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New York City – Now

Two young men tear through the crowded New York streets, running as if their very lives depend on it. They come to an upscale Manhattan hotel; but even as they enter the chic hotel, the two men continue their terrified flight, not stopping until they reach the confines of their room. Shoving the keycard into the slot, the two men enter the room calling out for their friend, Will; but to no avail. Whoever Will is, he is not there.

Sweating nervous bullets, Tyler grabs the remote and hurriedly jabs at the on button. He stares frantically at the screen as a news anchor speaks of casualties, terrorism and bombs. Sirens sound outside the hotel window. Jay picks up a cell phone and desperately waits for an answer, but he’s disappointed. Whoever he’s trying to call has disconnected their cell phone. Tyler screams for Jay to come watch the news. On the television, a surveillance camera shows the two men running away from a New York museum. They learn they are both suspected of terrorism, because right after they left the museum, it exploded. “She’s talking about us! She’s talking about us, Jay!” Tyler sinks into the couch, a wild-eyed and terrified expression marring his youthful face. Jay is also frightened and panicked, but he is clearly trying to keep it together and figure out a plan. All the while, the sirens continue to wail, magnifying their fear and panic.

Jay wants to find Will. But Tyler’s panic is consuming him. He insists that Will is dead because he was in the museum when it exploded. Jay refuses to believe it is true. He suggests calling the police. After all, the two men have not done anything wrong. The police will have to help them handle this. Tyler nods in agreement, his hand clenched protectively over his mouth. But a second later, he jumps up and pitches toward the bathroom; no longer able to hold back the overwhelming waves of nausea. Jay watches him go and then glances down. He sees a book: “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac. His eyes glaze over as his mind moves back to the previous day.
 

Yale Graduate Housing – Yesterday

It is yesterday, and Jay, Tyler and Will are packing their car for a long planned road trip. Neither Jay nor Tyler shows any sign of the strain and fear that will age them considerably in the next 24 hours. For now, they are young and carefree, with their entire future laid brightly before them. Outside the car, Will tosses the Kerouac book to Jay, calling it the Great American Novel. The three friends have just graduated from Yale Grad: Will is now a chemical engineer, Tyler a venture capitalist, and Jay, a lawyer. Well, they will be after the next two months. This is their last summer together before real adulthood, and they plan to spend it travelling, playing, and creating mayhem and ruckus wherever they go. The three friends lock arms and take one last look at their house – the place they have lived and laughed in together for the past three years. After a final reminiscent glance, they laughingly leap into the car, heading for destinations unknown.
 

New York City – Yesterday

The trio arrives at a swanky hotel. Jay is surprised that Will booked them in such a stylish place, but Will explains that it is “our last night to live like kings. After this, it’s all motels and camp grounds from here to San Francisco.” Will tells his friends that he is going to go park the car in a cheap garage, while the other two handle checking in. Tyler and Jay do, and then head to their room. The hotel porter is a kind and friendly sort. Tyler tips him lavishly, asking him to arrange for a limo for the evening. He respectfully agrees and then exits. Jay protests that Tyler does not have to pay for everything. Tyler just pops open a bottle of champagne, and reminds him of their agreement. “We said Will would be in charge of planning, I would cover major expenses, and you would keep us out of trouble. And of the three? I’d say you got the hardest job.”

The three friends decide to spend a fun and relaxing evening at a popular Manhattan night spot. The club is full of beautiful women, and Tyler is lapping up the attention of three “Vogue” interns. But instead of joining in the festive atmosphere, Will and Jay sit alone on a couch, nursing drinks. Will is holding a video camera, recording their trip for posterity. When Jay laughingly protests, Will tells him, "You’ll thank me for this one day." When Jay’s girlfriend, Kim, calls for the third time, Tyler answers it for him. To Jay’s chagrin, Tyler informs Kim that Jay will have to call her back… in two months. He hangs up the phone and tells Jay to get with the program: this is his last two months of freedom. He needs to enjoy it, not worry about the ball-and-chain back home. Will is less abrasive about it, but he agrees with Tyler that Jay should enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime trip with his buddies. As he says, “You gotta see the world before you can change it.” While Jay goes to do damage control with his girlfriend, Will hits the dance floor.

The three friends wake up the next morning and decide to kick off their trip with a visit to New York’s Drexler Museum of Art. But nothing is ever ordinary with these three… and Will suggests they make their visit a little extraordinary by racing on rollerblades from one end of the museum to the other: whoever wins does not have to drive on their way to Chicago. The bet reminds Jay of a streaking prank they orchestrated two years ago at school… and he reminds them that it is supposed to be his job to keep the group out of trouble; after all, Jay wants to get hired at a law firm… he doesn’t exactly have the option of working for his father, like some people, he says with a meaningful look at Tyler. Tyler challenges him, but Will intercedes: if Jay does not want to do it, none of them will. Jay finally agrees to participate, but he makes his terms clear: if he wins, Tyler has to keep his mouth shut about Kim for the rest of the trip. Finally ready to pull their collegiate-like prank, the trio races up the museum steps.

Inside the museum, the three friends head for the top. Jay and Tyler pull on their blades, while Will sets up the video camera. They decide that Jay and Tyler will go on ahead, with Will behind them taping the entire prank. They agree to meet at the North East corner in case they get split up. Excited about their race, the two friends tear down the stairs on their skates. Will’s genial smile leaves his face as his two friends’ race down the steps and around the corner; the camera recording their every desperate movement. From the viewpoint of the camera lens, they boys’ skates are obscured: it merely appears that the two men are desperately fleeing the scene.

Jay and Tyler race through the museum, startling bystanders and museum goers. They meet up on a main floor, looking around for Will who has not caught up with them. A fire alarm sounds, and a guard calls out for them to stop. They bubble over with boy-like laughter and tear away, trying to find the exit. Other guards try to stop them but the boys weave and dodge, years of hockey-playing working in their favor. They finally skate through the revolving door exit and head for the pre-established meeting place. Tyler claims he won the race, but Jay gives him a look. “That was blatant interference,” he laughs.

With their skates off but no sign of Will, Jay decides to give him a call on his cell phone. He picks up after a second. “Did you get out?” Will asks urgently. Jay tells him he did and asks where he is. Tyler is smiling hugely, still high from the excitement of their prank. Jay looks happy too as he waits to find out where his friend is. “I’m sorry I had to do this,” is Will’s mysterious reply. There is a brief look of confusion on Jay’s face before a massive explosion rips through the air. Jay and Tyler are both knocked over by the force of the blast. Fireballs erupt, hanging in the air like deadly orange clouds, and a haze of dark smoke hangs in the air. People scream and take cover, sirens wail, and the sounds of crying can be heard. Jay and Tyler sit back up, amazed to see the museum ablaze: a bomb just decimated the place they had only minutes ago skated through. Still clutching the phone, Jay screams Will’s name into it, but there is no answer.

Live news coverage shows smoke billowing from the building. Firefighters race to the scene. People are screaming and crying. A news announcer informs the public that the President’s personal art collection was on display: a possible target for terrorists. The newscaster reports that although three guards have been rushed to the hospital, amazingly no fatalities have been counted. Tyler finds that all of Will’s things have inexplicably vanished from the suite. How could he have possibly beaten the other two back to the hotel? It does not make sense to either of them. The two friends are horrified when they see their faces on the television. Museum surveillance cameras caught them both on film, appearing to flee the building. Because of their race, the two boys are now suspected of terrorism. Indeed, it does look bad.

Tyler races to his suitcase, pulling out clothes and ordering Jay to change. They need a lawyer… and fast. Jay reminds him that he is a lawyer but Tyler lashes out at him, telling him to stop pretending this is not happening. Jay is shocked to hear that Tyler believes Will set them up – that Will blew up the museum and framed them to take the fall. Jay insists that they call the police and let them find Will.

On the phone with the FBI, Jay tries to explain that this is all a mistake. They humor him, keeping him on the phone as they trace his call. Meanwhile, Tyler speaks with his father, Carlton Fog: a powerful business magnate. He learns that the explosion may not have been a coincidence. Yesterday, someone sold almost ten million shares in the museum’s travelling art collection. Today, it explodes. Someone in high places knew that the building was targeted. His father warns him that working with the Feds is not an option. Someone powerful is deliberately targeting Jay and Tyler, and innocent or not, they could be in very big trouble… or even danger.

Outside, a stream of FBI cars heads toward the hotel, having traced Jay’s call. Jay hangs up on the FBI and the two boys hurriedly leave the room. As the cops and FBI swarm the hotel, the two boys race for the stairs. Finding themselves cornered, they take refuge in a janitorial closet. A sound outside the closet startles them. A moment later, the door opens and a man walks in. It is not FBI or even the police. No – it is the hotel porter that Tyler tipped well. He smiles down at the two boys. “You two are a long way from the luxury suite.” Tyler stares at him. “We ran out of shampoo,” he blurts inanely.

Cops start pounding on the door, demanding to be let in. Tyler gives the porter his expensive watch in return for help escaping. The boys dive down the laundry chute as the porter holds off the cops.

Meanwhile, the FBI is pouring over profiles of their suspects. They learn that Jay graduated from Yale Law just last week. He grew up in a rough area of California. His mother has worked in a variety of housework jobs, and his father was an ex-military soldier who was court-martialed for an incident that resulted in the death of five of his men. Distraught, he committed suicide a year later. The bureau wonders if Jay’s father’s suicide could be a motive for Jay’s alleged actions. They are also surprised to learn that Tyler is the son of business magnate, Carlton Fog. Frustrated that the two boys eluded his men, Agent Fred Chambers starts barking orders at his staff to secure Manhattan’s exits. “These guys do not leave Manhattan unless I personally walk them across a bridge!”

The boys learn that their car is not in the lot. Tyler’s father gives him the pin to his emergency credit card and instructs him to get off the island via the Queensborough Bridge. Tyler complies, but Jay skids to a halt. He refuses to just run: finding Will is their only hope. He just cannot believe that their friend would betray them in such a way. There has to be an explanation. After a short discussion, the two men reluctantly agree to separate. Tyler does not want to: he tells Jay he will wait for him for an hour on the bridge. If Jay doesn’t show up by then, Tyler will know he isn’t coming.

Jay is inside his girlfriend’s apartment, frantically searching through photo albums. He is shocked to find that he does not have even one photo of Will: his best friend. "How do you live with someone for two years and not have a single picture of them?" Kim tries to calm him down but his agitation grows as he finds Will hiding his face from the camera in every, single picture. Comprehension dawns on his face as he realizes that Tyler was right all along: Will is involved up to his neck in the museum explosion.

The FBI explores the burnt remains of the museum. Agent Jan Marlow is not so sure that two college men would have the know-how to build such a complex bomb. She wants to see their transcripts and find out if either of them did well in an engineering Further exploration of the museum reveals a charred and blackened body – a body wearing a jacket exactly like the one Will wore.

Jay and Kim are in her apartment, watching the news. The anchor refers to the boys as “enemy combatants”, and suggests that if the boys are linked to any terrorist groups they will be remanded to military personnel. Kim wants to hire a team of lawyers but Jay knows it will not do any good. Someone powerful is pulling their strings and fighting them the usual way is useless. The only solution is to run: run as far, and as long as possible. Kim starts to cry but Jay assures her that he will see her again. “Do you remember when we first met? Will did everything he could to keep me from calling you. He probably knew it would complicate his plan. But he did not keep us apart then and he will not keep me from coming back to you now.” Jay kisses her, long and hard, sealing a final imprint of his love on her lips. Kim warns him that he can not run from this. But Jay is not so sure. “My father died because someone in the government betrayed him. That didn’t make me hate my country; it made me want to fix it. But if I’m going to fix this, whatever is truly going on, I need to figure out who Will Traveler really is.”

Meanwhile, Tyler stands at an ATM withdrawing cash. The FBI sees this activity and dispatches a squad to his location. A lone cop sees Tyler at the same time he sees the cop. He takes off with the cop in hot pursuit. Sirens wail as squad cars close in. Tyler runs as fast as humanly possible, with a speed born of fear and desperation. Agent Marlow joins the chase and finally corners him atop a building. Beaten, Tyler sinks to his knees, raw anguish on his face. But before they can complete the arrest, a call comes in on Marlow’s phone. It’s Jay on the phone. From a nearby bridge, Jay is witnessing the entire scene. Desperate to free his friend, Jay warns the agent that there is another bomb in the city. If they do not release his friend, he is going to detonate. Marlow calls him on his bluff and tells him that they found Will Traveler: dead. But Jay has reached the point of no return. “I’d say you never really know what someone’s capable of. And you still have to take my deal.” Marlow closes her eyes in defeat.

Agent Chambers comes on the line with Marlow and tells her to give the order for her men to stand down. She reluctantly obeys. The FBI is only pretending to go along with Jay’s demands – they are sending undercover ops into the area, hoping to gain the element of surprise and take both men. Marlow and her men release Tyler and exit the building. She and Tyler share a long stare before she leaves: it is clear that she is not entirely convinced of their guilt.

Once Tyler is alone on the roof, Jay calls him. He explains to Tyler how he arranged for his freedom. After a moment, Tyler is surprised and touched to catch sight of his friend standing on the bridge; right in the place Tyler wanted to meet. “I didn’t think you’d come back for me,” he tells his friend. “You’d do the same for me.” They hang up a moment later and Tyler heads for the exits. On the bridge, Jay pulls a cap low over his brow and starts to move off – but finds a gun thrust in his face. Meanwhile, Tyler races down the stairs and encounters the same fate: armed cops, ready to arrest. The two boys are thrown in the same van as the FBI heads their suspects in.

On the way, something slams into the van, sending it flying sideways. Cuffed, the boys are unable to protect their bodies as they fly around in the van. Once it slides to a stop, one of the drivers picks up a gun and starts shooting: right at Tyler’s head. Jay manages to kick the gun out of his hands, just as two shots fire through the windshield. The driver slumps over, dead. Jay and Tyler are terrified and confused when the back door opens, and an armed figure orders them out. It is the hotel porter, looking very grim and holding an even grimmer looking gun. Inexplicably, he has keys to their handcuffs and releases them. Placing something inside the van, he orders them to follow. They do, but demand answers. Who is he and why did he just kill two FBI agents? “I’m the only one who believes your side of the story,” he says without further explanation. A nano second later, the van explodes in flames. Jay begs him to explain to them what is going on. Without answering, he hands Tyler back his watch. “You’ll need this more than me. Once you get over the bridge, the only people you trust are each other. Now go. Go!” Jay and Tyler look at each other in amazement and then tear away, unable to fathom what is possibly going on.

A while later, Tyler calls his father to explain that the two have successfully exited the city. As he talks, Jay flashes back to two years earlier, on his first day at Yale Law when he met his two room mates for the first time. Shockingly, all three find they root for the same baseball team: the Chicago Cubs. Coincidence? It does not seem likely any more.

The memory fades and a montage of images race through Jay’s memory: Will, asking his friends to check in to the hotel while he takes the car to a cheaper garage. Will in the bar offering advice, “If you take time to step off the path and see what really makes this country tick, it could change your life.” Will, on the steps of the museum, videotaping their race. Will, apologizing just before the museum explodes.

Jay is forcibly yanked from his memories as Tyler pulls on his shoulder. Having finished his conversation with his father, he has a plan. The two friends head on foot for a used car dealership, planning to purchase a cheap car and head for his father’s house.

In the Fog estate, Carlton hangs up with his son. A stranger, whose face is hidden, stands before him. “I’ve done as you asked,” Carlton assures him. “They’ll be here tonight.”

source http://www.tv.com/

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