The Baghdad Hotel : Check Out Anytime You Like...

"Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6 : 13 - 16


Fade to

TV newscast video footage of "Operation Shock and Awe " over Baghdad. Bombs exploding in blinding flashes over buildings in downtown Baghdad. We hear the whistling of bombs falling from the sky. Deafening explosions. Camara moves in closer and closer to the images on TV until we see a blurry deafening pixelated image.

City of Baghdad - Baghdad Street Alley /Evening / Exterior

Sergeant Montana, in US Army battle gear walking behind a Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) slowly rolling down an alley. His M 16 pointing at open doors, open widows . We see garbage on the street . Arabic grafitti on walls. Partially destroyed buildings. 6 other American soldiers trail behind. Pointing their M 16s up at dark windows at doorways. They hand- signal each other from across the street. Talk into their walkies.

Montana :Montana unit two secure...we´re moving out. OverCap.
Patterson (voice on walkie) :Montana, hold your position. We got possible enemy fire breaking out down the street. You should be making a visual right about now. Over.

Montana looks up as the "little bird" helicopter carrying Cap. Patterson streaks over his street alley. They all crouch instictively as sudden gunshots break out from down the street. With the whistle of spinning rocket an RPG missile goes off 10 feet from the platoon. Two of Montanas soldiers get torn apart instantly. Lots of screaming and people shouting. The BFV positions itself and fires a round into a small condo. With an ear splitting thud the street is rocked by the explosion as the building implodes down the street. Pieces of debris rain down over the soldiers.

Montana : Holy mother of...Captain. Captain!!!! We got two men down!!! Need back up now!!!!!
Montana raises his hand in a fist. Holds up two fingers. Makes a fist . Holds up five. makes a fist.Two grunts run over to Montana.

Montana : Jackson !!!! Myers !!! we need visuals!!!! Try and secure a birds eye from the top floor of that condo over there...

A shower of bullets suddenly sprays out from a window across the street. Jackson gets hit. His chest explodes like a giant watermellon killing him instantly. Myers gets hit in his leg limps off trying to hide behind the tank... his face helmet explodes like a firecracker. Headshot. He drops in a cloud of dust . Montana dives for cover and gets hit in the neck. Stream of blood pours from his mouth. He blacks out.

Fade to black.

Fade In
Morning - Interior room / Baghdad

Dripping sound of a faucet. Montana Breathing. Three people whispering in Arab (indistinct). Sound of a creaking door. Footsteps. The sound of machine gun fire in the distance. Far away explosions. Montana cuffed and blindfolded sits on the floor in a corner of a trashed hotel room. Part of the wall has caved in revealing the street a couple of floors below. The roaring helicopters zooming overhead rattle the shutters of the what was once the "King Faisal 5 Star Hotel".

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Hank Floyd Wright sits at his home office, elbows propped up, fingers steepled over the many architectural blueprints on his desk. His wife Marion, sitting across from him finishes reading the letter and gently leaves it on his desk. She looks at him. He stares blankly through his home office window at the traffic moving up Sunset Boulevard.

"What do you think Hank?"

He breathes a deep sigh

"This could have far reaching implications. I mean think about it dear , the Cradle of Civilization.
The sheer scope of the project. "

"But it wouldn´t just be you, I mean there´s a team of about 10 architects"
"I know, buts its not everyday you get an invitation to build in the ancient land of Mesopotamia"
" Does Doug know ? "
" Haven´t told him . Besides I haven´t decided yet"
" Oh dear, but there´s a war in the region...Israel and Egypt"
" The Kingdom of Iraq is a long way from that conflict sweet heart"

The embossed red seal on the letter reads : The Kingdom of Iraq

Hank swivels in his chair and checks his calendar on the wall . Dozens of architectural awards decorate his study :Best Corporate Design 1950, First Prize Architectural Digest 1954, etc.

A gigantic golden sun slowly sets behind the Hollywood hills.