro Camouflage). MAN’S VOICE (O.S.) You ready, Commander? Bullshit. It’s not on you, boss. We’re the battering ram. Someone else found that door... We knocked on the wrong fucking door.
16.
Across the table, sit two plainclothes NCIS AGENTS. AGENT BRIDGER (45, a career desk jockey) and AGENT STUBBS (30, could be Bridger’s bodyguard). There’s a WEB CAMERA and MICROPHONE on the table. Both feed into a LAPTOP. Reece nods, and Agent Bridger begins the debrief. AGENT BRIDGER
This is Special Agent Robert Bridger of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Time is 9:56a.m. October 14th, 2020. I am at Incirlik Air Base with Special Agent Daniel Stubbs to interview Lieutenant Commander James Reece, SEAL Team 7, concerning mission number 644: Odin’s Sword.
Commander Reece, can you tell us when you first heard about this mission? Reece leans into the microphone on the table, unintimidated. REECE Two weeks ago, we received intel that an Iranian Quds Force Chemical
Warfare expert was back in Syria. My Troop has history with the target, so we were tasked with supporting the SDF to apprehend Dr. Kahani and any program related intel. AGENT BRIDGER How well did you know the SDF soldiers involved in the raid? REECE Two of them very well. This was our third operation with the SDF. One of them, a Trooper, was... new. I understand you raised concerns about the intel with Commander Cox? REECE I did... But we had a limited window to grab Kahani. We’d missed him twice before, back when Assad was gassing his own people. Sorry-- (pivots to his own question) Did QRF find any sign of Kahani? I haven’t heard anything.
Bridger makes a note on his notepad. AGENT BRIDGER
17.
AGENT BRIDGER
Negative, Commander. That starts Reece’s blood boiling. But Stubbs stays on task. AGENT STUBBS
Let’s get back to the Op. According to audio logs, you went dark on COMMS roughly four mikes in. Why? REECE We encountered explosives near the access point. Comms down is S.O.P. (switching subjects again) Were there any signs Kahani had even been at the location? AGENT BRIDGER
AGENT STUBBS Can you point to the area on the map where you saw the I.E.D.s?
QRF found a mobile lab.
Stubbs turns the laptop around, showing a diagram of the tunnels. But Reece stays on his own line of questioning. REECE But no physical evidence of Kahani-- AGENT STUBBS Let’s stick with the op, Commander. Where were the I.E.D.s located? And where did the Loyalist forces ambush your men? A beat, and Reece finally does what he’s told. REECE
This was a mousetrap. We don’t need to talk details of the mission. We need to figure out who set us up. AGENT BRIDGER That’s why we’re here, Commander.
Stubbs checks more notes.
AGENT STUBBS Commander, at what point during the operation did you notice that Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Donny Mitchell was physically unwell? REECE Sorry. What?
18.
AGENT STUBBS SO2 Mitchell, the youngest member of your Troop, experienced some sort of “episode” during the operation, shortly before the explosion. When did you notice that Mitchell seemed... off? REECE Donny’s one of my rockstars. He fought like hell. It was the new SDF Trooper who lost it down there.
Bridger and Stubbs share a confused look. AGENT BRIDGER Commander, it was Donny Mitchell. The Audio Logs confirm this. Off Reece... INT. TUNNELS -- POP FLASH The SDF soldier rushes towards the trip-wire SCREAMING...
INT. BASE ARMORY OFFICES -- PRESENT DAY Reece stares down the young NCIS agent. REECE I was there.
Agent Stubbs nods to Bridger. The older agent finds an AUDIO FILE on the laptop and presses PLAY. OVER THE SPEAKERS: REECE’S VOICE (RECORDING) Donny, hold here. We can’t go any deeper!... DONNY’S VOICE (RECORDING) Reece... It’s too fucking loud... Too fucking loud... REECE’S VOICE (RECORDING) Ramirez! Mitchell needs help!-- Stubbs stops the recording. Reece pauses, bewildered. REECE That’s not how it went down. I never said those things-- AGENT STUBBS Maybe this interview is too soon--
19.
REECE I know what went wrong, asshole. That place was packed with explosives and armed loyalists waiting to ambush us. The new SDF panicked. And that’s when everything went to hell. Bridger closes his notebook, clearly concerned. AGENT BRIDGER Commander, we can play you more audio logs. We can even show you GoPro footage recovered off the dog. It all
points to Mitchell triggering the explosives in the tunnels. Now, please, take a moment to review the evidence... then let us know if you’d like to revise your statement.
Bridger nods to Stubbs who plays another audio clip. The FIREFIGHT RAGES. Ramirez tries to calm Donny Mitchell down. DONNY’S VOICE (RECORDING) I’m burning up, Ram... RAMIREZ’S VOICE (RECORDING) Chill the fuck out, Donny... We got you. We got this, brother... Donny, come back-- REECE’S VOICE (RECORDING) Donny, NOOO!!! THE EXPLOSION wipes the recording to STATIC... As Reece listens, trying to understand things he can not remember... CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL -- EXAM ROOM -- DAY A BLAZING LIGHT hovers in front of camera. WIDER: Reece sits on the edge of an exam table, looking shaken, as a MILITARY M.D. (55, Dr. Sladkin, comfortable in his role as an unsung hero) performs a clearance exam. DR. SLADKIN Commander, you’re in remarkable shape all things considered. The Doctor heads to a MEDICINE CABINET.
20.
DR. SLADKIN (CONT’D) You’re cleared to fly. I’m going to recommend a follow up stateside. And these should help with the recovery. He hands Reece a bottle of small GREEN PILLS. REECE What about memory loss, Doc? DR. SLADKIN Sorry? REECE Could the concussion affect my recall of the operation? DR. SLADKIN
That’s possible. When the brain bounces inside the cranial cavity, neurons stretch and tear. Your physical injuries can recover, but neural pathways can take more time. REECE How much time?
Dr. Sladkin heads over to an X-RAY of Reece’s skull and brain hanging on a light board. There’s clear signs of bruising. DR. SLADKIN
Back in Iraq ’06/7/8, the heyday of the I.E.D. we had five x-rays a day that looked like yours. Guys were considered lucky to walk away from an IED hit, but they could suffer long
after. Today, with the Nootropics we’re prescribing, chances at a full recovery are much higher. The Doctor writes a final medical release & instructions. DR. SLADKIN (CONT’D) If I was worried, Commander, I wouldn’t let you fly. Just take it easy. Plenty of rest. And no alcohol. As he hands Reece his medical discharge... CUT TO: INT. INCIRLIK AIRFIELD BAR -- DAY TIGHT ON: two shots of HIGH WEST RYE being poured.
21.
WIDER: Reece and Boozer toast their fallen friends at the airfield’s bar. A utilitarian watering hole sparsely filled with MILITARY and CIVILIANS looking for liquid stress relief. Reece and Boozer are well into ignoring the doctor’s orders. BOOZER This one’s for Kang. Most loyal motherfucker to ever watch your six! They toast and drink... CUT TO: Another round poured. Boozer and Reece pick them up. BOOZER (CONT’D)
You know Cortese flew to Afghanistan for his last re-enlistment. Got his bonus and two months pay tax free for that trip... Took the blood money and three months later gets walked into a fucking trap.
Again, they toast and drink the fallen...
CUT TO: Boozer and Reece just stare at their whiskeys in silence. For an uncomfortably long amount of time. Then: Toast. Drink. CUT TO: Boozer has an arm draped over Reece now. BOOZER (CONT’D)
We’re gonna find Kahani. You and me, boss. And fucking scalp him. Cause that’s what Donny would do. Kid was a straight up warrior. For Donny...
Boozer drinks. But Reece, pauses... INT. TUNNELS -- POP FLASH
The tunnel’s on fire... Reece grabs the helmet from the waste water, turns it over... Donny’s head stares back at him. INT. INCIRLIK AIRFIELD BAR -- PRESENT Reece shakes off the memory.
22.
REECE You remember anything off about Donny day of the op?... Boozer can see his commander’s in pain. BOOZER Don’t worry, boss. Like the doc said, it’ll all come back. REECE Yeah. Right. With some help. (finally does his shot) ‘Nother round! WOMAN’S VOICE (O.S.) You can put that one on my tab.
Reece turns as KATIE BURANEK approaches. She’s 33, small and confident, with a NYTIMES PRESS CREDENTIAL. Katie extends a hand, surprisingly strong and unafraid for a 5’6” civilian. KATIE Commander. Katie Buranek. REECE (eyes the credential) Thanks, but I can buy my own drinks. KATIE Are you familiar with my work? REECE I know who you’re with. KATIE
Then you know my series on the increased workloads of Special Operators in the Middle East. Some of our top read articles in the last three months. People care.
Reece smirks. Not from where he sits. KATIE (CONT’D)
They’ll definitely care about the loss of 14 Navy SEALs. I know I do. I’m sorry for you and your men. Let me buy that next drink as a gesture. REECE You’re buying it ‘cause you want a statement.
23.
KATIE Only if you want to talk. REECE If you know about the Op, you’ve
already heard all the details myself or Boozer will give. KATIE Boozer? Reece looks behind him for backup, but Boozer’s already out the bar door, waving an ‘I’m outta here’ salute. REECE Look, Ms. Buranek, I’m sorry. I might not leak stories, but I still respect what you’re doing over here. Someone has to keep shouting into the void. The drink arrives. Reece slaps cash on the bar -- a little too hard -- then slides the whiskey towards Katie. REECE (CONT’D) A parting gift for your efforts. Reece follows Boozer outside. HOLD ON: Katie, sensing she was close to a story. A BARTENDER tries to take the whiskey back, but Katie stops him. KATIE Don’t even think about it. As Katie takes the glass and downs the High West... INT. C-17 CARGO HOLD -- DAY Reece enters the C-17, stows his backpack, and collapses in a JUMPSEAT near Boozer. Reece drunkenly stares at the 14 FLAG DRAPED CASKETS in the hold. As the door rises... FADE TO: EXT. SYRIA -- FLASHBACK --THE GUNSHIP’s rear door lowers, revealing jet black water skimming beneath us... --IN THE FIREFIGHT, Reece sees the SDF Trooper freaking out and calls the SDF INTERPRETER over... REECE Tell him to calm the fuck down, or I will shoot him... Tell him!
24.
--REECE ON THE RADIO WITH T.O.C. hears screaming and spins... It’s still the SDF TROOPER rushing towards him, panicking... -- KA-BOOM! REECE is blown backwards into the water... --REECE grabs the helmet... Donny’s head looks up at him... SNAP TO: INT. C-17 CARGO HOLD -- DAY Reece wakes, alone, in the searing light of Southern California. An AIRMAN (early 20s) stands over him. AIRMAN Commander Reece. Bravo Platoon is about to start the offload. Reece looks for Boozer. But he’s already deplaned. So Reece grabs his backpack and heads down the ramp to join the arrival ceremony on the tarmac... EXT. CORONADO NAVAL AIR STATION -- TARMAC -- DAY --Reece stands in a ROW OF AIRMEN and SAILORS as SEALS from ONE TROOP’S BRAVO PLATOON solemnly offload the 14 CASKETS. --Reece looks down the rows of YOUNG FACES on the tarmac. Many stare back or WHISPER TO EACH OTHER, no doubt about him. --The last HEARSE DOOR is shut, and the CARAVAN leaves the Tarmac. The ORDERLY ROWS of soldiers start to disperse. LT. PRITCHARD (Bravo Platoon’s leader, 34, dress blue uniform, rugged face) sees Reece preparing to leave. PRITCHARD
I’m sorry, Commander. Group 1 pulled us from theater so we could be the ones to welcome home the fallen. But Bravo Platoon shoulda’ been out there to watch Alpha’s back. REECE No, Pritchard. If you were there, there’d just be more caskets coming off that plane.
Reece spots COMMANDER COX and MASTER CHIEF INBRUCK watching him from across the tarmac. Inbruck gives Reece a nod. But Reece, anger welling, doesn’t return it. He pulls on his GATORZ SUNGLASSES, and shakes Pritchard’s hand.
25.
REECE (CONT’D) Glad you were here to bring them home. PRITCHARD (solemn) Ride or die, sir.
EXT. AIR STATION PARKING LOT -- DAY As the ceremony ends, Reece searches for Boozer. But still no sign. He must have gotten his own ride. Reece pulls out his phone to order an uber when he spots BEN EDWARDS (45, salt & pepper hair, sleeve tattoo, Hawaiian Shirt) approaching. BEN Don’t even think of calling that Uber. I ain’t letting some rando pick you up today. After a beat, they embrace in a bear hug. Oldest of friends. BEN (CONT’D) Come on, brother. Let’s get ya home. Reece takes a last look around for Boozer, then tosses his backpack in the back of Ben’s vintage BRONCO. INT. BEN’S BRONCO -- MOVING -- DAY Cruising through the quiet streets of Coronado, a picturesque suburb that’s home to some of the world’s most highly trained killers. Reece stares out at the WELL-MANICURED LAWNS. TEENS washing cars in driveways. The FLAGS hung at half-mast. BEN Word gets out quick on the island. Families talk, even if WarCom is buttoned up tighter than a frog’s ass. The significance of the flags brings it all back for Reece. BEN (CONT’D) Gonna tell me what went down? REECE I assumed the Agency read you in. BEN No one’s saying shit at the Agency either. Reece is putting on a good game face.
26.
BEN (CONT’D) Come on, brother. Gotta use the friends we still got left. REECE (finally...) It was a hit job. Someone used Kahani to draw us in. And whoever ordered it is going through a lot of trouble to cover their tracks. BEN You got suspects? REECE Iranians most likely. But could be the Russians, even Assad. What do you know about signal manipulation? Changing voices on intercepted audio? BEN What? Like Deep Fakes? REECE (nods) Who has the capability to alter our signals? Change the record of the op to create confusion on our side. BEN That’s a high-level capability. Definitely supports a theory of a state actor. I can look into it. REECE
Good. Cause we gotta close this loop before another platoon walks into a cluster. The Bronco stops in front of a classic SoCal Beach Cottage. BEN Lauren know you’re back? Reece doesn’t reply. He taps the car door, nervously. He was so ready to come home, but now his mind is back on mission. BEN (CONT’D) Hey. She’ll just be happy you made it. Reece finally opens the door...
27.
INT. THE REECE HOUSE -- DAY Reece enters the home we saw in our teaser. It’s furnished in comfortable beach decor with highlights of Reece’s Naval career and Lauren’s athletic career peppered throughout. The walls are lined with FAMILY PHOTOS. Reece coaching Lucy’s soccer team. Lauren running an Ironman. The Reeces camping in Joshua Tree. It all says one thing: family is Reece’s refuge. REECE Laur? Luce?! No answer. Reece checks his RESCO DIVE WATCH. It’s 2pm. They should be here. THE KITCHEN Reece enters and finds mail stacked on the kitchen counter. REECE (CONT’D) Laur?... TIGHT ON: Reece, as his HEART starts POUNDING... His BREATH quickens... But just when it’s starting to feel like that nightmare he had turned real... LAUGHTER pulls Reece out... EXT. THE REECE’S BACKYARD & GARAGE -- DAY Reece exits the back of the cottage and finds Lucy and Lauren climbing on a homemade ‘bouldering’ wall built inside their DETACHED GARAGE. Lauren urges her daughter on. LAUREN You got it, Luce. Reach-- LUCY (seeing Reece) Daddy! Lucy drops into the crash mat and runs into her father’s arms. Reece, overwhelmed with relief, hugs his daughter like he won’t let go. Lauren watches, stunned. LAUREN You’re here?... Reece crosses to Lauren. He wraps her in his arms, repeating her words back to her. REECE You’re here. Off Reece, calming down, grateful that nightmare wasn’t real.
28.
INT. THE REECE HOUSE -- KITCHEN -- NIGHT The mundanity of suburban life reminds Reece he’s home. He dries a dish, puts it away. He sees Lucy’s CRAYON DRAWING stuck on the fridge. We see it for the first time. A child’s perspective on her family. The details remarkably good. Reece’s beard. Lauren’s smile. There’s love in this picture. INT. LUCY’S BEDROOM -- NIGHT Reece enters the room of a girl who dreams of becoming an American Ninja Warrior. The lights are low. A NIGHT LIGHT LANTERN spins, casting colorful images on dimly lit walls. REECE Night, superstar. LUCY What about a song? Lucy points to Reece’s battered ACOUSTIC GUITAR now in her corner. It watches over Lucy when Reece is on tour. REECE It’s late, Luce. Mommy and I need to talk. LUCY Please. Just one. You always sing when you come home. Reece stares at the guitar. But he can’t bring himself to pick it up. Lauren steps in, helping Reece off the hook. LAUREN We waited too long, Lucy. Daddy can play something tomorrow. REECE Yeah. Tomorrow. He kisses Lucy once more on the forehead and exits the room. INT. THE REECE HOUSE -- MASTER BEDROOM -- NIGHT Reece finishes unpacking his gear. He stares at his DRESS BLUES hanging in his closet. His funeral attire. A painful reminder of what awaits him now that he’s back. Lauren enters, ready for bed. She walks up behind Reece and puts her arms around him. He flinches involuntarily.
29.
LAUREN Why didn’t you call? I would have come to pick you up. REECE You know how those transports are. Always “breaking down” in Hawaii so the flight crews get an extra day in paradise. LAUREN They were bringing bodies home, Reece. I doubt that was an option. (then) Are we going to talk about it?
But Reece clearly isn’t ready.
LAUREN (CONT’D) All I know is you got a concussion and you’re supposed to rest. That you were lucky to-- REECE Let’s not use that word... please? Lauren’s touched a nerve. She looks Reece in the eye, trying to get more out of him, but Reece deflects. REECE (CONT’D) How are the families holding up? LAUREN
Command wants to have funerals next week. I’ve spoken with Sandy, Kim, and Rachel. Donny Mitchell’s mother even called. No one’s telling them anything about what happened. REECE I’m going into WarCom first thing tomorrow. Straight to the Admiral. I’ll get answers.
She senses the edge in Reece’s voice. LAUREN How bad is it, babe? REECE I’m just glad to be home.
They embrace. Lauren kisses him. And Reece finally relaxes. But the moment’s interrupted by his CELLPHONE BUZZING.
30.
LAUREN Don’t answer it. Reece recognizes the number. REECE It’s the Team. LAUREN You just got back. But he has to answer. Reece breaks the embrace and picks up. REECE (INTO PHONE) This is Reece... (beat, he listens) Wait. What?-- Lauren reads the concern on Reece’s face. REECE (CONT’D) Yeah. No, sir. That’s not possible... I’ll be right there. Reece hangs up, immediately grabs his keys and wallet. REECE (CONT’D) I gotta go. It’s Boozer-- LAUREN What happened?... REECE I don’t know. I’ll call you. Lauren watches Reece disappear out the front door... EXT. IMPERIAL BEACH CONDO COMPLEX -- NIGHT Reece’s ‘88 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER skids to a stop outside a row of CARBON COPY CONDOS. Reece exits his truck as a CORONER’S VAN speeds past. JAG CAPTAIN TREVOR HOWARD (45, looks like he hasn’t slept in a week) paces, on a phone call. He sees Reece approaching and covers the phone. CAPTAIN HOWARD
Commander, the Coroner just took the body. We’re standing by for an interview. Should be half an hour.
But Reece isn’t waiting. He beelines past Howard, towards A YOUNG COP standing outside Boozer’s front door. Usually, this is the boring part of a crime scene detail, until a pissed off NAVY SEAL comes your way.
31.
YOUNG COP Sir, this is a potential crime sc-- The cop gets out half a warning. Reece YANKS the cop’s outstretched arm forward, and uses the kid’s momentum to pull him into an ARM BAR that drops the cop in a HEAP OF PAIN. INT. BOOZER’S CONDO -- CONTINUOUS Reece ducks crime scene tape and enters Boozer’s bachelor pad, a shrine to fly fishing and hunting. It’s surprisingly clean. And aside from the TWO DETECTIVES dusting for prints in the living room, nothing seems out of sorts downstairs... HOMICIDE DETECTIVE (noticing Reece) Hey! You can’t be in here-- Reece ignores them and mounts the stairs... He reaches... BOOZER’S BEDROOM And stops cold. REVERSE TO: DRIED BLOOD SPLATTER on the wall... DRIED BLOOD crusts the pillows... You can still see Sir, you assaulted an officer. Let me see your hands... REVEAL: The Homicide Detective stands behind Reece, one hand on the weapon in his holster. Captain Howard arrives in the room, trying to talk Reece down. CAPTAIN HOWARD Reece-- REECE the impression left by a body in the bed... Reece stands there, trying to understand. HOMICIDE DETECTIVE (O.S.) (CONT’D)
I was with this man today. He was fine. There’s no way he would have shot himself. HOMICIDE DETECTIVE What do you mean today? CAPTAIN HOWARD This is the Commanding Officer you called for--
32.
REECE I’m Lieutenant Commander James Reece. I flew back from Turkey with Petty Officer Vickers. We arrived this afternoon. He was fine.
The Homicide Detective reaches Reece, pulling his hands behind him, slapping on a cuff to make sure he’s subdued. HOMICIDE DETECTIVE
Sir, I can see you’re upset, but this man shot himself two days ago. Neighbors just found the body...
The Detective’s voice FADES into the distance. Reece’s HEARTBEAT and BREATH are pulled to the fore. As the second handcuff goes on and gets tightened... we PRE-LAP: THE SOUND OF ROARING SURF AND A CRASHING WAVE...
CUT TO:
EXT. SEAL TEAM AMPHIBIOUS BASE -- DAY WAVES CRASH on the shores of Coronado island. TWO TEAMS of battered, wet, and exhausted young SEAL CANDIDATES hump RAFTS along the beach. “Hell week” is in full swing. More ”BOAT CREWS” of 6 CANDIDATES do sit-ups while holding an 8-foot 500-pound LOG as an INSTRUCTOR SCREAMS at them through a megaphone. We PULL BACK TO FIND... EXT. SAND BERMS -- DAY REECE watches from afar. He looks EXHAUSTED and EMOTIONALLY SPENT. But he’s focused on the TRAINEES, because while Hell Week may look like the ultimate in negative reinforcement, to someone who’s been there, it’s the quintessential expression of teamwork. And it only makes Reece miss his men more. JAG CAPTAIN HOWARD walks into frame next to Reece. CAPTAIN HOWARD Admiral’s ready for us. Reece rises, brushing the sand off his Garrison Camo Uniform, composing himself. Howard notices Reece doesn’t have a hat. CAPTAIN HOWARD (CONT’D) Where’s your cover? REECE I couldn’t find it this morning.
33.
Howard isn’t pleased. But he looks past the mistake. CAPTAIN HOWARD We’re going to pretend like the arrest last night didn’t happen. My JAGs took care of the charges, so stick to your concerns about the operational intelligence. Okay? REECE That’s why I’m here, Captain. Howard and Reece head for the WARCOM building... INT. WARCOM -- PILLAR’S OFFICE -- DAY Reece and Captain Howard wait in an office with large windows that overlook the base and the ocean beyond it. ADMIRAL PILLAR enters. The slight Naval man carries far more authority when he’s the only top brass in a room. Reece stands at attention. Pillar offers a paternal hand shake. ADMIRAL PILLAR I’m sorry for your losses-- (corrects himself)
For our losses, Commander. And I’m sorry to pull you away from Lauren and Lucy during a difficult time. REECE Thank you, sir. They understand. ADMIRAL PILLAR (grabs his operation file) Take a seat. I’ve debriefed
Commander Cox, but I still can’t make any damn sense of this mess. Reece starts in. Practiced, if not a bit manic. REECE
Sir, I believe this was a targeted attack on Alpha Platoon. My troop destroyed Kahani’s lab outside of Douma in 2018, killing four of his Quds Force commanders in the raid. Someone - likely Kahani himself - planted false intel to draw us in. ADMIRAL PILLAR Son, that’s the part we all agree on. SDF was a soft mark and we took the bait. (MORE)
34.
What I want to know is what the hell happened on the op itself? REECE Sir? ADMIRAL PILLAR You are the only eye witness. But nothing in this file adds up. REECE It was a trap, sir. We had armed loyalists in front of us, I.E.D.s behind us. ADMIRAL PILLAR But you took a compromised operator into that battle. Why? S02 Mitchell didn’t show any symptoms beforehand? It’s a commander’s job to know his men-- REECE Sir, that file makes sense if you believe someone manipulated the intel and the chain of evidence. ADMIRAL PILLAR And that’s what you believe? (checks the file) That an SDF Trooper panicked and set off the I.E.D. Not SO2 Mitchell as the audio logs show? ADMIRAL PILLAR (CONT'D)
Off Reece, challenged... EXT. SYRIA -- FLASHBACK -- REVERSE ORDER --IN THE FIREFIGHT, Reece sees the SDF Trooper freaking out and calls the SDF INTERPRETER over... REECE Tell him to calm the fuck down, or I will shoot him... Tell him! --IN THE WIDE SECTION, Reece hears screaming and spins... It’s still the SDF Trooper rushing towards him, panicking... hitting the trip wire... KA-BOOM! -- REECE is blown backwards into the water... SNAP TO: INT. ADMIRAL'S OFFICES -- PRESENT DAY Reece comes out of the memories, hardening in his belief.
35.
REECE Sir, I stand by my statement. We cannot continue ops in that theater until we know who set us up. Pillar considers Reece for a long beat, then sits back. ADMIRAL PILLAR Tell me about this arrest at Petty Officer Vicker’s last night. Reece shoots a look to Captain Howard, who gestures as if to say ‘he didn’t hear it from me.’ ADMIRAL PILLAR (CONT’D) The head of Warcom always stays SEALs, the police confirm no foul play was involved. But my concern is that you told the Homicide Detectives you questioned the timeline of Vicker’s death? A death confirmed by the County Coroner. Reece takes a breath. Not the way he wanted this to go. REECE friends with the local Police Chiefs. If something happens to one of our
Sir, I sustained a concussion on the op. I’m dealing with some... repercussions. I’m taking meds. ADMIRAL PILLAR Well, isn’t it possible these “repercussions” affected your memory of the operation itself? REECE You don’t forget that kind of op, sir. Reece, I admire your commitment. I really do. Working your way up from an enlisted sniper to a Troop Commander is no small feat. And at 40, you’re still the tip of the spear when most SEALs are getting fat off the private sector. SOCOM and CIA will chase down the intel failure. But you need to get yourself right. (MORE)
Beat. Pillar can see that Reece is telling the truth. The Admiral closes the file and crosses to the front of his desk. ADMIRAL PILLAR
36.
ADMIRAL PILLAR (CONT'D)
Because something still doesn’t add up here, and I got families asking questions. The Admiral hands Reece a BUSINESS CARD off his desk. ADMIRAL PILLAR (CONT’D) the Team. Go see him. He can help determine if it’s a concussion... or something else. Lord knows, losing 15 men plays games with a Commander’s head. We’re the ones who have to live with the guilt, healthy or not. Reece rises. Pillar’s comments have clearly landed. EXT. SEAL TEAM AMPHIBIOUS BASE -- DAY Captain Howard walks Reece back to his Land Cruiser. CAPTAIN HOWARD There’s a doctor up in Torrey Pines. A neurologist who volunteers time for Defense herself is flying out to honor the fallen. I’m sure the families will appreciate it. But Reece’s mind is back on something the Admiral said. REECE Was it confirmed, Captain? CAPTAIN HOWARD What? The medals? REECE Boozer’s death. Admiral said he asked the police to confirm there’s no foul play. Howard pauses. Reece is in operational mode. Howard does his best to allay Reece’s concern. CAPTAIN HOWARD After your questions about the timing, we double checked the flight logs. The funerals have been set for next week. Good news is we’ve confirmed every SEAL in the platoon will receive a posthumous Silver Star with Vickers earning the Navy Cross for bringing you home. The Secretary of
(MORE)
37.
CAPTAIN HOWARD (CONT'D)
Petty Officer Vickers arrived home three days ago and turned his Glock on himself that same night. REECE He used the team pistol? CAPTAIN HOWARD Well, his own Glock. But yes, it was a confirmed suicide via 9 millimeter. (beat)
You sure you’re ready for the week ahead, Commander? We could invent a reason for you to be absent. Reece snaps out of it. No way he’s missing those funerals. REECE Sir, I’ll be there. (re: his missing hat) And I’ll have my cover. CAPTAIN HOWARD Good. Appearances will be important for those families. As Captain Howard returns to the Admin offices, Reece looks down at the business card in his hand. ANGLE ON: DR. PETER O’HALLORAN THE ENGRAM CLINIC -- DEEP NEUROLOGY TORREY PINES Reece unconsciously rubs the scar on his head, suddenly feeling every bit his age. He gets into... HIS LAND CRUISER Reece UNLOCKS the glove box and stuffs the Engram card inside. That’s when Reece notices his own GLOCK 9 MIL staring back at him. Off Reece, mind turning... EXT. CORONADO MARINA -- SUNSET TIGHT ON: an OSPREY circles the grey skies, then dives to catch a fish. FIND: Reece watching the bird from the back of Ben’s 36 foot Bowman sailboat. Up on deck, Ben furls the main sail. BEN
They say the early bird catches the worm, but on the water, birds eat anytime they damn well please.
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