FLIGHTPLAN


                                  by

                             Peter Dowling



                               Revisions

                                  By

                              Larry Cohen
                              Terry Hayes



                           Current Revisions

                                  By

                               Billy Ray










                                                   First Polish
                                                   April 30, 2004
















        FADE IN:

        ...on KYLE SHERIN - who sits, numb...

        INT. SUBWAY - CHARLOTTENBURG STATION - NIGHT

        She's 35, pretty in a glamourless way. If you'd met her six
        days ago you would have found her bright, focused, together.

        But that was then. Tonight she sits on a bench in a DESERTED
        SUBWAY STATION, with a thousand-mile stare in her eyes. In
        the distance we hear an approaching SUBWAY TRAIN.

        The train grows louder, pulling towards this platform now,
        screeching noisily. Then it stops. A PRE-RECORDED voice
        tells us, in German, that this is Charlottenburg.

        The train sits... But Kyle doesn't rise, doesn't react at
        all. Staring, until:

                            DAVID (O.S.)
                  Honey?

        She turns. DAVID SHERIN stands a foot away. He's forty,
        handsome, kind. Her husband. She smiles, comforted.

                            KYLE
                  Oh.

        He extends a hand to her, leads her to the train. She's
        carrying an umbrella. They board, the train's only
        passengers. Must be late night.

        The doors shut. The train pulls away. We FOLLOW IT into
        darkness... as we BEGIN INTERCUT:

        INTERCUT WITH/INT. BERLIN MORTUARY - EVENING (FLASHBACK)

        We're over Kyle's shoulder as she enters the Viewing Room of
        a MORTUARY. A grim-looking MORTUARY DIRECTOR awaits.

        Beside the Mortuary Director is an open casket. We don't see
        yet who's inside. Kyle stands stiffly, eyeing that CASKET
        from across the room, her face a mixture of pain and dread.

        In her hand is that same umbrella.

                             MORTUARY DIRECTOR
                   Frau Sherin?

        INTERCUT WITH/INT. SAVIGNYPLATZ STATION - NIGHT

        Doors HISS shut. The train pulls away, leaving David and Kyle
        in this otherwise empty station.

        It's subterranean, vast. Looks like an Escher etching. David
        and Kyle climb stairs, disappearing from view. We hear their
        footsteps trail off. CONTINUE INTERCUT:

        INT. MORTUARY - EVENING - (RESUMING FLASHBACK)

        Kyle stands with that Mortuary Director - and the casket.

                             MORTUARY DIRECTOR
                      (in German)
                  Would you like a moment of privacy...
                  before the casket is sealed?

        That threw her. But she thinks she's supposed to say yes, so:

                             KYLE
                  Okay.

        Mortuary Director nods, backing out, which leaves Kyle alone
        in here with the still-unseen body. CONTINUE INTERCUT:

        EXT. STREET - CHARLOTTENBURG, BERLIN - NIGHT

        Kyle's head rests on David's shoulder as they walk. It's a
        cold night; steam fogs their breath. The 20's-style buildings
        around us glimmer with frost and ice. CONTINUE INTERCUT:

        INT. MORTUARY - EVENING - (RESUMING FLASHBACK)

        Kyle eyes her shoetops, the curtains... anything except
        what's inside that casket... until it's all just too much.

        She hurries to the door. CONTINUE INTERCUT:

        EXT. STREET - CHARLOTTENBURG - NIGHT

        Kyle and David's walk comes to an end at this APARTMENT
        BUILDING in Charlottenburg. David reaches for the door.

        But Kyle pauses, eyeing something:

        A row of large PLANTER POTS have been cemented into this
        street, to keep drivers from speeding. The pots are full of
        soil, with bare frozen trees rising from them.

        But one of the pots has been badly damaged. Chunks of it are
        missing, much of its soil too - as if something had smashed
        into it at high speed.

        Kyle eyes it. Then she glances up to this building's ROOFTOP,
        six stories above us. Quite a drop. CONTINUE INTERCUT:

        INT. MORTUARY - EVENING - (RESUMING FLASHBACK)

        Kyle opens the door. The Mortuary Director stands here.

                             KYLE
                  Danke.

        Mortuary Director takes that to mean "I've said my goodbyes,
        thank you for the privacy." He nods. CONTINUE INTERCUT:

        INT. KYLE'S APT. BUILDING - LOBBY - NIGHT

        It's an old building, no elevator. David heads up the stairs.

                             KYLE
                  David?

        David turns. Kyle's at the door.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Could we just... sit in the courtyard
                  for a minute? Just a minute.

        David smiles warmly. Kyle seems so vulnerable tonight -
        denying her would be impossible.

                             DAVID
                  Sure.

        INT. MORTUARY - EVENING - (RESUMING FLASHBACK)

        Mortuary Director stands beside the open casket.

                             MORTUARY DIRECTOR (IN GERMAN)
                  You need to enter your code now.

                             KYLE (IN GERMAN)
                  Is that really necessary?

                             MORTUARY DIRECTOR (IN GERMAN)
                  I'm afraid so. International Law
                  forbids the repatriation of an
                  unsecured casket.

        EXT. APARTMENT - COURTYARD - NIGHT

        Kyle and David step out to a COURTYARD which is surrounded on
        all sides by the six stories of this rectangular building.

        A bench sits out here. Behind it is a bare tree, home to a
        few blackbirds. David brushes some snow off the bench.

        Kyle's about to sit when a SOUND jars her: those BLACKBIRDS,
        flying noisily away. She watches them as they go...

        INT. MORTUARY - EVENING (RESUMING FLASHBACK)

        Kyle stands, immobile, as the Mortuary Director closes the
        casket, and we get our first glimpse of who's inside:

        ...a 40 year-old man. David. His face heavily made-up.

                             MORTUARY DIRECTOR (IN GERMAN)
                  We did all we could. But there was
                  some trauma, to the head.

        Kyle tightens... The casket SHUTS... and David is gone.

        EXT. APARTMENT - COURTYARD - NIGHT

        Kyle stands, very much alone, that same umbrella in her hand.
        No company. No David. A single set of footprints in the snow
        lead to this bench.

        Her eyes begin to moisten, but it might be from the stinging
        cold - hard to say. She shuts them. CONTINUE INTERCUT:

        INT. MORTUARY - EVENING - (RESUMING FLASHBACK)

        There's an ELECTRONIC LOCK on the now-closed CASKET, awaiting
        input from her. It's blinking green.

                             MORTUARY DIRECTOR
                  Your code, bitte.

        Kyle shakes her head, making herself function... enters six
        digits into the electronic lock... until the lock blinks red.
        END INTERCUT.

        INT. KYLE'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

        Darkness, pierced by a single lamp. We see MOVING BOXES, lots
        of them, in rows on a Living Room floor. High ceilings, large
        radiators beneath the windows, hardwood underfoot.

        ...and ten huge FLORAL ARRANGEMENTS, relegated to a corner.
        And an answering machine with "27 Messages" on it.

        INT. KYLE'S APT. ENTRY/FRONT DOOR - SAME (NIGHT)

        A woman lingers by the front door, tears in her eyes. She is
        KAROLINA - 50, Polish, a nanny.

        Kyle is a few feet away. The feeling couldn't be more somber.

                             KYLE
                  It's not impossible, Karolina. I've
                  already made a few calls.

                             KAROLINA
                  Thank you.

                             KYLE
                  There are working Visas. The State
                  Department issues them.

        Karolina tries to smile, but she clearly believes that this
        is the last time she'll ever see Kyle again.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  She's so attached to you.

        Karolina sniffs back a tear.

                             KAROLINA
                  I am... I'm so sorry. I...

                             KYLE
                  I can reach you at your brother's,
                  right?

        Karolina nods. The moment hangs. She steps out.

                             KAROLINA
                  Please. Try to sleep tonight.

        Their eyes lock. Kyle smiles thinly. Karolina goes. Kyle
        pauses a moment, then shuts the door.

        INT. KYLE'S APARTMENT - DEN - LATER NIGHT

        This was an office just a few days ago. A desk is strewn with
        files, notepads, books - all of it regarding Rudyard Kipling.

        Five boxes marked "David's Research" wait. But they're empty.

        Kyle sits on the floor, her back against a bare wall...
        wearing that thousand-mile stare again. Just can't move.

                             JULIA (O.S.)
                  Mommy?

        That was the voice of a little girl. Kyle doesn't react.

                             JULIA (O.S., CONT'D)
                  Mommy?

        Now Kyle turns, as if awakening from a dream.

        JULIA, 4, stands in the doorway, wearing pajamas. In her hand
        is a one-armed chenille teddy-bear named Harry.

                             JULIA (CONT'D)
                  Everything's in boxes.

        Kyle tries to smile, but the effort is obvious.

                             JULIA (CONT'D)
                  Is Daddy in one of them?

        That cut right through Kyle.

                             KYLE
                  No, sweetheart...

        INT. KYLE'S APARTMENT - JULIA'S BEDROOM - LATER NIGHT

        Kyle, still dressed, lies beside Julia as the child sleeps.

        A carousel-nightlight throws moving reflections across the
        walls: horses and cows and cherubs, chasing one another
        against pale blue wallpaper. Kyle, wide awake, eyes them.

        More MOVING BOXES in here. Everything has been packed except
        an outfit for tomorrow: (jacket, tights, boots, etc.)

        The curtains are open. Kyle rises, careful not to awaken
        Julia, and crosses to them. She reaches for the curtains,
        then notices something, through the window:

        TWO MEN, visible across this building's courtyard. They seem
        to be looking from their third story window into this one.

        They're Middle-Eastern. Persian. Maybe Turkish - but staring
        right at us. Kyle shuts the curtains.

        A beat. She turns to go, then turns back - just has to look
        through those curtains again. She peeks out.

        Shutters have now been drawn where the Persian-looking men
        were standing only seconds ago. Odd...

        INT. KYLE'S APARTMENT - MASTER BATHROOM - CONTINUING

        Kyle turns on a light, and crosses to a tiny make-up bag on
        the counter. She opens it, and pulls out a bottle of
        PRESCRIPTION PILLS. Klonepin. For anxiety.

        She swallows two and leaves without looking in the mirror...

        INT. KYLE'S APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - NEXT DAY - (3 P.M.)

        The apartment's empty. Sheets cover pieces of furniture.
        Those floral arrangements remain unclaimed on the floor. We
        hear the sounds of a WINTER STORM outside. Whipping wind.

        INT. JULIA'S ROOM - SAME

        Stripped bed, bare dressed, nothing else. The boxes are gone.

        INT. DAVID'S OFFICE - SAME

        "David's Research" remains unpacked, the boxes empty. Through
        the window we now see the WINTER STORM raging out there.

        INT. KYLE'S APARTMENT BUILDING - STAIRS - SAME (3 P.M.)

        Kyle, bundled for weather, trudges down stairs carrying THREE
        HUGE SUITCASES, heavy as hell. Her eyes are red from lack of
        sleep; her head feels foggy.

        Behind her we hear a sound: THUMP, THUMP, THUMP - its source
        unknown to us. Kyle continues on, almost sleepwalking.

        INT. KYLE'S APT. BLDG. - SECOND FLOOR LANDING - CONTINUING

        She hits a TIMER SWITCH on a hallway light. It brightens.
        Again we hear the THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. Kyle turns.

        ...as Julia rounds a corner, half a flight of steps above
        Kyle, emerging from shadow. Julia is carrying her BACKPACK,
        which is hitting each step. Hence the thump, thump, thump.

                             KYLE
                  Doin' okay, Jules?

        Julia mumbles an "uh-huh."

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Almost there, Sweetheart.

        INT. KYLE'S APARTMENT BUILDING - LOBBY - MOMENTS LATER

        At last, they're down the steps. Kyle releases the suitcases;
        feeling her arms relax. Julia reaches the last step and drops
        her pack, sighing exaggeratedly. Kyle finds that pretty cute.

        Kyle turns, heads for the door, but:

                             JULIA
                  Mommy?

        Kyle looks back, and realizes that Julia isn't following. The
        kid has frozen in her tracks, right by the stairs.

                             JULIA (CONT'D)
                  I don't wanna go out there.

        We can't tell what's scaring Julia so. Through lobby doors we
        see that huge SNOWSTORM. And a waiting car. And a DRIVER.

        And that badly-damaged PLANTER POT. Kyle's eyes soften.

                             KYLE
                  It's okay, Honey. I promise.

                             JULIA
                  I don't wanna go out there. I'm
                  scared.

        Kyle pauses, eyeing her little girl...

                             KYLE
                  What if I hid you? Would that be
                  okay?
                      (Julia doesn't understand)
                  On my shoulder, under my coat...

                             JULIA
                  The whole way?

                             KYLE
                  Whole way.

        Julia thinks about it... then nods.

        EXT. KYLE'S STREET - HIGH ANGLE - CONTINUING

        We are across the street, at rooftop height, as Kyle carries
        Julia, hidden under that overcoat, to the car. The buildings
        on this block surround them like walls in a room.

        INT. THE CAR - CONTINUING

        Kyle straps Julia into a CARSEAT. Behind them, their Driver
        shuts the trunk.

                             KYLE
                  Hey, look what I brought.

        Kyle pulls two GROOVY GIRL DOLLS from her bag.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  They're your favorite ones, right?

                             JULIA
                  They're okay.

        Kyle shrugs, humbled. The Driver starts the car; it pulls
        away. Kyle's head turns as that cracked PLANTER POT passes
        by, almost close enough to touch.

                                                     FADE TO BLACK

        ...and come back in on a HIGH-ANGLE of the Berlin Airport.

        EXT. BERLIN AIRPORT - HIGH ANGLE - ESTABLISHING

        Dense clouds, heavy snow... and not a single flight taking
        off or landing. From up here the stillness almost makes the
        airport look like a photograph.

        INT. BERLIN AIRPORT - TERMINAL - 4 P.M.

        We're tight on a HUGE BOARD listing DEPARTURES and ARRIVALS.
        Every listed flight has been delayed or cancelled.

        Kyle stares at the board. Her PAN-WORLD flight to JFK has
        been pushed until 7 p.m. That worries her.

        Around her we see frazzled travellers, long lines, swelling
        counters - and all of it watched over by SOLDIERS, armed and
        grim. Welcome to Post 9/11 travel.

        A LADY passes by, carrying a LEASH. At the other end of the
        leash is not a dog but her two CHILDREN. That gets Kyle's
        attention. She turns, to point it out to Julia...

        ...But Julia's not beside her.

                             KYLE
                  Julia?

        Kyle swivels quickly, eyes darting. She sees strangers,
        couples, foreigners, adults. But nobody kid-sized. Travellers
        pass by her, obscuring her view. A small panic flutters
        through her... She turns again:

        There's Julia, over by a MAGAZINE/SUNDRIES STAND, staring at
        a rack of candy, holding Harry the one-armed teddy-bear.

        Kyle lets out a sigh, surprised by how panicked she'd felt.

        INT. BERLIN TERMINAL - MAGAZINE STAND - CONTINUING

        Kyle hurries over, pushing the "Smart-Cart" bearing her three
        huge suitcases.

                             KYLE
                      (firmly)
                  Julia.

        Julia turns, recognizing the "mad" tone in Kyle's voice.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  What'd I tell you about wandering
                  away from me in a public place?

                             JULIA
                  I was hungry.

                             KYLE
                  Doesn't matter. You scared me to de--
                      (stops herself)
                  You got me really worried.

                             JULIA
                  Sorry, mom.

        She meant it. Kyle softens.

                             KYLE
                  It's okay. What kinda snack do you
                  want?

        INT. AIRPORT - BAGGAGE HANDLING - 5 P.M.

        Darkness. A rattling sound. Then we emerge into light.

        ...as Kyle's THREE SUITCASES come off a conveyor belt. A
        TURKISH BAGGAGE WORKER puts them on another belt, heading for
        an X-RAY MACHINE. (Every piece passes through it.)

        More soldiers patrol down here. Bomb-sniffing DOGS too.

        INT. TERMINAL - APPROACHING METAL DETECTOR - 5 P.M.

        Kyle stands, bleary-eyed, in a line approaching a METAL
        DETECTOR. Beside her, Julia eats a muesli bar and sips some
        juice, her BACKPACK on her back.

        The chatter around them is about cancelled flights, airport
        closures, weather. And security, of course. Kyle's eyes
        close, for just a second. She shakes herself awake again.

        Above is another DEPARTURES/ARRIVALS board: Pan World 83 to
        JFK just got pushed again. 7:30 p.m. Shit.

        They reach the front of the line.

        INT. TERMINAL - AT THE METAL DETECTOR - CONTINUING

        Julia's got that backpack. Kyle has a soft-sided computer
        bag, and their bag of snacks from that sundries stand.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Put your bag on the belt, Honey.
                      (Julia hesitates)
                  Don't worry. It'll come out the other
                  side. Mommy's bag goes through too.

        Julia will send the backpack through, but not with Harry
        inside. She pulls the bear out. Kyle looks to the METAL
        DETECTOR GUARD: "Is it okay?" The Guard shrugs.

        Julia passes through. No beep. She kisses Harry, then notices
        the TV-sized X-RAY MONITOR on which she can see the x-ray of
        her own backpack. Pretty neat...

                             METAL DETECTOR GUARD #2 (IN GERMAN)
                  Please turn on any electrical
                  devices.

        Kyle nods, opens up her carry-on. Inside is her LAP-TOP. But
        she's also got her overcoat, and a pullover. And all of
        Julia's cold-weather gear. This might take a minute or two.

                             KYLE
                  Stay where I can see you, Jules.

        Behind Kyle is a SENEGALESE WOMAN, roughly sixty, waiting
        patiently with a small child.

                             KYLE (IN GERMAN)
                      (to Senegalese Lady)
                  You can go ahead, if you want.

        The Senegalese Woman smiles, nodding to the CHILD to go
        ahead. They pass toward the metal detector as Kyle steps
        aside, turning on her lap-top for the Guard.

        The Guard nods, satisfied. Kyle shuts down her lap-top, sends
        her carry-on through, and passes through the metal detector.

        ...where she BEEPS. Great.

                             METAL DETECTOR GUARD #1 (IN GERMAN)
                  This way, please.

        Kyle looks to Julia, who remains transfixed by the x-ray
        screen. Kyle heads for a row of chairs nearby.

                             KYLE
                  It's just a second, Honey. They have
                  to check something.

        Julia shrugs, happily watching the x-ray of another carry-on
        bag as it passes through.

                             METAL DETECTOR GUARD #1
                  Shoes off, please.

        The inspection begins, that Guard's WAND being waved over
        Kyle and all her clothing. She slips out of her shoes.

        To Kyle's right are TWO LIBYAN MEN, also being searched. The
        GUARDS seem a bit more curious about these guys.

        INT. TERMINAL - DEPARTURE GATE - 7:15 P.M.

        Kyle stands at a window. Outside, framed by the blowing snow,
        is an AIRJET: an enormous beast, bigger by far than a 747.
        Various tarmac vehicles service it, dwarfed by its size.

                             JULIA (O.S.)
                  It's so big.

        Julia's by Kyle's side, her nose pressed against the glass.

                             KYLE
                  The biggest.

                             JULIA
                  What kind is it, mom?

                             KYLE
                  An Airjet. Brand new.

                             JULIA
                  Did you make it?

                             KYLE
                  Just some of its systems.

        Then Julia sees something that makes her four year-old eyes
        go wide: two GROUNDS CREW GUYS on the wing of this giant
        plane, fueling it. They're 30 feet off the ground.

                             JULIA
                  What if they fall?

                             KYLE
                  Don't worry. They're not gonna fall.

                             JULIA
                  But they could...

        Kyle gets the inference. She squeezes Julia's hand. Then she
        hears a P.A. VOICE behind them announcing that it's PRE-
        BOARDING TIME. "Passagiere mit Kleinkindern," etc.

                             KYLE
                  That's us. Got your ticket?
                      (Julia taps her backpack)
                  Let's go.

        They head for the jetway, a few passengers ahead of them.

                                                           CUT TO:

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - LEFT AISLE - NIGHT

        We're tight on a "Welcome to Airjet!" video. In it, faces of
        every ethnicity morph into one another as they tell us about
        the multi-national teamwork that made this plane possible.
        "Enjoy your flight" in 25 different languages.

        We PULL BACK... taking in the 370 seats on this Main Deck,
        all EMPTY now. The Airjet is a monster. Unfueled it weighs
        626,000 pounds. 17 galleys. 17 lavatories. Huge. Vast. With
        that "welcome to Airjet!" Video playing on every seatback.

        ...and we've only seen half of it yet. We CRANE UP... through
        the ceiling of the Main Deck, into:

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - LEFT AISLE - CONTINUING

        ...now we're in the UPPER DECK, which boasts another 210
        seats: 96 Business, 114 Coach - all of them EMPTY, all of
        them playing that same "Welcome to Airjet!" video.

        We PUSH IN... as Kyle emerges from a STAIRWAY connecting the
        two decks, with Julia over her shoulder. They're the first
        two passengers to board. It's like being the only two people
        in the Superdome.

        Kyle finds Row 24, and gestures to 24A, the window seat.

                             KYLE
                  That's your seat, Sweetie.

        Julia slips into it, dwarfed by it, as Kyle pulls items from
        Julia's BACKPACK: the muesli, the orange juice carton, some
        Dr. Seuss books, the Groovy-Girls dolls.

        Then, thinking better of it, Kyle puts the dolls back into
        the backpack, and throws the backpack into the overhead bin,
        beside her own carry-on.

        Other voices begin to filter in now - more families with
        children. The voices of one family grow nearer to us:

                             APPROACHING BOY
                  I'm taking the window.

                             APPROACHING GIRL
                  I'm taking it.

        That's a ten year-old American kid and his sister, who are on
        their way down this aisle, parents in tow. They continue:

                             APPROACHING BOY
                  Dad said.

                             APPROACHING GIRL
                  Did not. He said you had the aisle.

                             APPROACHING BOY
                  Shut up.

                             APPROACHING GIRL
                  You shut up.

                             THEIR FATHER
                  Both of you shut up!

        Let's call this bunch the LOUD FAMILY. The boy is named
        RHETT. His eight year-old sister is BRITTANY. Mom and Dad
        will be known to us as MR. and MRS. LOUD.

        Kyle, seated in 24B now, eyes the Lauds as they near us...

                             RHETT ("APPROACHING BOY")
                  I had the middle the whole way here.

                             BRITTANY ("APPROACHING GIRL")
                  Did not. We switched over Greenland.

                             MRS. LOUD
                  Bobbbb...

                             MR. LOUD
                  Awright, kids. You heard your mom.

        Meanwhile, Julia spots something on the floor, something
        shiny - it's a kid's TOY, an airplane, three inches long.
        Julia slips out of her seat and grabs it, as:

                             RHETT
                  You don't even know where Greenland
                  is.

                             BRITTANY
                  Dadddddd.

        Maybe they'll go right past us. Ten rows away would be nice.

                             MR. LOUD
                  Okay. We're Row 23. Now how're we
                  gonna work this out?

        Rhett dives for the window seat in Row 23, directly in front 
        of Julia's seat.

                             BRITTANY
                  Daddddddd!

                             MR. LOUD
                  That's nice, Rhett. Very big-
                  brotherly of you.

                             RHETT
                  Why's she get everything all the
                  time?

        Eight hours with this bunch... Great. The Louds settle in.

        Kyle looks down at Julia, who remains on the floor, playing
        with that toy airplane now:

                             KYLE
                  Want some juice, Sweetie?

                             JULIA
                  No, thanks.

        Kyle sits back, sighs. We're on board. We're leaving Berlin.
        It's going to be okay.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - MINUTES LATER

        280 PASSENGERS are on this deck now: Germans, Czechs, Poles,
        Americans, Asians, settling in. The back five rows are empty.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 24 - SAME

        There are roughly 120 PEOPLE filling this deck's 210 seats,
        leaving the back ten rows of this deck completely EMPTY.

        The TWO LIBYAN MEN Kyle saw at the metal detector settle into
        Row 17. Two other MIDDLE-EASTERN MEN take seats in Row 16.
        Kyle notices them, then judges herself for doing so.

        Julia is still at Kyle's feet, having made a "FORT" down here
        from a blanket and two pillows. She plays with her bear and
        that little toy airplane.

        One row up, Rhett and Brittany begin SLAPPING EACH OTHER with
        their in-flight magazines.

                             BRITTANY
                  Stop it!

                             RHETT
                  I'm not doing anything.

                             MRS. LOUD
                  Bob...

                             MR. LOUD
                      (at the kids)
                  Have a heart, okay? You know how Mom
                  feels about airplanes.

        A beat. They look pretty sheepish.

                             RHETT/BRITTANY
                  Sorry, Mom.

        24C, beside Kyle, remains empty. Across the aisle, seat 24-D
        is also empty, but one row back, in 25-D, is a stocky guy in
        an ugly sweater. This is GENE CARSON, 45, American.

        Carson eyes the Loud kids, then waves over a Flight Attendant
        (STEFAN, 28, German.)

                             CARSON
                  Got two questions for you: What're
                  the movies? And how loud do these
                  headphones go?

        That was Carson's way of joking with Kyle about the nightmare
        family in the next row. Kyle grins, getting it.

                             STEFAN
                  Never quite loud enough.

        Stefan continues down the aisle... just as Rhett gets one
        last slap in on Brittany. Carson sighs. looks to Kyle.

                             CARSON
                  Those back rows are starting to look
                  pretty attractive.

        Kyle breathes out a smile, noting the ten empty rows.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - COACH GALLEY #1 - SAME

        Stefan enters, greeting MIKE, ESTELLA, and FIONA - three more
        Flight Attendants.

                             STEFAN
                  Could be some high-maintenance in Row
                  23.

                             ESTELLA
                  I heard them.

                             MIKE
                  The people two planes away heard
                  them.

        Knowing laughs all around... but Fiona's smile is a bit thin.

                             MIKE (CONT'D)
                      (re: Fiona)
                  Hey. Somebody tell the new kid - it's
                  okay to laugh about the passengers.

                             ESTELLA
                  Honey, it's okay to hate the
                  passengers.

        The Flight Attendants laugh. Estella nudges Fiona and she
        relaxes a bit, laughing.

        INT. AIRJET - FLIGHT DECK - SAME

        Captain MARCUS RICH, (42, English, all-business), and Co-
        Pilot WALTHER KAUFMAN, (blond, German, friendlier.)

                             RICH
                  They just shut down Frankfurt.

                             KAUFMAN
                  Thank God we aren't going to
                  Frankfurt.

                             RICH
                  We may not be going anywhere.

        Kaufman nods knowingly. Then a blast of DE-ICING SOLUTION
        shoots out at them from a CREW on a motorized cherry-picker.

        EXT. TARMAC - APRON - SAME

        The cherry-picker moves the DE-ICING CREW in their haz-mat
        winter gear, toward the wing. Below, CARTS bring LUGGAGE to a
        BELT LOADER which feeds the luggage into the Airjet's holds.

        INT. UPPER DECK - ROW 23/24 - SAME

        Stefan passes by, doing a head count, as we hear:

                             RICH (THRU P.A. SYSTEM)
                  Good evening, Ladies and Gentleman,
                  this is your Captain speaking. We've
                  just received clearance to push away
                  from the gate. Should be off the
                  ground shortly.

        Mrs. Loud tightens. Her husband strokes her hand. Stefan adds
        them to his headcount, then breezes by Kyle's row - where
        Julia continues to play on the floor, inside her "fort."
        Just then, a loud SOUND - coming from outside Julia's window,
        nearly sends Mrs. Loud out of her seat.

                             MRS. LOUD
                  Bob? Bob? What was that?!

        It was a sheet of ICE, sliding off the wing. Julia pops up
        from her fort to find that DE-ICING CREW, at work.

                             MR. LOUD (O.S.)
                  I dunno, Honey. But I'm sure it's
                  nothing to worry about.

        Julia looks to Kyle, who leans in:

                             KYLE
                  They have to knock the ice off the
                  wings, or the plane's too heavy.

        That was good enough for Julia... but Mrs. Loud didn't hear
        it, and she's looking pretty anxious.

                             JULIA
                  You should tell her, mom.

                             KYLE
                  Huh?

                             JULIA
                  Maybe if you told her about your job
                  she'd feel safer.

        Kyle pauses, touched. For a fleeting moment it's almost
        possible to forget the tragedy that just floored them both,
        only days ago. Then a huge reminder rolls toward them...

        It's a FORKLIFT, approaching the Airjet, bearing a single
        piece of cargo: David's CASKET.

        The forklift nears the forward hold of this Airjet, then
        vanishes from our view.

        Julia's face just drops. That's her dad in there. Kyle sighs.

                             KYLE
                  You just sleep, Sweetheart. When you
                  wake up we'll be somewhere else.

                             JULIA
                  Daddy too?

                             KYLE
                  Yeah. Daddy too.

        Julia looks out her window, lost.

        Then she steams that window up with her breath, and draws a 
        little heart in the steam, with her finger.

        A tiny, clumsy heart. Kyle's too touched to speak.

        Julia rests her head against Kyle's shoulder. Kyle covers her
        with that overcoat again.

        EXT. BERLIN AIRPORT - RUNWAY - NIGHT

        The Airjet thunders down the runway, visibility near zero.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - SAME

        We DOLLY DOWN THE AISLE as the plane rumbles. Some passengers
        read, or listen to music. Some are already asleep.

        Then the nose rises powerfully, into that heavy weather, and
        we detect the signs of strain on some faces.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 23/24 - CONTINUING

        Mrs. Loud is just about hyperventilating with fear - mumbling
        about the climb's being too steep.

        That makes Julia a bit uptight, so:

                             KYLE
                  Hey, how'd ya like to have a whole
                  row to yourself?

                             JULIA
                  Huh?

                             KYLE
                  Last couple rows are empty. We could
                  take a couple seats each. Would ya
                  like that?

        Julia half-smiles. Kyle gives her a confident grin. We HOLD
        on them for a moment, as the plane continues its climb. That
        orange juice carton trembles on an empty seat...

        Then we DESCEND... through the floor of this cabin...

        ...into the Main Deck, then through its floor, into:

        INT. AIRJET - FORWARD HOLD - SAME

        We're in the belly of the plane now, mid-takeoff.

        This hold is 60 yards deep, 25 yards wide, seven feet high,
        packed tight with LD-3's (LUGGAGE BINS, five-feet tall, five
        feet wide, eighteen abreast.)

        We DOLLY THROUGH the hold, finding row after row of them.
        Then we find a Mercedes sedan, on a pallet, protected by a
        metal superstructure. Then another row of square bins...

        ...then the casket, wedged between that last row of luggage
        bins and the FORWARD WALL of this hold.

        Like everything else down here, the casket is shuddering from
        all these RPMs as the Airjet makes its climb...

                                                  FADE TO BLACK...

        ...and come in on Kyle, sound asleep.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 35 - TWO HOURS LATER

        Kyle sleeps across four middle seats in Row 35, back of the
        plane, no one else within five rows of her.

        She stirs a bit, awakening, turns toward Julia.

        But Julia's not in 35-A. There's a mussed blanket on the
        seat. But no Julia. Hmmm...

        Kyle cranes her neck to look down the aisle.

        Most of coach is asleep. Light flickers from video screens:
        movies, sitcoms, soccer broadcasts. Some passengers work on
        laptops. Some read. But we don't see Julia among them.

        She must've returned to their original seats. Of course. Kyle
        rises and heads down the aisle, unalarmed.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 24 - CONTINUING

        Kyle nears their original seats. Row 24.

                             KYLE
                  Sorry, Honey. Mommy fell asl--

        Kyle stops herself, mid-word. Julia's not here either.
        That's odd. Still not alarming, but odd. Where the hell is
        she? Kyle begins to scan the plane, as:

                             CARSON (O.S.)
                  Ever seen this movie?

        Kyle turns. Here's Carson, in 25-D, watching a movie.

                             KYLE
                  No.

                             CARSON
                  Not too funny. 'Course, when you're
                  at 35,000 feet you can't just up and
                  walk out of the theatre, can ya?

                             KYLE
                  Did you happen to see a little girl
                  go by here?

                             CARSON
                  No. Sure didn't.

                             KYLE
                  My daughter.
                      (Carson shrugs)
                  How long've we been flying?

                             CARSON
                  Two hours. A little more maybe.

        Kyle heads up the aisle, reminding herself that it's only in
        parks and malls where losing a kid can be dangerous...

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - LEFT AISLE - CONTINUING

        On the Coach bulkhead, a screen shows us an animated plane
        trekking across the Atlantic, with data reading: "Air speed
        634 mph, Altitude 43,400 feet, Time to Destination 5h 12m."

        There are two LAVATORIES at Row 17. Both lavatory doors are
        closed, but only one has its "OCCUPIED" light lit.

        Kyle looks inside the vacant one. No Julia.

        Kyle waits... as that "Occupied" light turns off on the other
        lavatory. Now this door opens.

        ...and a WOMAN emerges. Damn.

        Kyle turns, looks over the whole Coach cabin.

        No sign of Julia. Kyle moves aside a blue curtain, entering:

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - BUSINESS CLASS - CONTINUING

        It's nice up here. Sleeper seats, plenty of wine. We see the
        door leading to the Flight Deck up ahead. Fiona serves
        chateaubriand and plastic knives. She notes Kyle.

                             FIONA
                  Can I help you?

                             KYLE
                  I'm looking for my daughter.

                             FIONA
                  There's a girl in the galley, talking
                  to some of the crew. could that be
                  her?

        Instant relief on Kyle's face.

                             KYLE
                  Yes. Thank you.

        Kyle heads for the Forward Business Galley, chiding herself
        for having worried.

        ... as the Loud daughter, Brittany, emerges from the Galley,
        carrying some peanuts. Kyle sags, turns to Fiona:

                             KYLE
                  No. She's four. My daughter.

                             FIONA
                  Oh. Sorry. She hasn't been up here.

        Kyle nods a thank you, then checks the Galley anyway.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - BUSINESS - AISLE - CONTINUING

        Fiona serves another tray to a passenger. Kyle walks down the
        opposite aisle now.

                             KYLE
                  She has long hair. Probably carrying
                  a chenille teddy bear with one arm.

                             FIONA
                  What's she carrying with the other
                  arm?

                             KYLE
                  No, the bear. It only has--

        Kyle stops herself - just realized Fiona was making a joke.
        She breathes out a laugh, well aware that she must look
        pretty silly just now.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Probably just found some other kids
                  to play with.

        Fiona smiles warmly.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - RIGHT AISLE - MOMENTS LATER

        Kyle's on the MAIN DECK now, scanning the cabin with an
        unease that's beginning to grow. Up ahead, two Flight
        Attendants, Mike and ANNA, serve Coach-meals from a CART.

        Kyle's in their way. And they're in hers. Mild turbulence
        makes some mini-bottles clink. Then a sharper jolt hits.

                             ANNA
                  I'm sorry, Ma'am. Would you mind
                  using the other aisle?

                             KYLE
                  I'm looking for my daughter.

                             ANNA
                  Well, she can't have gone too far.

        In other words, "This meal-cart isn't moving. You are."

                             KYLE
                  I'll go around.

        Anna smiles, "Good thinking." Kyle backs away.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - REAR GALLEY - MOMENTS LATER

        Kyle checks row after row, pausing at empty seats, any
        "hiding places" a four year-old might find appealing... until
        she's made it all the way back to this GALLEY.

        She looks under a counter, even looks in a CABINET - all the
        while reminding herself: Relax. She's obviously fine...

        But where is she?

        Four more lavatories back here. Kyle opens the first.
        Nothing. Then the second. No little girl...

        Ten rows up, unbeknownst to Kyle, Anna just caught a glimpse 
        of her: the lady with the "missing" daughter, throwing open
        lavatory doors. Anna looks to Mike.

        Kyle closes the fourth lavatory door - also empty.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - LEFT AISLE - CONTINUING

        Kyle emerges from the AFT STAIRS now, into the Upper Deck.

        She checks Row 35 again, where they'd fallen asleep. She even
        looks under that blanket.

        There's Harry, the one-armed bear. But no Julia.

        That's weird. Julia wouldn't go anywhere without Harry.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 24 - SAME

        Kyle's walk, her eyes, her hands, they're all projecting the
        irrational fear that's now taking root. But she's convinced
        herself that when she gets to Row 24, she'll find Julia back
        where she ought to be.

        Kyle arrives. 24-A, once again, remains empty.

                             KYLE
                      (it just blurts out)
                  Shit!

        That got the attention of the lady one row back, in 25-B.
        She's German, 50's. Her name's CLAUDIA.

                             CLAUDIA
                      (mild German accent)
                  Is something wrong?

                             KYLE
                  I can't find my daughter.
                      (Claudia shrugs)
                  Did you happen to see her by any
                  chance? Walking by?

                             CLAUDIA
                  I don't think so. How old is she?

                             KYLE
                  She's four.

                             CLAUDIA
                  I never saw her.

        Kyle spins around to look up the aisle, her movements growing
        a bit more pronounced now. No little girl in sight.

        Kyle throws the teddy-bear on to the seat, hard. Then:

                             STEFAN (O.S.)
                  Can I help you, Ma'am?

        Kyle turns. Here's Stefan. (We met him earlier.) Kyle sighs.
        She needs an ally just now...

                                                     SMASH CUT TO:

        ...Stefan, lifting a P.A. PHONE to his lips.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - FORWARD GALLEY -MOMENTS LATER

        Stefan can't quite believe he's saying this, but:

                             STEFAN (INTO P.A. PHONE)
                  Ladies and Gentleman, I'm sorry to
                  interrupt, but we've got a "first" to
                  report.

        Kyle and Fiona stand beside Stefan, their eyes scanning
        Business... as Stefan addresses the entire plane:

                             STEFAN (INTO P.A. PHONE, CONT'D)
                  Seems our Airjet is big enough to
                  lose a child in.

        That drew some light laughter from a few passengers. We TRACK
        DOWN the right aisle of this deck as Stefan continues:

                             STEFAN (O.S., THRU P.A., CONT'D)
                  Her name's Julia, age four. She's
                  wearing a white t-shirt and a red
                  cardigan sweater.
                  If she's anywhere near you, or
                  perhaps playing with one of your
                  kids, please ring the call button
                  now. We've got an anxious mom up
                  here. Thank you.

        INT. AIRJET - COCKPIT - SAME

        Captain Rich and his Co-Pilot Kaufman are hearing the
        announcement as well.

                             STEFAN (O.S., THRU P.A., CONT'D)
                  Once again, her name's Julia.

        Stefan now begins to repeat the same speech, in German.

                             KAUFMAN
                  All children should have to wear a
                  cowbell.

        Rich smiles, entirely unconcerned.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - FORWARD GALLEY - RESUMING

        580 tiny LED LIGHTS fill a PANEL, each one corresponding to
        the "Call" button on each of this plane's seats.

        Kyle and Fiona stare at the panel. Beside them, Stefan
        finishes his announcement in German, then looks to the LED
        panel, certain that someone's going to answer the call.

        Nothing. Not a single light pops on.

                             KYLE
                  Someone must've seen her.

        Fiona's more puzzled than worried. After all, the kid has to
        be somewhere. Estella appears, dropping off a meal-cart.

                             ESTELLA
                  Anybody check downstairs?

                             STEFAN
                      (re: Kyle)
                  We both did. She's not there.

        Kyle looks down the aisles... Passengers block her view.

                             KYLE
                  We hafta start searching the plane. I
                  don't know how to organize that...

                             ESTELLA
                  Ma'am, I'm sure she's fine. There's
                  no need to--

                             KYLE
                  No. She's not herself right now.
                  She's just been through something.
                  Can we turn on the seatbelt sign?

                             ESTELLA
                  Let's not get ahead of ourselves,
                  Ms.--?

                             KYLE
                  Sherin.

                             ESTELLA
                  Ms. Sherin. I'm sure she's--

                             KYLE
                  There are nine closets on this plane.
                  Seven up, two down. None of them have
                  been checked. There're also seventeen
                  galleys, and the crew quarters, and
                  the holds. She has to be somewhere. I
                  just need the aisles clear so I can
                  look.

        That drew some uncomfortable looks.

                             ESTELLA
                  Tell you what: let's go back to your
                  seat. I'll ask the Captain if he can
                  step away from the Flight Deck.

        Kyle eyes her: are you bullshitting me? Estella eyes Kyle
        right back: am I going to have a problem with you?

        Kyle doesn't want to appear irrational, so she nods.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 24 - MINUTES LATER

        Kyle sits on the ARMREST of her seat. Waiting, trying to keep
        her nerves still. It's been ten minutes.

        Fiona stands here, a uniformed babysitter. It's awkward.

                             FIONA
                      (to fill the void:)
                  Are you in the airline business?

                             KYLE
                  What?

                             FIONA
                  You seem to know aircraft design.

                             KYLE
                  I work for Airjet. Mechanical
                  engineer.

                             FIONA
                  Based in Berlin?

                             KYLE
                  Look, I know you're just trying to
                  keep me calm. But the problem here is
                  not that I'm anxious. The problem is
                  that my daughter is missing and
                  nobody can tell me where the hell she
                  is. Okay?

        That put Fiona off; it also got Carson's attention - he looks
        up from his movie, discreetly. The Louds too.

        Kyle sighs, switching gears a bit:

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                      (softer)
                  I'm sorry. Do you have kids?

                             FIONA
                  Do nieces count?

                             KYLE
                  Almost.

        They actually share a near-laugh. It breaks the tension.

                             FIONA
                  They hate playing hide-and-seek with
                  me because I always find them. So
                  fear not.

        Fiona smiles; it's encouraging. Rhett and Brittany are now
        officially snooping, facing Kyle, so:

                             KYLE
                      (to the Louds:)
                  Did any of you see my little girl?

                             MR. LOUD
                  You're the one they made the
                  announcement about?

                             KYLE
                  Yes.

                             MR. LOUD
                  I didn't even know you had a kid with
                  you.
                      (at Mrs. Loud)
                  Did you, Honey?

                             MRS. LOUD
                  Sorry, I didn't. What's she look
                  like?

                             KYLE
                  You saw her, before. Four years old,
                  dark hair in a ponytail.

        Mrs. Loud shrugs, looks to her kids.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Maybe you guys could help me look for
                  her.

                             RHETT
                  Cool.

                             BRITTANY
                  Awesome! I'm so bored.

                             MR. LOUD
                  Sorry. No.

                             RHETT
                  Dadddddd...

                             BRITTANY
                  She's lost.

                             MR. LOUD
                  We're in a tube. How lost could she
                  be? Turn around.

        The kids turn around. The engines drone. Kyle sits, trying to
        be calm...

                             FIONA
                  I'm sure the Captain will be here any
                  minute.

        Kyle nods, then catches a glimpse of something, in the corner
        of her eye. She turns.

        It's Stefan, emerging from the aft section - with a deeply
        uneasy look on his face. And a piece of paper in his hand.

        Kyle tightens, instantly; something about Stefan's
        expression, a look that says I've got something troubling to
        report but I don't know quite how to report it.

        Kyle begins to imagine the worst: Julia's dead, Julia's been
        sucked into a jet...

        She pushes past Fiona and into the aisle, making a bee-line
        for Stefan. We DOLLY WITH KYLE as she marches past row after
        row, until she reaches Stefan, right around Row 30.

                             KYLE
                  What's wrong? What's happened?

                             STEFAN
                  I'm sorry. I need to speak to the
                  Captain first.

                             KYLE
                  If it has something to do with my
                  daughter you need to speak to me.

        That was way too loud. Stefan looks to Fiona, then:

                             STEFAN
                  Come with me.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - CORRIDOR - MOMENTS LATER

        Stefan, Kyle, and Fiona crowd into a corridor, lavatories on
        either side of them. It's the only "privacy" possible.

                             KYLE
                  Okay. What is it?

        Stefan pauses, desperately uncomfortable.

                             STEFAN
                  Ms. Sherin. I don't know how to--

                             KYLE
                  Is she all right? Did something
                  happen to her?

                             STEFAN
                  Ms. Sherin.

                             KYLE
                  What. Say it.
                      (Stefan can't)
                  Say it.

                             STEFAN
                  Ma'am... I don't think she's here.

        Kyle pauses. Fiona too. That didn't make sense.

                             KYLE
                  What're you talking about?

                             STEFAN
                  I looked at the manifest. She isn't
                  on it.

                             KYLE
                  I don't understand.

                             STEFAN
                  There's no record of her having been
                  on board.

        Huh? Fiona looks to Kyle...

                             STEFAN (CONT'D)
                  The manifest lists 24-A as
                  "unoccupied" and I did the headcount
                  myself. I checked each seat.

                             KYLE
                  So you missed one, she was hiding
                  under a blanket.
                      (to Fiona)
                  What's that got to do with finding
                  her now?

        Fiona doesn't know how to react. She looks to Stefan.

                             STEFAN
                  I also contacted the departure gate,
                  in Berlin.
                      (bracing himself)
                  Ma'am, they say they never checked a
                  Julia Sherin on to this plane.

                             KYLE
                  She was with me. They checked us on
                  together.

        An awkward beat. Stefan obviously thinks Kyle is nuts.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Would you like to see her boarding
                  pass?

                             STEFAN
                  If you wouldn't mind.

        Seething, Kyle reaches into her jacket... and pulls out a
        boarding pass.

        A single boarding pass. Not two. One. It says "Sherin, Kyle"
        on it. Wait a minute...

        She checks her pocket again. Checks three other pockets.
        Checks her pants pockets... as Stefan looks to Fiona.

                             KYLE
                  I had it, right in this pocket. They
                  were right here when I fell asleep,
                  both boarding passes.

        Now Kyle's both spooked and livid. She wheels around, angrily
        heading back toward her seat. They follow.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 24 - MOMENTS LATER

        Kyle arrives at her original seat, opening the OVERHEAD BIN
        above her. This ought to shut Stefan up.

        Instead, Kyle simply pales.

                             FIONA
                  Ms. Sherin...?

        Kyle stands perfectly still, staring at that open bin. Her
        carry-on is inside. But Julia's backpack is missing.

                             KYLE
                  Her backpack is gone.

        Fiona looks inside the bin - Stefan too - unalarmed.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  She couldn't've reached up here by
                  herself; she's not tall enough.
                      (can barely say it:)
                  Somebody has her.

                             STEFAN
                  Ms. Sherin, that's quite an
                  assumption. I don't--

                             KYLE
                  How else did her stuff disappear? Can
                  you think of another way?

        Fiona's growing more uneasy about all this; too many people
        are watching. And Kyle's starting to look a bit unglued.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  I have to see the Captain.

                             STEFAN
                  I can ask him, Ma'am, but I can't
                  guarantee that he'll--

                             KYLE
                  There are people who like to do
                  things to little girls. Sick people.
                  You know that.

        Stefan wasn't prepared for that one. Neither was Fiona.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  I wanna see the Captain.

        ...and Kyle decides: These people aren't going to help me. So
        she brushes past them, making a bee-line for the Flight Deck.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - TRACKING KYLE - CONTINUING

        We TRACK KYLE... as Stefan tries to keep up with her.

                             STEFAN
                  Ms. Sherin, if you'll return to your
                  seat I'll let the Captain know you
                  want to see him.

                             KYLE
                      (keeps going)
                  I'll tell him myself.

                             STEFAN
                  It is against regulations for you to--

        Kyle stops. Turns. Stares right through the guy. Then:

                             KYLE
                  Somebody has my daughter. Do you
                  understand that?

        Stefan just about stammers, clearly overwhelmed. Kyle turns
        and heads into:

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - BUSINESS CLASS - CONTINUING

        Kyle heads for the Flight Deck door.

        The Attendants up here eye her, wondering what she's doing.
        But no one looks alarmed.

        ...until they realize that she's heading for the cockpit.

                             ESTELLA
                  What're you...?

        ... but Kyle just blew past Estella, nearing the COCKPIT DOOR.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - COCKPIT DOOR - CONTINUING

        It's sealed, grenade-proof. Kyle knocks on it.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Captain?
                      (knocks again)
                  Captain? I have to speak to--

        THUD. In a flash, Kyle finds herself hurled up against that 
        door, her face pressed hard into it.

        Somebody just tackled her. And that somebody is right behind
        her now, yanking an arm back like a cop would do it.

                             UNIDENTIFIED TACKLER (O.S.)
                  Ms. Sherin, I'm sorry I had to do
                  that. But your behavior was
                  constituting a threat to the safety
                  of this aircraft.

                             KYLE
                      (muffled)
                  I need to see the--

                             UNIDENTIFIED TACKLER
                  I'm an Air Marshall. Can I let you
                  go?

                             KYLE
                  I'm not a threat to the--

                             UNIDENTIFIED TACKLER
                  Can I let you go?

                             KYLE
                  Yes.

        "Tackler" backs away... which is when Kyle learns the
        identity of this guy, our flight's Air Marshall...

        Carson, who's been one row away since take-off. Kyle can't
        believe it.

                             CARSON ("UNIDENTIFIED TACKLER")
                  Gene Carson. Are you hurt?

        Behind Carson, SIX FLIGHT ATTENDANTS now stare at Kyle...

                             KYLE
                  I just wanna talk to the Captain.

                             CARSON
                  I understand. But that's his call,
                  not yours.
                      (to the door, loud:)
                  All clear, Captain.

        Now the cockpit door opens, and Captain Rich emerges, sizing
        things up for himself. Kyle tries not to sag.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - GALLEY #2 - MOMENTS LATER

        We're TIGHT on JULIA'S PASSPORT. Rich eyes it, flanked by
        Carson, Stefan, and Fiona. In his other hand is Stefan's
        passenger manifest.

                             RICH
                  The departure gate had no record of
                  her?

                             STEFAN
                  No, Sir. I had them double-check.

                             RICH
                  And there's no boarding pass?

                             KYLE
                  There was. It was taken from me.

        Rich considers that, eyeing Julia's passport again.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                      (at Stefan)
                  Did you tell him about the bear?

        Stefan shakes his head, embarrassed for Kyle.

                             RICH
                  Bear?

                             KYLE
                  Her teddy-bear. It was under the
                  blanket, where she'd been sleeping.
                  She wouldn't've walked away without
                  it.

        Oh. Rich turns to Kyle, reluctantly having to ask this:

                             RICH
                  Have you had anything to drink on
                  this flight, Ms. Sherin?
                      (Kyle hated that)
                  Anything alcoholic at all?

                             KYLE
                  No.

                             RICH
                  Are you under any medication right
                  now?

                             KYLE
                  I have a few sleeping pills with me like
                  every other passenger on board.

        She pauses, weighing whether or not to trust him... then:

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  I'm also carrying Klonepin. They're
                  for anxiety. I took two this morning.

                             RICH
                  I see. How long have you been on
                  them?

                             KYLE
                  I'm not "on" them.

                             RICH
                  How long?

        Kyle eyes him, cold as hell. Fuck this guy:

                             KYLE
                  I filled the prescription last week.
                  That's when my husband died. My
                  daughter and I are taking his body
                  back to Long Island for the burial.

        Silence, just like that.

        The tenor of things just changed... especially for Rich. He
        eyes Kyle, more softly now.

                             STEFAN
                  There is a casket in the hold,
                  Captain. Paperwork's from Kaiser
                  Wilhelm Hospital, on Hochstrasse.

        Rich nods, looks to Kyle. Nothing but compassion for her.

                             KYLE
                  He fell. The roof of our building.
                  Six days ago.

        The others try not to jump to any conclusions about that but
        it's impossible. Kyle reads their faces.

                             RICH
                  I'm very sorry, Ma'am.

        Kyle nods. Rich eyes his team, troubled.

                             RICH (CONT'D)
                  Does anybody on board remember seeing
                  the girl? Passengers in her row?

        Fiona and Rich don't want to report this, but...

                             FIONA
                  No, Captain.

                             STEFAN
                  No, Sir.

                             RICH
                  You're seated near her - isn't that
                  right, Mister Carson?

                             CARSON
                  That's right.

                             RICH
                  Did you see her?

        Carson hates to say this, but...

                             CARSON
                      (reluctantly)
                  No.

        Rich eyes Kyle. It doesn't look good. Kyle knows that. But
        she can't crack. She has to convince these people.

                             KYLE
                  I want you to think about what you're
                  suggesting, Captain. You're
                  suggesting that I imagined bringing
                  my daughter on board and am now
                  pretending to be looking for her.
                  Does that make sense to you?
                  Can you think of any reason in the
                  world why I would do that? I'm not
                  drunk. I'm not loaded. I'm not
                  looking for attention. I've worked on
                  airplanes my whole life, same as you.
                  The last thing I'd ever wanna do is
                  disturb a flight.

        No one answers; it's maddening. She wants to scream...

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  There are protocols about these
                  things. Post nine-eleven if a pilot
                  finds that he's got an inaccurate
                  passenger manifest, he's supposed to
                  land at the nearest--

                             RICH
                  A teddy bear does not constitute an
                  inaccurate passenger mani--

                             KYLE
                  But I'm telling you it's inaccurate.
                  That obligates you to do a real
                  search, nose to tail. A thorough
                  search. Like you would if you had a
                  child that was missing.

        That pissed Rich off, so Kyle interrupts herself - doesn't
        want to alienate the guy. She struggles for calm...

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Julia's only four, and she's not in
                  very good shape right now. She just
                  lost her father. Everything scares
                  her. I had to hide her under my coat
                  just to get her into the car this
                  morning.
                      (eyeing them)
                  But she did get in that car. And she
                  got on this plane, like everyone
                  else. I fell asleep, which I never
                  should've done... But she was sitting
                  right next to me. When we took off. I
                  held her hand.

        Just barely keeping it together now...

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                      (right at Rich:)
                  Please. You have to help her.

        Rich pauses. Their eyes lock. Then Rich turns to Stefan:

                             RICH
                  Get the lights up, get every
                  passenger seated. No one in the
                  lavatories, no exceptions. Open every
                  closet and bin. We search for the
                  girl, nose to tail, understand?

        Kyle sighs with relief. There's hope...

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN AND UPPER DECKS - VARIOUS - MOMENTS LATER

        -Every CABIN LIGHT comes on.
        -Overhead bins and closets are thrown open.
        -Hanging-bags are pulled off a rack by Fiona, who is
        searching diligently.
        -The "Fasten Seatbelts" signs are lit.
        -Passengers waiting to use lavatories are instead shown to
        their seats.
        -Anna pins SIGNS on the lavatory doors, in German and
        English: "Out of Service - Please Do Not Use"

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - COACH CABIN - SAME

        DOLLYING DOWN the aisles we hear grumbling, lots of it, in
        snippets of conversations: "Air Marshall." "Arguing with the
        Captain." "We might have to turn around."

        And the focus of it all... is Kyle. She makes her way down an
        aisle, ignoring the way these people are looking at her.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - FIRST CLASS - CLOSET - SAME

        Stefan empties a CLOSET, tossing carry-ons and hanging-bags
        aside. Helping him is another flight attendant, IRENE.

        Once the closet is empty, we discover a HATCH hidden on the
        closet floor. Stefan jerks the hatch open... revealing a hole
        that descends into a tiny, lighted ROOM below.

        He and Irene are thinking the same thing:

                             IRENE
                  This is really silly.

                             RICH (O.S.)
                  This is procedure.

        Irene turns, chagrinned. She'd been unaware that Rich was
        standing here...

                             IRENE
                  Yes, Captain.

        She hands a flashlight to Stefan, who descends through the
        hatch, climbing down a fixed ladder. Four rungs.

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - CONTINUING

        Upon reaching the bottom of the ladder, Stefan is now
        standing in the very brain of this aircraft, its electrical 
        nerve center, completely inaccessible to the general public.

        Around him - filling this cramped, H-shaped room - are the
        CONVERTER BOXES that make flying this plane possible...

        Every single system on the Airjet runs through these boxes:
        navigation, hydraulics, pressurization, communications,
        power. Everything. All the back-up boxes are down here too.
        (Some of the systems have two redundant back-ups.)

        An electrical hum hovers: all these systems, working.
        Insulated wires are tacked to every inch of ceiling space in
        here, conduits carrying commands to and from these boxes.

        Stefan stands on a thin catwalk, looking around: more
        converter boxes, more wiring, more electrical panels...

        But no four year-old girls.

                             STEFAN
                  Anybody in here? Hello?

        There's no reply. Stefan peers up that ladder, hoping that
        Captain Rich is noting the thoroughness of his search.

        Beyond the converter boxes is the forward-most point on the
        aircraft: the interior of the nose-cone. It's a pocket of
        unlit space, occupied mostly by STRUTS and WIRE-DUCTS.

        There's no way in hell a child could've even gained access to
        this place, much less chosen it to hide in. Stefan knows
        that. So he returns to that fixed ladder...

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - FIRST CLASS CABIN - SAME

        The champagne flutes and sleeper seats are now being
        disturbed as Mike and Anna tear this section apart, despite
        the complaints of their well-heeled passengers.

        We pass a guy in Row 3. He's 55, far too rich to take this
        sort of inconvenience with grace. Call him WEST.

                             WEST
                  I don't see what all the fuss is
                  about. It's not like she lost her
                  Palm Pilot.

        That got some cynical laughter.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - SAME

        Unhappy passengers stare at that "Fasten Seatbelts" sign,
        waiting for it to go off. The unfortunate Flight Attendant
        who crosses through at this moment is JENNIFER.

                             ROW 19 MALE PASSENGER
                  Miss, I really need to use the
                  restroom.

                             JENNIFER
                  As soon as the Captain's turned off
                  the seatbelt sign, Sir.

        Kyle passes by, continuing her row-by row search. Carson is
        right behind, bird-dogging her. We hear an UNSEEN PASSENGER
        grumble: "How come they get to move around?"

        Kyle doesn't hear it, doesn't hear anything. She heads for
        the stairs, Carson behind her.

                             KYLE
                  Listen, I don't need an escort.

                             CARSON
                  Captain seems to think someone should
                  keep an eye on you. I can't imagine
                  why.

        Kyle continues up the stairs.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - REAR OF COACH CABIN - SAME

        In the very back of Coach we find two more Flight Attendants,
        ERIC and KATERINA, who stand at a thin staircase that leads
        up. Eric gestures, "Ladies first."

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - STAIRCASE OFF OF COACH - CONTINUING

        Six steep steps, straight up. Katerina begins to climb...
        which puts Eric directly beneath her skirt.

                             ERIC
                      (re: his view)
                  A few more steps, Katerina, and the
                  nature of this search is going to
                  change in a fundamental way.

                             KATERINA
                  Don't be a dunce.

        He shrugs, unoffended. They reach:

        INT. AIRJET - CREW QUARTERS - CONTINUING

        This is another of those spots that passengers never get to
        see: a tiny room, directly beneath the tail of the airplane,
        where crew-members can rest on long flights.

        On each wall in this cramped space we find a CUBBY-HOLE.
        Inside each cubby we find BUNK-BEDS, like you'd see on the
        sleeper car of a train.

        Katerina looks in Cubby #1. No kid here. She checks Cubby #2.
        Nothing, Meanwhile, Eric crawls in to Cubby #3... where a
        HATCH hides, on the cubby's forward wall.

        Eric pops it open... revealing:

        INT. AIRJET - FUSELAGE "ATTIC" - CONTINUING

        Eric climbs through the hatch, into the Airjet's "attic," a
        sprawling space that goes on forever. He flips on a maglight.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - RESUMING

        Kyle continues her row-by-row search. Carson is behind her,
        watching instead of helping. She peers into a CLOSET, as:

                             KYLE
                  By the way, you could've just
                  identified yourself - the tackle was
                  unneccesary.

                             CARSON
                  An Air Marshall is required to use
                  any means necessary to contain a
                  threat to the safety of a flight.
                      (a beat)
                  Ladies with imaginary children, they
                  qualify.

        Kyle shuts the closet door, hard. Turns and faces him.

                             KYLE
                  Tell me something: what happens when
                  we land at Kennedy and everyone finds
                  out that she'd been aboard all along?
                  How're you gonna explain yourself?
                  If there'd been a crime committed
                  during the flight and you'd nothing
                  to stop it - the only law enforcement
                  official on board. How're you gonna
                  account for that?

        That landed; we can see it. Carson shrugs.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Somebody could be hurting her, right
                  now, and you keep--

                             CARSON
                      (cuts her off)
                  Hey.
                      (Kyle falls silent)
                  You made your point.

        Kyle studies him, realizing only now that what she said has
        registered. Carson almost looks humbled.

        Kyle moves on to the next row...

        INT. AIRJET - FUSELAGE "ATTIC" - RESUMING

        The beam from Eric's mag-light fans through the endless space
        of this "attic":

        Above us is the ribbed curvature of the fuselage, insulated
        by lime green poly-paper. STRUTS descend from the fuselage,

        bolted to the column of "overhead storage bins" which are now
        below us. (The struts hold those bins in place.)

        Girders rattle, circuitry hums, metal moans under enormous
        pressure. Around us are bundles of wires, AIR DUCTS, the
        Auxiliary Power Unit, heavy feeder cables.

        But no four year-olds.

        INT. AIRJET - CREW QUARTERS - RESUMING

        Eric pops back into that Cubby again. Katerina waits beside a
        bunk. He hands the flashlight to her.

                             ERIC
                      (suddenly serious)
                  You should have a look.

                             KATERINA
                  Why? Did you see anything?

                             ERIC
                  No.

        ...then a sly grin comes to Eric's face...

                             ERIC (CONT'D)
                  ...it's just that I'm dying to watch
                  you crawl through that hatch.

        She rolls her eyes, amused but unoffended.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROWS 14/15/16 - RESUMING

        Kyle continues to look row-by-row. Carson watches.

        Then - fuck it - he starts looking too: crouching down,
        scanning under some seats.

        Kyle notices... but she won't comment on it. Carson
        appreciates that. They continue along...

        ...when she stops, literally. Carson doesn't know why.

                             CARSON
                  What's the problem?

        Kyle turns, focusing on a MAN they just passed - in Row 16.
        We saw him when he boarded.

        The man is Egyptian. His name's JARRAH.

        Kyle studies the guy, as if recognizing him from somewhere.
        Of course, that makes Jarrah uncomfortable.

                             JARRAH
                  May I help you?

                             KYLE
                  I don't... Do I know you from
                  somewhere?

                             JARRAH
                  You've walked past me five times
                  since we took off. Does that count?

        The guy next to Jarrah laughs. This is AHMED, a Jordanian.

        And Kyle suddenly finds him familiar as well. Just can't
        place the exact spot...

                             KYLE
                  You're from Berlin?

                             JARRAH
                      (at Carson)
                  Am I being interrogated now?

                             KYLE
                  Just wanted to know if you were from
                  Berlin.

                             JARRAH
                  No. I am not.

                             CARSON
                  Let's move along.

        Kyle stares at Jarrah, trying to remember... but her brain's
        too scrambled just now.

                             KYLE
                  Sure. Sorry.

        They continue on. Jarrah and Ahmed trade a look. Then they
        glance across their aisle, one row back, toward the LIBYAN
        MEN who were searched next to Kyle at the Metal Detector.

        The four share a look, its meaning undecipherable to us...

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - REAR OF COACH CABIN - MOMENTS LATER

        Eric and Katerina descend that tiny staircase from the Crew
        Quarters above.

                             ERIC (O.S.)
                  Think about what you're saying no to.
                  I mean, it would be epic!

                             KATERINA
                  You're terrible!

        They're all giggles, having a wonderful time.

        ...until they reach the bottom of that stairwell - where Kyle
        stands. Carson's right behind her.

        The giggling stops, instantly. Katerina eyes the floor.

                             KYLE
                  I need to speak to the Captain again.

        There's a CREW-PHONE affixed to the wall at the base of those
        steps. Eric looks to Carson.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  I need to speak to the Captain. Can
                  you get him for me?

        Carson looks to Eric: "Humor her." Eric grabs the phone...

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - GALLEY #2 - MOMENTS LATER

        Kyle, growing more impatient:

                             KYLE
                  Okay. Can we look in the holds now?

        Reveal Rich, who is just-this-second entering the Galley. The
        guy hasn't even had enough time to get both feet in.

                             RICH
                  Ms. Sherin, there's no conceivable
                  way a child could've gained access to
                  any of the holds.

        Now we discover Carson, flanking Kyle.

                             KYLE
                  There's access to the forward hold
                  from Main Galley Number One. The food-
                  cart elevator.

                             RICH
                  The call button's too high for a four
                  year-old to reach.

                             KYLE
                  So's the overhead bin, but her
                  backpack is missing too. She's with
                  an adult. I told you.

                             RICH
                  What adult? Every single passenger is
                  in his seat, accounted for.

                             KYLE
                  That's according to a manifest that
                  we already know to be inaccurate.

                             RICH
                  It is not inaccurate!

        A beat, both of them frustrated...

                             KYLE
                  Captain, we can't say we've
                  thoroughly searched this aircraft
                  until we've looked everywhere, and
                  that means the holds.

                             RICH
                  I'm sorry, I can't allow that.

                             KYLE
                  Goddammit! Are you listening?

        That stopped things cold. Rich eyes her, silently reminding
        her of his rank. She knows she ought to apologize... but she
        can't. So they're silent, until:

                             CARSON
                  I don't think it's a bad idea,
                  Captain.

                             RICH
                  What?!

        Kyle just brightened.

                             CARSON
                  Might be good to have her below deck
                  for a while. She's making people
                  anxious.

        Rich looks to Kyle, surprised that that didn't offend her.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Lemme go down there with her.

                             RICH
                  Mister Carson, I'm responsible for
                  the safety of every passenger on this
                  plane, even the delusional ones - and
                  I cannot have a passenger out of her
                  seat belt, bouncing around with the
                  luggage bins in a cargo hold. One
                  patch of turbulence and she could be
                  seriously injured down there... And
                  so could you, by the way. I don't
                  fancy pulling into Kennedy with an
                  unconscious Air Marshall on my hands.
                      (at Kyle:)
                  Now, we are going to continue to
                  search this aircraft from the waist
                  up. If we don't find anybody, I'll
                  send two members of my crew into the
                  holds. I trust that that will be
                  satisfactory to you.

                             KYLE
                  I just saw two members of your crew,
                  Captain - on their way back from
                  "searching" the attic. They never
                  even bothered to turn on their
                  flashlights.

                             RICH
                  Ms. Sherin, there are 425 passengers
                  on this flight who are NOT receiving
                  any attention at the moment because
                  everyone of my flight attendants is
                  busy conducting a search for a child
                  that none of them believe was ever on
                  board. I'm sorry if you think we
                  could be doing more to meet your
                  needs, but you'll have to take it up
                  with Customer Service after we land.
                  Fair enough?

        Kyle's about to fire back, when:

                             STEFAN (O.S.)
                  Captain?

        Rich turns... to find Stefan, who has just arrived from the
        Flight Deck... with a FAX in his hands.

                             RICH
                  Yes?

                             STEFAN
                  Can I speak to you for a moment?

        Stefan looks matter-of-fact, almost businesslike. Rich nods.

                             RICH
                  Mister Carson, this woman is in your
                  charge. I want her to remain in the
                  passenger cabins. Is that understood?

                             CARSON
                  Understood.

                             RICH
                  Thank you. Excuse me.

        With that, Rich exits the galley, leading Stefan to the 
        Flight Deck. Just Kyle and Carson now.

        A beat. Kyle's face working... She's just about to say
        something to Carson.

        ...when she stops herself, as is something had just occurred
        to her.

        Something huge.

                             KYLE
                      (just came to her)
                  I know where I've seen him before.

        Carson eyes her, lost: "Seen who?"

        Kyle doesn't explain. Instead she hurries out of the Galley.
        We follow:

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - COACH CABIN - CONTINUING

        Kyle barrels into the Coach Cabin, her eyes suddenly ablaze,
        calling out to someone unseen to us:

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  I know where I've seen you before!

        People turn, confused, until we see who she's zeroing in on:

        Jarrah.

        He turns, befuddled, as she marches right at him. We jump 
        back in time to:

        INT. KYLE'S APARTMENT - JULIA'S ROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)

        Kyle stands at Julia's window, closing the drapes... when she
        sees TWO MEN on the other side of that courtyard, standing at
        a window, staring into Julia's room. They're Middle-Eastern.

        From this distance, they look a hell of a lot like Jarrah and
        Ahmed. End Flashback.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 16 - RESUMING

        Kyle starts cross-examining even before she reaches their
        row:

                             KYLE
                  Where's my daughter.

                             JARRAH
                  What?!

                             KYLE
                  Where's my daughter?!

        Kyle gets to their row, drawing far more attention than
        Carson would like.

                             JARRAH
                  I don't know what you are talking a--

                             KYLE
                  You were looking through her window
                  last night.

                             CARSON
                  Wait a minute.

                             KYLE
                  I saw you looking across the
                  courtyard into her room. Both of you.

                             AHMED
                  You are a lunatic!

                             KYLE
                  Where's my daughter?

        An Egyptian and a Jordanian, on an airplane, accused of a
        conspiracy. Instant racial profiling begins, all around them.

        Eric now enters, flanked by Katerina. They get the drift...

                             CARSON
                  Hold it. Back up. You've seen these
                  men before?

                             JARRAH
                  No. She has not.

                             KYLE
                  I saw them last night. Staring into
                  my daughter's room.

        Jarrah dismisses that with a laugh, particularly incensing a
        nearby white passenger named ELIAS.

                             CARSON
                      (to Jarrah)
                  Is this correct, Sir?

                             JARRAH
                  I have never seen this woman before
                  in my life.

                             AHMED
                  Neither have I.

                             KYLE
                  What would you expect them to say:
                  "Ya got me?"

                             ERIC
                  How 'bout we move this into one of
                  the galleys?

                             KYLE
                  No! He doesn't get a minute to think
                  up an answer. I wanna know right now!
                  Where'd you take my little girl?

                             JARRAH
                  I didn't do anything. I've never seen
                  her!

        Another minor hiccup of turbulence. Things are getting pretty
        tense up here. Jarrah can feel the looks coming his way...

                             JARRAH (CONT'D)
                  Not that it's any of your concern,
                  but I was at the Hilton last night.
                  In Tiergarten - on business - we both
                  were. And neither of us left the
                  hotel. Would you like to see our
                  bill?

        Kyle looks to Carson, who has now become a U.N. negotiator...

                             CARSON
                      (to Jarrah, politely)
                  It's a bit unorthodox, but... if you
                  wouldn't mind.

        Jarrah pauses: you're kidding. Nope, nobody's kidding.

        Livid, deeply offended, Jarrah grabs his carry-on from under
        his seat, unzips it, rifles through some papers.

        Silence in here. Everybody watching. The Libyan guys are
        paying special attention. So's Elias. Eric too.

        ...then Jarrah finds his HOTEL RECEIPT and thrusts it at
        Carson with great indignance.

        Carson eyes it. Looks to Kyle.

                             ELIAS
                      (quietly, to his wife)
                  A bill doesn't prove anything.

        Carson examines the "evidence" in his hands. We get a look at 
        it now: there are PHONE CALLS listed, with a time-entry for
        each. And two MOVIES ordered.

                             JARRAH
                  Satisfied?
                      (Carson nods reluctantly)
                  Then I'd suggest you find two other
                  Arabs to harass.

        Carson nods, hands the receipt back to Jarrah. Two seats
        over, Elias turns, scowling.

                             CARSON
                      (calmly, to Kyle)
                  Let's go.

                             KYLE
                  What the hell does a bill prove?

                             CARSON
                  Let's go.

        Carson starts to pull Kyle away. Kyle breaks free and:

                             KYLE
                      (shouting, at Jarrah)
                  Where's my daughter? What've you done
                  with her?

                             JARRAH
                  I spent the night watching a movie.
                  you fucking bullshit lunatic!

        Kyle lunges at him. They collide like rams, Kyle gets a hand
        to his face and scratches at him. Jarrah doesn't fight back.
        Eric hurries to get between them.

                             ERIC
                  Get a handle on this lady, will ya?

        ...as Carson grabs Kyle by the shoulder, yanking her hard.

                             CARSON
                  C'mere!

        Carson's a bull. He pulls Kyle away.

                             KYLE
                  What're you doing?! They've got her!

                             CARSON
                  Shut up!

        Carson pulls her away. we STAY WITH JARRAH, He touches a hand
        to his face. It's now BLEEDING. That shames him. He eyes his
        fellow passengers, then Eric... until:

                             JARRAH
                  Anyone else have any questions for
                  me?!

        Silence. Jarrah has turned every white face in here against
        him. And he doesn't seem to care.

                             JARRAH (CONT'D)
                  Anyone else want to know where I've
                  been and with whom I am associating?!

        Again, no one volunteers. The discomfort in here is palpable,
        particularly among those two Libyan Men. Jarrah sits.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - CORRIDOR - CONTINUING

        Carson pushes Kyle into that CORRIDOR between the Coach
        lavatories. Hardly private, but it'll do.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  I can cuff you, understand that? I
                  can confine you to your seat.

                             KYLE
                  They have Julia. Why would you wanna
                  cuff me?

        Before Carson can reply, Fiona appears, carrying a half-empty
        orange juice CARTON. She leans into a nearby LAVATORY, dumps
        some juice into a toilet, but hangs on to the empty carton.

        Then Estella appears, and does the same thing: dumping the
        juice from a large apple juice carton down a toilet while
        hanging on to the carton itself.

                             CARSON
                  What're those for?

                             FIONA
                  I've got a seventy year-old in 20-B
                  who can't hold his pee any longer.

                             ESTELLA
                  Mine's six, about to wet his pants.

        From a few rows away we hear a SIX YEAR-OLD BOY, crying.

                             ESTELLA (CONT'D)
                  That's him.

        Estella passes by, shooting Kyle a nasty look: "Thanks,
        Lady." Fiona betrays no expression at all. Then they go.

                             KYLE
                  They have Julia.

        Carson tightens, acutely aware that people in nearby rows are
        listening in on this.

                             CARSON
                      (quietly)
                  You think those guys were surveilling
                  you last night - is that it?

                             KYLE
                  Yes.

                             CARSON
                  For the purposes of kidnapping your
                  daughter, stashing her in one of the
                  holds until we land...

                             KYLE
                  Yes.

                             CARSON
                  Mind if I ask an obvious question?
                      (Kyle's silent)
                  If they knew where you lived, why
                  wouldn't they just take her from your
                  apartment? Why take her on an
                  airplane where they'd have no
                  possible means of escape?

                             KYLE
                  I don't know.

                             CARSON
                  And let's not forget: her name isn't
                  on the manifest. How the hell could
                  two pull passengers that off?

                             KYLE
                  Obviously, they'd have to have
                  someone from the crew involved.

                             CARSON
                  Jesus Christ, it's a regular Grassy
                  Knoll now! I suppose they've got a
                  couple guys from the Grounds Crew at
                  Kennedy in on it too - since once we
                  land the only way to get her off this
                  thing would be in a steamer trunk.

        Carson tries to rein himself in - again conscious of what a
        public forum this is.

        Annoying him further, Fiona and Estella now re-appear,
        bearing their JUICE CARTONS, now filled with piss.

                             ESTELLA
                  Excuse me.

        Estella heads for the lavatory, "accidentally" raising her
        piss-carton so it's right under Kyle's nose. Fiona dumps her
        carton in the toilet as well and exits the corridor.

        Kyle and Carson are "alone" again. Carson leans in:

                             CARSON
                      (quiet as possible)
                  Think about what you're asking me to
                  do, okay? You're asking me to
                  approach two Arabs - on an airplane -
                  and accuse them of enacting a
                  criminal conspiracy. Think about the
                  ramifications of that.

                             KYLE
                  They have my daughter. I don't give a
                  shit about being politically correct!

        That was too loud, way too loud. And it pissed Carson off.

                             CARSON
                  Fine. Let's go arrest the both of
                  'em... just as soon as you can answer
                  one more question:
                      (Kyle waits)
                  Why the hell would anybody wanna take
                  your daughter?

        Kyle sags. But Carson's not done yet:

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  What makes her so Goddamn special?
                  What makes you so Goddamn special
                  that they'd go to all this trouble...
                  Unless you're some kind of closet-
                  millionaire who gets a secret thrill
                  out of flying coach.

        Silence. Carson's pretty certain he's just ended this
        argument. And Kyle looks humbled...

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Well?

                             KYLE
                  What if they're hijacking the plane?

        Carson sags, can't believe she just said that.

                             CARSON
                  Ya know what, Lady - that swan dive
                  your husband took is starting to make
                  a whole lotta sense to me now. Couple
                  hours with you and even I'm ready to
                  jump.

        Silence. That took the air out of Kyle's lungs. She stares...
        Carson can see that he's wounded her. Goddammit...

                             KYLE
                  David fell.
                      (no reply)
                  He fell.

                             CARSON
                  I'm sorry. Fuck...

        Carson studies her, a long beat, feeling like a heel...

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Okay. Go back to your seat. Wait
                  there for me. Five minutes with no
                  international incidents, okay?
                      (can't believe I'm saying
                       this but...)
                  I'll talk to the Captain again, see
                  what I can do about getting us into
                  the hold.

        Kyle pauses, thinking she might've just heard wrong.

                             KYLE
                  Really?

                             CARSON
                  How else am I gonna kill five hours watching
                  soccer?

        Kyle can't believe it: she's got a friend. But just as she's
        about to say "Thank you"...

        DING! A familiar CHIME comes through the P.A. SYSTEM above
        Kyle. An announcement must be coming.

        Kyle looks up... then she hears:

                             STEFAN (O.S., THRU P.A.)
                  Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of
                  our Captain we'd like to thank you
                  for your patience during the unusual
                  circumstances on this flight. As you
                  can see, the Captain has turned off
                  the fasten-seatbelt sign. You're now
                  free to move about the cabin.

        The passengers CHEER... as Kyle's eyes go wide.

                             STEFAN (O.S., THRU P.A., CONT'D)
                  For your safety, we suggest that if
                  you remain in your seat you do keep
                  your seatbelt loosely fastened. Thank
                  you.

        To Kyle's dismay, PASSENGERS rise at once, heading for the
        lavatories. Several of them.

                             KYLE
                      (disbelief)
                  What's he doing?
                      (Carson doesn't know)
                  What is he doing?

        The aisles begin to fill, lots of full bladders.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  We haven't found her yet!

        Then Kyle turns, and spots something:

        Captain Rich, approaching from the Flight Deck.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                      (at Rich)
                  What're you doing?

                             RICH
                  I need to speak to you.

        Rich takes her arm, gently, leading toward a galley. We TRACK
        THEM... as passengers make way.

                             KYLE
                  Are we done looking? Is that it?

                             RICH
                  Just come with me.

                             KYLE
                  No!

        She STOPS. Rich tightens, wanting to avoid a scene.

                             RICH
                  Ms. Sherin, we're not going to do
                  this in the middle of the cabin.

                             KYLE
                  Where's my daughter, Captain?

                             RICH
                  If you'll come with me, we can
                  discuss it.

                             KYLE
                  WHERE IS SHE!!!!

                             RICH
                  She's dead, Goddammit!

        Kyle freezes, her face suddenly ashen.

        Somehow, this entire plane just fell silent. No one moves. No
        one even blinks. Even the engines seem quieter. Rich sighs...

        Carson's as floored as anyone. Kyle's almost too frightened
        to speak...

                             KYLE
                      (God no)
                  You found her...?

                             RICH
                  No, Ms. Sherin, I didn't find her.

        He pulls a piece of paper from a back pocket. It's a FAX. He
        offers it to her.

                             RICH (CONT'D)
                  This is from Kaiser Wilhelm Hospital,
                  on Hochstrasse. That's where your
                  husband was pronounced dead, is that
                  correct?

                             KYLE
                  Yes.

                             RICH
                  David Sherin? six days ago? January
                  12?
                      (Kyle nods)
                  Your daughter was also taken there.

                             KYLE
                  No. Julia was at the park when it
                  happened, with her nanny.

                             RICH
                  Ms. Sherin, according to the Director
                  of the Morgue there, your daughter
                  Julia died of internal injuries at
                  2:36 p.m. on January 13. Same time as
                  your husband.

        Absolute quiet fills the cabin. Stunned silence.

                             RICH (CONT'D)
                  They went off that roof together.
                  Didn't they?

        Kyle stares, dumbstruck.

        Carson, Fiona, Stefan, Anna, the Louds, everyone within 
        earshot, eyeing her in a very different way now.

                             KYLE
                  No.

                             RICH
                  I'm very sorry.

        Kyle's head feels like it's spinning. This has to be a dream.

                             KYLE
                  No. Julia wasn't even home. She was
                  at the park.

                             RICH
                  Maybe you should sit down.

                             KYLE
                  She was at the park.

        Kyle stumbles back a bit, into an aisle seat. The floor feels
        wobbly beneath her. Jarrah and Ahmed watch, almost pleased.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  She wasn't even there.
                      (no one speaks)
                  She wasn't even there.

        Kyle shudders, shakes her head... as IMAGES BOMBARD HER:

        INT. KYLE'S APARTMENT - JULIA'S ROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)

        All those MOVING BOXES crowd the floor, everything packed.
        Karolina weeps in the background. An OUTFIT lies on the
        couch, beside that one-armed teddy bear.

        But we don't see Julia in the bed. We don't see her anywhere.

        INT. KYLE'S APT. - STAIRWELL - DAY (FLASHBACK)

        Kyle trudges down those steps with her THREE HUGE SUITCASES.
        Behind her she hears a THUMP, THUMP, THUMP.

        ...but it's merely one of her own bags, hitting each step.

        EXT. KYLE'S APT. BUILDING - HIGH ANGLE - (FLASHBACK)

        We are across the street, at rooftop height, as Kyle gets
        into that waiting car to go to the airport, her overcoat
        slung over her shoulder. We'd thought Julia was beneath it.

        But seen from this angle, Kyle now seems to be getting into
        the car alone.

        ...because Kyle, we now realize, is delusional.

        And everyone knows it, except Kyle herself. End Flashback.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - RESUMING

        She tries to back away, but there's nowhere to go. She
        suddenly realizes that she's up against an EMERGENCY EXIT.

                             KYLE
                  You're crazy. You're all crazy.

                             RICH
                  She was never on board.

                             KYLE
                  I carried her on board...

        All these people, eyeing her: the crazy lady.

                             MRS. LOUD
                  Shouldn't somebody get her away from
                  the door? Could somebody get her away 
                  from the door!

                             RICH
                  There's nothing to worry about,
                  Ma'am.

        Rich looks to Carson, who gently positions himself between
        Kyle and the door.

                             RICH (CONT'D)
                  Ms. Sherin, I can't tell you how
                  sorry I am. I have a family too.
                  Three daughters. And I can only
                  imagine what you must be going
                  through. No, I can't imagine. But my
                  main resp--

                             KYLE
                  She must be so scared...

                             RICH
                  --my main responsibility is the
                  safety of these passengers. And I
                  can't allow anyone, no matter how
                  tragic their circumstances, to
                  jeopardize that.

                             KYLE
                  She doesn't know where she is...

                             RICH
                  Our Air Marshall is going to escort
                  you back to your seat. He can
                  handcuff you if you force him to. I'm
                  hoping that won't be necessary.
                      (Kyle doesn't reply)
                  As I said, I'm very sorry for your
                  loss.
                      (a beat)
                  Mister Carson, will you see her back
                  to her seat now?

        Carson reaches for Kyle's arm... and Kyle simply snaps:

        She bolts into the aisle, knocking two people down as she
        bursts by them. Some passengers SCREAM.

                             RICH (CONT'D)
                  Carson!

        But Kyle is already past Carson, so:

        Jarrah tackles Kyle, knocking her sideways. Kyle's face
        strikes an armrest, as she falls. Thud.

        Her cheek brightens and bleeds. Her eyelids flutter. The room
        swims. She mumbles the name, "Julia... "

        Then she's out. Jarrah stands over her, shocked as hell by
        what he's just done. We...

                                                    FADE TO BLACK:

        And come back... on the faces of Rhett and Brittany.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 24 - TWO HOURS LATER (NIGHT)

        Kyle awakens... to find Rhett and Brittany craning to look
        over their seat-tops at her. (NOTE: from now on, she'll have 
        a large cut/bruise beside her left eye. It hurts.)

                             LISA (O.S.)
                      (heavy German accent)
                  How are you feeling?

        Kyle turns, thrown. Seated beside her now is LISA. She's 45,
        German. Carson is across the aisle now, in 24-D.

                             LISA (CONT'D)
                  Are you in pain?

        Kyle hesitates - who are you? - then puts a hand to the
        injury on her face, remembering...

        ...and it all rushes back: Julia. David. That rooftop. Lisa
        offers Kyle a cup of water. Rhett and Brittany duck down out
        of sight again.

                             CARSON
                  We can get some aspirin if ya want.

        Things have normalized in this cabin now: movies are playing,
        people are sleeping again. Meals are being served.

        But no Julia. Just this odd German woman, speaking gently:

                             LISA
                  My name is Lisa. The Captain thought
                  you might want to... talk with me.
                      (Kyle's a blank)
                  I'm a therapist.

        Kyle looks to Carson.

                             LISA (CONT'D)
                  I saw you - my seat is just a few
                  rows up - and I ask if I can help.
                  Please forgive my English.

        Kyle feels like she's drowning. And her injury throbs.

                             KYLE
                  I don't know you.

                             LISA
                  So many of my patients come to me
                  after a loss. To grieve.
                      (Kyle's silent)
                  Parents. If they have lost a child.

        Kyle shudders. Rhett and Brittany re-appear.

                             MRS. LOUD
                  Kids, turn around.

                             RHETT/BRITTANY
                  Mommmm.

                             MRS. LOUD
                  Turn around!

        The kids turn around, disappearing from our view... Lisa's
        glad for that. She turns to face Kyle again.

                             LISA
                  Sometimes it is just stopping. Being
                  still. Is that the right word?
                  Allowing the pain to come.
                      (that landed)
                  Your husband. David. He was a very
                  unhappy man?

                             KYLE
                  I don't know you.

        Lisa nods, unoffended, and takes Kyle's hand.

        ...just a bit of human contact, but it works. Kyle shuts her
        eyes for a moment.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  He couldn't work anymore.

                             LISA
                  I'm sorry?

                             KYLE
                  David. He couldn't write anymore. He
                  wanted to go back to New York.
                      (Lisa's silent)
                  I wouldn't. I didn't wanna give up my
                  job.

                             LISA
                  Have you cried about that? Have you
                  asked them to forgive you?
                      (Kyle's a blank)
                  You never got to tell them how sorry
                  you were. How guilty you feel. You
                  must be carrying that now.

                             KYLE
                  Last night I walked through the city,
                  and he was there. He was with me.
                      (Lisa nods)
                  We just walked. And he wasn't angry
                  about it anymore. He'd forgiven me.

                             LISA
                  Can you forgive him - for taking her
                  like he did?

        Kyle shuts her eyes, can't trust her memory anymore...

                             LISA (CONT'D)
                  Was Julia there too?

                             KYLE
                  What?

                             LISA
                  Your walk, with David. Was Julia
                  there too?

                             KYLE
                  No. She was home. It was late.

        Kyle pauses a moment, as if reminding herself: "Wait a
        minute; I remember this so clearly. It must have happened."

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  I came home, and she was in bed. She
                  came into his office, looking for me.
                  And we talked until she was asleep
                  again.

        There was a certainty to that. Lisa smiles, touched.

                             LISA
                  It is impossible to... move on, yes?
                  If we haven't accepted.

        Kyle's sighs, inadvertently steaming up her window.

                             LISA (CONT'D)
                  You have to think... think of your
                  husband and child as being on an
                  island. A beautiful place.

        ...and there it is, a SHAPE emerging from the steam on Kyle's
        window:

        It's the HEART that Julia drew - while David's casket was
        being loaded onto the plane.

        A clumsy, shaky, beautiful heart, fingered by a child...

        Kyle stares at it, jolted. Julia was here. She was sitting
        right here. I didn't imagine that.

                             LISA (CONT'D)
                  They will always be there. And you
                  can swim to them any time you need
                  to, in your mind. They'll be there.

        Kyle traces her finger over that heart, fresh tears wetting
        her eyes, not listening at all:

                             LISA (CONT'D)
                  But that island... it is not a place
                  where you can live. You have to let
                  them be there. It's not your - how do
                  you say? - not your place. Do you
                  understand?

        A decision just got made; we can see it on Kyle's face. First
        step is to get past Lisa, so:

                             KYLE
                  We believe what we want to, don't we?

                             LISA
                  Sometimes it's the only way one can
                  go on.

        Kyle nods, as if understanding completely - as if "cured."
        That makes Lisa feel pretty successful.

        Then Kyle looks to Carson:

                             KYLE
                      (to Carson)
                  Am I allowed to use the restroom?

        Carson exhales, annoyed, looks to Lisa.

                             CARSON
                  This lady any kind of threat to
                  herself, Doctor? Alone, in a
                  lavatory? Do I have to take her belt
                  and shoelaces or something?

                             LISA
                  Of course not. She's going to be
                  fine.
                      (at Kyle)
                  You're going to be fine.

        Kyle nods, "grateful."

                             CARSON
                  Let's go.

        Kyle heads down the aisle.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - LEFT AISLE - CONTINUING

        Some passengers take note of her. Others sleep, or read. Her
        celebrity has faded a bit.

        Stefan emerges from Upper Coach Galley #2, bearing two coffee
        pots. He passes by Kyle and Carson.

                             STEFAN
                  'Scuse me.

        Carson nods. Stefan slips past, careful not to brush up
        against them with the coffee pots.

        But Stefan's eyes meet Kyle's - for a split second too long.

        And Kyle's wheels begin to turn: He's in on it. Whatever this
        is, the Steward has to be in on it. Carson nudges her along.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - CORRIDOR - CONTINUING

        Kyle passes two unoccupied lavatories, then stops before a
        third. She turns to Carson, gesturing with the cuffs: "I need
        these taken off."

        Carson hesitates, conflicted. Just then, Fiona and Mike push 
        their meal-cart by. Kyle watches them go, until Carson grabs
        Kyle by the wrists, snapping her rudely back to reality.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  I'll be standing right here.

        Kyle nods; she knows. Carson unlocks the cuffs, tapping his
        sidearm to remind Kyle of where things stand.

        And Kyle steps into the lavatory.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - LAVATORY - CONTINUING

        She enters, locks the door, turns. Here's a mirror.

        She eyes her reflection, a long beat, steeling herself...

        Then she climbs onto the toilet and pushes up on the ceiling
        panel above it.

        To our great surprise, (but not Kyle's), the panel pops free.

        INT. AIRJET - "ATTIC" - CONTINUING

        This is the same endless cavern Eric looked through:
        insulated ducts, struts holding up the overhead bins from
        above, bundles of wires. A football field of space.

        Kyle pops up like a gopher out of a hole. A STRUT is right in
        front of her. She grabs it, pUlling herself into the attic.

        A few feet away is an insulated AIR DUCT. She crawls toward
        it, then around it... heading for something behind it.

        ...an ELECTRICAL PANEL, exactly where Kyle knew it would be.
        She pulls a coin from her pocket, uses it to open the panel:

        Inside is the world's greatest FUSEBOX - a forest of WIRES,
        meticulously tagged and color-coded. Hundreds of them...

        Working quickly, she grabs a bundle of BLUE-TAGGED WIRES,
        sorting through them with precision. Their labels read: Water 
        Pump; Main Cabin; Floor Lights; Emerg 02 Supply.

        Emerg 02 Supply. That's the one. She pulls it from the bunch.

        Next she starts searching through a bundle of YELLOW-TAGGED
        WIRES. She finds the Emergency 02 Supply wire from the yellow
        bundle, and separates it out.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - OUTSIDE THE LAVATORY - CONTINUING

        Carson thinks this is taking too long. He taps on the door.

                             CARSON
                      (to lavatory door)
                  Hey.

        INT. AIRJET - "ATTIC" - RESUMING

        Fuck. Kyle turns herself around in this impossibly-narrow
        space, squirming back toward the open ceiling panel.

        Carson knocks on the lavatory door again, annoyedly:

                             CARSON (O.S., CONT'D)
                  Hey!

        Kyle lowers her upper body through that open ceiling panel,
        so that her head is close enough to the door:

                             KYLE
                  Be out in a second.

        No reply from Carson. Kyle extends into the attic again.

        She pulls herself along that same strut, behind the duct, and
        back to that PANEL, resuming her work with those wires.

        Again, she finds the two that she needs: "Emerg 02 Supply" -
        one yellow, one blue.

        Then, for just a second, she pauses. Good God, I'm really
        about to do this...

        And here goes:

        She extends the wires toward one another. A BRIGHT ELECTRICAL
        CURRENT ARCS BETWEEN THEM. It scorches Kyle's hand, sparks
        flying, as:

        INT. AIRJET - PASSENGER CABINS - VARIOUS - SAME

        Bang. 580 EMERGENCY OXYGEN MASKS now drop from above.

        Instant panic and chaos. People scream, grabbing for masks,
        gasping like fish out of water - each suddenly connecting
        this event to the crazy lady on board. We're under attack.

        INT. AIRJET - COCKPIT - SAME

        A red PANEL-LIGHT alerts Rich and Kaufman: "EMERG 02".

                             RICH
                  Cabin de-press?

                             KAUFMAN
                  No.

        Then what the hell just happened? They reach for their own
        masks, located under their seats...

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - COACH CABIN - RESUMING

        Panic... at 43,000 feet. Stefan and Anna try to calm everyone
        down, but the fear in here is spiking.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - BUSINESS - RESUMING

        More panicking passengers. Fiona's doing her best.

                             FIONA
                      (loud as possible)
                  Everyone, please give me your
                  attention. There is no reason to
                  panic! Place the mask over your face
                  and use the straps on either side to
                  tighten it.

        No one's listening; they're too terrified.

        Carson hurries away from the lavatory, grabbing at the
        nearest unused mask. A woman nearby cries with fear.

        INT. AIRJET - "ATTIC" - RESUMING

        Kyle's not done. She hunts through those wires again, finding
        another matched pair, a blue and a yellow.

        Each reads, "CABIN LIGHTS."

        Then another blue, another yellow. They read: "CABIN TV."

        Same procedure. She extends the wires toward one another,
        absorbing a horrible scorch as the CURRENT arcs between them.
        A huge FLASH, and:

        INT. AIRJET - PASSENGER CABINS - VARIOUS - RESUMING

        Another nightmare... EVERY LIGHT ON BOARD JUST WENT OUT.
        Every video screen too.

        Total, sudden darkness, and the result is sheer terror: kids
        scream, adults too. Flight Attendants try in vain to maintain
        some sense of calm, but they're drowned out.

        INT. AIRJET - COCKPIT - RESUMING

        Another red PANEL-LIGHT just pinged: "CABIN ELECTRICAL." Rich
        is already out of his seat, on his way to the cabins.

                             RICH
                  Get the floor-lights up.

        INT. AIRJET - "ATTIC" - RESUMING

        Kyle drops down from the attic, into the lavatory. No time to
        replace the ceiling panel.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - CORRIDOR - CONTINUING

        The lavatory door opens, and Kyle slips out - the darkness
        and chaos providing perfect cover.

        The FLOOR LIGHTS POP ON. She follows them forward. TRACK her:

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - MOVING

        People call out to one another. Children cry. Several
        passengers yell that they can't get their masks to work. "I
        can't breathe! I can't breathe!"

        We also hear, "It's the Arabs! They're terrorists!" And
        "They're taking over the plane!" Kyle slips through it all.

        Elias, the crazed Caucasian, leaps through the darkness now,
        grabbing Jarrah.

                             ELIAS
                  What'd you do to the lights? What're
                  you fucking guys doing?!

        That starts a race riot. Ahmed throws Elias aside. More
        Caucasian Passengers jump in. Then the Libyans...

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - RIGHT AISLE - SAME

        Carson, breathing through his mask, sees a TINY WHITE LIGHT
        approaching from down the aisle.

        It's Rich, mag-light in hand. The beam lands on Carson.

                             RICH
                      (has to shout)
                  Where's Sherin?

        Carson can barely hear amid the shouting. But he just noticed
        something: Rich isn't wearing a mask.

        Then Rich tears Carson's mask away, and:

                             RICH (CONT'D)
                  You don't need a mask - we haven't
                  lost pressure. Where's Sherin?

        Carson's face says it all. Oh shit...

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - CORRIDOR OUTSIDE LAVATORY - SAME

        Carson races to that lavatory. Its door is open. Rich shines
        his flashlight beam inside.

        Kyle's not in here. But that missing ceiling panel tells them
        what she's done...

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK- COACH GALLEY #2 - CONTINUING

        Kyle flies through a curtain, into the deserted Coach Galley.
        A food cart sits here, under a counter. She pulls it aside.

        ...revealing a tiny ELEVATOR.

        She reaches up for a CALL BUTTON near the galley ceiling.
        Presses it.

        The elevator opens. She slips in, hits the down button.

        INT. AIRJET - TINY ELEVATOR - CONTINUING

        We're in the dark, descending. The elevator hits bottom with
        a THUNK. The doors open. Kyle spills out... into the FORWARD
        CARGO HOLD.

        INT. AIRJET - FORWARD HOLD - REAR WALL - CONTINUING

        Immediately in front of us is a row of those LD-3's: square
        BINS, five-feet tall, eighteen abreast, carrying luggage.
        They block our view of the rest of the hold entirely.

                             KYLE
                      (aloud)
                  Julia? Julia?

        No reply, but she has to be down here.

        Trouble is, there's no space between or around these bins - 
        just row after row of them, five feet high.

        The ceiling, though, is seven feet high. That's enough room
        to crawl through.

        Kyle climbs on top of that first row of bins. Then, like a
        guy wriggling under the wire of a POW camp, she begins.

        INT. FORWARD HOLD - TRACKING KYLE ATOP THE BINS - CONTINUING

        She crawls over row after row - her eyes scanning, probing,
        her back brushing against the ceiling of the hold. Nothing to
        light her way but a few bare bulbs.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Julia? Can you hear me, Honey?

        In front of her, there's a drop-off. She crawls toward it and
        looks down.

        Beneath her now is that black Mercedes S600 on a steel
        freight tray, beneath its metal superstructure. Smoked
        windows, drawn privacy curtains.

        Not a bad place to hide somebody.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Julia? Are you in there, Honey?

        No reply. Kyle drops onto the roof of the sedan.

        There's no way to open the Benz' doors; it's wedged between
        rows of bins. So Kyle bangs on its roof.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Honey? Are you in there?

        It's so noisy down here that Julia could be yelling at Kyle
        from within and we might not hear it.

        Nearby is a CARGO HOOK, hanging on a rack. Kyle climbs over
        the hood, grabs the hook, and SMASHES the front window of the
        Benz. She peels away the windshield and sticks her head in.

        Julia's not inside.

        Kyle finds a lever beneath the dash and pulls it, opening the
        TRUNK, then climbs over the back of the Benz, onto a stack of
        BOXES OF MAIL, and opens the trunk. Julia's not here either.

        Kyle slams the trunk shut. Fuck. To her right is another row
        of bins. She climbs atop it.

        INT. FORWARD HOLD - LAST ROW OF BINS - CONTINUING

        Instantly, she sees something that makes her eyes go wide:

        It's right beneath her, wedged in between the forward wall of
        this hold and the row of bins she's currently atop...

        David's casket.

        It sits on a pallet, well-secured, three feet below her.
        Above it is a bare bulb that's shorting a bit.

        Kyle can't move at first, can barely breathe... Then she
        hears something... a THUMPING SOUND.

        It seemed like it came from inside the casket.

        Maybe it was turbulence, or Kyle's imagination. But she's
        certain that she just heard a THUMP coming from within the
        casket itself.

        ...as if someone were inside, trying to get out. God, no.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                      (pure dread)
                  Julia?

        Of course, there's no reply. Just the roar of the engines...

        Kyle crawls closer... and it happens again: a THUMP from
        within, strong enough to make the casket seem like it just
        hopped an inch or two.

        Good God, Julia's in there.
                             KYLE (CONT'D)

                  Julia!?

        Kyle crawls over the edge of the bins, dropping onto the
        casket itself. Julia's inside. I know it.

        There's a tiny bit of floorspace here, enough to stand in.
        Kyle punches a few digits into the casket's ELECTRONIC LOCK.

        ...but she's rushing, and terrified. So she enters the wrong
        numbers. The electronic window flashes a tiny RED LIGHT.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Shit!
                      (to the casket, loud:)
                  I'm here, Honey. Mommy's here.

        She tries again. Another THUMP can be heard from within,
        flustering her. That yields another red light. Everything
        feels frantic...

        She tries the electronic lock a third time, begging her
        fingers to get the combination right.

        They obey. The light goes GREEN. The casket unlocks. She
        throws it open...

        ...revealing the corpse of her husband, David.

        ...and nothing else.

        Kyle stares, awed. Somehow the last thing she expected to
        find in here was David.

        But here he is, in the shuddering belly of an airplane. First
        time she's seen him since his death.

        And Kyle, at last, breaks down.

        A sob rumbles up her throat before she can stop it. Tears
        fill her eyes, her mouth. Breathing suddenly feels difficult.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                      (barely audible)
                  David...

        Kyle's head drops, her body sags against the casket.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  You have to open your eyes, Baby.

        Doesn't make much sense, talking to a dead body. But she
        can't stop herself.

        More sobs come; she's powerless to stop them. She grabs
        David's hand, touches his face, her body shaking.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  I need you to come back. I'm so
                  scared.
                      (can barely say it:)
                  I can't find Julia.

        The words come out in spasms.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  I can't find her, Honey... I'm so
                  scared.

        Kyle's a mess, grabbing at David, desperate, until:

                             CARSON (O.S.)
                  That's touching. Really.

        Kyle's eyes snap open. Every part of her stiffens. She turns.

        ...to find Carson, looking down from that last row of bins,
        gun poised.

        And here's Kyle, eyes drenched. She begins to shut the
        casket, but:

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Don't.

        That was odd. Sounded like Carson just told her not to shut
        the casket, which wouldn't make much sense.

        Kyle freezes, mid-motion... as Carson drops down beside her,
        bearing a wry smile. They're face to face now.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Don't.

        Then Carson does something even odder: with his gun still
        pointed at Kyle, Carson reaches into the coffin, and begins
        to tear the lining out of its lid.

                             KYLE
                  What're you--?

        Just then, four chunks of CLAY fall from the casket's lining,
        landing on David's body.

        ...which makes Kyle's jaw drop.

        ...because the "clay" is actually plastique. EXPLOSIVES.

                             CARSON
                  Thank you.

        Carson gathers them with his free hand, then reaches back
        into the lining of the casket - this time removing a tiny
        device from it.

        A detonator...

        Kyle's too floored to speak. That pleases Carson.

        He pockets the detonator and shuts the casket.

        Just like that, David's gone again. The light goes red. It's
        all a blur.

        Then Carson climbs atop the casket... and reaches for a HATCH
        that resides five feet above the casket, built into the
        forward wall of this hold.

        He opens the hatch and pulls himself halfway inside, his legs
        dangling over the casket.

        And now Kyle understands... because she knows exactly where
        that hatch leads to:

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - CONTINUING

        ...the tiny room containing converter boxes for EVERY SINGLE
        SYSTEM OPERATING THIS PLANE. Hundreds of black boxes...

        Behind one of them, Carson now casually affixes those four
        chunks of plastique - fitting each with a tiny electronic
        RECEIVER from his pocket.

        Then he pops himself back through the hatch, shutting it.

        INT. FORWARD HOLD - AT DAVID'S CASKET - RESUMING

        Kyle's stunned.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Go.

                             KYLE
                  Where's Julia?

                             CARSON
                  I put her to sleep, just like I put
                  you to sleep. Do what I tell you and
                  you'll get her back, wide awake.

        He prods Kyle toward those bins... But Kyle resists.

                             KYLE
                  When?

                             CARSON
                  Move.

                             KYLE
                  When do I get my daughter back?

        Carson pauses, fighting to keep a grin off his face... until:

                             CARSON
                  About fifty million dollars from now.

        That's all he'll say, but it's enough. He shoves her toward
        the bins.

        INT. AIRJET - ELEVATOR - ASCENDING - MOMENTS LATER

        This was a tight fit when Kyle was alone. Now Carson's here
        too. They're close enough to kiss. Her hands are cuffed.

        Kyle studies him, as if her brain can't integrate all this...

                             CARSON
                  Yes?

                             KYLE
                  I'm just trying to... I don't
                  understand how you could do this.

                             CARSON
                  You're right. It's appalling. I'm
                  ashamed of myself, truly.

        The elevator stops. The doors start to open. Carson shoves
        her out.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - CONTINUING

        Kyle stumbles out of the elevator. Here's what she sees:

        The lights on this deck have just been restored. Video
        screens are beginning to flicker. OXYGEN BAGS still dangle.

        And every single person on this deck is now staring at her.

        Kyle, the delusional villain, in HAND-CUFFS, with a bleeding
        face that makes her look like a boxer. The glares coming her
        way are murderous.

        Beside her is Carson - the sturdy, steady Air Marshall. He
        leans in close, and:

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                      (for Kyle's ears only)
                  Obviously, not a word. Or we will
                  kill her.

        With that, he shoves her forward.

        ...as one of the passengers begins to APPLAUD.

        It's derisive at first, evoking a few laughs. But then other
        passengers join in. Ahmed rises, loving it. Jarrah is silent.
        (So is Elias, mostly because his NOSE has now been bloodied.)

        The applause spreads, filling the Deck. Kyle begins a McVeigh-
        like walk toward the ten empty rows in back. Carson, her
        escort, gets a few pats on the back.

        They pass a very pissed-off Captain Rich, who has just
        emerged from fixing the wiring on the panel above that
        lavatory. Rich eyes Kyle without a word.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - BACK ROW - CONTINUING

        Kyle reaches the back row, where she stops and turns. The
        applause stops too... leaving a sudden, eery silence.

        Here are the Loud Family, and Lisa, and Rich, and Fiona, and
        hundreds of others, all staring at her. Stefan, too. (But
        Stefan can't quite meet Kyle's eye.)

        Kyle looks them all over, dying inside...

        Then she sits, with ten empty rows standing between her and
        the rest of the passengers, disappearing in the tall
        seatbacks as a child would.

        And oddly, no one feels like cheering anymore.

        Passengers face forward again, returning to their movies or
        books, wondering why they don't feel victorious. Even the
        Louds seem non-plussed. Jarrah opens a magazine.

        Captain Rich heads back to the cockpit, his face a mask.

        Carson sits beside Kyle, who tilts her head to look down the
        aisle, the length of this plane, at her fellow passengers...

        Row after row of them, people who have no idea what is
        sitting in that hold beneath them...

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - RESUMING

        We TRACK THROUGH this tiny space, looking at all the systems
        an explosion in here would cripple: nav, comm, auto pilot,
        power, hydraulics. Everything. Instant disaster.

        CONTINUE TRACKING through this shadowy, H-shaped room. Those
        chunks of plastique sit behind an electrical panel,
        completely obscured from view.

        Then we come to a stop... having found the two dark pockets
        extending from the catwalk: the plane's NOSE-CONE.

        In these unlit pockets we find struts, insulated by that lime
        green poly-paper. And some wire-ducts.

        ...and one four year-old girl.

        Julia has been wedged into this pocket of shadows, alive,
        sleeping, hands tied, jostled by mild turbulence. We...

                                                     FADE TO BLACK

        ...and come back in on that bulkhead VIDEO MONITOR: a tiny
        PLANE, crossing an animated globe. We're now 37 MINUTES from
        our destination. Then we hear a DING, and:

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - GALLEY #2 - NIGHT

        Stefan speaks into that P.A. SYSTEM again:

                             STEFAN (INTO P.A. MIC)
                  Ladies and Gentlemen, we've now begun
                  our descent into the New York area
                  and the Captain has once again
                  illuminated the fasten seatbelts
                  sign. Should be arriving at Kennedy
                  shortly.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - DOLLYING TO ROW 35 - CONTINUING

        We DOLLY THROUGH the Upper Deck, passing Fiona as she grabs a
        coat from an overhead bin for a passenger, arriving at:

        ...Kyle, still seated beside Carson. still in the dark.

                             STEFAN (P.A., CONT'D, O.S.)
                  We have some information concerning
                  connecting flights. All passengers on
                  Pan World Flight 18 to Los Angeles
                  will be departing via Gate B-3. Pan
                  World Flight 203 to Boston will be
                  departing via Gate B-7. And all
                  passengers remaining on this flight
                  and continuing to Miami will be asked
                  to deboard temporarily so that we may
                  service the aircraft.

        And just like that, Kyle's eyes go wide. She gets it.

                             STEFAN (P.A., CONT'D)
                  As always, a Pan World representative
                  will be at the gate as you exit the
                  aircraft should you have any
                  questions.

        End of announcement. Kyle eyes Carson...

        And there's that fucking grin of his again...

                             KYLE
                  How many people will be aboard? Do
                  you know?

                             CARSON
                  We're not standing in the middle of a
                  parking lot, okay? Keep your voice
                  down.

                             KYLE
                  That's what this is, right? We land,
                  I get interrogated, the plane takes
                  off again, and I say I've planted a
                  few bombs in the hold.
                          (Carson eyes her)
                  How many people will be aboard?

                             CARSON
                  'Bout five hundred, last we checked.
                  What's it to ya?

        Carson shows her A SLIP OF PAPER WITH TWENTY DIGITS ON IT.
        Then he puts it into the inside pocket of her jacket.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Here's the account number the money
                  gets wired to.

        Odd, having his hand up against her body like that.

                             KYLE
                  What if I tell them the truth
                  instead?

                             CARSON
                  Huh?

                             KYLE
                  What if I tell them the truth?

        Carson considers that, almost amused...

                             CARSON
                  Well, I suppose they'll check the
                  plane and find the plastique. Then
                  they'll ask me how long you were
                  alone in that hold, and I'll tell
                  them certainly long enough to have
                  put it there. Mechanical Engineer, a
                  lady who'd sure as hell know how to
                  bring down an airplane, distraught
                  over her recent tragic losses, et
                  cetera. And you'll do time, and I'll
                  be out a boatload of money, and your
                  daughter will be dead.
                      (no reply)
                  ...that is, unless you think they're
                  likely to take your word over mine.

        Kyle eyes him. One of those moments in which you realize that
        you're looking at evil itself. And it's only inches away...

                             KYLE
                  My husband didn't jump off that
                  building, did he?
                      (Carson smiles)
                  He didn't fall off it either.

                             CARSON
                  No. He flew off it.

        He watches her for a reaction, enjoying it. We...
                                                           CUT TO:

        EXT. KENNEDY - RUNWAY - ESTABLISHING - DAWN

        The Airjet touches down at Kennedy.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - BACK ROW - SAME

        The welcome screech of tires hitting runway brings a palpable
        relief - people happy as hell to have this flight over with.

        Kyle reacts too - but without a hint of relief.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - LEFT DOOR #1 - MINUTES LATER

        The jetway is attached now, and passengers are beginning to
        file out. Fiona and Estella offer "Bye-Bye" smiles.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 35 - SAME

        Kyle sits, as her fellow passengers file toward those stairs.
        Lisa turns before descending, throwing a look of
        pity/compassion in our direction. Kyle stares blankly.

                             CARSON
                  Did you want me to get her card for
                  you?

        Kyle's silent. Carson chuckles.

        Jarrah gets up from his seat now, takes one last look at Kyle
        - as if seeing her one more time might help him to understand
        her. Then he too is gone...

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - LEFT AISLE - MOMENTS LATER

        The plane is EMPTY now. Captain Rich makes his way aft,
        toward Kyle and Carson.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 35 - CONTINUING

        Rich stops a few aisles away, addressing Carson:

                             RICH
                  We're all clear now.

                             CARSON
                  Thank you, Captain.

        Rich nods to Carson, one professional acknowledging another.

                             RICH
                  Goodbye, Ms. Sherin. You probably
                  won't believe this, but I wish you
                  well.

        Kyle smiles thinly. Not much to say. Rich turns, heading back
        down the aisle.

        Then he's gone.

        It's just Kyle and Carson now; the rest of the plane is
        empty. Carson pulls out his cel-phone, dials.

                             CARSON (INTO PHONE)
                  We're all clear now. They've got us
                  at Gate Twelve.
                      (gets an answer)
                  Fine. Pull a car up. I'll bring her
                  down to you.
                      (a beat...)
                  No. She won't be any problem.

        Carson ends the call. Kyle eyes him, almost admiringly.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Okay, they're coming with a car
                  that's gonna take us to the airport
                  police station. You are not to speak -
                  either in the car or during your
                  questioning. You're not even to ask
                  for a lawyer. I'll be next to you the
                  whole time. In about an hour, this
                  plane'll be up again. Soon as word of
                  it comes to me, I'll give you a sign.
                  At that time you will announce that
                  you've placed explosive charges on
                  board. And you'll issue your demands.

        Kyle's silent. Carson goes on:

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  When the money is wired, your little
                  girl'll be set free. Happy endings
                  all around. Got it?

                             KYLE
                  Where is she now?

                             CARSON
                  She's safe. She's fine. That's all
                  you need to--

                             KYLE
                  Is she still on the plane?

                             CARSON
                  Of course not.

                             KYLE
                  How'd you get her off?

                             CARSON
                  Look, you need to keep your mind
                  clear for the next few hours. I'm not
                  gonna distract you with any kind of
                  unnecessary--

                             KYLE
                  I just wanna know where she is.

                             CARSON
                  She's someplace no one's gonna look,
                  okay?

                             KYLE
                  I wanna know where she is!

        That hovers for a second. They study one another.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Where'd you put her?

        Carson eyes her, irritated. Fuck it...

                             CARSON
                  I put her with your husband.

        Kyle pauses, thinking she must have heard that wrong.

        Then she replays it in her head... and notes the sadistic
        grin on Carson's face.

        ...and it all makes an awful kind of sense.

        Julia. In a casket.

        A wave of dread hits Kyle like a mallet - a thought so horrid
        she can barely give it voice.

                             KYLE
                      (aghast)
                  She's not...

                             CARSON
                  Yes. She is. Went in right before we
                  landed.

        Of all the shocks on this flight, of all the horrors, this
        one's the worst. Kyle shudders, her eyes locked on Carson.

        ...as he looks toward the nearest window with a self-
        satisfied grin.

        An instinct tells Kyle to rise, to get to that window. Carson
        nods, approving the idea.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - ROW 35 - WINDOW - CONTINUING

        She rushes toward the window. Through it she sees the apron 
        of the tarmac:

        A plain FBI SEDAN approaches. CARGO-GUYS off-load suitcases
        and golf-clubs. There's that pallet bearing the Mercedes and
        its smashed window.

        ...And David's casket, rolling off a conveyor belt.

        But now Kyle has to picture Julia inside it. God no...

        Her legs fail her; she literally folds toward the floor.
        Breathing feels impossible. We stay on her, tight on her
        face, as:

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  She'll wake up in about an hour, give
                  or take, and find herself face to
                  face with your husband. You fuck with
                  me, even a little, and she'll die in
                  there - there's about five hours
                  worth of oxygen inside.

        A four year-old girl, in a coffin with a corpse. It's
        unimaginable, enough to drive a mother mad.

        And that's just what it's doing - we can see it Kyle's eyes.
        She backs away from the window, into the aisle. Carson takes
        out his phone, casually.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Now. Let's talk about your exit
                  strategy.

        She's about to explode. It's coming...

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  After the money is wired you're going
                  to--

        Bang. She goes off:

        In a blur, she has bolted down the aisle, catching Carson
        completely off-guard.

                             CARSON
                  Goddammit...

        He takes off after her, suddenly wishing he weighed less.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - TRACKING KYLE - CONTINUING

        Looking to her left, eyes on that casket, Kyle runs as fast
        as she can. Her hands are cuffed, that makes things tougher.
        And she can hear Carson behind her, his footsteps heavy.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Goddammit!

        She keeps running. The aisle feels endless. We TRACK HER POV,
        looking to her left: window, fuselage, window, fuselage. It's
        like running along a fence.

        But that casket has vanished now, disappearing under the
        Kennedy terminal.

        That makes her run faster, despite the cuffs. Hang on, Julia.
        I'm coming. I'm gonna get you out of there...

        Up ahead, those stairs. She leaps six of them at once.

        INT. AIRJET - STAIRS - CONTINUING

        She lands hard then goes on, flying over the remaining steps.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - APPROACHING LEFT DOOR - CONTINUING

        She emerges onto the Main Deck, heading for the door.

        ...just as Stefan emerges from a lavatory; (clearly, he'd
        been hiding in here while the plane emptied.) First thing he
        sees is Kyle, barrelling toward him.

        But Stefan does nothing as she bolts past him. Odd...

        She races toward the forward door of the aircraft. It's
        almost within reach now. She keeps running.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - APPROACHING DOOR #1 - CONTINUING

        Kyle's ten feet from escaping. Now five. Now a step. She's at
        the door, Carson's footsteps growing louder.

        ...when Kyle does the last thing on Earth we would ever
        expect her to do:

        She stops.

        The Jetway is right in front of her. Freedom. And Carson is
        running right up her tail, thundering down this aisle.

        But Kyle has frozen, right on the threshold of the plane.

        It's so sudden, so unexpected, even Carson comes to a halt.
        What the hell did she just stop for? Stefan also seems at a
        loss.

        ...as Kyle turns, still winded from the sprint, eyeing them.

        An odd, awkward moment... until:

                             KYLE
                  How did you open it?

        Carson is silent, hoping he just misunderstood.

                             CARSON
                  Beg your pardon?

                             KYLE
                  My daughter. How'd you get the casket
                  open?

        Carson doesn't react... but Stefan does - the tiniest of
        flinches, in his eyes. Kyle reads him.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  That was the point of all this,
                  wasn't it? That nobody could get the
                  casket open but me?
                      (they're silent)
                  So how'd you do it?

        Carson, at last, doesn't have an answer. Kyle moves a few
        feet from the door, studying him.

        For the first time in days, she feels awake. Aware.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Whole time I'm running down this
                  aisle I'm thinking, "Why aren't they
                  moving faster?"
                      (no reply)
                  Almost walked right into it, didn't
                  I? One more step, on to the jetway...
                  and you could've shot me

                             CARSON
                  Lady, you've got one hell of an
                  imagination.

        Again, silence - but Stefan's beginning to look unnerved.

                             KYLE
                  No. You kill me. And the ransom
                  demand comes in anonymously. And my
                  daughter never makes it off this
                  plane. She was never supposed to make
                  it off.
                      (at Stefan)
                  Was she?

        Stefan reacts, without wanting to. That pisses Carson off.
        But before he can fire back, his CEL-PHONE RINGS.

        He grabs it angrily, eyeing Stefan and Kyle.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                      (into phone)
                  Yeah?
                      (a beat)
                  We're on our way. Be right down.

                             KYLE
                      (at Stefan, again:)
                  Was she?

        Stefan knows better than to answer. Carson hangs up,
        approaches Kyle.

                             CARSON
                  Let's go.

                             KYLE
                  I can't. My daughter's still on
                  board.

        WHAM. Carson just unloaded on her, a single right hook to the
        jaw. Kyle is knocked sideways, her ribs slamming into an
        armrest. She falls to the floor, wincing. End of discussion.

                             CARSON
                  Okay. How 'bout now?

        ...but Kyle, face down, hissing through the pain, goes on:

                             KYLE
                  FBI's gonna have the real manifest,
                  fellas. They're gonna see that she
                  boarded the plane.

                             CARSON
                  Goddammit.

        A sickening THUD, as Carson kicks Kyle in the stomach. She
        sucks for air, but:

                             KYLE
                  Then they're gonna... call the
                  hospital in Germany, find out she...
                  was never admitted there.

                             CARSON
                  Jesus. This is pathetic...

        Carson grabs her, yanks her up to her feet.

                             KYLE
                  And who's in the middle of all those
                  phony faxes?
                      (at Stefan)
                  You, Dummy.

        This is all working. Carson can see that.

                             STEFAN
                      (shaky)
                  What's she talking about?

                             CARSON
                  Nothing.

        Carson's cel-phone rings again. Kyle keeps working Stefan:

                             CARSON
                      (into phone)
                  Yeah?

                             UNSEEN FBI AGENT (THRU PHONE)
                  What the hell's going on up there?

        Carson's about to lose his cool. Kyle just keeps working
        Stefan:

             CARSON (INTO PHONE)                    KYLE
        I'm on it, okay?! The lady      It's over, don't you get
        fucking pissed herself, I       that? There isn't gonna be
        thought you'd appreciate my     any money. So why not just
        getting her cleaned up first!   tell me where she is?
        Jesus!

        Carson snaps the phone off, as:

                             KYLE
                      (still working Stefan:)
                  You don't really wanna kill a little
                  girl, do you?

                             CARSON
                  Hey! I'm getting really sick of
                  hearing about that fucking kid!

        He grabs Kyle, shoves her forward.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Now let's go!

        He's big, angry, and armed. Smart thing would be to do as he
        says.

        But Kyle slips from his grasp.

        ...and she sits... in a big fat First Class seat.

                             KYLE
                  No.

        Carson halts, every part of him tensing, trying to contain
        his temper.

        He extracts his gun, and points it right at her.

                             CARSON
                  I will shoot you.

                             KYLE
                  No you won't. That'd turn this whole
                  plane into a crime scene; Police
                  would impound it for days.
                      (at Stefan:)
                  It's why he hasn't shot you yet
                  either.

                             STEFAN
                  Gene?

                             CARSON
                  The plan's in place. Nothing's
                  changed. She's just trying to rattle
                  you.

                             STEFAN
                  It's working.

        Carson turns, just for a second, to assuage Stefan...

                             CARSON
                  Listen. You're starting to panic--

        That's all the distraction Kyle needs...

        Uncoiling as if shot from a cannon, she erupts out of that
        seat and bull-rushes Carson, knocking him forward, his head
        slamming into an overhead bin, dazing him.

        He grabs her by the hair. They fall to the floor together
        clumsily, Carson right on top of her - another horrible THUD,
        driving the air out of Kyle's lungs. Her eyes flutter.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Okay. Had enough now?
                      (Kyle's near passing out)
                  Had enough?

        She nods, acquiescing. Carson rises.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Good. We're going to de-board now.
                  You and me. And we're going to get in
                  that car, just like we planned.

        But instead of obeying, Kyle just smiles...

        And Carson pauses, thrown.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Something funny all the sudden?
                      (Kyle nods)
                  Let's hear it.

        Then Kyle rises... and we begin to get the joke:

        She lifts up her cuffed hands, revealing something that's 
        been palmed inside the right one:

        Carson's detonator.

        And her thumb is right on the pin... Stefan gasps...

        But Carson betrays no reaction at all.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  What're you gonna do, blow us all up?

                             KYLE
                  Yeah.

                             CARSON
                  That seem like a good idea to you?

                             KYLE
                  Haven't you heard? I'm crazy.

        Down goes her thumb, beginning to depress the pin... but
        Carson still won't flinch:

                             CARSON
                  Go ahead. First one to die'll be your
                  little girl.

        Kyle doesn't react... but Stefan does. Completely unglued
        now, he begins to back away. He wants out.

                             CARSON (CONT'D)
                  Where the hell're you going?
                      (Stefan's silent)
                  Hey. I'm talking to you.

        Not another word. Stefan just backs right out that door, on
        to the jetway. Then he's gone.

        ...and by the time Carson turns, Kyle has taken off in the 
        other direction, heading aft.

        Now Carson looks murderous. Kyle has twenty yards on him. He
        takes off after her.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - STAIRS - CONTINUING

        Kyle dashes up the stairs, Carson pursuing.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - CONTINUING

        She turns, racing through Business Class. Up ahead is the
        Flight Deck... its grenade-proof door invitingly open.

        She runs as hard as she can. The door's twenty yards away.

        Carson's on her tail, and gaining.

        Ten yards away. Five yards. Legs churning...

        There's the door, almost within reach. Carson dives at her
        heels.

        He catches just enough of her to trip her up. She stumbles.

        But she regains her balance and crosses the threshold into
        the cockpit. Carson lunges.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - COCKPIT - CONTINUING

        She tries to shut the grenade-proof door. Carson's fist keeps
        it from closing.

        She steps on his wrist. His fist opens. She slams the door on
        his fingers. They retract.

        She shuts the door, locks it, leans against it, looks through
        its PEEPHOLE, at a distorted view of:

                             CARSON
                      (pounding on it)
                  I'll fucking kill you!

        There's a thick THREE-RING BINDER sitting on a jumpseat to
        her left. She grabs it - we don't know why - and slips out of 
        this cockpit, into:

        INT. AIRJET - PILOT'S SLEEPING QUARTERS - CONTINUING

        A tiny room, right off the cockpit, for pilot or co-pilot to
        rest in during long flights. Kyle enters, climbing on top of
        a day-bed.

        Above her, within reach, is another HATCH. She pops it open.
        Then she places the thick binder between her knees and pulls
        herself up - not easy with handcuffs on.

        INT. AIRJET - "ATTIC" - CONTINUING

        Kyle makes it through. Then she turns, and sits, her legs
        dangling. She's now in the forwardmost point in the attic.

        She grabs the thick binder from between her knees, lifts it
        to her chest... and hurls it into the darkness of the attic,
        as far aft as she can.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - SAME

        Carson is still at that grenade-proof door... until he hears
        a thick THUD overhead: the binder, landing.

        Now we get it: taking the bait, he moves away from the door,
        toward the sound.

        INT. AIRJET - PILOT'S SLEEPING QUARTERS - RESUMING

        Quietly as possible, Kyle lowers herself out of the attic and
        back into this tiny room again.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - SAME

        Carson drifts aft, listening for any sounds from the attic
        overhead, any clues to Kyle's location.

        All he has to do now is get to the LAVATORY that gave her
        access to the attic during the flight.

        Up ahead are the lavatories, right by the stairs. He
        approaches. But just as he gets there:

                             FBI AGENT (O.S.)
                  What the hell is going on up here?!

        Carson-halts, turns. Here come the TWO FBI GUYS that called
        him from the tarmac. They've entered the plane now.

        And they look pissed, emerging from the Main Deck.

                             FBI AGENT (CONT'D)
                  You guys watching a movie or
                  something? Jesus.

        Okay. New wrinkle. Carson will have to adjust:

                             CARSON
                  I lost her.

                             FBI AGENT
                  What?!

                             CARSON
                  She got away from me.

                             FBI AGENT
                  You gotta be kidding.

                             CARSON
                  She got to the elevator. I think that
                  puts her in the rear hold.

        FBI Guys eye one another, incredulous.

                             FBI AGENT
                  Is she armed?

                             CARSON
                  'Course not.

        They eye him: God, you're a moron. It's withering.

                             FBI AGENT
                      (at Agent #2)
                  Get the Forward hold. I'll go aft.
                      (at Carson:)
                  You stay here, check the cabins.

        FBI Guys head back down those steps without awaiting a reply,
        just as Carson had intended.

        He remains in place, eyes up, hoping to hear Kyle moving in
        the attic again.

        INT. AIRJET - COCKPIT - CONTINUING

        She looks through the peephole in the grenade-proof door.

        ...as Carson ducks into a corridor, by the lavatories.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - FLIGHT DECK - CONTINUING

        The cockpit door opens, tentatively. Kyle peeks out.

        And she freezes, hearing him open a lavatory door. But she
        doesn't hear it shut.

        She slinks forward, heading for the stairs.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - LAVATORY - CONTINUING

        Carson climbs onto the toilet. Overhead is the same ceiling
        hatch that Kyle went through during the flight.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - APPROACHING THE STAIRS - SAME

        Kyle nears the top of the steps. She's going to have to pass
        right by the lavatory that Carson just entered... which would
        be fine if he'd shut the door.

        But it's open. She can see it.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - LAVATORY - RESUMING

        Carson pops out that ceiling panel and begins to pull himself
        up.

        ...just as we catch a glimpse of Kyle in the bathroom mirror,
        slipping past.

        Kyle freezes... until his legs vanish into the attic.

        Christ that was close. She pads to the top of the stairs.

        INT. AIRJET - REAR HOLD - SAME

        FBI Agent emerges from another cramped elevator, into the
        REAR HOLD. (We haven't been here before.)

        It's empty, its cargo door wide open - which means that if
        their "suspect" made it this far, she could be anywhere on
        the whole Goddamn tarmac by now...

        INT. AIRJET - FORWARD HOLD - SAME

        FBI Agent #2 emerges, to find that the Forward Hold is empty
        as well. It also leads to a wide-open tarmac.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - CONTINUING

        Kyle emerges from the stairs, onto the Main Deck. She heads
        for First Class.

        INT. AIRJET - "ATTIC" - SAME

        Carson crawls toward that ATTIC ELECTRICAL PANEL - just as
        Kyle did, albeit less gracefully. Then he halts.

        Looking for her, listening for her...

        No signs of her yet. He crawls forward.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - FIRST CLASS - CLOSET - CONTINUING

        Kyle hurries into First, throwing open the door of a CLOSET.

        Stefan went through here during his bogus search, hours ago.
        Kyle follows the same steps, pulling on a RING in the floor,
        lifting up a HATCH... revealing a LADDER below.

        INT. AIRJET - "ATTIC" - RESUMING

        Carson is on his hands and knees, crawling past the SHORTED
        ELECTRICAL WIRING... when he stumbles into something loose.
        He grabs for it:

        ...a thick 3-ring BINDER, which belongs in the cockpit.

        Just like that, Carson knows: he's been tricked. She's not up
        in this attic. Goddammit.

        He turns around in the confined space, and heads for the
        opening that will lead him back to the lavatory.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - CLOSET - CONTINUING

        Clock's ticking now. Kyle slips through the floor hatch.
        She'll shimmy down the ladder...

        INT. AIRJET - LAVATORY - CONTINUING

        Carson wedges himself through that too-tight opening again,
        moving too quickly.

        He LOSES HIS GRIP, falling clumsily. His ankle turns as his
        foot slips off the toilet, which sends him slamming into a
        wall.

                             CARSON
                      (pained)
                  Fuck!

        INT. AIRJET - LADDER TO "ELECTRICAL BOX" - CONTINUING

        Kyle makes her way down the ladder, but the cuffs on her
        hands make it impossible to hold that HATCH open at the same
        the time.

        So it SLAMS SHUT above her, a loud noise.

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - LAVATORY - RESUMING

        Carson's just about to slam his fist into a wall.

        ...when he hears the sound of that HATCH, slamming shut. It
        tells him where Kyle is.

        Gun drawn, he exits the lavatory...

        INT. AIRJET - LADDER TO "ELECTRICAL BOX" - CONTINUING

        Kyle reaches up, LOCKING that hatch from below. Then she
        drops down the ladder.

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - CONTINUING

        Upon reaching bottom, Kyle turns. We're back in this cramped,
        H-Shaped room again. Those CONVERTER BOXES surround her. An
        electrical hum hovers.

        She stands on that thin catwalk. To her left is the interior
        of the nose-cone. We know that Julia's been stowed there;
        we've seen her.

        But Kyle doesn't know that. All she knows is that the
        plastique is to her right - affixed beside the HATCH that
        leads to the Forward Hold.

        So that's where she goes...

        She heads for the hatch. There's an unlit pocket of space
        beside it. Julia could be there.

                             KYLE
                  Julia? Honey?
                      (no one replies)
                  Honey?

        Kyle crouches down, into that pocket, close enough to brush 
        up against the plastique that's been affixed here.

        She has to use her hands as eyes down here - it's that dark.

        But she doesn't come upon her daughter...

        INT. AIRJET - UPPER DECK - STAIRS - RESUMING

        That ankle is definitely sprained, maybe worse. Slowed by it,
        and mad as hell now, Carson descends the stairs leading to
        the Main Deck.

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - RESUMING

        Kyle emerges from shadow, returning to the catwalk.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Julia?

        In front of her now is the nose-cone, another pocket of unlit
        space, occupied mostly by STRUTS and WIRE-DUCTS.

        Kyle crosses toward it...

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - RESUMING

        Carson hobbles toward that closet in First.

        INT. AIRJET - NOSE CONE - RESUMING

        Kyle crawls into the nose cone... Darkness...

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  Julia? Honey? Can you hear me?

        Then, she gasps:

        There's Julia, where we saw her before. Bound. Gagged.
        Asleep.

        It's almost too much to take in... But she grabs the kid,
        pulling her close.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - FIRST CLASS - CLOSET - RESUMING

        Carson arrives, gets to that hatch, pulls on the ring.

        The Hatch doesn't move. It's locked. Fuck.

        INT. AIRJET - NOSE CONE - RESUMING

        Kyle hears the tugging on that hatch door. She grabs Julia again
        complicated by having her hands cuffed.

                             KYLE (CONT'D)
                  C'mon, Honey. We gotta go.

        Julia doesn't answer. She's still out.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - FIRST CLASS - CLOSET - RESUMING

        Enough of this shit. Carson AIMS HIS GUN at the locked hatch.

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - CONTINUING

        Kyle carries Julia onto the catwalk, when BANG! Carson's
        gunshot, startling the hell out of her.

        Kyle knows she has no time now. She turns to her left:

        There's the HATCH that we know will lead her to the Forward
        Hold. Those four chunks of PLASTIQUE are affixed beside it.

        Kyle stops... and eyes them...

        ... as that HATCH above her is thrown open. Here comes Carson.

        EXT. TARMAC - SAME

        There's a LUGGAGE CONVEYOR BELT leading from the Rear Hold to
        the tarmac. FBI Agent walks down it.

        To his left, FBI Agent #2 does the same thing, emerging from
        the Forward Hold... They look to one another, indicating: "I
        found nothing." Now what?

        We blow by them, as we TILT UP and PUSH IN, through the open
        Forward Hold... toward the elevated hatch through which
        Carson climbed mid-flight to plant the plastique.

        ...and right on the other side of that hatch, we find:

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - CONTINUING

        Kyle huddles Julia in a darkened corner, by that Hatch Door.

        ... as Carson descends on metal rungs from the closet above.

        His feet hit the catwalk, gun drawn. Converter boxes on all
        sides of him.

        But he knows where Julia is, because he put her there
        himself, eight hours ago: the nose cone. He creeps toward it.

        He leaves the catwalk now, crouching down into the nose-cone,
        a dark pocket of shadows, ready to kill them both.

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - BY THE AFT HATCH - SAME

        Fifteen feet away, Kyle braces herself... She can't see
        Carson; there are TWO WALLS of electronic converter boxes
        between them. She can't hear him either; the hum down here is
        too great for that.

        But she knows where he is...

        INT. AIRJET - NOSE-CONE - SAME

        Carson leans in, expecting to find Kyle and Julia...

        But Kyle and Julia aren't here. What the hell?
        Then he turns... and finds something he wasn't expecting to
        find in this nose-cone:

        His four chunks of plastique. They've been moved.

        ...They're now an inch from his face. Oh shit...

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - BY THE AFT HATCH - RESUMING

        Kyle covers Julia's head, then hits the detonator.

        And everything in here goes to Hell. The light is blinding.

        EXT. TARMAC - OUTSIDE THE PLANE - CONTINUING

        The EXPLOSION erupts outward from the nose, knocking those
        two FBI Agents to their knees.

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - RESUMING

        Carson is blown to pieces; the catwalk comes loose; converter
        boxes are shaken from their cells; smoke fills the box.

        Kyle absorbs some shrapnel, shielding Julia from it.

        EXT. TARMAC - BENEATH THE AIRJET - CONTINUING

        The plane's NOSE-GEAR collapses, sending the beast nose-first
        to the concrete. GROUNDS-CREW MEMBERS scatter. The JETWAY
        tears loose. The FBI Guys watch as it slams into their sedan.

        INT. AIRJET - MAIN DECK - FIRST CLASS - RESUMING

        Everything is thrown FORWARD now, everything topples. Carts
        come loose and fly down aisles.

        INT. AIRJET - "ELECTRICAL BOX" - RESUMING

        Kyle just hangs on, going for the ride as the nose of the
        plane thuds toward the ground. She and Julia slide forward.

        Then, impact - the nose hitting concrete.

        The windshield of the Airjet shatters, sending shards. Kyle
        and Julia land on the tarmac - with this creaking, hulking
        aircraft now on top of them.

        Then, oddly, SILENCE.

        The plane stops shuddering, its nose now flat on the
        concrete, its tail in the air.

        Kyle slumps to one side, spent. Julia's still alive. It's
        over.

                                                     FADE TO BLACK

        ...and come back in...

        ...on Kyle Sherin - who sits, no longer numb.

        INT. KENNEDY - HANGAR - LATER

        We're tight on Kyle, exactly matching the angle with which we
        first saw her - in that empty Berlin sUbway station, just
        last night.

        ...but that thousand-mile stare is gone now. She is alert,
        awake. Present.

        Maybe that's because Julia is asleep in her arms.

        Kyle strokes her daughter's hair, gently. We can't tell yet
        where we are; there's just a bare wall behind them. But
        Kyle's sitting on a bench of some kind... until:

                             FBI AGENT (O.S.)
                  Ms. Sherin?

        Kyle looks up. Here's that FBI Agent, standing before her.

        And we get our bearings now: we're in an EMPTY HANGAR here at
        Kennedy, along with every other passenger from Pan World #83,
        and their luggage.

        Kennedy has been in SHUTDOWN MODE for an hour now, descended
        upon by COPS, FBI, FAA. Exits have been closed. Runways too.

        Around us we see Jarrah, The Louds, Elias, Captain Rich,
        Fiona - all of them submitting to questioning by authorities.

                             FBI AGENT (CONT'D)
                      (gently)
                  Whenever you're ready, Ma'am.

        Kyle nods, and rises, Julia remaining on her shoulder. Up
        ahead is a plain white VAN. The FBI AGENT leads her to it.

        ...which means she's going to pass through a sea of her
        fellow passengers now.

        Every eye, of course, follows her as she goes. The Louds stop
        squabbling. Jarrah turns away from the FAA GUY who's been
        interviewing him. Rich, Fiona, they all watch.

        ...as Kyle passes by, carrying a little girl that each of
        these people had thought to be imaginary, not long ago.

        Her eyes meet with Jarrah, and Rich, and Fiona. Silent
        moments of mutual respect. Mr. Loud starts toward her, to say
        something, then thinks better of it.

        And Kyle continues along... until she feels something,
        stirring on her shoulder:

        Julia, just beginning to awaken now.

        Her eyes open slowly, groggily. And Kyle stops.

        Julia looks around, made instantly disoriented by this
        hangar, and all these people, and the luggage on the ground.

                             KYLE
                      (softly)
                  Hey.

        Julia doesn't answer at first. still a bit lost, and very
        confused by Kyle's bruised face.

        Who are all these people? And why are they staring at me?

                             JULIA
                  Mommy?

        Kyle touches Julia's face, gently.

                             KYLE
                  I'm here, Honey. I'm right here.

        With that, Kyle heads for the van and climbs in, Julia still
        on her shoulder.

        INT. VAN - MOVING - CONTINUING

        The van pulls away, giving Kyle one last look at Rich, and
        Fiona, all of them. Then they're all left behind.

        Kyle faces forward, cradling her little girl. The van emerges
        into daylight. We...

                                                     FADE TO WHITE
                                                         --THE END