Billowing smoke fills Olympic Boulevard.

The police at the command post poke their heads above the patrol cars to assess the scene.

“Holy s—,” says Robinson

The armored car is a smoking wreck on the Nakatomi stairway.

“My God!” says Thornburg, “Tell me you got that!”

“I got it, I got it!” replies his cameraman.

“Eat your heart out, Channel Five,” whispers Thornburg.

“We’ve had an update on the terrorist takeover of the Nakatomi building,” says a news anchor, as video footage fills the screen. “Sources say the terrorist leader  ‘Hans’  may be this man, Hans Gruber, a member of the radical West German Volksfrei movement.  Strangely, the Volksfrei leadership issued a communique an hour ago,  saying that Gruber had been expelled from that organization -”

“Al, Al, do you copy?” asks McClane on his walkie-talkie.

Sgt. Powell picks up his microphone. “Are you all right?” he asks. McClane laughs.

“Yeah,” says John, “I’m fine.” He coughs.

“What was that?” asks Al.

“Remember that plastic explosive I told you about?” says McClane.

“Yeah?” says Powell.

“There you go,” explains McClane.  “Is the building on fire?”

“No,” replies Al, “but it’s going to need a paint job and a s—load of screen doors.”

IN THIS MINUTE:

William Atherton as Roger Thornburg

Bruce Willis as John McClane

Paul Gleason as Dwayne T. Robinson

Reginald VelJohnson as Sgt. Al Powell