On Wings Of Eagles (1990)

'It was the money from the fuel can. See--'

Perot interrupted: 'After all Simons has done, why in the world did you let him take a completely unnecessary risk? Now see here. I'm taking off at noon, and if Simons isn't out of jail by then, you are going to stay in frigging Istanbul until he is!'

Sculley and Boulware sat down with Mr. Fish. Boulware said: 'We need to get Colonel Simons out of jail.'

'Well,' said Mr. Fish, 'it will take around ten days--'

'Bullshit,' said Boulware. 'Perot will not buy that. I want him out of jail now.'

'It's five o'clock in the morning!' Mr. Fish protested.

'How much?' said Boulware.

'I don't know. Too many people know about this, in Ankara as well as Istanbul.'

'How about five thousand dollars?'

'For that, they would sell their mothers.'

'Fine,' said Boulware. 'Let's get it on.'

Mr. Fish made a phone call, then said: 'My lawyer will meet us at the jail near the airport.'

Boulware and Mr. Fish got into Mr. Fish's battered old car, leaving Sculley to pay the hotel bill.

They drove to the jail and met the lawyer. The lawyer got into Mr. Fish's car and said: 'I have a judge on the way. I've already talked to the police. Where's the money?'

Boulware said: 'The prisoner has it.'

'What do you mean?'

Boulware said: 'You go in there and bring the prisoner out, and he will give you the five thousand dollars.'

It was crazy, but the lawyer did it. He went into the jail and came out a few minutes later with Simons. They got into the car.

'We're not going to pay these clowns,' said Simons. 'I'll wait it out. They'll just talk themselves to death and let me go in a few days.'

Boulware said: 'Bull, please don't fight the program. Give me the envelope.'

Simons handed over the envelope. Boulware took out five thousand dollars and gave it to the lawyer, saying: 'Here's the money. Make it happen.'

The lawyer made it happen.

Half an hour later, Boulware, Simons, and Mr. Fish were driven to the airport in a police car. A policeman took their passports and walked them through passport control and customs. When they came out on the tarmac, the police car was there to take them to the Boeing 707 waiting on the runway.

They boarded the plane. Simons looked around at the velvet curtains, the plush upholstery, the TV sets, and the bars, and said: 'What the fuck is this?'

The crew were on board, waiting. A stewardess came up to Boulware and said: 'Would you like a drink?'

Boulware smiled.

The phone rang in Perot's hotel suite, and Paul happened to answer it.

A voice said: 'Hello?'

Paul said: 'Hello?'

The voice said: 'Who is this?'

Paul, suspicious, said: 'Who is this?'

'Hey, Paul?'

Paul recognized the voice of Merv Stauffer. 'Hello, Merv!'

'Paul, I got somebody here wants to talk to you.'

There was a pause; then a woman's voice said: 'Paul?'

It was Ruthie.

'Hello, Ruthie!'

'Oh, Paul!'

'Hi! What are you doing?'

'What do you mean, what am I doing?' Ruthie said tearfully. 'I'm waiting for you!'

The phone rang. Before Emily got to it, someone picked up the extension in the children's room.

A moment later she heard a little girl scream: 'It's Dad! It's Dad!'

She rushed into the room.

All the children were jumping up and down and fighting over the phone.

Emily restrained herself for a couple of minutes, then took the phone away from them.

'Bill?'

'Hello, Emily.'

'Gee you sound good. I didn't expect you to sound ... Oh, Bill, you sound so good.'

In Dallas, Merv began to take down a message from Perot in code.

Take ... the ...

He was now so familiar with the code that he could transcribe as he went along.

... code ... and ...

He was puzzled, because for the last three days Perot had been giving him a hard time about the code. Perot did not have the patience to use it, and Stauffer had had to insist, saying: 'Ross, this is the way Simons wants it.' Now that the danger was past, why had Perot suddenly started to use the code?

... stick ... it ... where ...

Stauffer guessed what was coming, and burst out laughing.

Ron Davis called room service and ordered bacon and eggs for everyone.

While they were eating, Dallas called again. It was Stauffer. He asked for Perot.

'Ross, we just got the Dallas Times-Herald. '

Was this to be another joke?

Stauffer went on: 'The headline on the front page says: 'Perot men reportedly on way out. Overland exit route from Iran indicated.' '

Perot felt his blood start to boil. 'I thought we were getting that story killed!'

'Boy, Ross, we tried! The people who own or manage the paper just don't seem to be able to control the editor.'

Tom Luce came on the line, mad as hell. 'Ross, those bastards are willing to get the rescue team killed and destroy EDS and see you jailed just to be the first to print the story. We've explained the consequences to them and it just doesn't matter. Boy, when this is over we should sue them, no matter how long it takes or how much it costs--'

'Maybe,' said Perot. 'Be careful about picking a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel and paper by the ton. Now, what are the chances of this news reaching Tehran?'

'We don't know. There are plenty of Iranians in Texas, and most of them will hear about this. It's still very hard to get a phone line to Tehran, but we've managed it a couple of times, so they could, too.'

'And if they do ...'

'Then, of course, Dadgar finds out that Paul and Bill have slipped through his grasp--'

'And he could decide to take alternative hostages,' Perot said coldly. He was disgusted with the State Department for leaking the story, furious with the Dallas Times-Herald for printing it, and maddened that there was nothing he could do about it. 'And the Clean Team is still in Tehran,' he said.

The nightmare was not over yet.