"No, man, your sister didn't send me that check yet." "No, this is how you play the..." "This is how you play Texas Hold'em." "You just told us how to play it!" "This is how you play Texas Hold'em." "Will you flip another card." "This is the fourth fucking..." " Four of a kind." " What do you got, Melvin?" "Yo, Melvin, man, what you gonna do, you gonna play the cards or you gonna hatch them?" "I ain't gonna hatch them." "I need to run out to the ATM real quick." "There's gotta be a..." "Gotta be a 7-Eleven out there somewhere." "Let me get two." "So why don't we just go directly in." "Right up this route, straight in." "Yes, well, I see the captain enjoys the road less traveled." "No, the captain enjoys not going down the highway, dragging his ass so every Tom, Dick and Qaddafi can take a whack at it." "It's very bad here." "It's bad here, it's still bad here." "And I've heard it's bad right down here." " Bad everywhere, huh?" " Yeah." "Mines?" "Tricky." "Swedish-made." "The man didn't say anything about mines to me." "Sergeant Shaw." " Sergeant." " Sir." "Rolling in two minutes." "Yes, sir." "You okay?" "Yes, sir." "Two minutes." "Yo, give me two cards, man." "Captain says we're moving out." "So..." "Hey, that cat needs a friend." "And a hug." "It was just before Desert Storm." "We were on a routine recon inside Iraqi-controlled terrain, assessing enemy troop strength for what Saddam Hussein promised would be the mother of all wars." "I'm in the lead vehicle with Sergeant Shaw and our guide, a civilian contractor." "The night is clear." "Stars, but no moon." "Ambush!" "Hang on." "Exit the vehicle." "On me!" "On me!" "Get a flare up, sergeant." "Enemy dismount!" "Go after, go after!" "Stay left!" "Covering, covering, covering!" "Bear right!" "Move it, move it, move it!" "Captain Marco!" "Sir?" "Was you scared?" "Scared?" "Well there was really no time to be scared." "With complete disregard for his own life," "Sergeant Raymond Shaw engaged single-handedly an entire company of the enemy." "Sergeant Shaw was awarded the Medal of Honor." "I signed the recommendation myself." "Yes, sir." "Were you wounded?" "I was, I was injured." "Concussion, lost focus." "Sergeant Shaw, he took command." "Major?" " Yes." " Did your unit sustain any casualties?" "Yes." "PFC Edward Ingram," "PFC Robert Baker III were killed." "Now, the Medal of Honor, Congressional Medal of Honor, is the highest award that any soldier could aspire to." "What these brave men that I've talked about today did should never be forgotten." "Since 1917, there have only been 970 Medals awarded, out of a total of 30 million Americans at arms." "Who knows." "Maybe one day, one of you fine young men will earn that medal in defense of this great nation." "Yes." "Major Marco, on behalf of Troops 1094 and 1128, just wanna thank you for coming to speak to us about the Medal of Honor and about your interesting experiences in the armed forces." "Thanks for listening." "Thank you very much." "You ever wish it had been you?" "I'm sorry, excuse me?" "Won the Medal." "Been..." "Been the hero." "Well, sir, I'm just..." "I'm just proud that I was there." "Thank you." "Thank you very much." " Major Marco?" " Yes." "Al Melvin, sir." "Corporal Melvin." "From your unit, Desert Storm." "Corporal Melvin." "How you doing?" "I have these dreams, sir." " Dreams?" " Yes, sir." "Kuwait." "It's you and me," "Ingram and Baker and Raymond Shaw." "Okay." "See, I remember it happened like you just said, and then I don't." "Well we had it pretty rough over there, Melvin." "That was a long time ago." "Memories shift." "Do you have dreams, sir?" "Everybody has dreams, corporal." "No, not these." "No, I don't." "I write it all down." "You know, like, every night, right when I wake up, I try to get it down." "It doesn't always come together, you know, not everything that I can remember." "Maybe you should go to the V.A. Hospital, talk to one of the doctors." " I've been to doctors, man." " Okay." "I'm just..." "I'm just..." "I'm just a little stuck, sir." "Because I remember, okay, Shaw..." "Shaw, okay..." "Shaw saving us, right but that doesn't make sense, because that should've been you." "Okay, if Shaw is in the Hummer the Toyota is here..." "All right." "Just get up, get up." "Listen, it's..." "That's over with." "That's done." "Okay?" "You gotta move on." "What I was hoping is that, you know, maybe..." "You need some money or something?" " No, no, sir." " Wait a minute." "I don't need your money, man." "All right." "It was great to see you." "Paper or plastic, sir?" "With public anxiety being rekindled by the events of Bloody Friday, with the war on terror continuing into yet another year, no end in sight, the worries just continue to grow." "Polls indicate that more and more voters are concerned with personal family safety, with economic security, fearing more and more jobs going overseas or being taken by illegal immigrants." "They're concerned with the quality of air and our water, the degradation caused by the rollback in environmental regulations, by religious and racial polarization, with the drumbeat of body bags coming from all over the globe." "The American people are ready for a new agenda." "But because this party is so divided on so many issues, the choice of a vice presidential nominee may very well be the unifying factor for delegates at this convention." "And if this respect propels me toward the nomination as your vice presidential candidate, I will be greatly honored." "We need to look inward, attend to our own house." "The danger to our country is not only from some terrorists at large, terrorists who, by the way, we've helped engender with 20 years of failed foreign policy." "No, the real danger is from suspending civil liberties, gutting the Bill of Rights, allowing our fear to destroy our democratic ideals, because once we start overturning our constitutional protections, our enemies have won." "Raymond?" " There he is." " Darling." "What, were you gonna make me stand out there like room service?" "I asked downstairs and Miss Freeman, your wrangler, helpful Miss Freeman, she said you were up here practicing your speech." "I don't honestly understand why you insist upon isolating yourself, Raymond." "People adore you, they crave your company, and yet here you are, holed up as if you were some sort of emotionally challenged individual like your father." "Shut up, Tom." "Instead of Raymond Prentiss Shaw, handsome, intelligent, people-loving war hero with a great deal to offer his party." " No." " And his country." "No." " No, what?" " No." "I haven't even asked you a question yet." "No to the question you're going to ask." "No to all of the questions you pretend to want to ask." "Your hair is too flat." "And no, you may not engage in your usual backdoor" "And that tie... political thuggery to shovel me onto the presidential ticket." "Tie's wrong." "Something less busy." "Oh, you're not interested." "Of course I'm interested." "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." "But not if it means attacking the reputation of a statesman like Tom Jordan, which I am sure was part of your plan." "Excuse me, when have I ever attacked Senator Jordan, despite..." "Despite what?" "Despite the shameful way his daughter toyed with you that summer at the shore." "You chased her away, Mother, let's not have any illusions about..." "She wasn't in your league, but if that's the way you choose to remember it..." "You destroyed any possibility of us ever..." "Honey, you are oversimplifying things a little bit, but it's okay." "I'll stay out of it." "You have my word." "Thank you." "Thank you." "I think you all know my mother, Senator Eleanor Prentiss Shaw." "And some of you, no doubt, remember my father, the late Senator John Shaw." "I've been honored to serve my two terms in Congress." "But I also grew up on the Hill." "I've seen how the game is played by professionals, how deals are struck, committees bullied, agendas bought and sold." "And with apologies to my mother, I wish to remain an amateur." "I believe democracy is not negotiable." "I believe that freedom from fear in the world at large and here at home is not negotiable." "I know how much Americans have to fear today." "But I can tell you that I've been there." "I've faced the enemy firsthand on the battlefront." "I know what it is to be afraid." "But I am living proof that we can win." "We can prevail." "We must secure tomorrow today." "Thank you." " Bluffing?" " That was the inference." "They should be down on their fat, white knees, thanking me for saving this party from committing political seppuku." "You gave them every opportunity to do the right thing, senator." "No." "I gave them one opportunity and that was unusually generous of me." "See if you can get a hold of Bob Arthur, because I'm gonna wanna meet with him." "Thank you very much for arranging this." " I appreciate it." " Sure." " Mr. Secretary." " Senator." "Thank you very much for taking this meeting." " Good to see you again." " Leona." "So nice to see you, Leona." "Buddy." "Gentlemen." "No, I thought we settled it this morning." "All right, I'll keep you posted." "The decision is final." "Thank you very much." " How's Jeanine?" " Senator." "Tom Jordan's on the ticket." "Now, we don't need your blessing, but we'd like it." "Okay, so before we get started, I'm just..." "I'm dying to know which genius hatched the idea of pairing a sound bite from Nebraska with a relic who thinks that keeping suicide bombers off our buses is unconstitutional." "Was it you, Gordy?" "All the research indicates that an Arthur-Jordan ticket sits quite well with the American people." ""Sits quite well" translates into how many votes?" "Your son is largely unknown outside of New York." "I mean, his public service, his congressional record, while commendable, is not the kind of thing..." "My son is a war hero." "Governor Arthur has agreed to consider Raymond for a cabinet-level post." "We didn't come here to have a discussion." "Did we come here to have a discussion?" "Ellie, you don't have the votes to block this." "Not even to push the nomination to a second ballot." "Oh, Jim, even running against this cut-and-fold vice president, with his party's record of abysmal failure at home and abroad," "Governor Arthur is still unelectable to the presidency without help." "Consider, that our intrepid Arthur can hold on to his own home ground, and the Northeast, and even California, we are still dead across the South." "He's not dead completely in the South, senator..." "And the Southwest, where they win by landslides." "I mean, you know this." "Your focus groups, your polls all tell you this." "They back me up, right?" "Now, you're counting on Tom Jordan to help you get the black vote, women and college kids." "My gut instinct says he won't, and on Arthur to somehow hold the center, where he is soft at best." "We're confident this is a winning ticket, Ellie." "What's your margin of error, Vaughn?" "Five points?" "Three?" "I can swing that, and you know it." "Oh, I could swing seven away from you." "That's more than enough to split the ticket." "And deny us the White House another four years?" "No." "No, not even you." "Not even you, senator, will do that, you are bluffing." "Oh, no, no, no, senator, I would and I will and I will do whatever is necessary to protect America from anyone who opposes her." "I can't..." "Am I the only person in this room who's been reading these NSA reports?" " I've read them." " All right, then you know, you know we are on the brink of another cataclysm, probably nuclear, on our own soil." "Oh, Ellie, that's a bit extreme." "And it's not from random terrorists, but from covert alliances of disaffected nations who have all been made bold by this kind of Jordan one-worlder who believes that human beings are essentially good and that our power is somehow, I don't know," "shameful or evil or never to be used." "Make no mistake, the American people are terrified." "They know something's coming." "They can feel it." "And we can either shovel them the same old shit and call it sugar or we can arm them." "We can arm them with a young, vibrant vice president." "We can give them heat, energy, give them a war hero with heart, forged by enemy fire in the desert in the dark, when American lives hung in the balance." "Give us a few minutes." "Thank you." "Mr. Secretary, thank you for your time." " Thank you." " Really appreciate it." " Leona, good evening." " Thank you, Ellie." "Well, they're gonna have to make their own decisions." "I am proud to offer into nomination the name of the next vice president of these United States:" "Raymond Shaw!" "A remarkable development." "Twenty-four hours ago," "New York Congressman Raymond Prentiss Shaw wasn't even being mentioned as a possible candidate for the vice presidential nomination four years from now, much less this current convention." "Some incredible news from the convention floor tonight." "Like a long shot catching the favorite on the back stretch of the Kentucky Derby," "Raymond Shaw has overtaken Senator Thomas Jordan to gain the vice presidential nomination." "Raymond Shaw bears the lineage of the fabled Prentiss family dynasty." "Grandson of legendary industrialist and diplomat Tyler Prentiss, son of controversial Senator Eleanor Prentiss Shaw, who took over the seat vacated by her husband, the esteemed John Shaw, when he died tragically over 20 years ago." "For many, Raymond Prentiss Shaw is an enigma." "The millionaire Harvard honors student who enlisted in the infantry, refusing the officer's commission to which he was entitled." "Media-shy and reclusive," "Raymond Shaw's life was forever changed on the killing fields of Kuwait, where he won the Congressional Medal of Honor for combat bravery." "Two members of Sergeant Shaw's famed "Lost Patrol,"" "PFC Edward Ingram and PFC Robert Baker III, were killed." "Their guide, a civilian contractor, disappeared in the ambush." "But Sergeant Shaw heroically fought off the enemy and guided the shell-shocked survivors of the Lost Patrol across hostile terrain to safety." "Raymond Shaw is probably the kindest, bravest, warmest..." "Most selfless human being I've ever known." "The celebrated war hero, who dedicated himself to public service after Desert Storm." "The Medal of Honor winner, beloved by the men of the Lost Patrol." "He quickly turned his energies to public service in his adopted state of New York." " The revolutionary science of biogenetics, which has literally transformed..." "Captain Marco!" "The revolutionary science of biogenetics." "The revolutionary science of biogenetics, which has literally transformed..." " Captain Marco!" " Raymond Shaw is the most selfless human being I've ever known." "Raymond Shaw is probably the kindest, bravest, warmest..." "Yet note the complexity of the frontal lobe." "Nevertheless..." "Captain." "Help me." "Sergeant Shaw." "Captain." "Suffocate Private Baker." "Kill him." "Raymond Shaw is probably the kindest, bravest, warmest, most selfless human being I've ever known." "Raymond Shaw..." "Excellent, excellent." "Go on, Raymond." "Good, good, Raymond." "Raymond Shaw is probably the kindest, bravest, warmest, most selfless human being I've ever known." "No offense, major but it sort of chaps my ass that we have to have a babysitter." "I'm just here to make sure you don't get cornered by some Air Force general's unhappy wife." "Major Marco, we should be so lucky." " So nice to meet you." " Thank you." " Thank you." " Nice to meet you." "Raymond Shaw." "Major Marco, this army of two are gonna do some recon at the no-host bar." " A failed foreign policy which has only served to galvanize our enemies." "Excuse me, please." "In fact, mobilizing an ersatz army of malcontents..." " General Sloan, you lead the charge." " Absolutely." "William." "Hi, how are you?" "All right, good." "Have you met my wife, Pam?" " Hello, how are you?" " Hello, Bob Arthur." "I mean, isn't that supposed to be the point of this great country of ours, that everybody matters." "Not just the people at this party." "But perhaps more importantly, those who can't afford to be here." " Raymond." "Sorry to interrupt." " Excuse me." " Bob." "You know my daughter." " Tom, I can't believe it." "Of course." "Jocelyn, good to see you again." " Mark." " Eleanor." "Raymond, your granddad would be so goddamn proud of you." "Thank you, Mr. Whiting." "Raymond, this is J.B. Johnston, from Manchurian Global." " Hi." "How are you?" " Pleasure." "And David Donovan, their managing director." "And co-chair of the U.S. International Policy Caucus." "Strong supporters, congressman." "They're desperate to be of service to you, darling." "Thank you, Mother, I think you've earned your fee." "Oh, no." "My plucky idealist." "So, gentlemen, how's business?" "Not bad, Raymond." "Business is not bad." "It could always be better." "Any better and you guys are gonna have more assets than the European Union." "Don't we already?" "Every great society, every great civilization, always anchored by a great navy." " Congressman Shaw." " Thanks very much." "Nice to see you, Bob." "Thanks for coming." "Congressman." "Ben Marco." "I know." "Hello, captain." "How you doing?" " I need to talk to you." " Okay." "Oh, my God, Raymond, it's been so many years." " And?" " And I've been married," " I've been divorced." " Yeah." "Well, you may have noticed I've changed a bit myself." "No." "No, that's not..." "No, yes, I have noticed." "I see." "It's great." "Congratulations." "My feelings haven't, though." "Changed, I mean." "What feelings?" "What?" "Jocelyn, I have never stopped wondering how things might have turned out between us" " if my mother hadn't..." " Raymond." "Raymond, people can't just rewrite their lives." "I haven't had a relationship of any consequence since we stopped seeing each other." "Doesn't that say something to you?" "Yeah, that..." "That you must be just about the loneliest person on this earth." "Raymond, we were kids then." "It must have been, what, 15 years ago?" "It was sweet, but..." "Joce." "Yeah." "I have to go." "Yeah." "Best of luck with the campaign." "Thank you." "Joce..." "Sergeant Raymond Shaw." "I wanna talk to you too." " Not now." " Excuse me, sir." "I mean, I know you're busy, congressman..." " Don't touch me." " I'm sorry." "I'm sorry, it's just that, well..." "Don't ever touch me." "Hello, major." "Have you tried the Pad Thai?" "I'm told it rules." "What were you hoping Congressman Shaw would say?" "I don't know, sir." "It's not so much what he said or didn't say, it was more of his attitude, his demeanor." "Are you taking your meds?" "Lieutenant Colonel Howard, with all due respect," "I've had over a dozen years of experts telling me that I have Gulf War Syndrome, I have post-traumatic stress disorder and every other mood disorder that you can name." "In those 12 years, I've been a good soldier." "And I've denied what every nerve ending in my body is telling me is more real than not." "I've had one dream, not variations on a dream, the same dream." "Night after night..." "No." "No." "I'm sorry." "You're saying that an entire squad of U.S. Army soldiers was hypnotized into believing that Raymond Shaw deserved the Medal of Honor." "And that somehow, thanks to your dream, you're the only one who knows the truth." "Major Marco, you will stay clear of Congressman Shaw." "And you are to resume your medication." "That is an order." "That will be all, major." "Somewhere right now, an American soldier in the war on terror is worried about his family back home." "Somewhere right now, in some small American town, his grandmother is standing in her kitchen." "She's got her medicine bottle in one hand, she's opening the refrigerator with the other and she's thinking:" ""I can pay for my medicine or I can pay for my dinner." "I can't do both."" "I don't believe that our mothers and grandmothers should have to face that kind of decision, not in this country." "I don't believe that the brave men and women of our armed forces, risking their lives overseas, should have to worry about their families back here in America." "You see, there are some gaps in this country deep chasms that we need to bridge." "The gap between rich and poor, between government and the people, between true security and the notion of feeling safe." "Second floor, room three, end of hall." "Between what is real..." "Don't you just love this guy?" "And what is not." "Tough choices are an unavoidable element of leadership," "I would just urge the governor to remember that the primary responsibility of government..." "Al Melvin." "Al, it's Ben Marco." "Are you in there?" "Fox is in the henhouse." "Weasel." "Weasel is..." "The weasel is a weasel." "Sir, I'll be right outside." "What?" "I'll be right outside, sir." "I know." " Good night." " Good night, sir." " Shall I get that for you, sir?" " No." " Good night, sir." " Good night." "You have 30 seconds, Mother." "Am I that predictable?" "You have no idea." "I'm calling to compliment you, Mr. Grumpy." "I thought you were magnificent tonight." "And so did all the network campaign experts." "And that compassionate vigilance thing is working quite well for you." " I might have to convert." " I happen to believe in it." "Oh, yes, of course you do." " Now, Raymond..." " Good night, Mother." "Raymond?" "What?" "No, wait, wait." " Hang on a second." " What?" "Raymond?" "Are you there?" "Yes?" "Sergeant Shaw?" "Who is this?" " Sergeant Raymond Shaw?" " Yes." "Raymond Prentiss Shaw?" "Yes." "Listen." "Go to the bedroom of your suite." "Enter the hallway there." "Go to the end and open the closet." "Yes, thank you." " Hello, Raymond." " Hello." "Do you remember me?" "No, sir, I don't." "Brilliant." "We've got 20 minutes for our little checkup from the neck up, gentlemen, so if we could take his jacket." "Please sit down." "No, Mr. Villalobos, I'm just..." "The Army's got me gathering information on stress disorders, so I'm just you know, just running statistics, trying to find out about my old team..." "Well, listen." "Mr. Wilson, when Nathan came home, was he preoccupied with Kuwait?" "I mean, did he have nightmares or bad dreams about the firefight over there?" "You'll feel a little cold as this anesthetic gel goes on." "Probe sheath and probe." "Please relax." "Are you relaxed, Raymond?" "Yes, sir." "Now, Raymond, I am going to drill a tiny hole in the skull, which will allow delivery of the new implant." "So, what you'll feel is a little discomfort in the form of pressure and also a loud vibrating noise in your head, all of which, of course, is completely normal." "Thank you." "Of course, as soon as this or any task is completed, you will already have forgotten that it ever actually took place." "Probe going in now." "Good." "Excellent." "Releasing implant." "There." "That wasn't so bad, was it, Raymond?" "No, sir." "That's good." "No decay, no slippage." "Everything seems to be in flawless working condition." "Now, Raymond." "Can you remember the deaths of Private Baker and Private Ingram?" "Yes, sir." "Good." "Can you describe them for me, please?" "We're on a routine recon inside Iraqi-controlled terrain, assessing troop strength." ""We're on a routine recon inside Iraqi-controlled terrain, assessing troop strength."" "The mission ends without incident." "We're heading back..." ""Toward the command." "The night is clear." "Stars..."" "The night is clear." "Stars, but no moon." "The patrol is ambushed." "We're engaged unexpectedly by ground forces with helicopter support." "RPG incoming, mortar fire." ""Captain..."" "Captain Marco is knocked unconscious." "In the ensuing firefight, Eddie Ingram gets himself separated to the left." "Baker goes after him." "An incoming mortar shell kills them both instantly before I am able to locate and eliminate the source of the ordnance." "Captain." "Captain Marco." "Help me." "Pardon me." "Is this seat taken?" "I see the captain enjoys the road less traveled." "Paper or plastic?" "Oh, come on." "From the grocery store." "You know, at the checkout stand." "Paper or plastic girl, that's me." ""Paper or plastic, sir?"" "I see you there all the time." "Bennett Marco." "Checks from First National Bank." "Romance novels, instant noodles, NoDoz and tomatoes." "So anyway, I'm on vacation." "Holiday in the Big Apple and all of that." "And I saw you sitting here and I said, "Hey, why not reach out and touch someone?"" "So, what, I suppose you're heading to New York City." "Yeah, yeah, I'm..." "Yeah." "Business?" "Pleasure?" "Both?" "Well, I'm just..." "I got an old friend up there, an old Army friend that..." "Well, he's in politics now and I'm just gonna catch up on old times with him." "I'm sorry, you said your name was...?" "Eugenie." "What do your friends call you?" "My friends, they call me Rosie." " Rosie?" " Yeah, see, my full name is" "Eugenie Rose." "I like the Rosie part better." "Eugenie is, well fragile." "Yeah, but still, when I asked you your name, you didn't say..." "What did you say?" "You said Eugenie." "Yeah, well maybe I was feeling fragile at the time." "Are you okay?" "Excuse me." "Hello, captain." "Do you remember me?" "Ben." "Hey." "I'm gonna get a cab." "You want me to drop you somewhere?" "No, I'm okay." "Okay." "So your friend's gonna meet you here, then?" "No." "All right." "El Dorado 59970." "It's my cell phone number, in case you ever..." "You know." "I like to say it the old-fashioned way." "Can you remember or should I write it on your chest with a Sharpie?" " I'll remember." " Okay." "Hey, you're kind of..." "You need somewhere to go to freshen up?" "Pentagon watchdogs today accused the private equity fund Manchurian Global of grossly overpricing plasma and other critical medical supplies during the recent Indonesian incursion, even as the company secured a half-billion-dollar no-bid contract to provide combat support services to American soldiers" "preparing to mobilize in Sri Lanka." "There you go." "Come on in." "This is my cousin's apartment." " Is she here?" " No." "Be it ever so humble." "No place like home, right?" "Believe it or not, there's a view." "Go to the fire escape and tilt your head up, you can almost see a tree." " Can I get you something to drink?" " No, I'm fine." "I've got some dieter's tea." "It's great for your metabolism, if you're into that." "Or some tomato juice." "No?" "All right." "Or some water?" " No, thank you." " I'm sorry." "I'm nervous." "I yak when I get nervous." "Where is she, your cousin?" "She's on tour with Dreamgirls." "Hey, are you okay?" "Yeah." "Look, I'm sorry about what happened earlier." "You don't have to apologize to me." "I'll make you some tea." "Jesus." "Where's the lemon?" "Okay." " You okay in there?" " Yeah, I'm fine." "You know, I left you some towels in there, did you see them?" " What was that?" " Dropped my bag." "Ben?" "Are you okay in there?" "Earth to Ben." "Yeah." " You sure everything's all right?" " Yes." "Ben?" "Ben?" "Ben?" "Ben." "Ben?" "What are you doing?" "Did you see that?" "What I had in my hand." "I wasn't hallucinating, Delp." "I held it in my hand." "That's what they all say, Marco." "Some wicked shit got sprayed on you guys during Desert Storm." "Besides all the depleted uranium, I mean." "I personally know of a couple of Rangers who swear that they see only in tertiary colors now," " Delp." " And can pick up sports talk radio in their cortical block if they get too close to a Con-Ed transformer." "It's not Gulf War Syndrome." "The Army did try this tiny, implantable ID thing." "You could imbed it under the skin, then scan it like a bar code for medical emergency information:" "Blood type, DNA." "Well, the Army never put one in me." "That you know of, man." "That you know of." "U.S. Planes bombed selected sites in Guinea today, acting on intelligence that the African nation's military regime had secretly resumed its chemical weapons program." "The secretary of defense declined to comment on the attack, saying only that the mission was successful, targets acquired, that all American personnel involved here" " were home safe and sound." " Striking transportation workers..." "My dreams seem more real to me than what I actually remember happening over there." "It's like..." "It's like somewhere along the line I got brainwashed or something and..." "I'm just, like, all scrambled up." "We have all been brainwashed, Marco." "As for somebody imbedding electric probes and computer chips in your brain to make you do things, it's horseshit, man." "A little electroshock and sleep deprivation will do the trick for a fraction of the price." "Ask the Uzbeks." "What about my dreams?" "What if all this is your dream and you are really still back in Kuwait?" " Thanks for coming out." "Thank you." " Congressman!" " Congressman!" " Congressman!" "Congressman!" "Congressman!" "Why do you and Governor Arthur oppose deploying troops into Indonesia?" "Well, Governor Arthur and I believe we can't clean up the world with dirty hands." "Sergeant Shaw!" "Do you ever dream about Kuwait?" "Captain Marco." "It's okay." "It's okay." "Nice to see you, sir." "Good evening." "It's good to see you too." "Why did you ask me about Kuwait?" "I didn't." "I asked you about your dreams." " Thank you, Lily." " Congressman Shaw, I'm sorry." "They wanna know if you can do an interview with Larry King at 6?" " No, no." " No to the interview or no to 6?" "No." "He wants to talk about my mother." "No." " Everything under control, P.J.?" " Hello, sir." "Good to see you." "So, captain, what can I do for you?" "I just need a few minutes of your time." "Congressman Shaw, a moment, please?" "Private time." "Unfortunately, this is as private as it gets for me now." " I understand." " He's all right, Will." " Come on in." " Thank you, thank you." " Hey, George." " There are these dreams that some of the men from our unit have been having." "Including you?" "Well it's more of a question of what actually happened the night that our patrol got attacked." "That's easy." "We're on a routine recon inside Iraqi-controlled terrain." "The patrol is ambushed." "RPG incoming, mortar fire." " You're knocked..." " Unconscious." "Exactly the way..." "Not to cut you off, but I mean, exactly the way that I remember it." "But I dreamed something else." "Am I in your dreams, captain?" "Yes, you are, congressman." "Saving everybody?" "It's a whole lot more complicated than that." "Now, Corporal Melvin, he's been drawing these pictures and he wrote down what he dreams." " Maybe if you just..." " I don't have dreams, captain." "At all?" "You don't dream at all?" "Everybody dreams, right?" "I mean..." "Look, captain, I'd like to help you, I would, I really would, but I think you ought to see somebody." " Somebody who specializes in..." " I've been to doctors." "Well, good, that's very good, because they can probably help you out a lot more than I can." " I don't know, but..." " Take care, captain." " Yeah." "Yeah." "Okay." " Thanks for coming by." "I'm not crazy, Shaw." "Major." " Ben." "Are you hungry?" " Starving." "Well, it depends on the demographic." "Excuse me." " I killed Baker?" " Well, it's a dream." "I mean, it could mean something else." "It could mean I'm supposed to think you did." "No, I killed the enemy." "I didn't know them either, so it was okay." "And anyway, I remember what we did in Kuwait." "I remember it perfectly." "I just don't remember actually doing it." "Maybe you didn't do it." "No." "What a thought." "What?" "Life is so bizarre, isn't it?" "Which part?" "I don't know." "What you saw downstairs." "This campaign." "Politics." "My whole public life and persona." "I mean, posing and grinning like a goddamn sock puppet, shaking hands with total strangers who must be completely blind if they can't see what I am at the core." "What my mother has made me." "A Prentiss." "Ferociously a Prentiss." " But not a Shaw." "No, sir." " I see." " But not a Shaw." "No, sir." " I see." "No, you don't." "You can't." "I was 20 years old before I had a friend." "Worse, a girlfriend." "Well, you know, from my point of view, anyway." "A friend outside of my mother's circle of approved encounters and she my mother..." "God only knows what she told Jocelyn to chase her away." "Precipitating my sole act of rebellion:" "Storming off and enlisting in the Army." "But after the war I came back to her." "Why did you come back?" "What happened?" "Weren't you listening?" "Mother happened." "You know, the truth is I hate it." "I've always despised the Medal." "The cloying adulation of the little people." "It's certainly nothing for you to be jealous of, major." "I'm not jealous." "I don't have the dreams, Ben." "How could you not remember saving our unit?" "I do." "I said I did." "No, no, you didn't." "You said that you didn't remember doing it." "That's what you just said a couple minutes ago." "When I think about that night it's as if I know what will happen." "The thing is, I never seem to get to the point where I feel that it actually does happen." "But I'm sure that's perfectly normal." "Okay." "Well, have you discussed this with anyone?" "These discrepancies?" "Who would I share that with?" "My old Army buddies who love and adore me for saving their pathetically unimportant, present company excluded, asses?" "You could discuss it with Army intelligence." "You could go down there." "I mean, I could go with you and discuss it and you can tell them what you remember, what you don't remember, and they could run some tests." "Yeah, tests." "Boy." "The press would have a field day with that." "Somebody put an implant inside me." "I found it this morning." "I've got the hole in my back if you wanna take a look at it." "And I got a good feeling they put one in you too." "Nobody has put anything in me, Ben." "Let's prove it." "Why don't, you know..." " We'll go get an x-ray..." " Look, Ben," "I wanna be supportive of you." "I do." "But don't you think this could wait till after the election?" "Why?" "For what?" " What are you scared of?" " I'm not afraid of anything." " Then why don't we just prove it..." " Know what?" "I think you should leave." " I'm sorry, I really..." " Listen." "Somebody got into our heads with big steel-toe boots, cable cutters and a chainsaw and they went to town." "Neurons got..." "Got..." "Got exposed and circuits got rewired." "Our brain cells got obliterated, Raymond." "Please." "You need to get help, Ben." "What are you doing?" "Ben!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Inside!" "Inside!" "Congressman!" "He bit him." "He bit him." "Get him out of here." "Are you okay, sir?" " Leave me alone." " Sir, we should..." "Get out!" "We fished him out of the Potomac River about 4:45 yesterday afternoon." "What were you doing in Al Melvin's apartment?" "I went to talk to him." "He wasn't home." "Talk about what?" "Dreams?" "Interesting stuff." "Yeah, there's hundreds of those in his place." "You should have your people check it out." "Oh, we'll get on that right away." "Colonel Garret was kind enough to show us the file on you, Marco." "You are the real deal, aren't you?" "Special Forces." "Rangers." "Delta." "I wanted to talk to Corporal Melvin to ask him some unanswered questions about our reconnaissance in Kuwait back in '91." " He wasn't home." " Right." "He wasn't there." "So, what, you thought it was okay to just break in and wait for him?" "I didn't kill him, if that's where you're headed." "Nobody said you did." "Maybe he committed suicide." "What's your obsession with Raymond Shaw?" "I'm not obsessed with Raymond Shaw." "The man of his dreams." "You may want to ask your medical examiners to check Melvin's back." "It's under the skin just shy of the scapula." "They may find an implant." "Just under the skin, left side." "If they don't look real hard, they won't find it." "They could sing that while they're looking for it if they like." " Implants." " That's what I said." "I-M-plant." "Yeah, but judging from your file here, apparently, you don't know your shit from your oatmeal, my friend." "Excuse me." "This is unnecessary." "You got a problem?" "Psycho?" "You look a little angry." "Maybe you wanna hit me?" "Go ahead, you can do it." " Hey!" " For God's sake, Ben..." "He hit me." "And you wanna help him?" "No." "That would be political suicide." "Of course not." "I want you to help him." "I can't even imagine why." "Mother, I can assure you, I am as uncomfortable asking you to do this as you are being asked." "My campaign people are getting a restraining order against him." "He's going on every security watch list, but I won't lock him up." " I'm not pressing charges." " What?" "I don't know, it's just..." "I don't wanna talk about this right now." "Can we get back to the campaign and focus on something..." "Raymond, you don't actually believe his story?" "No." "But he does." "And he's a fine soldier." "And if his slim hold on sanity requires that I tolerate his delusions until he can get help, I'll do it." "It doesn't diminish me." "I'm not afraid of him." "Raymond." "How much do you actually know about your friend?" "Oh, that's sad." "Poor little tin soldier." "Mother, please." "Well, just imagine how terrified your people were yesterday when Major Marco showed up at campaign headquarters and you invite..." "My God, you invited him in." "With all they know about him." "I know him." "I served under him." "He was a good man." "Well, that's what the neighbors always say about serial killers." "You're out of here." "Shaw won't press charges." "Someone from Senator Eleanor Shaw's office called and intervened on your behalf." "Major, you've reached the terminal end of the Army's patience." "You're relieved of duty, effective immediately." "Yes, sir." "Ben, there is a young neurologist at Walter Reed." "His name is Zahn." "He's had real success with Gulf War Syndrome." "You are instructed to get your affairs in order and report to him first thing Monday morning." "I thought you said you lost it." "I bit a guy." "I found another one." "These are not supposed to exist." "These are only theoretical." "So, what does it do?" " I don't know." " You don't know?" "I don't know." "I don't wanna know." "You don't wanna know." "Look, it's out of you and you are still alive." "That's the good news." "What's the bad news?" "Maybe they know you're here." "You said the Army implants, they were for emergency medical data, right?" "The ones they publicized were." "There was a parallel project for all kinds of scary implantables." "The Clinton watchdogs finally freaked out about it, closed down." "Parallel project?" "How did you know about that?" "Manchurian Global funded me to make some of their scary shit." "Heard of them?" "Imagine not just a corporation, Marco, but a goddamn geopolitical extension of policy for every president since Nixon." "Cash is king, Marco." "Cash is king." "You sure you wanna do this?" "Absolutely." "Because I don't." "I'll owe you one." "No." "I still owe you." "For getting me out of Albania." "Albania." "What are you doing?" "In case I forget things I wanna remember." "I'm putting you on a cocktail of methohexitol to take the edge off." "The edge off of what?" "Getting clarity." "Or whatever you wanna call it." "ECT not being the precise science that, say, leeching is." "You don't think this is gonna work?" "It's a desperation move, man." "But, hey, there is a school of thought that says a victim of induced abreaction..." "Here it comes." "The night is clear." "Stars, but no moon." "The patrol is ambushed." "We were on a routine recon inside Iraqi-controlled terrain, assessing troop strength..." "Captain Marco was knocked unconscious." "In the ensuing firefight, Eddie Ingram gets himself separated to the left." "Baker goes after him." "Hello, captain." "Before Sergeant Shaw is able to locate..." "Eddie Ingram gets himself separated to the left." "Did you go blank on me again?" "He said this would happen." "Who?" "Your German friend." "Your friend." "Ben." "He said it'd be like a computer system crash." "That your brain would shut down, but it would reboot again and you'd forget all your RAM." "Or most of your RAM." "Do you remember me?" "Do you remember me?" "Ben?" "Eugenie." "How did I get here?" "You called me." "Where am I?" "Planning a suicide bombing." "The Mile High City has suffered a series of brutal attacks during the past several months." "Senator Eleanor Prentiss Shaw, does it bother you at all that your son repudiates so many of your more" " controversial policies?" " No." "He's his own person." "Raymond and I may disagree on certain issues, but I think we share the same fundamental vision of what this country can be." " Which is?" " Better." "Better and better." "Safer, braver, stronger." "A beacon of freedom in a world troubled by shadows." "America must prevail." "The future and survival of modern civilization, democracy, freedom, all depend upon it." "So your son, Congressman Shaw..." "Rosie." "I was in the park on Friday?" "We were in the park on Monday." "Monday?" " Yep." " Monday." "We were flying low." "It's, like, over the ocean, and just..." "A field hospital." "And they took us up to this place." " Where?" "Military?" " I don't know." "I don't know." "Just state-of-the-art stuff everywhere." "Stainless steel and wires and tubes and monitors." " Were you tortured?" " No." "Yeah." "I mean, there was pain." "You know, it was like..." "I don't know what they call it." "Invasive procedure." "For example?" "Like what?" "What do you mean?" "Invasive." "See, they were in my head and they made me..." "Well, Raymond Shaw, they made him kill somebody." "Like it was nothing." "Private Robert Baker." "That's who it was, it was a private." "One of my soldiers." "I think they made me kill somebody too." "A kid named Eddie Ingram." "Private Ingram, stand up." "Walk a few steps, please." "And if you could secure the door, please, Chris." "Captain Marco." "Stand up." " Raymond." " Yes, sir." "There's a gun on the cupboard." "Would you please take it and give it to Captain Marco." "Yes, sir." "Here." "Captain." "Captain Marco, please shoot Private Ingram." "Now, Raymond, suffocate Private Baker." "Kill him." "Keep going, Raymond." "I knew the..." "A soldier knows the enemy." "I'm in command." "That's primary, I know." "I thought I knew who the enemy was." "My men, they trusted me with their lives, you know?" "Don't." "Don't touch me." "Ben, the person that did this, what was his name?" "Can you remember?" "Did he have a name?" "Ben?" "Smile if you like." "This will just take a minute." "I see you there all the time." "Bennett Marco." "Checks from First National Bank." "Romance novels, instant noodles, NoDoz and tomatoes." "Old friend up there, an old Army friend that..." "Well, he's in politics now..." "What else did we talk about?" "What happened to you after you were captured?" "Black helicopters, secret laboratories mad scientist, mind drugs shock torture and Raymond Shaw." " You don't believe any of it, do you?" " It's crazy." " It sounds crazy, doesn't it?" " It sounds crazy." "That's what they wanted me to think too." "It's exactly what they want you to think." "What about the other guys from your unit?" "Where are they?" "They're all gone." "So-called natural causes." "Owens died of cancer in '97." "Villalobos' car crashed." "Atkins committed suicide." "Jameson died 9/11, Pentagon." " Ben?" " Yeah?" " Did he have a name?" " Who?" "The person that did this, Ben." "What was his name?" "Can you remember?" "Ben." " Yeah?" " Did he have a name?" "You only have to look at the enormous strides made in the last decade with the genetic reconfiguration of the noble tomato." "What was happening was the tomato was over-ripening in the process and it was losing its flavor." "It's actually a very simple procedure to deactivate the gene concerned." "And the same thing can be applied to ourselves." "At a flick of a switch, we can adjust character, change personality." "And of course, more importantly we can offset the ravages of dementia by implanting memory or adjusting the synaptic connections." "We can free people from the terrible burden of an emotionally compromised past." " Watch where you're going!" " Sorry." "Watch where you're going!" "Just back up!" "Just back up." "Watch it." "Watch it." "Shut up." "Take it easy, sir." "I called the Pentagon and they told me he's on medical leave." "Secret Service, they got him on a couple of their watch and observe lists." "I guess there's been some trouble with this guy involving Congressman Shaw." "Oh?" "Among the shareholders in Manchurian Global, were they to ever publish a list, which they won't, you would find former presidents, deposed kings, trust fund terrorists, fallen Communist dictators, ayatollahs, African warlords and retired prime ministers." " See what I mean?" " I get it." "They're big." "They're huge." "They're..." "They're..." "They're gigantic." "I can't touch them." "I get it." "I don't want to." "And you bring me rumors and conjecture." "I started with nightmares." "Rumors, conjectures, that's a giant leap forward." "Nightmares that you've interpreted using as primary resources" "A, your spotty memory," "B, the Internet, sacred sanctuary of idiots and nutters." "That's how they're gonna look at this." "And C, a crazy man's notebook, along with evidence you chewed out of a man's back." "All neatly stitched together with a common thread of a supremely powerful, well-connected private equity fund, who, if you ever get anywhere near them, will plead ignorance and be shocked." "Shocked to learn what some of their subsidiary partners are engaged in." "I could give a rat's ass about Manchurian Global, sir." "I could give a rat's ass about them." "That is not why I'm here." "I looked you up too, senator." "Oh?" "You were in the Army." "I was drafted." "Didn't make much of a soldier, I'm afraid." "Let me see this." "That's not what I saw in the record." "That's not what the record says, sir." "And you know how it works." "Wars are fought one battle at a time." "Battles, you win one bullet at a time." "And I'd be lying to you if I said that I didn't factor in, in a huge way, the fact that you have a vested, personal, political and patriotic interest in how all of this shakes out." "I'd be lying to you." "You're right, major." "I do." "A $5,000-a-plate dinner honoring the CEO of Votron Incorporated, the nation's third-largest producer of the controversial touch-screen units that will be used in the forthcoming election, was disrupted last night, when protestors disguised as waiters and kitchen staff" "unleashed a blizzard of symbolic chants from above, resulting in a momentary panic." "The supporters of presidential hopeful Vice President Edward Nelson fled to exits and dove under tables." "Security personnel quickly subdued the protestors, one of whom..." "The man is insane, Tom." "Full-blown schizophrenia." "He's been stalking Raymond, the FBI is all over this already." "I've seen the files." " Have you seen them?" " All over what?" "Your bipolar war buddy has been sharing his dreams with Senator Jordan." "Hello, Raymond." "Hello, senator." "How's Jocelyn?" "Have you fact-checked this with anyone, Tom?" "Raymond." "Do you recognize this man?" "No." "His name is Atticus Noyle." "He's a South African scientist and mercenary." "Someone our CIA turned to for covert mind warfare against the Soviets in Afghanistan." "Someone who has sold his technology and services to terrorists and rogue states." "And what does he have to do with me?" "Major Bennett Marco claims that this man brainwashed you." "In his dreams." "Contrived to have you win the Medal of Honor." "And has you poised to be the first privately owned and operated vice president of the United States." "Sir, I've already spoken with Ben Marco." "Unfortunately, he's not a well man." "He's delusional." "Nevertheless, he's pulled from his mad hat some remarkably lucid connections between his dreams of your exploits in Kuwait and this Dr. Noyle and the private equity fund Manchurian Global, your mother's primary political benefactor for the past 15 years." "Oh, come on, Tom." "They contribute to half the Senate." "Both sides of the aisle." "What are you saying?" "At the time of Desert Storm, Dr. Atticus Noyle was working under a research grant from Manchurian Global, developing deep implant behavior modification." "Oh, my God." "Rogue scientists, mind control, Manchurian Global." " You." " Tom." "Connect the dots, Raymond." "Where was your famous Lost Patrol for those three missing days?" "Eluding capture in the desert?" "Or somewhere else, being microwaved by this Atticus Noyle?" " Oh, Tom." " I'm sorry, senator, but what exactly are you suggesting I do?" "Bow out gracefully." "Personal reasons, an obscure illness." "Yield your spot on the ticket and go into seclusion." "Oh, that's what this is about." "And then surrender yourself to federal authorities." "Help them trace this thing to its source and address whatever damage may have been done to you." "And I'll be waiting for your press announcement first thing in the morning." " And then we'll talk." " Tom." "If there's any inkling of truth in any of these charges, if anyone has ever harmed a hair on his head," "I will find out about it." "You have 12 hours, senator." "But if it's not true," "I will see you impeached on the floor of the Senate and bury you." "Good night." "It's preposterous." "Idiotic story." "Mother, there's something I have to tell you." "What?" "I've been having the dreams." "Ben said there were tests they could run to see if..." "No." "Where are you going?" "Sergeant Shaw." "What?" "Sergeant Raymond Shaw." "Mother, I..." "Raymond Prentiss Shaw." "Yes." "Listen." "Good morning to you all, and welcome to Amtrak's northbound Acela, making station stops at Baltimore, Philadelphia," "Newark, New York's Penn Station and Boston as the last stop..." "Who's that?" "It's Raymond, sir." "Oh, don't do that." "You're gonna get soaking wet, Raymond." "Raymond." "I came to apologize, sir." "Raymond, what are you doing?" " I'm sorry." " We'll get some help for you, son." "It's not your fault, Raymond." "It's not your fault." " I'm sorry, sir." " It's your mother..." "Dad!" "Help!" "Oh, God." "Daddy!" "Help!" "Raymond?" "What are you doing?" "!" "What is going on?" "What is happening?" "Where's my father?" "What are you doing?" "Dad!" "Dad!" "The five-term senator and recent front-runner for his party's vice presidential nomination appears to have accidentally drowned when his kayak overturned near his Chesapeake Bay weekend home." "Police say his daughter, 35-year-old Jocelyn, may have been trying to rescue Jordan when she was herself overcome by the icy water." "The bodies of Senator Jordan and his daughter were discovered this morning by a crab fisherman who spotted the capsized kayak floating far offshore, nearly a mile from Senator Jordan's residence." "Neighbors say the senator was an expert kayaker whose morning trips were a familiar sight along the western bank of the Bay." "Governor Arthur, do you have any comment on this tragic event?" "Senator Jordan was a statesman of the highest integrity." "Tom Jordan was a friend." "A damn fine man." "Just a great American." "That's all for now." "We'll have something for you a little later." "They're the latest target of SEC corruption probes, but private equity fund Manchurian Global confirmed today it is continuing with plans to finance privately owned combat units to relieve beleaguered U.S. Troop deployments worldwide." "It is a move that could save the Defense Department billions of dollars." "How does Arthur die?" "You know who I'm talking about, the new president." "If he dies, Raymond Shaw becomes the new president, doesn't he?" "Chain of succession." "That's what you got in mind." "That's what you people wanna do." "You wanna really run the world, don't you, Susie?" "Rosie?" "Whatever the hell your name is." "I got my library card and I got your tapes." "I do my research too." "We're going to the feds, we're going to the police, the newspapers, whatever it takes." "I am the feds." "Now, get off me!" "Get off of me!" "We found an implant device in Al Melvin." "You found one in Melvin." "Just like you said." "I'm part of a shadow unit." "We've been watching you." "Trying to sort this thing out." "This isn't an election, this is a coup." "This is..." "In our own country, a regime change, in our own country." "Ben, don't." "Ben." "This is rich people, Manchurian Global funding bad science to put a sleeper in the White House, and that's what's going on, Rosie." " That's what's going on." " I wanna believe you." "Well, then, believe me." "Help me." "Help me." "Shoot me, then." "Help me or shoot me." "Make a decision." "Make a decision." "I made a decision when I met you, Ben." "Now, why don't you show me what you have in your file." " Sir!" " Congressman!" "Sir, do you have a statement for us tonight?" " Was exceptionally clear and simple." "A stronger, safer, more profitable world through uncorruptible top-level management." "We trust you with our technology and suddenly you turn him into a common hit man." "How fucking dare you." "I trusted you with my son." "You didn't even ask us..." "Don't lecture me!" "You swore to me that this was fail-safe." "No leaks, no glitches, no..." "No dreams." "Not even a shadow of what was done to Raymond..." "You needed to ask before you acted." "This is not a..." "Tom Jordan was going to destroy my son and everything I've worked for, and every one of us along with it." "And you wanted me to what?" " Call a meeting?" " Now, look, look, look." "In the larger course of history there are key players and role players, senator." "Bullshit!" "This is about my son and the future of this country." "I thought we understood each other." "I think we do." "I think we really do." " Your god is money." " Oh, wait, wait, and yours is...?" "No, no." "I'm a believer." "I am an optimist." "I believe in the future." "And people who do, the ones who make history instead of just sitting around watching it, no, they're willing to take the big risks." "Yes, I made a decision." "Oh, God!" "Where are all the men anymore?" "My father, Tyler Prentiss, never asked," ""Is this okay?" "Is this okay?"" "You know what I'm saying, Mark?" "He just did what needed to be done." "Come on, rise and shine, New York." "It's a big day in the Big Apple." "That's right." "All polls indicate that New Yorkers will be turning out in record numbers today across the five boroughs to select a new president." "At least, that's how the billboard says it's supposed to happen." "The polls open at 6 a.m." "And bars and taverns in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island will be opening shortly thereafter." "That's right, New Yorkers." "We are free to drink and vote all day today." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Thanks for coming out." "Congressman, good luck." " Hello." " Hi." " Hey." "Thank you very much." " The next vice president, sir." "I hope so." " Let's have a win." " We're with you." "We're with you." "Thank you, Tony, take care." "Thank you." "Take care." "Goodbye." "Thanks very much." "It's clean." "It's clean." "It's all right, Evan." "How's your back?" "I've been having the dreams, Ben." "Oh, that's good." "They're inside my head." "We'll get them out." "I got the proof." "I know what they did to us." "I just don't know why." "I dream things, Ben." "Terrible things that can't possibly have happened." " I'm gone, Ben..." " No, you're not, you're right here." "Ben there's something I want you to have." "I don't deserve this." "Jocelyn's dead." "I know." "And the senator." "Yeah." "Did I...?" "I think so, Raymond, yes." "I don't remember, Ben." "I don't remember." "Raymond did they tell you what it is they want you to do?" "That's what I gotta find out." "We gotta find out what's gonna happen, where it's gonna happen..." "Are we friends, Ben?" "I wanna believe we were friends." "We are connected and that's something nobody can take from us." "You could've had me locked up, but you didn't." "That's proof that there's something deep inside." "There's a part that they can't get to." "And it's deep inside of us." "And that's where the truth is." "That's our only hope." "That's what you and me need to tap into, and that's what you and I are gonna use to take them out, Raymond." "We don't have much time." "Please." " I thought you were smarter than that." " Raymond, please." "You don't think they saw this coming, Ben?" "You don't think they factored you in?" "I am the enemy, Major Marco." "What are you talking about?" "Yes, Mother." "Yes, he's right here." " She wants you." " Me?" "Yes, senator." " Is this Captain Marco?" " Yeah." "Captain Bennett Marco?" "Yes." "Bennett Ezekiel Marco." "Yes." "Listen." "Hurry up!" "Major Marco?" "Ben?" " People can get together whenever they want and not get in trouble." "People should be allowed to say what is on their mind..." "The Bill of Rights gives people..." "Thank you." "The candidates made ritual trips to the voting booths today." "Governor Arthur, casting his ballot in North Platte, will spend election night in the Big Apple with running mate Raymond Shaw for their anticipated victory party." "The presidential rival, incumbent Vice President Nelson returned to his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana." "He attended special church services this morning..." " All clear." " Raymond..." " Clear." "...listen." "The bullet will strike Bob Arthur the moment you step forward and arrive on your star beside him." "Because the assassin the deranged, obsessed tragically paranoid lone gunman is trying to kill you." "Major Marco's an excellent marksman." "But you must stay very, very still and stand right where you're supposed to stand." "What happens to Ben?" "The assassin always dies, baby." "It's necessary for the national healing." "I'm sure you will never entirely comprehend this, darling." "But I want you to know, Raymond I did this for you." "So that you could have what I couldn't." "What your father threw away." "The opportunity to lead this nation." " I know, Mother." " And so I let them take you and change you a little bit." "Not so much that you would notice, but just enough to bring you back to who you really are." "And to what you will become." "Oh, and look at you." "Look at you." "Look what you've achieved, look how far we've come." "It's working, Raymond." "And you're going to save our country now." "In the hour of her greatest need." "Yes, Mother." "But..." "But when you smile oh, darling, when you smile, that's what I live for." "When you smile." "Well, it's official." "CBS News now projects" "Robert Arthur and Raymond Shaw to be the next president and vice president of the United States." "With at least 270 electoral votes and support of almost 70 percent of votes tallied tonight." "Arthur and running mate Raymond Shaw are leading in all but one remaining race, in the sitting vice president's home state of Louisiana." "Wait, Jimmy." "Jimmy, wait." "Wait." "Go back." "Can you go back?" "Yeah." " Stop." " Sure." "Now, can you zoom in on that guy?" "Yep." "No, no, Jimmy, the other one." "The one in the back." "The one in the shades." " This one?" " Yeah, yeah, yeah." "Never mind." "Thanks, Jimmy." "Arthur!" "That's right!" "Arthur!" "Arthur!" " We did it." "Wow." " Yeah!" "All right!" "Yes!" " Yes." " Hi." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Thank you." "Let's have a good show, people." "Let's have a really good show, okay?" "Arthur!" "Arthur!" "Arthur!" "Arthur!" "Cue screens." "Very good." "Stand by with the first music cue." "Now, music." "Okay." "Damn it." "Shaw missed his first position." "AOP!" "AOP!" "Up there!" "Ben!" "Ben!" "All right." "Bye." "The FBI has just released security footage of the assassin of Raymond and Eleanor Prentiss Shaw entering the hotel two hours before the fatal shooting." "Authorities have identified the gunman as Klaus Bachmann." "Bachmann was believed to have been killed in a car bomb explosion in Chechnya four years ago." "He was employed there as a covert operation specialist by Global Endeavors, a U.K. Subsidiary of the equity fund giant Manchurian Global." "A second former Manchurian Global civilian contractor was taken into custody by federal agents at Chicago's O'Hare Airport early this morning." "Laurence Tokar made news during the Gulf War for his presence on Raymond Shaw's famed Lost Patrol." "Tokar was missing in action after the ambush that resulted in Shaw being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor." "Authorities are exploring additional connections between the two men." "Still reeling from the recent tragic loss of Senator Thomas Jordan," "Congress has already announced a far-reaching investigation into Jordan's death, in an effort to learn if it is in any way related to the Shaw assassinations." "In a supercharged encounter moments ago, president-elect Arthur..." "I remember running." "I had to get out to where the sky was." "And had to get to the water." "Escape." "Regroup." "Come back, get my men." "I thought that if I could just get to the water everything would be okay." "If I could just get to the water." "Now, when you're rescued and returned with your patrol to command headquarters, what will be among the first of your duties that you'll undertake?" "I'll recommend Sergeant Shaw for the Medal of Honor, sir." "He saved our lives." "He terminated the enemy." "Led us across the desert to safety." "Excellent." "And there were casualties?" "There's always casualties in war, sir."