
0: INT. MIAMI UNIVERSITY - OXFORD OHIO - AUDITORIUM - DAY
Stephen Meyers, Press Secretary to Governor Morris is standing at a podium on a stage...there is a single spotlight on him. The rest of the stage is dark. Stephen is talking into a mic with no emotion...just matter of factly.
A pause. Stephen snaps his fingers in the mic. We hear the distinct sound of feedback getting louder until it stops.
We hear the director speak over the loud speaker.
We wait as Stephen looks around. He looks at stage hands who are busy working. No one pays any attention to him as he stands there. This isn't awkward for Stephen, THIS IS ROUTINE.
Lights come up on another podium revealing a debate stage. Stephen continues.
The lights on Stephen's podium go out, he's in the dark. He keeps going.
To the Director.
His podium light comes back on. No answer from the Director, Stephen continues.
We see we're in an auditorium of a college. Stephen meets up with BEN HARPEN his staffer.
They walk off...

1: EXT. MIAMI UNIVERSITY - OXFORD OHIO - DAY
ROB BRAUN, a local Cincinnati anchor, talks to camera as we see STEPHEN and BEN exit the building. Under this we hear Rachel Maddow reporting.
Camera now moves past ROB to another news truck where an MSNBC REPORTER stands in front of a camera waiting to go live. There is a monitor in front of him. The camera keeps moving into the monitor where RACHEL MADDOW does the lead in.
As RACHEL's audio continues we see the following images.

2: EXT. MIDDLE AMERICA
We cruise along a snow-covered rural landscape - flat, gray, desolate. In the distance we see a barn with huge red-white- and-blue letters painted on the side. They read "OHIO FOR MORRIS".
Moments later we roll past another farm with a large billboard staked into the ground beside the road: "PULLMAN - AMERICA'S FUTURE BEGINS ON MARCH 15th".

3: EXT. SUBURBAN STREET
We cut to canvassers - bundled to the hilt against the cold - knocking on doors in a suburban neighborhood. Yard signs for both candidates line the street.

4: EXT. CITY INTERSECTION
Supporters at an intersection waving hand-made signs to cars: "HONK FOR MORRIS". A passing car lays on the horn and the supporters cheer.
CLOSE UP of a Pullman bumper sticker on an SUV at a stoplight, right next to a "My Child is an Honor Student" decal.

5: EXT. HARDWARE STORE
A clerk placing a Morris sign in the store window. In the shop next door various TV's are in a window display. We see RACHEL MADDOW'S report on them.

6: EXT. MIAMI UNIVERSITY - OXFORD OHIO - AFTERNOON
We see Satellite trucks, press vehicles, police cars, etc. At a catering truck, MOLLY STEARNS, a 19 year old intern grabs a tray of coffees and a box of doughnuts.
We stay on her as she runs across the street and through a door...

7: INT. MIAMI UNIVERSITY - RAPID RESPONSE ROOM - CONTINUOUS
MOLLY enters and we follow her through the campaign war room, it's the size of a coffin, jammed to the hilt with twenty- something staffers manning laptops.
We're in the hustle and bustle of a live telecast. We see multiple angles of the telecast...
The audience laughs.
MOLLY passes out coffee.

8: INT. MIAMI UNIVERSITY - AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS
We're now live inside the debate.
People laugh.

9: INT. MIAMI UNIVERSITY - BACKSTAGE - CONTINUOUS
PAUL ZARA - Morris's campaign manager - is waiting in the wings off stage. STEPHEN sidles up next to him.
In the background we can see the candidates shaking hands. There is applause.
PAUL is pushing fifty with the grizzled look of a hardened campaign veteran. He's Stephen's boss, the only guy between him and Governor Morris.
Arms crossed, they watch their man on stage.
The GOVERNOR looks off stage to PAUL and STEPHEN for approval.
We hear the announcer thanking everyone for attending the debate. TOM DUFFY - campaign manager of the rival Pullman Campaign - is also watching from the wings. Duffy's smooth, calculated and icy. He walks over to Stephen and Paul.
Duffy walks off to greet Senator Pullman as he makes his way to the wings. Paul and Stephen eye him as he goes.

10: INT. CINCINNATI RAMADA INN - THE BAR - NIGHT
Stephen, Paul, Ida, and Ben are having drinks around a table. The mood is festive. There is a piano player playing, singing.
PAUL has a roll-away suitcase beside him.
To STEPHEN.
PAUL swigs down the rest of his drink and exits.
Beat.

11: EXT. RAMADA INN SIDEWALK - LATER
IDA and PAUL walk to Ida's car.

12: EXT. MORRIS HEADQUARTERS - CINCINNATI - NEXT DAY
Establishing shot.

13: INT. MORRIS HEADQUARTERS - CINCINNATI - NEXT DAY
Ben walks around to all the staffers, he hands out new cell phones.
Ben walks into Stephen's office and hands him his new phone.
As Ben leaves, we see that Stephen is looking at early footage of Governor Morris. Another staffer and an editor are watching it with him. Outside the office we can see other staffers, through the glass partitions, running around in campaign mode. We see some of the footage.
Stephen hits pause.
The Editor and staffer exit.
Stephen turns to his computer and types as Molly walks in and hands him some papers.
He looks at her.
She starts to leave.
Molly laughs. Then, as she exits:
Stephen smiles to himself.

14: INT. SENATOR THOMPSON'S HOUSE - CHARLOTTE N.C. - DAY
We follow a housekeeper down the hallway and into the living room where we see Paul sitting with, Senator Thompson.

15: INT. MORRIS HEADQUARTERS - CINCINNATI - SAME DAY
We're in a staff meeting with the brain trust. Paul's gone but the rest are there...STEPHEN, BEN, GOVERNOR MORRIS. MOLLY is running in and out, she gets glances from all the guys.
MOLLY returns and hands the Governor a copy.
He reads down until he finds what he's looking for.
This sits with them. Some start to smile.
MOLLY enters.
He exits.

16: INT. STEPHEN'S OFFICE / INT. DUFFY'S OFFICE CONTINUOUS
STEPHEN picks up the receiver and pushes line three.
STEPHEN gets up and closes the door.
DUFFY hangs up. STEPHEN sits for a few beats. He picks up his cell phone and dials...it goes straight to voice mail.
STEPHEN hangs up the phone and we stay with him.

17: INT. STEPHEN'S RENTAL CAR - OUTSIDE HEAD FIRST SPORTS BAR - LATER
STEPHEN sits in the car, he watches the door of the bar making sure no one is around.

18: INT. HEAD FIRST SPORTS BAR - CINCINNATI - LATER
We're in a run-down bar in Cincinnati. The furniture is shabby - Formica tables, cheap metal framed chairs. The place is desolate except for TOM and STEPHEN who sit at the bar.
Beat.
They look at each other.
Duffy gets up and leaves.
EXT HEAD FIRST SPORTS BAR / PAUL'S RENTAL CAR /
STEPHEN walks to his car. He dials PAUL on his phone. Paul is in North Carolina driving. We intercut.
STEPHEN ends the call. He stands in silence.

19: INT. HOTEL ROOM - CINCINNATI - NIGHT
We're in the bathroom of a hotel room. GOVERNOR MORRIS is being made up for the Charlie Rose Show. A SECRET SERVICE AGENT stands in the adjoining room. The GOVERNOR talks to the MAKE-UP LADY while STEPHEN and BEN stand in the adjoining room as well.
He sets his laptop down and starts typing. The Governor, who's been talking the whole time, yells out through the door.
The GOVERNOR starts to sing "The Best Is Yet To Come".

20: INT. HOTEL CONFERENCE ROOM - MINUTES LATER
The room has been transformed into an interview space.
CHARLIE ROSE and GOV. MORRIS mid-interview...

21: INT. MOTEL - KENTUCKY - NIGHT
Beat.
On their smiles

22: EXT. MILLENNIUM HOTEL - CINCINNATI - MINUTES LATER
The Morris campaign bus is parked badly, a tire up on the curb in front of the hotel.

23: INT. MILLENNIUM HOTEL - STEPHENS'S ROOM - EARLY MORNING
STEPHEN is on his cell phone, he paces back and forth in front of the TV - A news show in on.
MOLLY is in bed - sheets pulled up around her, she's just waking up.
Cut to a pre-tape with DUFFY.
He gestures for her to wait.
He whispers to her.
Back to phone.
She starts to get dressed.
Stephen holds his finger up.
He hangs up.
Beat.
MOLLY looks at the TV.
STEPHEN'S eyes go to the TV where CHRIS is still talking.
Back to STEPHEN
MOLLY starts to tie STEPHENS tie.
Molly kisses him and exits.

24: EXT. TARMAC - LUNKEN AIRFIELD - CINCINNATI - LATER
We Intercut with PAUL driving.
STEPHEN walks towards a private jet, the GOVERNOR is at the plane talking to some aides.
He hangs up.

25: INT. PRIVATE JET
The GOVERNOR and STEPHEN are flying through a bad storm, the plane is getting knocked all around. Also on Board are BEN and a SECRET SERVICE AGENT. Stephen is holding onto the armrests, white knuckling it, the Governor watches him.
Both men sit with their heads back on the headrests.
They smile. The Governor looks at Stephen.
They both smile.

26: INT. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY - OHIO - LATER
We're in a large hall. GOVERNOR MORRIS is on stage, he stands in front of a huge American flag. Morris's wife CINDY is standing in the wings along with their seven year old daughter BETH. GOVERNOR MORRIS addresses the crowd.

27: INT. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY - BACK STAGE - CONTINUOUS
PAUL and STEPHEN are back stage behind the huge American flag. We can hear the Governor's speech in the B.G.

28: INT. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY - STAGE - CONTINUOUS

29: INT. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY - BACK STAGE - CONTINUOUS

30: INT. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY - STAGE - CONTINUOUS GOV. MORRIS

31: INT. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY - BACK STAGE - CONTINUOUS
As Paul exits he shoots back.

32: INT. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY LOBBY
MOLLY walks up the steps of the auditorium into the lobby, a staffer hands her some papers and she continues. We pull her down a corridor and land at a rehearsal room door. She hands the papers to BEN.
The Governor's wife CINDY, daughter BETH and a security man are waiting outside the door.

33: INT. KENT STATE UNIVERSITY - REHEARSAL ROOM
This sits with them.
They sit there looking at their shoes.
Off their looks we-

34: INT. MORRIS HEADQUARTERS - CINCINNATI - LATE AFTERNOON
We're mid action. Everyone is there. Phones...emails...people running in and out. STEPHEN, BEN, MOLLY...sleeves rolled up. PAUL is in a closed room but we can see him on the phone.
We push the camera through the room, edging closer to PAUL.
We keep pushing in on PAUL until we can hear him talking to a reporter on the phone. - During this conversation he types on his laptop.

35: EXT. GOVERNORS SUV - NIGHT
We see The SUV drive down the highway.

36: INT. GOVERNORS SUV - NIGHT
We're in the second row of seats of the Governor's SUV. CINDY'S head on his shoulder. They are very comfortable and easy with each other. The Governor is writing a speech on a legal pad.
Beat.
Beat.
Beat.
They smile.
They lay their heads back onto the headrests.

37: INT. PERFORMING ARTS BUILDING - DAYTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE - A BIT LATER
A few hundred students sit around The GOVERNOR in a theater as he fields questions.
MORRIS is cornered by a conservative student.
At this point the camera travels backstage to find STEPHEN, BEN, PAUL and MOLLY working the phones and laptops.
BEN takes us back out, and under this we hear the GOVERNOR continue debating..
We hear boos from students in the audience. At this point the camera finds MORRIS.
Morris quiets the students.
Audience laughs.

38: INT. PERFORMING ARTS BUILDING LOBBY - AFTER
STEPHEN, BEN and the rest, head out of the town hall to get on the bus.

39: EXT. CAMPAIGN BUS - NIGHT
The bus rolls down the highway

40: INT. CAMPAIGN BUS - NIGHT
It's a flurry of activity. STEPHEN, BEN, MOLLY and our REGULAR STAFFERS...are all on phones, Blackberry's and laptop's. MOLLY looks back over her shoulder to STEPHEN, who's face is lit by his laptop. He looks up...they lock eyes.

41: INT. MILLENNIUM HOTEL - STEVEN'S ROOM - NIGHT
We're tight on a TV. It's the taped broadcast of the previous town hall meeting. As the scene plays we pull back to see STEPHEN and MOLLY making love. We see pieces of body parts. Hands...a leg...hair being pulled...it's what we've grown used to seeing in a seventies love scene, all lit by the flickering of a television. The only score we hear is the sound of the TV.
ANOTHER STUDENT steps up to the microphone.
We pull focus now onto STEPHEN and MOLLY.
STEPHEN on top not moving. He looks down to the area where an erection would normally be at this time...then he looks back to Molly.
They laugh.

42: INT. MILLENNIUM HOTEL - STEVEN'S ROOM - NIGHT - LATER
Stephen is lying in bed working on some papers. Molly is asleep next to him. Stephen's cell phone rings.
Almost at the same time we hear another man's voice on the phone.
They both stop. No one speaks. Stephen is about to speak again when the caller hangs up. Stephen looks at the phone...he then looks to the bedside table where he sees an identical phone. His phone. He's picked up Molly's phone by mistake. He looks at the name of the incoming call...there is none...he looks at the caller ID number...he looks at the clock...2:30 AM.
She reaches for the phone, but Steven keeps it away from her.
He pushes the redial button.
Stephen, listens to the outgoing message, while he looks at Molly...her eyes starting to well up. We hear the buzzing of the message through the phone. Then we see Stephens reaction as it begins to dawn on him who he's listening to.
He closes the phone without leaving a message. Beat.
She says nothing.
Beat.
A long beat.

43: EXT. STREET - CINCINNATI - NEXT DAY - MORNING
We're close on STEPHEN as he walks down the sidewalk and into...

44: INT. MORRIS HEADQUARTERS - MORNING - CONTINUOUS
STEPHEN walks into the campaign office. He looks at all the posters with pictures of Morris. People greet him as he walks past. The signs all look wrong now. The smile on Morris's face looks fake. He sees MOLLY as he passes and heads into the war room.

45: INT. MORRIS HEADQUARTERS - LATER
STEPHEN is going through the drawers in his desk... he goes to the office door, opens it and yells to Ben in the bullpen.
BEN stops what he's doing and heads into Stephen's office.
BEN exits. We follow BEN into the bullpen, past the STAFFERS who look up at the outburst... MOLLY watches BEN and then looks to STEPHEN who closes his door. We stay on MOLLY.
We see MOLLY watching through the door... as STEPHEN finishes, he opens the door.
She gets up and comes into his office. Stephen hands Molly a folder that he writes on the inside of
Molly opens the folder and reads "Meet me in the stairwell at noon". She closes the folder.
Stephen holds out his hand.
He takes the folder and tears it into several pieces as Molly leaves... he throws the pieces into the trash can.

46: INT. STOCK YARDS BANK - CINCINNATI- LATER
STEPHEN stands at a tellers counter, he writes out a check for eight hundred dollars to cash. The teller hands him the money.
Stephen exits.

47: EXT. STOCK YARDS BANK STEPS - CONTINUOUS
STEPHEN walks down to the sidewalk. He's on the phone with Ida.
A pause.

48: INT. SKY WALK - CINCINATTI - MINUTES LATER
STEPHEN starts walking away.
Stephen is left standing there.

49: EXT. FOUNTAIN SQUARE - CINCI / INT. MEMORIAL HALL - A FEW MINUTES LATER
Stephen is on a pay phone in front of the fountain. DUFFY is at a campaign event, he also talks on his cell.
Pause. No answer from STEPHEN.
Stephen hangs up.

50: INT. MORRIS HEADQUARTERS - STAIRWELL - AFTERNOON
MOLLY walks in... it's dark in some places... she doesn't see anyone at first. She stands there... then from the shadows we hear STEPHEN.
She goes up the next flight of stairs and stands next to him on the landing.
He hands her an envelope.
He exits.

51: INT. STEPHEN'S HOTEL ROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT
STEPHEN sits at the desk in front of his laptop. BEN sits on the floor surrounded by papers and a laptop. As BEN is talking Stephen is staring blankly at the screen.
STEPHEN'S phone buzzes, he picks it up and reads the text. It reads: NOON TOMORROW, MOLLY.
He sets the phone down...BEN continues talking.

52: EXT. MOLLY'S MOTEL - A BIT LATER
STEPHEN sits in his car in the back of the parking lot, waiting... his phone rings. He looks at the caller ID... it's Ida... he sets the phone back down, waits, and sees MOLLY come out of the hotel. She looks around and heads toward Stephen. She gets into the car and they drive off in silence.

53: INT./EXT. STEPHENS CAR - ROEBLING SUSPENSION BRIDGE - A BIT LATER
STEPHEN AND MOLLY drive in silence.

54: INT. STEPHEN'S CAR - DAY - A FEW MINUTES LATER
STEPHEN and MOLLY driving down the street. Stephen drives until he sees the clinic. He stops.

55: INT. CLINIC - WAITING ROOM - DAY
STEPHEN stands at the receptionists window and hands the NURSE a clipboard with the forms Molly has filled out. She hands him back the yellow copies and he sits down next to MOLLY.
STEPHEN leaves.

56: INT. MILLENNIUM HOTEL - PAUL'S ROOM - DAY
We're in PAUL'S room. He's lying on the bed, talking on his cell phone.
BEN sits at the desk working on a laptop.
A knock. PAUL goes to the door, opens it and waves STEPHEN in, shutting the door behind him as he enters.
PAUL stares at him blankly.
Pause.
BEN looks up from his laptop.
Off of Stephen we:

57: INT. CLINIC - DAY - LATER
MOLLY is sitting in the clinic waiting room, Post-Op.
The NURSE comes out with a bag of prescription drugs and some instructions.
Molly nods.
Molly just sits there staring.
Molly shakes her head yes.
The NURSE walks back into the office. MOLLY just sits there...by herself.
We stay with her for a while.

58: EXT. STEPHEN'S RENTAL CAR - AFTERNOON
STEPHEN is driving.

59: EXT. CLINIC - AFTERNOON
MOLLY walks outside the clinic and down the street.

60: EXT. CAFE NEAR CLINIC - LATER
Through the front window we see Molly sitting in a booth making a phone call. There is a TV on the wall, the news plays.

61: EXT. CLINIC STREET - NIGHT
STEPHEN drives by the clinic, he slows to see if Molly is still there. The clinic is closed.

62: EXT. MOLLY'S MOTEL - KENTUCKY - NIGHT
MOLLY gets out of a cab and walks into the hotel. Under this we hear:

63: INT. MOLLY'S MOTEL - KENTUCKY - NIGHT
We're in front of MOLLY'S door as the scene continues.
Phone rings.

64: INT. PULLMAN HEADQUARTERS - CINCINNATI - NIGHT
STEPHEN enters the offices, staffers look up and recognize him.
Stephen keeps walking.
Stephen arrives at a medium sized, glass partitioned office. As he looks in, we see Duffy and five or six staffers around a table. Duffy is holding court, the mood is light.
Duffy notices Stephen standing there.
Duffy walks Stephen a few doors down to a conference room. A single staffer is working on a laptop.
The staffer leaves and Duffy closes the door.
We see a shot close on STEPHEN'S clinched fist holding the yellow copies from Molly's clinic visit down by his side. We pan up to his face.
Beat.
STEPHEN pulls into the parking lot.

65: INT. MOLLY'S MOTEL - KENTUCKY - NIGHT
STEPHEN climbs the back stairwell to avoid seeing any of his former co-workers. He gets to the fifth floor and walks down the hall towards Molly's room. As he turns the corner he sees a maid's cart in front of her room. The door is halfway open.
As he starts walking towards her door, we see the HOTEL MANAGER come running out of Molly's room, he heads the opposite way towards the elevators...he's fumbling with his walkie-talkie. STEPHEN gets to her room and we see a JANITOR kneeling over Molly's lifeless body. Stephen steps into the room. He can barely move. He just stands there looking at the situation.
The JANITOR is on the phone.
Stephen is looking at Molly...he looks around the room...he sees her prescription bottle empty on the bed next to her...he sees her clothes all around the room.
The JANITOR now turns and looks at STEPHEN
STEPHEN nods his head yes.
We hear the sound of a distant ambulance.
JANITOR goes back to the phone.
STEPHEN looks down on the bed and sees Molly's phone. He reaches down takes it and slides it in his pocket.
Close on STEPHENS face as he stares down at Molly. We hear the ambulance approaching the building

66: EXT. MOLLY'S MOTEL - NIGHT - SECONDS LATER
Stephen comes running out the door. An ambulance has pulled up and EMT's are on their way in. Police are also pulling up. Stephen keeps walking - he gets in his car and sits there. Nothing. No emotion.
Stephen pulls out his phone and listens to his messages.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep. We now hear Molly in a very different tone, calmer, maybe even drunk.
Beep. Stephen hangs up.
We stay on him for a while.

67: INT. MORRIS HEADQUARTERS - NEXT MORNING
The GOVERNOR, PAUL, BEN and the other staffers, sit in front of a monitor watching a news piece. We now cut to CNN footage in front of a hospital as we hear the report continue.
Off the Governor's face we:

68: EXT. RIVERSIDE PARK - KENTUCKY - DAY
STEPHEN and SENATOR THOMPSON are seated on a bench.
They look at each other.

69: INT. PRESS ROOM - CINCINNATI - NEXT MORNING
We're at a press conference - The GOVERNOR, PAUL, BEN, and the rest of the staff, are standing behind the microphone. The Governor is making a statement
He looks to Paul.
The Governor looks back at Paul. Paul steps up to the mic.
As these questions continue, the Governor's cell phone vibrates. He pulls it from his pocket and reads the name of the caller. It reads "Molly." He looks up. Panic starts to set in - the only sounds we hear are his heart beating and the phone vibrating. The Governor looks at each of his staff members. Then he scans around the room looking through the press corps up to the back doorway where he locks eyes with Stephen.
STEPHEN holds a cell phone to his ear. They stare at each other. Then Stephen hangs up, and the Governor's phone stops vibrating.
Stephen turns and leaves.

70: EXT. RESTAURANT - CINCINNATI - THAT NIGHT
STEPHEN approaches the restaurant - the lights are off. He peers through a window - we hear the door unlock. One of the Governor's SECRET SERVICE MEN opens the door. He motions Stephen in.

71: INT. RESTAURANT - CINCINNATI - CONTINUOUS
Stephen follows the secret service guy through the dark restaurant - they pass several other secret service guys sitting in booths. They cross towards the back to the kitchen door - STEPHEN enters.

72: INT. RESTAURANT KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS
The kitchen is small and dimly lit. The Governor is standing behind the center island - hanging pans hide his face.
Beat.
The Governor stands in silence.
They stare at each other in silence.
A long beat.
Finally the Governor says:
Pause.
As the Governor weighs his options we-

73: INT. BARBER SHOP - EARLY MORNING
PAUL is sitting in a barber shop getting his hair cut... the BARBER cuts... Paul sits there. The TV is on... a sports show... no one talks. We watch Paul's face as the barber clips the back of his head.

74: EXT. STREET OUTSIDE BARBER SHOP
PAUL walks out, starts down the street. As he passes the first corner, he sees the Governor's SUV and the Secret Service SUV both parked on the side of the road. Paul looks at the SUV... then walks up to the window. The window rolls down and the GOVERNOR leans his head out.
We stay outside the car for along time. We hear CHRIS MATHEWS under this shot. We see Paul get out of the SUV and the two SUVs drive off, leaving him standing there.

75: EXT. NICER HOTEL - CINCINNATI - NEXT DAY - ESTABLISHING

76: INT. NICER HOTEL ROOM- CINCINNATI - NEXT DAY
STEPHEN'S in a different hotel now. The TV is on.
We See STEPHEN, shaving in the bathroom mirror, as he listens to the TV.

77: EXT. WHEELING WEST VIRGINIA - SAME DAY
We see a shot of an old church. People are walking up the steps and through the big open doors.

78: INT. CHURCH - WHEELING WEST VIRGINIA
We're at a memorial service for Molly. We see a lot of young people. PAUL is sitting in the back row. As Molly's father JACK STEARNS speaks STEPHEN walks in. He sits in the adjacent row - he and Paul look at each other.
He looks to the PRIEST next to him.

79: EXT. CHURCH - WHEELING WEST VIRGINIA - LATER
We're on the street in front of the church. People are filing out. PAUL is waiting next to STEPHEN'S car as Steven walks up.
They both smile.
Paul nods his head.
Paul turns to leave.
Paul, without looking back.

80: INT. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - CINCINNATI- DAY
GOVERNOR MORRIS with his WIFE and DAUGHTER, stand at the podium just behind Senator Thompson. There are a few hundred people in attendance, campaign workers, supporters and press.
Huge cheers.
More big cheers.
Thompson turns and shakes the hand of Governor Morris. Morris steps up to the microphone.

81: EXT. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - CINCINNATI
Under the following we hear the Governor's speech.
We see Satellite trucks, press vehicles, police cars, etc.
At a catering truck we see a pair of hands grab some coffee and cookies. This is another young intern, JILL. We follow her across the street and into a door.

82: INT. XAVIER HALLWAYS & RECEPTION ROOM - CONTINUOUS
JILL comes through the door.
We follow her through the hallways crowded with television cables and technicians. She makes her way in to a large reception room, where Stephen is watching Governor Morris give his speech. She hands him a coffee. We cut between The Governor and Stephen watching from the back.
The room explodes in laughter and applause.
Cheers.

83: INT. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - HALLWAY & STAGING ROOM
While the Governor's speech continues we stay close on Stephen as he walks through the crowd. We follow him into Governor Morris's staging area. Four monitors on a table show different network feeds. We watch Stephen roll down his sleeves and button his shirt. He ties his tie and puts his jacket on. From the monitors we hear reporters etc.
We push in on one of the monitors where DUFFY is being interviewed. As we push in we see STEPHEN cross out of the room. BEN is watching, he looks back and smiles at STEPHEN.
Our new intern, JILL crosses into frame looking down at BEN.

84: EXT. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - QUAD - CONTINUOUS
A shot of STEPHEN walking across the quad towards the gym.

85: INT. XAVIER UNIVERSITY GYM CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS
We pick up Stephen walking with Ida.
They approach a security guard standing by a set of double doors.
And Stephen walks through the doors.

86: INT. XAVIER UNIVERSITY - GYMNASIUM - A FEW MINUTES LATER
A wide shot of the darkened gymnasium. Stephen sits on a stool in front of a camera lit by a single television light.
We're now in tight - One PERSON is putting a mic on Stephen while the OTHER is applying make-up.
No one speaks. The sound man then puts and earwig into Stephens ear.
We hear the buzzing in his ear of the broadcast from New York.
Stephen counts to ten. Everyone stands behind the camera. The sound man with his headset on whispers..
We sit in silence staring at Stephens face.
Ten seconds - nothing. Twenty seconds - nothing
This scene starts to resemble our opening - A dark auditorium - only a few people doing their individual jobs.
Stephen looks at two interns holding clipboards and cell phones.
The FIRST AD is sitting on the floor talking on his headset.
The CAMERAMAN makes adjustments.
A MAN sweeping the gym floor in the distance. They all seem to be staring at him. They probably aren't - but he feels it. The enthusiasm and excitement of Stephen has given over to emptiness. The price of winning at all cost.
We stay on Stephen's face.
We now hear the Governor's speech through Stephen's earwig.
Forty seconds - the silence is broken by the SOUND MAN.
Through the earwig we hear an JOHN KING.
And before he can answer we: