FLASHBACK
The
Ouija board from the opening scene, spelling out BANG.
INT.
BEDROOM-DAY
Tom’s
phone is ringing. Tom has been put to bed with all his clothes on,
and there’s oil, blood and dust all over the sheets. He recognises
the Dr Dre theme and jolts, disorientated. He takes his suit off
quickly and kicks it to the other side of the room, disgusted in what
he has done while wearing it. He winces- the bruise from the bullet
on his chest is still bad. Tom hesitantly picks the phone up.
DEVANT
Mr.
Aaronson?
In
shock, Tom throws the phone away, like he’s just noticed he’s
holding a poisonous spider. After a second he calms down and picks up
the phone again.
TOM
You’ve
got some fucking explaining to do pal. What the fuck.
DEVANT
I
would drop that tone of voice if you want to improve this situation.
FLASHBACK:
Tom at the computer shop, pushing the paper pile over, as seen in
opening scene.
Tom
clears his throat.
DEVANT
Tom,
put ITV on for a second.
TOM
Yeah.
DEVANT
Now
tune to the right.
Tom
does. Another channel appears, hazy and with low sound.
DEVANT
One of
many pirate channels newly available.
The
screen is split in half. On the left it says '1996', and shows the
demolition left by the IRA bomb. Market St. / Cross St. look like a
war zone. On the right, a succession of images showing the
devastation of the bombs Tom left is displayed under the heading
“Present day”.
DEVANT
What a
coincidence.
TOM
No, it’s not.
DEVANT
Correct.
Yes, I work for the government. And in some respects, so do you. I
was appointed in nineteen-ninety. I knew we needed to turn the
Manchester around. Financially speaking it was performing badly
against other UK cities. The mayor at the time was keen to take
businesses out of London and into Manchester. So I had to take
somewhat drastic measures. I set up an auction, Tom. I allowed
various international terrorist factions to bid for the ability to
claim responsibility for a terrorist attack. At the time, the IRA was
doing very well. They could afford it, I orchestrated it, and since
then Manchester has shone. How do you think you got to host the
Commonwealth Games? You told me you were proud of the city, Tom. Now
you know why. Manchester's profile has been raised nationally, that
is. But internationally we have a very bad name. Now. I'd like to ask
you about some of the places you delivered packages to. What do we do
at the Job Centre, Tom?
Tom is
still stunned from the barrage of information.
TOM
Uh…
find jobs.
DEVANT
If
you’re lucky. What else can you do? Something you’ve already
done.
TOM
Sign
on. And do not fucking patronise me.
DEVANT
You
weren’t signed on for long, Tom. You kept yourself in work, even if
you did lose that temper of yours and end up back at square one. But
not everyone is as persistent as you. There won’t be a dole queue
from now on, I think you’ll be glad to hear. Now people have a
choice: take the job or go to jail.
TOM
You’re
gonna have pretty overcrowded jails, mate, with the mentality of
people in this country.
DEVANT
I
doubt that. Keep watching.
The
pirate channel shows footage of men in chemical suits, lined up
outside a building with a high brick wall. As men in protective wear
walk out carrying bodies, scorched and covered in some kind of dust,
more chemical-suited men walk in.
DEVANT
How
often did you see Dave and Tony in bar staff uniform, Tom? Virtually
never? You are not alone in this, Tom. I wouldn’t throw you in the
deep end and let you sink. They did this one.
The
pirate channel shows the footage of the nail bomb incident at the GUM
clinic.
DEVANT
(Cont.)
I
believe you saw the fruits of your labour there. The young have
always had a responsibility to look after the old. Now the elderly
population is increasing, Tom. And when I join it I want people to be
able to look after me. How can I have that if the next generation-
teenagers and twenty-somethings now- all become infertile through
chlamydia? There’ll be even less people to look after them when
they get to eighty, ninety, or older. I know a lot of people share my
reservations. Britain has the most prudish attitude towards sex out
of every country in the developed world, according to a recent
survey. It also has the highest rates of STIs in Europe. And all the
newspaper articles in the world won’t change it. Now you’ve drawn
the required amount of attention to it, the education minister is
rewriting the National Curriculum as we speak. The NHS is being
simplified. The police will have more power. Common sense will
prevail over political correctness.
TOM
You
just made me kill two hundred people, for fuck’s sake. Don’t talk
to me about common sense-
DEVANT
(overlapping)
Tom.
Tom. Look at the TV.
The
footage shows a gutted, scorched fast food restaurant, where it seems
a raging inferno consumed everyone inside. Bits of clothing and human
fat are melted into the blackened, twisted furniture.
FLASHBACK
FRAME
Tom’s
dream of the bomb going off in the restaurant.
TOM
gasps. We can tell it’s definitely the same restaurant.
DEVANT
In the
time this restaurant was burning there was another, much bigger fire
in Brazil. They cut down the trees, burn the soil to fertilise it,
and replant grazing grass. And it’s that fire that allows
restaurants like this to exist in the first place.
TOM
And
the censor’s office in Wilmslow? I suppose you’ve got some
explanation for that, you sick fuck. Who the fuck is that guy?
DEVANT
That…
I am not at liberty to discuss at the present time although when I
am, I guarantee you will be fully informed.
TOM
(sarcastic)
Oh!
Well, that makes everything alright, doesn’t it? That’s a big
weight off my mind, Devant. That registry office had two full fucking
families in it! What does that achieve?
DEVANT
Well,
seeing as you asked, we want to start a variety of national political
debates. Two in five marriages end in divorce. There were three
thousand sham marriages last year. In a country of sixty million.
That’s a big figure.
TOM
There’s
fifty million in the UK.
DEVANT
No,
Tom. There’s sixty. One in four children today will see their
parents split up just like you did. We now have the highest divorce
rate in Europe. Britain is becoming an international laughing stock.
It’s the Prime Minister’s intention to turn around the attitudes
and issues that are preventing development in these areas. They
needed to be drawn to the forefront. So I was called in again. He
needed to drum up support from his colleagues and associates. I’m
very confident that people will be keen to help him make the
necessary changes. And you, Tom… You’re the gentleman who made it
happen.
TOM
(Sarcastic)
I’m
honoured. What the hell do I do now? Other than wait for my
inevitable court appearance where, by the way, I’ll be doing a big
song and dance about you.
DEVANT
You
can rest assured that none of that will happen. Tom. We look after
our own. This situation will be under control by tonight, but first I
have to clear up some issues regarding your associate Yanyan.
FLASHBACK
Yanyan,
terrified when Tom first approached her. It looks as if Devant’s
words have just shocked her again.
TOM
(sickened, terrified)
What
have you done with her? She worked for you, didn’t she? I fucking
knew it. She risked her life for you. You prick. All she did was sell
DVDs. What the fuck are you going to do to me?
DEVANT
Relax.
How can we justify spending the national budget on developing
ammonium nitrate, Tom? The money has to come from somewhere. That’s
what she does. She’s discreet and effective, just like hundreds of
other workers. And she makes a living. The money then goes into
science labs, like the one you saw at the warehouse. Energy drinks
are refined to extract their trace of ammonium nitrate; this is
concentrated, then stored in whatever we can send to a target. Now,
with regards to Yanyan. I’ve just taken her off the street while I
rectify your situation. Sit tight and I will be in touch.
The line
cuts off.
His
phone rings again. It's Yanyan.
TOM
Hello-
YANYAN
Tom come
find me please Tom-
She
switches to Mandarin, screaming in panic.
TOM
Yanyan?
What's happening?
Yanyan
screams and the call ends abruptly.
