"RED DAWN" (1984)

( TEN SOLDIERS)

Screenplayby

Kevin Reynolds

SHOOTINGSCRIPT

September6, 1983

AUTHORIsNOTE

Although themilitary equipment,unit types, and personneldescribed in thisstory do exist, and although thepolitical climatecould be projected upon a darkfuture, it is importantto note thatthis is a workof fiction, supposition•••fantasy.

This is theEnd My only friend-- the end Of our elaborateplans -- theend Of everythingthat stands-- the end I'll neverlook into youreyes -- again Can youpicture what willbe -- So limitlessand free Desperatelyin need of somestranger's hand

-- Jim Morrison,•The End•

TEN SOLDIERS

1 BLACICSCREEN 1

A DEEPELECTRONIC NOTEfollowed by anotherforming a slow,inevitable march. The followingstatements !'LASB on indeep reds andoranges - FADE SLOWLY.

El SalvadorMilitarilyOntenable. PresidentReagan blamescongressional restraints.

Labor andPooa Riots inPoland. CommunistParty declaresemergency. Soviettroops invade.

EconomicBoycotts uponSoviet Regime. WesternEurope wavers.

Cuba andNicaragua ReachTroop Strength Goalsof 500,000 Men Combined.

GreensParty Gains Controlof West German Parliament. Demands withdrawalof nuclear weaponsfrom European soil.

FranceSigns Non-AggressionPact with Soviets.

Cubanand Sandinista GovernmentsForm CAPA (CentralAmerican PeoplesAlliance). Revolutionin Mexico.

Japanand European Common MarketSign TradeAgreements withMoscow. NATO dissolves.

SovietOnion suffersWorst Wheat Harvest in 55Years.

CubanAdvisors Sent toMexican CivilWar. Moscow andCAPA recognizeRevolutionary ProvisionalGovernmentof Mexico.

UnitedStates StandsAlone.

FADE IN:

2 BILLOWY CLOUDS 2

- towering peaksand dark canyonsof them. We glide past, around, throughthem.

(CONTINOED)

TITLES.

The exhilaratingflight isalmost soundless1only a distantWHINE left behind. We descend - grey dark, then througha break belowstretches a greatgreen plain withdistant purplemountains. Theyrush towards us, descendingstill. A town appears in thedistance -- a sparkleor two and soonwe are upon it-- hurtling over andgone.

3 CALOMET,COLORADO 3

Exceptfor the McDonald'sit's been the samefor forty years. A caution lightblinks above the intersection. A dogcrosses the road,looks up - theWHINING ROARof a JEToverhead, streakingby.

4 GAS STATION 4

next toa cafe. Customerslook up from theirbreak- fast. The station manager,JED ECKERT,looks up. He standsnext to a pickuptruck with threekids in it. Jed isabout twenty. Inthe truck is hiskid brother, MATT,a pretty ranch girl,SANDY, andAARDVARK (ARTURO) -- all16 or 17. Theyall look up.

He looksback.

Sandywaves at Jed·whodoesn't notice.

s HIGHSCHOOL s

Normalstucco l950's construction. One sidewindowed, parkinglot full of cars- mostly pickups-- gymnas- ium, trackwith large sign-- •calumetWolverines.• Mattpulls up. Sandyand Aardvark are alreadygetting out.

Another jet streaksover, turnstowards the mountains and is gone.

C0'1''l'O:

6 CLASSROOM 6

Jed and Arturoslouch at theirdesks - anotherday. In front ofthem sit Sandy andDARYL BATES, handsome, student bodypresident. Bewinks at her, shethrows a piece of chalkat him. Ifyou were listening,you'd hear theTHROB OF PLANES overhead,then pass. The teacher,MR. TEASDALE, speaks.

We now seethe whole class. Teasdale is inhis mid- thirties,with thick hairand trimmed beard,ecolog- ically sound,amateur rockclimber, etc.

Behind himoutside the windowsparachutes startdrop- ping intoview. Dozens ofthem, floating down lazily. Dozensmore -- the sky isfilled with parachutes.

Be sees them,nobody elsedoes. Sandy looksat him then outthe window.

Everyoneturns.

7 OUTSIDETHE WINDOW 7

Armed men inbattle fatigues. Floating to thefield beside theschool. Runningto open supplycannisters. Theymove urgently.

8 STUDENTS 8

Enthralled, theycrowd to the windows. Teasdale frumps out the door. AD LIB:

BOY #1 Mustbe from Port Carson. Training jump.

Teasdale exitsthe building andwaddles toward the soldiers.

Arturo mockshim.

The kids laugh.

Teasdale approachesa soldier frombehind, seekingan explanation. The man's unbucklinghis chute.

Startled, the soldierwhirls andSHOOTSTeasdale dead.

12 STUDENTS 12

Dumbstruck. DOLLYIN AND ZOOM OOT. A girl screams.

13 SOLDIER 13

Be nervously jerksin their direction,sees the horri- fied faces atthe window, andFIRES a long burst from his RIFLE.

The kids duckas GLASS SHOWERS overthem. Recovering, they rush towardthe door, screamingand shouting. Books and desksfly.

Boyfl stares blanklyout the windowat the scurrying soldiers,chin on thewindowsill, a bulletthrough his head.

Studentsof all agespour from the placeas more para- chutistsland in b.g. Sandy, Matt, andDaryl run for theparking lot.

MA'rl' (shouting) Let's getmy brother!

16 PICKUP 16

Matt and Daryl leapin. Matt gets itstarted as the others pile in back. Arturo pulls Sandyover the side. There is a tremendousEXPLOSION in thedistance down thestreet. Theypull out -- two youngerboys, ROBERT andDANNY, jump in. Matt spins outof the parking lot.

The truck blares throughtown. GUNFIRE andEXPLOSIONS eruptall around. Confused people runfrom houses, a fewwith guns.

A sheriff's car sitsstalled in thestreet, bullet- riddled,lights flashing. A deputy'ssprawled outside thedriver's door.

Everywhere you look-- soldiers landing.

18 GAS STATION 18

The pickup wheelsaround the corner. Smoke is belching fromthe gas station. Jed runs out,pulls open the driver's door, pushesMatt over and takesthe wheel, almost crashing uponto the sidewalkin the process.

19 PICKUP BED 19

The boys crouch interror. Some peerover the sidesas Jed takes a corneron two wheels, speedsdown a resi- dential street.

20 CAB 20

21 BOYS' POV 21

asthe pickup roundsa curve•••Paratroopers are moving up the street, armsat the ready. The lead soldier raises his handfor the truck tohalt.

22 BOYS 22

Dumb with shock. A split second- Jed moves.

Be slams on thebrakes, spins aroundon the lawn, speeds between twohouses.

The soldies openFIRE, blastinga wall.

24 BACK OF PICKUP 24

A fifteen-year-oldChicano witha long face and longer nose, •Aardvark•looks fearfullyover the side ofthe speeding truckas it wheels downmain street. People dart in all directions. Amid thepandemonium, a tall Chicano MAN trotsaimlessly down thesidewalk witha dazed expression.

The Man seesAardvark racing away.

Aardvark scramblesover the othersto beat on thecab window.

2S AARDVARK'S PATBER 25

The pickup pullsaway as he runsafter it, wavinghis arms.

26 PICKUP 26

The boys pullAardvark down behindthe protective sides. He staresback at the tinyfigure on theroad.

27 CITY LIMIT SIGN 27

•calumet,Colorado. Pop. 1012. 'Gatewayto the Rockies1 .•The pickupflashes pas~.

Jed's pickup racesup a winding mountainhighway, the onlyvehicle in sight.

29 n:T.CAB 29

The boys lean forward,watching theroad and hills apprehensively. Suddenly, Jed goeswhite -- and brakes toa stop.

30 POV 30

Ant-sized figuresin camouflage battledress spread concertina wirea thousand yardsahead••• A roadblock. Parachutes danglein the trees.

31 PICKUP 31

Jed downshifts thetruck's old gears,eases off the highway. Slowly,quietly, he headscross-country,away from the road.

32 JED 32

slumps beside thetruck. Pale andtrembling, theother boys join him,staring numbly atthe valley far below.

33 BOYS' POV 33

In the midstof a vast pastoralscene, columns ofsmoke rise from Calumet. GUNFIRE echoesoff the distant hills.

34 THE GROUP 34

Jed, Sandy,Daryl, Matt, Aardvark,and three others:

DANNY -- Thirteen. Small, meek •.•aworrier.

ROBERT -- Fourteen. Your basickid.

RAD!OND -- Fifteen. A dunce.

Sandy takesoff her jacket andwraps it aroundDanny -- Be's shivering.

a.

They stare some more.

Jed wipes athis nose, surveysthe open mountainside.

He gets to hisfeet and headstoward the truck. The younger boysfollow like frightenedquail. Robert stumbles backwards,gazing down atthe valley.

Getting no response,he hurriesto catch up.

The boys huddlemiserably beneaththe boughs ofa giant fir tree. A gray drizzle falls. overhead, anunseen jet SBRIEKSpast at tree toplevel. It's awesome.

Danny dropshis .handand standsup, swept awayby the grandeurof parliamentaryprocedure.

Jed isn't listeningto the others.

A beat. Jed seesthe frightenedyoung faces.

'CARYL No, that'sprobably notnecessary.

Matt nods.

Sandy leansclose.

He turnsto the others.

He startsoff down the slope~towards thetruck.

37 RAYMOND 37

trotsbeside Matt, sportinga remindful look.

Mattwalks backwards,staring incredulouslyat him.

The lowafternoon sunbreaks a cloud, andsad light paintsthe four boyswading downhill.

Jed waves back. The brush swallowsthem.

A ROCKETlaunches right at CAMERA.

The soldier who firedit kneels inthe middle of the street, shoulderin~his weapon. Other troops scurry by. EXPLOSIONS, HONKINGHORNS, JETAIRCRAFT.

An officer rushesup. The soldieranswers his question by pointing inthe air. Suddenly,they dash forcover.

Soldiers dive inall directions aswithering MACHINE GUN FIRE chewsup the street.

40 SOLDIERS 40

They SHOOTback as the flaming afterburnerof thejet climbs into thenight.

Then the troopsmove into the streetagain, carrying off the dead andwounded. A convoyof military and commandeered vehiclespushes throughthe flaming rub- ble.

Cupped handshold a house on thepeeling stucco: wYou're in Good BandsWith Allstate.•

TILT OP -- On theroof, Jed andother frightened faces peer at the scenebelow -- firelitphantoms.

No one answers. The boys scuttlebackward from the edge -- intodarkness.

A cat creepsbeside a fence, stalkingsomething. Sud- denly runningFEET THUMP down thealley.. The catcrou- ches defensively.••Five shadowsrush by.

43 THEBOYS 43

slipfrom bush to shadow. They hait,gasping quietly. Somewherea GUN CBA"rl'ERS.

Aardvark springs away. They follow acrossdark lawns. No street lights,no house lights --only the moon. Running low, theyhug the familiar houses.

44 JED 44

drops to the ground,taking Robert withhim. He mo- tionsfrantically. Everybody flattensin the grass.

Jed slaps a handon Robert's mouth, raisesa finger to his lips. Urgingquiet, he points ahead.

45 TWO SHADOWY FIGURES 45

leanon the roofof a curbside car. Cigarettes glow Soldiers. Twentyyards away. Silentas dead men. Then one drags onhis smoke and chucklesin Spanish.

They have seen nothing.

46 JED 46

breathes.

Be hoists himselfover the fence fora look, fellow facesappearing oneither side.

48 THE BOUSE 48

Very middle class. Very foreboding. Very void of light or life.

looks around theneighborhood.

50 AARI)VARJC 50

leaps the fenceand slinks tothe back door. A look over his shoulder,and he grabsthe doorknob- it won't turn. He wrestles withit, shouts a whisper.

It's locked!

Jed jumps thefence and joinshim.

He does •••Silence. Be knocksa little louder.

Sl INT. AARDVARK'SBOUSE -NIGHT 51

A tomb. In the eerie darknesshis silhouettebangs discreetlyat the opaquedoor glass. Cerealboxes and coffee siton the table - Yesterday's breakfast.

·52 EXT. BOOSE 52

Aardvarkstops knocking. Be swallows.

Sure. Aardvark nods •••can'tspeak.

They slinkthrough overgrowngrass. Aardvarktrips on something,falling likelead. Be dusts himselfoff and looks tosee what caughthis foot -- a bulkything. Somethingstiff. Aardvarkturns it over-- A DEAD WOMAN.

54 AARDVARK 54

Horrified. He pushesaway from the-corpse.

Jedsees the body.

Hewaits for an answer,some movement.

55 MRS. GUTHRIE 55

Herdull, dead eyesstare skyward. JETS SHRIEK.

Jed feels for a heartbeat,sees thedead hand clutching thebloody splotchon her nightclothes. He pulls his handaway, unconsciouslyrubs it on hisjeans to wipe off the feel.

The boys stare at themannequin. Aardvarkis trans- fixed. Matt pullshim away.

From an upstairsbedroom window, it lookshaunted. Barbeque grill andsprinklers on thepatio. The bed- roomis dark, thecurtained window closed. A little girl hugs a dog inthe picture on thewindow sill. Someone KNOCKS ona door downstairs.

Jed backs away fromthe house. He bendsdown, throws gravel at the window.

Nothing. Four otherfigures followJed into the night.

The backdoor. Jed andcompany c~e to ahalt, breath- ing hard.

Robertmonkeys with thelock. They're insidein seconds.

Robertcloses the door •••Safeat last.

59 POV 59

Aislesof groceries stretchto the glassed-instore front. Past that --main street. Firesand headlights illuminateat random.

60 ROBERT 60

stretchesa hand at thegroceries.

The boysfall on thenearest packages. It's kinda fun.

61 AARDVARK 61

destroysa sack of potatochips. Be can'teat fast enough.

62 MATT 62

gnawsTV dinner chicken (frozen). Jedappears.

He tossesMatt an appleand moves on, fashioningcold cutsand Roman Meal intoa sandwich. A WHIMPER --

63 ROBERT 63

sitsby the cereal section,tears streaming. One hand holsa bottle of grapejuice. The otheris plunged in SugarCrisp.

Jedsticks a wad ofmeat and bread athim.

Robert can'thelp but laugh.

GLASS CRASHESon the other sideof the store.

64 SOLDIER OUTSIDE 64

Be hears it,stops, and looksin the window. Butcher paper signs framehis face: •Tongue,$1.49/lb.•••• •CaliforniaNavels, 4 lbs/$1.•

6S SOLDIER'S POV 6S

Everything thatis not in shadowsappears in order.

A SHOOTpulls him away.

Jed and Robertease from thedark.

67 ANOTHER AISLE 67

Shatteredolive jars cover thefloor. Jed andRobert round thecorner and nearlyslip on the mess. They look up.

68 AARDVARK 68

is on a topshelf, clutchingmore teetering jars.

Matt turnsthe corner. Jedpushes Aardvark andRobert together.

•Anderson's•is painted onthe window. TILTOP as Jed sticks hishead through theceiling panel holeand looks around.

70 MATT 70

isa sh~dow slippingfrom shelf to shelf.

Jeddrops onto thecheckout counter, joinshim. Matt stuffingmess kits,blankets, etc. intoknapsacks. Jed puncheshim.

Thegun cabinet. A 22 cal. rifle anda pump shotgun arein the open, theother rifles arein a cabinet with a chaingoing throughthe trigger guards. Jed breaks thecabinet door. They hear FOOTSTEPSoutside, drop.

He reachesinto a counterand takes a .22automatic pistoland a .357 revolver-- all that'sthere. The footstepsrecede. Jed pulls at the chain,begins grab- bingboxes of ammo.

Packsdrop from thehole in the ceiling,spilling fish hooks,bows and arrows. Jed and Mattland beside their booty.

72 ROBERTAND AARDVARK 72

Surroundedby bulgingsacks, they sitby the back door eatingfudgesicles. They jump when Jedand Matt sud- denlyappear.

Jed drops knapsackson the floor.

Robertand Aardvarkstart transferringchips, cookies, sixpacks of coke andbeer, other junk. Jed is appal- led. He picks up abag of marshmallows.

l8.

He startsseparating thejunk from what theyneed, tossinga roll of toiletpaper into the •unacceptable• pile. Robert snatches itback.

Jed adjustsa pack onMatt's back. Each . boyhasafull knapsackand carries anarchery set orother items, includingcomic booksand gum.

Mattopens the backdoor, peers out cautiously. All clear. Be races intothe dark.

74 ATTBE DOOR 74

Jedholds Robert backuntil Matt hasmade it to the woods. Then it'sAardvark's turn. Jed spots something inhis pack. Be stopshim, pulls a boxof Kotex from theknapsack.

Jed considers thelogic for a moment,grins, then shovesAardvark andhis Kotex out thedoor, grabs cigarettesoff a shelf,and dashes afterhim.

The sun has just begunits climb, leavingthe forest dimand gray. VOICEScan be heard. CAMERA MOVES DOWN TBROOGB the pinesand finds the boys reunitedin a clearing,huddled aroundpacks, clutchingat food.

Jed, Matt, Robert,and Aardvark sit-toone side watch- ing the otherseat. They're haggardand sleepy. Jed smokes a cigarette.

Robert nods tearfully.

ROBE~T And Aardvarkheard soldiersspeakin' Spanish.

A beat.

Be tosses a packageof food in theair.

Daryl takesa deep breath.

The kids areshocked.

Crying, Dannygets to his feet.

Daryl looksaround -- no one'sjoining him. Frustra- ted, he flingsjuice from hiscan at Jed.

Be starts fillinga knapsackwith provisions.

Be jumpsto 1oin his brother.

An especiallyloud EXPLOSION rumblesin thedistance.

A chipmunknibbles seedsin front of a NationalPark sign: •ArapahoNationalForest.• Chipmunkjerks his head up,alert to something. Two batteredarrows and a steel ballTBOD into thewood and ground aroundhim. Chipmunkheads for thehills. Three pairsof dusty feet stumbleINTO FRAME. TILT OP --

77 JED ANDSANDY 77

grubby. They retrieve theirmissiles, slouchagainst the redwoodsign.

A beat. She looks athim. Be smiles.

Jedgives him a look.

Jed shakeshis head, sighs,as a jeep suddenlyappears arounda bend down theroad in b.g. Foursoldiers are in it.

Sandy hearsthe motor and peeksar~und the sign. She makes a strangledsound.

78 JED AND MA'M' 78

poke theirheads around Sandyfor a look. They jerk back, pale. Jed points tothe roadside whereit drops away in a steep,wooded embankment.

79 THE GROUP 79

scurry overthe edge, clutchingtree roots andbushes. In his haste,Jed drops anarrow, but doesn'tnotice.

80 THE JEEP 80

passes thesign -- and stops. The soldiersback up and get out. Dressed in canbatfatigues, they saunterover to the sign,talking among themselvesin Russian,ad- miring thescenery. They'reyoung and smiling,carry- ing machineguns. While threeof them try todecipher the sign,the fourth studiesthe countryside througha camera.

SOLDIER11 {subtitles) How is your English,Yuri?

The soldierwith the cameraanswers.

Yuri stepsover, studies thewords which speakof the creationof the forest in1922, its former useas an Indian huntingground, its35,000 acres, itsfive day camp areas,etc. He clearshis throat hesitantly.

{CONTINUED)

Soldier ll whistles.

While his comradespose besidethe sign, Yuribacks up with his camerafor the properdistance.

81 JED 81

cautiously raisesup for a peek. Yuri's bootsare a foot from hisface.

82 JED'S ARROW 82

lies on theground in frontof Yuri.

83 JED 83

ducks back downand points tohis arrows, indicating that he lostone. Matt andSandy turn white.

84 YORI 84

snaps thepicture and is rewindingthe camerawhen he sees the batteredarrow athis feet. Be snatchesit up.

85 JED 85

looks to seewhat the shouting'sabout. Be dropsdown again andmouths: •They foundit1• to Mattand Sandy. Terrified,they pull theirhunting knives. Jed pulls the • 22pistol.

86 THE SOLDIERS 86

examine thearrow intently. One touches thesteel tip.

Soldier f2 noticesthe whiteplastic notch at the feathered endof the arrow.

Yuri jerks thearrow away andlooks closely at the notch with alearned expression.

His comradesglance at one another-- "Sure,Yuri."

He gesturestoward the surroundingforest.

SOLDIERfl You're an idiot. Let's go.

They jump inthe jeep and driveoff, with Yuristill insistingon the arrow's authenticity.

87 EMBANKMENT 87

The boys slowlyraise up --scared, amazed --and watch the jeepdisappear.

Aardvark squatsin front ofa "tin-foil" mirror, squeezinga zit. Robert loungesnearby, pickinghis toes and re-readinga tatteredcomic book.

Jed bargesin.

Aardvarkjumps.

Aardvark whirls,yells out towardDanny/Daryl/Raymond intheir footballgame.

Jed rolls his eyesas they make abee-line for him.

DANNY/DARYL/RAYMOND What for? When we leavin'? Want us to --?

He means it.

Robert streaksaway. The otherswait for some explana- tion.

Jed slings adaypack across shoulder.

Robert screechesto a halt wearingan •E.T." baseball cap. His hair'sstill wet. Be's pulling tennisshoes on muddy feet.

Be and Robertwalk into the forest.

89 THE OTHERS 89

watch them90.

They fly totheir lean-tos,whooping gleefully.

Dary~ startsafter them.

Calumet.· Sandbaggedmachineguns flank thehighway that runsthrough town. Armed soldiers strollpast shell cratersand blastedstore fronts. Bere and there -- a civilian. A boy stepsinto •proctor'sPeed and Grain.•

RO:BERT(0.S.} Looky there! Looky there!••• Lewis Chandler at Proctor's!•••Mizz Slauson, MizzHelm•••

91 ROBERTAND JED 91

lie sideby side in thegrass. Robert's gazingthrough the binoculars. Jed's staringat the ground.

Robertlowers the binoculars.

Robertdoes.

92 ROBERT'S POV 92

Thecivilians hurrypast the soldiers,avoiding their gazes. The troopsare equally wary.

93 ROBERT 93

lowersthe binoculars,confused.

A Russian flag fluttersabove the goldenarches of McDonald's. At thetables below, uniformedofficers enjoyburgers in thesame spirit asGermans at a 1940 Pariscafe.

Across the street,Jed and Robert gawkin astonishment. Their stares are returned. They quicklylook away.

95 POV 95

An attractive highschool girl flirtsand •fraternizes• with a table of officers. She sipsher coke seduc- tively.

Alicia drips coke fromher straw ontoa soldiers wait- ingtongue. They laugh.

Robertand Jed maketheir way throughthe shattered town. It's hard toact inconspicuous.

Ona bullet-pockedwall, a poster announcesa general curfewand rules forcivilians. Jed andRobert read it nonchalantly.

Behind them,a gold Convertibleweaves through the street rubbble-- two officerschaffeured by a corporal. The only car in sight.

LEWIS CHANDLERexits the feedstore nearby andheads down the sidewalk. Jed discreetlyhails him.

Lewis turnsand sees them --shocked. Be whirlsand walks away,never looking back.

Jed andRobert round a cornerand try to cometo a casual stop.

98 BOY'S POV 98

Across thestreet, a lone soldierguards the frontof "Taylor'sSupermarket" --Robert's father's store. "CLOSED"signs in the windows. A notice is tackedon the door.

99 JED ANOROBERT 99

pretend toexamine the sparsewares in the drugstore window.

Jed spotssomething in thedrugstore.

100 THE DRUGGIST 100

stands behindthe pharmacycounter, helpinga customer.

101 JED 101

gives Roberta nudge.

Pitifully stockedshelves. Grinning uneasily,the boys steer p~stthem toward thecounte~. WOODY hashis back turned. Soldiers are in thestore, so Jed keepshis voice lowas he puts down acarton of cigarettes.

Woody reachesfor a coupleof toothbrushes.

No. You can't. You don't have I . D. ' s,doyou?

They juststare at him.

They shaketheir heads. Woody's making themnervous.

A beat.

Woody eyes Roberta moment, thena.Russian officerin dirty combatdress enters thestore and startsbrows- ing. Woody bendsback to his inventorysheet.

Jed grabs thecigarettes andtoothbrushes.

woody anxiouslygestures •It'sall right.• Robert leans close.

Jed yankshim away. Woody doesn'tlook up.

Jed ducks ina phone booth,dials a number.

Robert nervouslywaits outside.

The PHONERINGS at the otherend and is answered.

VOICE Bello?

VOICE

(starts tocry) I knew you weren'tdead! I knew! ••• Where'sMatt?

A PATROLLINGSOLDIER stopsacross the streetand stares at him. A gun is slung overhis shoulder.

VOICE No, honey! Don'tcome! They'll catch you!

(CONTINOED)

The soldier crossesthe street. Robert taps the booth. Jed looks up, seeshim shaking, seesthe soldier.

The soldier approaches,squintingcuriously at the boys.

Jed hangs upon her, and watcheshelplessly asRobert backs away fromthe soldier,pressing against thephone booth door.

The soldierpinches his "E.T."baseball cap.

I

A lone ranchhouse sits on theedge of the forest. Smoke curlsfrom the chimney. It's quiet here. Jed and Robert trudgeto the doorand knock.

105 THE DOOR 105

opens a crack. MASON, a ruggedold man, peersout.

·106 INT. MASONHOUSE 106

The place issimply furnished,warm and comfortable. MRS. MASON,a thin old woman,nervously wipesher hands on an apronby the stove.

JED/ROBERT Mizz Mason.

Boys.

She staresat Jed's bow. He takesit off. Robert looks around.

He guides theboys to the kitchentable.

Jed kickshim under the table. Mason smiles.

A beat.

Mason andhis wife exchangea glance.

107 JED ANDROBERT 107

stunned. Mrs. Mason putsmeager soup and cornbread before them.

They juststare.

Troubled,Mason gets up andopens the refrigerator. (It's almostempty.) Bepulls a transistor radioand a bottle fromthe crisper binand pushes it acrossthe table tothe dazed pair.

Mason takesa pull on the bottle.

Jed and Robertblanch.

Mason plugsthe bottle.

Robert fallsback in his chairas the old ladyrushes to comforthim.

MASON · The Russians foundguns missing from the sporting goodsstore, so they shot him for "aidingguerillas."

Robert crieslike he's on fire.

Mason's gazeis steady. Theold man is pale.

Be studiesJed fora moment, then pullsthe table away fromthe wall.

Masonopens the trapdoorin the floor,looks up at Jed.

Jed nods. The oldman lifts two teenagegirls from theirhiding place.

Mason hugs the girlsin his powerfulold arms, then pushesthe youngerone toward Jed.

Robert's wailingsurges up.

An oasis in the dark. Robert's wailingcontinues as Aardvark holds agentle arm aroundhim. Firelight flickerson shockedfaces - hopelessfaces. Bundles expectantly packedbeside them.

Across the campfire,Toni watchesblankly, not sharing the grief. Besideher, Erica turnson her grand- father's radio andthumbs the dial. A STRANGE NEWWAVE TONE RUDELY BLARES froma powerfulstation.

Thesong fades. A bureaucratic monotonereplaces it:

The most stirringrendition of "TheBattle Hymn of the Republic• ever recordedBI.ASTSfromthe tiny RADIO.

109 THE BOYS 109

stareat Erica.

110 ERICA 110

Her eyes are vacant•••cold.

111 THE FIRELIGHT 111

dances over riflesand bows, Robert'scrying stops.

A military jeephurries up the windingroad TOWARD CAMERA and comesto a sudden stop. Yuri and two other soldiers stare ahead.

113 POV 113

A treeblocking the highway.

114 THETWO SOLDIERS 114

reachfor their riflesand get out tomove the log.

115 ROADSIDEBOSHES 115

A pairof perspiringhands holds a bow andarrow at the ready. TILT OP --Jed and the other boys. Armed. Scared.

116 BOYS' POV -YURI 116

reportsthe incidenton the radio, glancingaround at thedark woods. Hisfriends strugglewith the tree. Talking,looking,Yuri suddenly sees••.

117 BUSHES 117

A blur. Eight figuresrise. Eight arrowsfly and FIRE from .22's.

118 BOYS 118

duckingfor cover, quicklyreloading. Ashen faces. Jednods. They risein unison and FIREagain.

119 YURI 119

Hisface is alreadyfrozen in lifelesssurprise.

120 OTHERSOLDIERS 120

Onelies dead by thehighway centerstripe. The other youngman twists inagony, trying toscream, with arrowsthrough hischest and throat. His eyes are wild.

121 THE BOYS 121

slowlyemerge, weaponsready.

122 SOLDIER 122

Unconsciousness overcomeshim.

123 SOLDIER'SPOV -TENNIS SHOES AND BOOTS 123

skulkcloser througha misty haze thatrapidly grows dark.·

aretrembling. STRANGLED BREATHINGO.S.

The soldierconvulses violently•••dies.

125 JED 125

strugglesfor composure.

No onemoves.

Jed forceshimself to beginstripping thebodies of their hardware.

126 YURI 126

staresINTO CAMERA,dead. In b.g., the boysflee to- ward thewoods.

Sandy,Toni and Erica tendto steaming pots. A RATTLE o.s. They look up.

The boystrudge out of thewoods adornedwith grenades and ammobelts -- dirty,grim, silent. Robert clutches a machinegun vengefully.

They fallout and sprawlon the ground. Nobody speaks.

Silence.

128 CONTINOED: 128

129 TONI 129

stands watchingthem. A spoondrips in her hand.

Daryl gets up.

Raymond andAardvark follow him. Daryl leans toward Danny as he passes.

130 ERICA 130

appears, wipingher foreheadwith the back of herhand.

She stalks towardthe fire. Sandy snorts in amazement.

Erica whirlson him, eyes flaming.

She stormsaway.

Jed pullsoff his crossbow,slumps by a boulder. Be takes outa mashed pack ofMarlboros.

Danny quietlycries over aplate of stew whileAardvark watchesDaryl guzzle from thepot.

In a lean-to,Robert huddles,aiming his newAKM. Then he startsfooling with it,takes the magazineout, unlatches-thetop-cover revealingsprings andbolt. Sandy seeshim.

Robert continues,parts fallinginto his lap.

ROBER!' No -- but if theycan do it, so can I.

He picksanother gun up.

Be handsit to her.

Raymondcrouches over. The two of them lookat Robert layingout the pieces.

131 MA"l"l',JED,AARDVARK 131

MA"l"l' I'm scared we're just kids.

{CONTINUED)

131 CONTINOEO: 131

Suddenlythe gun in Raymond'shand comes tolife - a SHORT BURST. Everybodydrops, a cookingpan is hit.

132 RAYMOND 132

sheepishlyholds the smokinggun at arm'slength, like it's dirty. Jed stridesup and yanks itaway.

Jed stares. Matt standsup in b.g., lookinglost and lonely.

FLIESBUZZ over a bloatedface -- Yuri'sface. The insectsscatter as a blanket'sdraped overhis corpse. A heavilyarmed Russian/Cubandetail removesthe body from thejeep.

As theywork, a CubanColonel, ERNESTOBELLA, grimly surveysthe scene. Bella is a twenty-yearveteran of insurgencywarfare. Trained in theVietnam War and havingserved in Angola,Ethiopia, Nicaragua,El Salvadorand Mexico, heis a living catalogueof late twentiethcentury wars_ofnational liberation.

133 CONTINOED: 133

AT'l'ACBE Sir.

TheColon'elwatchesbodies loaded on thetruck -- like cordwood.

CLOSE - hands expertlyassemble theAKM rifles, snap- pingon covers andslamming magazinesinto wells. REVEALit is Toni,Erica and Sandywho hold the rifles. Robertsits next tothem with a stopwatch.

Jed sits on a rockin front of allof them, an AKM in his hand.

Jed sits by the fire-- alone -- staringat the coals.

-- ------- - -- - -- - ----- - -- - - -- «- ••«•--·-····- «..........._ ,..._,,,_.._.............._ ,______

Danny walks outof the dark, carryinga bmidle ofbe- longings. Hiseyes are still red.

Danny blinks, can'tthink of anythingelse to say. He walks toward loomingpines.

Raymond's awake,listening. His eyes jerk as a nTIGCRACKS, a cooking POT BANGS. Raymond spinsaromid in hisblanket.

136B DANNY 136B

crawls in thelean-to with a hangdog look and finds himself a blanket. Raymond grins.

A heavily armed?atrol marchespast a peeling roadside billboard: "Remember,only youcan prevent forest fires." "Forestfires" is crossedout and "Red Scum" scrawled aboveit. Smokey theBear rests his shovelon a crudely drawngrave with ahammer and sicklemarker. The troopspay no attention.

OMIT OMIT

THRU THRU

141 MOUNTAIN RIDGE 141

Telephone linessnaking over therugged terrain.

The Russianlieutenant in command followsthem through binoculars. He studies wherethe wire passes througha tree.

142 A HEXICANPRIVATE 142

clambers upthe tree, partingthe thick foliage. He shouts to thelieutenant in Spanish.

The linehas been cut, the endstied to branchesto conceal thebreak. The l _ieutenantsmiles,callsfor the radio (subtitles).

'"•

142 CONTINOED: 142

A squirreldashes away.

The marchback. •Miller time.• Fatigued,a few troops carry rifleson their shoulders. The darkwoods press in •••Abandonedcaterpillarsjust ahead.

144 A PAIR.OPEYES 144

concealedby leaves and shadow. The gaze ishard, predatory.

145 TROOPS 145

They draweven with theearth movers. MACHINEGUN BLAST.

The radiooperator dies instantly,his setshot off his back.

146 ROADSIDE 146

The soldiersjump for coverin a high-bankedditch.

The lieutenantcalls forradio (cracked voice),then sees itlying shattered inthe trail. Crouching he signalstwo men: •Moveout. Outflank thegunners in the caterpillars.•

They scurrydown the ditchin opposite directions,but don't getfar••• One getsan arrow in thechest. The other,shot in the foreheadwith a .22.

147 DITCH 147

Unawareof their comrade'sfate, the troopsFIRE back at anything.

Threehands push threegrenades over theembankment behindthem. EXPLOSIONS ripthe forest•••then si- lence.

148 TEN FIGURES 148

rush fromhiding, stripthe bodies of weaponry•••and vanish.

- ---------- ------------ - - - - ---- --..-...-.... ._..__. _............._.......... .. ............_ _ ___ __

It's undernew management.

MAYOR BATES, Daryl'sfather,sits on a chair inthe middle ofa.room, smiling toobig, trying toingratiate himself withhis interrogators.

Bella'snot laughing.

A beat. The Mayor leansclose, discreetlyjerks a thumb towardthe door.

The Mayorstands, hurriedlyheads for the door.

A guard opensthe door andMayor steps out toshake hands, offersubtle encouragementto a row of seated, waiting fathers.

Aardvark'sfather is usheredin. A workingman. Honest. Tough. Be takes hisseat before Bella.

Bella is ridingsternly ina jeep. Gun-totingtroops ring the square. The jeeppulls up in theirmidst and Bella getsout, wearing "formal"combat fatigues. A CUBAN CAPTAIN saluteshim.

The Captainturns crisply. Be hesitates, thennods o.s.

A LOUDCLANG••• The Captainwinces. Bella remains staunch.

Bella stepsin the jeep.

He signalshis driver andthey're off. PANwith the jeep toreveal denim andleisure suited legstwitching, twistingbeneath a scaffold. A sign on thebrick wall behindthe hanged men reads: "Things Go BetterWith Coke."

Matt emergesfrom the forest,shaking. A row of sil- houetteswaits for him.

151 CONTINUED: lSl

Sandy looks atAardvark.

The shock is toogreat. Aardvarkmutters feebly,wan- ders away. ·Ericagoes after him.

Matt's gaze fallson Raymond.

Raymond makes terriblechoking sounds. Danny triesto comfort him.

Danny and Ramondcomfor ·teachother. Matt eyesSandy.

Matt nods yes.

She chokes andcries, holds herstomach and doubles up. Jed leansdown and puts hisarm around her.

{CONTINUED)

Be starts tocrack up, tears rolldown his face.

He's totallycome apart~ sohas Jed. Be just shakes and cries.

The two brotherscrumple intoeach other's arms,sob- bing. Sandygets up and putsher arms around bothof them, tearspouring down hercheeks.

Jed sits beforethem, a crumplednote in his hand. Bis voice breaksoccasionally ashe starts.

He read$.

He breaksdown again. Shocked,zombie-like,Daryl takes theletter from Jed'slimp hand.

152 CONTINOED: 152

Matt grips hisbrother's arm.

MA'l"I' (desperately) But they'll kill us! All of us.

Robert percheson a rock. Roosting.

A lone troopcarrier maneuversthe curves.

Twenty tiredMexicans ride inback, swaying underthe canvas cover.

In the cab,a DRIVER peers sleepilyat the darkroad. The soldierriding "SHOTGUN"yawns.

155 DRIVER'S POV- THE TRUCK 155

rounds a curve-- two stationaryheadlights blockthe road ahead.

Aardvark'smuffled voice answersin Spanish.

"Shotgun"smiles, pulls hishat down over hiseyes. Be's relieved.

The Drivergets out, lightsa smoke, strollstoward the headlights.

so.

His smiledisappears ashe advances -- 'l'w0powerful lamps havebeen set on standsto re .sembleheadlights. Behindthe Driver, figuresrun from the gloomat road- side andtoss something inthe truck. Driverwhirls as it EXPLODES. Turning afrightened circle,he runs towardsthe flaming truck,away from the shadows.

Robertmaterializes in blackface, banshee-like,and coollySHOOTShim.

155A THETRUCK 155A

On itsside, crudely painted: •wolverines.•

A corralfence runs besidean ancient feedand grain store. Twenty blindfoldedmen kneel there•••smiling. One hasa plastic pen andpencil holder inhis shirt pocket. Another, a mechanic,hasn't evenhad time to wash hisgrease-blackenedhands.

Thirtyfeet in frontof them, two ranksof soldiers aim rifles.

VOICE (subtitles) Ready!..• Aim! •••Fire!

157 POV -LONG HIGH ANGLE 157

T~e civiliansare mowed down. As the GUNFIREmelts to ECHOES, shriekingwomen rushto their deadmen.

A dingy,roadside store/gasstation. There'sa Russian tankout front, gassingup. Full of soldiers. Headed somewhere.

From upthe road, Sandyappears, walkingher bicycle past thestore. The soldiersstart whistlingand cat- calling. A couple jumpdown from the tankto hassle her- laughing, lookingher over, stealingthe basket offher handlebars. She doesn't resist. Finally, they lether go and she pusheson, TOWARD CAMERA,as they clamberback into the tank.

159 SANDY 159

nervouslywalks up theroad INTO CLOSEUP•••and the TANKEXPLODES.

Shedrops the bike anddarts o.s. into thewoods as a crazedtank survivor dashesafter her, splatteredwith piecesof a friend. He's got a gun.

160 WOODS 160

Sandy flies-- falters -- looksquickly -- changes direction. SHOTS TWANG off atree.

The crazyman is gaining on her,ferociously.

161 SANDYI s FEET 161

barely touchthe forest floor. Adrenalin ownsher. Eyes flicking,she correctsher flight, cuttingdown a subtle trail.

162 TANK SURVIVOR 162

He crashescloser, not slowingto shoot. Littleangry sounds gurgleout of him.

163 PILE OF LEAVES 163

Sandy jumpsit, races on, andas the soldier leapsto follow, Jedsuddenly sits upfrom the pile andBLOWS him away witha SHOTGUN...

Crouching,listening, Jed scansthe forest formore pursuers,vanishes afterher.

163A THE TANK 163A

Smokingin the snow, ''Wolverines"onits side.

A defiantOLD MANspits atCAMERA. ZOOM OUT --Two dozenhostages lined 'Ill)besidehimonthe guardrail. Theirhands are tied.

VOICE Ready'. ...Aim! . ..

TerribleGUNFIRE ERUPTS IN AN UNCOORDINATEDROAR. The confusedhostages throw themselvesto the ground. CAMERASWINGSWILDLYin documentaryfashion-- some- thing'sgone wrong.

The SHOOTINGSTOPS, thehostages tumble to theirfeet. .. cheeringwildly.

165 THE FIRING SQUAD 165

lies deadon the ground. In b.g. the kidsrace for the forest,making good theirescape.

166 AARDVARK 166

turnsand raises a fist indefiant salute.

NOTE: The preceding scenesshould pe editedto create arTsing •ping-Pong" of feverishvengeance betweenthe Kids wipingout the firingsquad.

Sandbagsand machine gunsprotect the PostOffice -- A placeof importance. Beadquarte~s. General'sinsignia on thejeep out front.

Bella andhis visitor --GENERAL BRATCBENKO stroll out ofthe building towardthe vehicle.

167 CONTINOED: 167

Bella indicatesthe few soldierson the street.

As they reachthe jeep the entirefront of thepost office EXPLODESinto the street,flattening everybody and everything.

The smokeclears. Soldiers runand shout. Bratchenko's dazed.

168 HIGH PLAINS 168

Sagebrush desert- the Wolverinesmove in column, weapons held at theready. Sparse..snowcoversthe ground,·a solitarywind blows. Thepurple mountains risein the distanceas the group crestsa rise. They spreadout, keepinglow: smoke emanatesfrom a distant settlement. Through~utthe above isheard the persis- tentrolling reportof distant fieldGUNS.

Be raises his binoculars. Like theothers, he is well camouflaged -- ene.11yuniformsstrippedofhated insig- nia, tied piecesof colored burlapgiving a rugged sage appearance, facespainted. Jed sees:

Much smaller thanCalumet -- a strip-miningsettlement and flashes ofwhat seem to be heavyfield artillery (120mm).

PAN to reveal dustand smoke far inthe distant direc- tion of their fire.

He puts down theglasses. Robertis looking in the other direction. Be grabs Jed,points. They alllook. They see:

Not any tank, buta U.S. Army AbramsM-1. It ismoving at high speedand FIRES silently. It disappears behind a ridge as anotherbriefly appears. The SHELLWHISTLES by in the distanceand impactsdownrange.

They laugh andscream.

Suddenly a SCREAMINGJET WHINESlow overhead -- anF-4 Phantom whichbanks from side toside as it whistles towards thedistant town. Itdisappears.

There is amoment of calm, thena tremendous silent expanding fireballof napalm inthe ·areaof theartil- lery. It growsand grows, turningblack, dwarfingthe settlement. The NOISE and concussionfinally arefelt. The kids starein awe. Robertpoints to a Russiantank {T-72's)in afaraway gulley,moving slowly. Without warning, a tremendousCLANKING,ROARING NOISE. The kids drop, lookingbehind them.

174 TWO TANKS 174

T-72's ROARover the ridge theywere standingon. The kids drop intothe snow and tryto become sagebrush. The firstTANK ROARS on: thesecond assumes theclassic hull-down positionof tank battleon their ridge. Sandy, Dannyand Toni are almostunder the treads. The turret pivotsin the directionthe Americans went.

He looks upat the steel monsterwhich GROANS and shakes. Heis in front and belowthe enormous120 mm gun -- themost powerful tankin the world. The barrel steadies. Be throws his handover his ears asthe thing goesoff. Everything islost in blast anddirt.

Jed looks upagain, the othertank PIRES -- tremendous NOISE, followedquickly by thisone.

176 FOLL SHOT -TANKS 176

Raymond andErica lay in thef.g. terrified beyond belief. Thetank looms beforethem. Suddenly, counter-batteryFIRE WHINES in. High-velocity,low- trajectory tearingup a greatgouge in the earthas it impacts. Another showers whitephosphorus; a third takes off partof the ridge. The Russians FIREback.

Burning phosphorushas landedaround around him. Tre- mendous NOISEOF HEAT SHELLSripping into theearth with theirshaped charges.

A shriekingWAIL as a wire-guidedanti-tankMISSILE glances offthe T-72's turretwithout detonating. Jed looks atRobert -- Daryl --Toni~ they all lookat him. Be leapsto his feet,running. They areright behind him. Shells streak in,the Russian GUNFIRES. They bolt,gasping air in headlongflight.

running asfast as they can,propelled by sheerterror. The SHRIEKING,GROWLING ofwar disappearing behindthem.

179 · LONGSHOT 179

They've runfor miles -- thewar is distant,just smoke and far .away NOISE.Theyclamberover a rockyescarp- ment andJed falls down. The others fall besidehim. They gaspand gasp likewinded dogs, staringat each other andback in the directionof the realwar. They can saynothing.

All is silent,primeval. Then an F-15 FIGHTER SCREAMS out of nowhereand goes intoa ninety-degreeclimb from treetoplevel. Two MIG'sare right on histail.

Cannonfire rakes theAmerican fighter andit bursts into flame. The pilot ejects,parachutes towardthe forestbelow.

The pilotthumps heavilyin a clearing, hideshis chute,and scrambles forcover. The MIG'SSHRIEK by lookingfor his orange flightsuit.

MAJORANDREW TANNERdigs out his survivalkit and finds the directionalrescue radiosmashed. Disgusted, he grabs theservice .45 andtakes a compassheading.

AndrewTanner wanders throughmassive pines,unsure of wherehe's going. He looksup from hiscompass and freezes.

184 ERICA 184

sits ina tree, calmlyholding a machinegun on him. She looksdifferent now. Short hair. Sportscoat. Runningshoes. Harder.

He does. Erica lookshim over.

Andy turns andshows her the flagsewn on hisshoulder.

Silence.

Erica pointsover his head inthe direction hecame from.

Andy tossesthe compass away.

Andy laughs.

Erica cocksher gun.

Erica lowersher weapon, swingsdown from the tree. She pulls a packfrom under someleaves.

She tosses himan onion, chompsinto one herselfbefore hiking off. Andy just stands there,dumbfounded.

A crude Americanflag hangs froma sapling. Below it, there's a "lived-in"look. The kids are veterans. Rugged. Longhair tied backApache style. Somesport meager beards. Their dress isfunctional --T-shirts, long johns,camouflage huntinghats. Meat smokesover the fire.

Andy followsErica into camp.

The kids crowdaround.

186 LEAN-TO 186

Long-hairedas well, Jed emergeslike a youngchief- tain. Andyraises his palm.

He touslesJed's hair, lookingaround for someauthor- ity.

Jed knockshis hand away.

Andy stopsgrinning, pointsat his ~ame patch.

She pullsoff her cap andfor the first timeAndy realizesshe's~ girl.

A stickdiagrams in thedirt on a crude drawingof the o.s.

The kidsare listening, watchingAndy.

Andy looksup.

187 CONTINUED: ( 2) 187

He liftsa pint ofWild Turkey from his flightsuit, takesa pull.

He producesa walletphoto -- a youngwoman and two smallgirls.

Andy takes another slugand tosses thebottle to Jed.

A beat. Andy figuresout his angle, shakeshis head.

Cradling guns,Matt and Toni escortAndy down a narrow trail. Matt's,haircatches on a branch.

MA'rl' When thewar's won, we'llcut our hair. Not before••• (toToni) •.•Hurry up, Bait.

Toni hurries pastAndy, eyes to theground.

MA'l91' 'Causethat's whatwe use her for.

A bush movesfurtively throughthe tall grass-- Andy, Jed and canpanyslip throughthe undergrowthbeside, him, guns ready. They cometo an embankment,peer cautiouslyover the top. VOICES AND LAOGBTERo.s.

Beneath theskeletal moviescreen, troops strippedto •shirts• and•skins• playsoccer. Others picnicon rations inthe shade. Two trucks wait nearby. A RADIO BLARES: •RadioJolla•••La musica en au maximaexpres~ sion1•

191 JED AND ANDY 191

Jed signalsthe kids withhis hands and theyfan out along theravine to takeup positions. Jed points at Robert,who eagerly slithersforward throughthe brush, cradlinghis shotgun.

192 TRUCKCAB 192

While hiscomrades lunchand play, a driversits behind the wheelof his vehicle,wolfing down awad of food and writinga letter. A FIELD RADIO CRACKLESon the dash --irrelevant trafficconversing.

193 ROBERT 193

pausesat the edge of thebrush (still unseen),crawls under thetruck.

194 DRIVER 194

looksup from his letteras Robert coollyrolls out fromunder the cab. Be grabs for the radio. Robert putshis gun against thewindshield andFIRES.

-- -------------------- - -•-«-«- --

19S SOLDIERS 195

They barelyhave time to react. A murderousBARRAGE cuts intothem. Sane divefor weapons.

Sandy putsa~ RPG ROOND intoa truck. Itblows up.

A few bleedingsoldiers takecover behind themovie screen,wild with fright. Robert SHOOTS them.

The dust.settles. Bodiestwitch.

196 RAVINE 196

A beat.

He summonsToni and pointsat Andy.

The kidsease toward thetrucks at a crouch. Andy shakeshis head.

The kidscaQtiously movepast bodies towhere Robert waits.

197 RAYMOND 197

stops togently brushdirt fran a dead face.

He jumpsat the SOUNDOF A GUNBLAST.

198 ROBERT 198

is SHOTGUNNINGthe corpses. Be shoots themto pieces, thenlooks up.

199 THE OTHERS 199

are stunnedsilent.

Roberteyes them dispassionately,wandersaround the truck reloading. Sandypokes her head fromthe vehicle.

She liftsa tarp, revealingcrates of ammoand gre- nades;and holds up aputty-like bar asJed and Andy arrive.

The kidshop to it.

Hewatches Aardvark stripMexican bodies.

200 ROBERT 200

adjustshis gear bythe burning truck. Jed rushes over,jerks his handup -- it's bloodied. Robert doesn'tprotest asJed roughly searcheshim, rips his shirtopen, retrievessome unrecognizableobject, and hurlsit to the ground.

Jed storms pastAndy and into the brush.

............................-___..........-...·..·-····--- -- -·-···-------

201 ROBERT 201

stomps dirt overhis battle trophy.

Ct1'l'TO:

A pot of grass andpine needlessimmers on the fire. With a stick,Andy dips his flightsuit in and outof the crude dye. Be nurses his bottle,stares vacantly at the flames. Jed pokes the fire,watching him.

No response.

Jed fumes quietly.

Andy looks up,hard.

A beat. Jed blinks.

Jed triesto comprehend.

Andy makes his waytoward his lean~to. The bottle in hishand is nearlyempty. Be spotsDanny lighting up ina nest of leaves.

Andy walks on. At the edge of theclearing, he finds Robert huddled byhis private campfire,carving five small figures ona boulder. Soldiers•••scratched beside lots ofothers.

Robert smiles.

Bella exits hisnew headquarters,anxiously watchinga truck with armedescort approachup the street.

The vehicle stops,the tailgatedrops -- the bodiesof his slaughteredmen lie stiff andbloody. The soldiers around the truckswear angrilyand throw looks atthe Colonel.

205 BELLA 205

nervously runshis fingers throughhis hair andgoes back inside.

Andy asleep. BIRDS CHIRP. Grizzled,he wakes up, notices the Firewheelflower stuckin his buttonhole.

Andy wanders arounda boulder, zippingup his now-green flight suit pants-- and stops.

208 POV- NAMES 208

carvedon a cliffside•••Father names. Brother names. Indifferent handwritings. It's notgraffiti.

Jedcrouches by a bush,squinting. Matt waits at his side.

Around them, the kidsare spread out inambush posi- tions,watching a serpentinehighwaybelow.

Outof the cornerof his eye, Jed throwsa wary look at:

Andy lies prone bya rock, twirling theFirewheel in hisbuttonhole.

Toni steals a peekat him from her position. A Fire- wheel'sstuck in herhair.

Andy winks at her.

Toni blushes, looksaway.

Andy turns, seesDanny behind a log,behind a gun.

Andy. You don'thave to spell it outfor him.

Inb.g., a convoyof trucks, tanksand troop carriers appearsaround abend and startsmoving toward the ki.ds.

A beat. Quickly,quietly, they gathertheir weapons andmove up thehill past Andy. He grabs Jed's arm,a li..ttleexcited.

210 CLOSE -CONVOY 210

Everysoldier has hisgun at the ready,watching the hills,looking for trouble. Expectingit.

Jedlies on a ridgetoplooking throughbinoculars. Sandyand Daryl standwatch as Matt/Andy/Tonyapproach upthe incline.

Jed hands him thebinoculars and points.

Andy does.

212 POV -WOODED VALLEY 212

Strange-lookingaircraftsit concealedbeneath trees andcamouflaged hangars. Uniformedsoldiers scurryto attendthem~

A Yak alights likea helicopter andscoots under the trees.

Andy looksat him.

He turnsback to the binoculars,eyes widewith sudden realization,then yanks themdown.

He turnsto Jed.

Andy thinksit over •••suddenlysha~es hishead.

Andy startsto laugh, can'thelp himself.

Andy looksaround, no oneis laughing.

A woodenpointer traces treesand barbedwire on a crude replicaof the Russianairbase.

214 AARDVARK 214

215 ANDY 215

It's embarrassinglysimple.

He points againat the h1odelcamp.

Raymond raiseshis hand.

Andy looks sick.

We DROP DOWNtoward the forestfloor, dipping beneath the growth anda vast camouflagednet to find ablaze of lights andactivity. It'san excellent jobof con- C!!alment.

In a remotefoxhole ringed withsandbags, a youngguard lounges --bored. An ANIMALNOISE in the darkcatches his ear. He peers over the topof the sandbags,past the wire --an instant too long.

His head snapsback and he fallslifeless againstthe other sideof the foxhole. An arrow in his forehead dribbles blood.

- ----------------------- - - ·-·- - ·- ·- •-«----

219 PERIMETER 219

A formstirs in the dark,leaps the concertinawire, andsilently races acrossthe short free firezone. Divingheadfirst overthe inner wire, hetumbles into thefoxhole. It's Robert. Face smudgedblack, he signalsto the darknesshe came from.

Sideby side, Jed andSandy worm their wayforward, cuttingthrough thewire with pliers. They push the slinky-likesectionsaside as the otherscrawl behind them,blackfaeed, carryingweapons and satchels. Quick:ythey reach Robertand fan out to theirposi- tions.

220 JED 220

Sandy,Andy, Aardvark,Toni and Matt clusteraround him,readring themselves. Jed grabs Raymond,points outa hiding place forhim.

Satisifed,Jed slipsover the sandbags followedby his team.

Andy pauses to grabRaymond.

221 JED 221

Crates and trees slipby him. VOICES laughsoftly in thenight••• Stop •••asentry••• No --A mechanic saunterspast carryingtools.

Jed follows him.

Danny slithers alongthe wire. A Claymoredirectional mine appears in f.g.,on stilts, likea tiny deer blind. Danny gingerlyturns it to pointtoward a sentrypost severalyards away. He crawlson, grin- ning.

223 OMIT 223

224 OHIT OMIT 224

225 OMIT OUIT 225

226 TREES 226

A shaking fist rapsloudly at a guardpost.

A guard casuallyopens up ...Jed'sknife slasheshis throat.

Aardvark yankshim outside and jambsthe door. Be watches the shockedteenager slide tothe ground, gur- gling his lifeaway. The boy's eyesfix on Aardvark and glaze over.

Jed and the othersrush from the dark.

Aardvark is frozen.

Postingher as guard,they collect themselves,then burstthrough the gateto a large tent.

227 TENT 227

Thekids leap in, gunsleveled.

228 GROUNDCREW 228

There'sabout ten of them. Some freeze. Some run.

Themen stop. Theirhands go up.

229 COMMANDBUNKER 229

Two Russiansarguing behindsandbags spotthe commo- tion. One dives for atelephone -- freezeswhen Sandy stepsout. Andy strollsin.

Dannycontinues alongthe wire, carefullyturning mines towardshadowy formsand voices in anotherpost.

231 OMIT OMIT 231

232 POV 232

Intentlyat his positionacross the wir@,Raymond grips hisrifle and staresdown the long curveof the peri- meter in the directionDanny will come from.

His back is to her. Re doesn't move.

Erica worms towardhim, but the cut sectionof wire blocksher way. She tries to go under itand gets stuck-- a pile ofleaves with barbedwire on its back. She struggles, itgets worse. Ericadrags herself towardthe•cut andgets tangled in thehole, blocking itcompletely.

Jed glaresat Andy. Behind themthe Yak fighters sit waiting. The ground personnelare covered by Matt, Sandy andAardvark.

Aardvarklooks ill. Jed grabshim, jerks a thumbat Andy.

Aardvarkshrugs him off, approachesthe Cuban crew chief.

Erica ishopelessly caught. She tosses pebblesat Raymondbut the barbs haveher sleeve. Ber throwsgo wide.

In b.g.,a figure leaves thelaughter of anotherpost and headstoward the kids'position. He findshis way with aflashlight.

235 DARYL 235

hearshim, peeks over thesandbags where he waitswith thedead sentry. He spotssomething wiggling inthe wirewhere the hole usedto be -- Erica. Heleaps out of thepost and scurries toher head. (Her legsare on theother side.)

He throwsleaves on herhead, scuttles back tothe sandbags,and presses againstthem.

Ericascrunches down. The WIRE CREAKS.

236 SOLDIER 236

He shineshis light atthe sound -- Justa bunch of brancheswashed againstthe wire. 'Be callsto the post.

No answer. Be walksover and flashes thelight inside. An am snatches him down. A blade plunges•••Not a sound. Robert's blackface eases up,coolly looks around,sinks back intothe pit.

237 DEEPTREES 237

wherethe aircraft areparked. Sandy andJed stick satchelcharges in theair intakes andcockpits of two of thethree aircraft. Andy has crawledup into the cockpitof the other.

238 CLOSE -COCKPIT 238

Aardvarkand the Cubanstand below.

Hedoes.

Bedoes. The Cubananswers terrified.

Andywhips out his knifeand grabs theCuban by the hair. The Cuban gurglesout complianceand reaches downinto the arrcraft.

There is a heavy thudas the bomb falls.

239 CLOSE -THE BOMB 239

Ithas split apartand ten orange submunition"bomblets" havespilled out.

240 ANDY. 240

Shovesthe Cuban off theaircraft. •Bepitches down to theground hard. Andy pulls a grenadeand fixes it to theseat with a heavyrubber band, thenhe lowers the canopyenough so thathe can fix anotherrubber band to thegrenades pin. He then unslings a satchelcharge andstuffs it throughthe remaining openingalong with twobottles of gasoline.

He jumpsdown, pushesthe outside buttonsthat lower thecanopy completelyand raises the stepback .intothe fuselage.

Daryltugs at the tangleon Erica. The CREAKINGseems deafening.

Daryl whirls.

Yards away, acrossthe obstructingwire, Raymond croucheswith hisback turned.

Daryl's face goeswhite.

Alert to the slightestmovement inthe front of him, Raymond has whitetufts poking fromhis ears.

Danny methodicallyworks his wayforward. An endless curve of turnedmines follows inhis wake.

244 BOMB 244

Jed and Sandy rushover. Andy andAardvark look atit.

Andy kneels down andpicks up oneof the bomblets. He grabs the frontand turns it hardit unlocks intotwo pieces.

He puts the twopieces in Jed'spack. Jed holds another satchel.

He looks at theguards who areterrified by Jed'snew cargo. Sandyrushes to theYak and stuffs the satchel in an air intakeand unreelswire from it back tothe other two wires. Jed, Matt,Andy roll plastic fuel cells up underthe aircraft.

245 JED- 245

carefullyplaces an oldalarm cloc~.onone of the clus- teredfuel drums -- themain fuse. Otherfuses are strunglike spider webfrom primacord behindthe clock to theother planes.

Andy runsup.

Jedgently turns theswitch••• the CLOCK startsTICK- ING. They run.

246 TREES 246

Jed andthe group escortthe ground crewtowards the perimeter. They walkcasually, guns attheir sides. In thedistance lightsilluminate moresoldiers and maintenancP.personnel.They approachthe cut in the fencl!.

Aardvarkpoints to thegun pit.

247 GUNPIT 247

Robertsits behind theheavy machinegun, the gun crew slumpedover dead.

248 JED 248

Helooks around.

Aardvarktells them. They stand uneasily,mutter some- thing.

They rushfor the fence.

crawlspast the last post,turning themines as he goes. Be's dirty, tired-- and thrilledwith himself.

250 RAYY'JND 250

nervouslyfingers the triggerof his gun.

251 ROBERT 251

sitswith the dead athis post, glancingbetween the wire anda group of soldiersin the openarea Jed's groupmust cross on theirway back.

252 DARYL 252

His handsare bloody.

253 RAYMOND 253

whisoersa plea at thefigure worming towardhim.

254 GROUND CREW 254

Theystand there terrified,moving fromfoot to foot surethat they willdie one way or another. A voice callsout from the farside of the perimeterin Russian. Thevoice is obviouslydrunk.

255 CLOSE -CLOCK 255

TheALARM goes off.

256 GROUNDCREW 256

They screamand run.

can'tmiss. Danny iscrawling right intohis sights• .

258 DARYL 258

tearsthe concertina apart. He dives throughand knocksRaymond over.

TheSHOT kicks dirt inDanny's face.

259 JED 259

andcompany tumble intothe sandbag post. The clothing tornfrom her back,Erica rushes over andplants a kiss on thefirst one of themshe can grab-- Aardvark.

260 TREES 260

The twoaircraft goup -- small EXPLOSIONS insidethe air intakewhich startthe fuel underneath. When the aircraftare engulfedin flames, theyreally go.

261 CLOSE -CLUSTER BOMBS 261

breakapart, scatteringgas submunitionswhich start to gooff.

Thesearchlight comesup again, catchingRaymond and Darylin the beam.

263 SENTRY POST 263

A handhits a red switch.

The entire perimeterEXPLODES in a ringof fire.

Thekids freeze in theflash, awed byDanny's handi- work. They are perfecttargets.

- ---------------------- - --- - ---- --- - ·...-...-................_........._...._..._ _ __

266 POV 266

But there isno one to shootthem. The sentryposts are just smokingpits in acircle of total destruction.

The kids arecelebrating savagely. Wads ofcotton have been gluedall over Raymond'shead. Tonighthe doesn't care. Tonighthe grins likea drunken loon.

Erica getsup to put her gigglingsister to bed. From across thefire, Aardvark secretlywatches herevery move.

Andy picksat Robert.

He smileswhen he says it. Even he seems likea kid again.

He holdsup a bottle ofMezcal. It's beendrained. Jed turnsaway and seesDaryl standing byhimself. He goes over.

Daryl looksdown.

Be walks away. Jed doesn't knowwh~t to do.

He turns, she'sthere.

He looks at her-- she's framedby the distant fire. Her eyes are liquid.

She leans in,they embrace. The embrace turns intoa kiss, long andhard. He pulls back.

He pulls herto him~ they walkaway into the darkness.

268 JED AND SANDY 268

lying in eachother's arms inJed's sleeping bag. Jed looks up at thestars.

Stars, brightand clear.

A new snow coversthe burntout wreckage of thebase. Tractors andBMP's move about. Men inspect thedebris in hideous skull-likegasmasks and N.B.C. suits. Decontaminationunits sprayeverywhere. Corpsesin horrible, grotesquepositionsadorn the burnt-outgun pits. Theone Yak stands untouched. The wiresbeing carefully removed. Col. Bellastrides into thef.g. in his gas mask,watches as aman climbs up the stepsof the aircraft,pushes the buttonand opens thecanopy. Bella turns. Next to him standsBratchenko.

Bella isn'tlistening.

A blast ripsout the cockpitof the Yak and sendsthe body of theunfortunate soldierthrough theair. People rushfor cover. Bella stands.

271 CALUMET. 271

Main streetin front of theRussian headquarters. Troops linethe street oneither side. Wary civilians stand behindthem. Some waveCentral AmericanAlliance banners:others look on,solemn.

272 STREET 272

DRUMSBEAT an ominous cadenceas a companyof specially camouflagedsoldiers goosestepdown the street. The troopswear green and whitewinter smockssimilar to thoseworn by crack S.S.troops in W.W.II. They are followedby BTR 60's carryingmore troops. All are camouflagedgreen andwhite. In the forefrontstanding in thelead BTR is Col.Strelnikov. Be turnshis head and salutesas he passes. Bis face is leanand expres- sionless,his eyes coveredby dark glasses,but were it not forhis beret -- smock-- medals --he would look like anintellectual. Be snaps the saluteand faces forwardagain.

As theypass, a beautifulblonde woman officeris seen on thenext BTR. Ber faceis exquisitebut cruel.

273 CLOSE -BELLA AND BRATCBENKO 273

Theywalk forward tomeet Strelnikov ashe climbs down fromhis BTR. Be glancesat the woman officerwho glancesbac~, then looksout at the town,his eyes brightand anxious. Be turns to see thetwo officers and salutes.

A trainloaded withwinter camouflagedarmored vehicles rushesby, headed north.

He offers them.

Andy is running-- fleeing -- acrossthe open field. Desperate, legs flying,he looks overhis shoulder, cuts in a differentdirection, thenreaches out and snags a beautifullythrown pass fromthe air. Before he can tuck the football,Matt flashesin from nowhere, lowering his shoulder. It's a bonecruncher. Matt pounces on the fumbleas Andy writhes,gasping for breath. The othersweaty playersappear. In the back- ground looms Mason'sfarmhouse --a Christmas treeand wreath outside thedoor.

Andy can only grunt. Toni and Ericahelp him off the field.

He turns.

He thinks.

Andy sits, sighspleasantly.

Be smiles tohimself.

Andy looks ather surprised. Erica ducks her eyes.

Andy laughs,sweeps her up. He whirls her, waltzesher around the field (breakingup thegame), throughthe trees, hummingan off-key tune.

Enchanted, shetries to keep up •.

The kids stare.

The kids sit aroundas Mason playsthe hammereddul- cimer. Be playsa beautiful,plaintive Appalachian song.

The song is richin the sad grandeurof an American past.

Far away in the gatheringdusk Robertsits on a rock looking out at thedistant mountainsand the plains beyond. Cradledin his arms is anRPG, defense against helicopters. He listensto theMUSIC drifting through a light snow thatbegins to fall. A tear rolls down his eye.

277 MASON'S FIRESIDE 277

Mason sits withJed and Andy. Thekids listen to CHRISTMAS CAROLSon the RADIO. Some hum softly to themselves. Beefribs turn on aspit.

Danny moves over. He looks upat Andy and thenover at Toni.

Danny nods yes.

He looks over atToni who's singingto herself.

Groaning with fatigue,Andy pullsoff his boots and covers himselfwith a blanket. Campfire LAUGHTERcan still be heard. Be stares skywardfor a moment, then pulls out thewrinkled pictureof his wife and triesto remember the face.

A shadow fallsacross him.

Erica has on herbest flannel shirt. She's donewhat she can with herhair.

She kneels, studieshis face.

Silence.

Another silence.

Erica laughs bitterly.

A beat.

A tear rolls offher cheek.

Her mouth beginsto quiver.

Erica falls in hisarms, sobbing. Andy rocks her like a baby. Bis eyesare so tired.

Endless, rolling,grassy slopes stretchtoward the mountains in b.g. Making theirway TOWARD CAMERA, Matt, Paul, Aardvark,Erica, andAndy stop beneatha large and lonelytree. It's late. Almost GoldenHour.

280 CLOSE 280

Andy has all ofhis gear. There'sa firewheel in his lapel.

Jed points ahead.

281 POV 281

A wide plain liesbeyond the few remaininghills. A river shimmers inthe distance. It'sbeautiful.

282 TEEGROUP 282

Jedshrugs, grins.

A beat.

He leadsJed off toone side, where theothers can't hear,and looks himearnestly in theeye.

Jedblinks••.

•.•and barely shakeshis head.

He jiggles-- the twoparts of the bombletin his pack.

Andy looks past tothe kids, to theirsilent, trusting faces.

Tears pour fromhis eyes.

Andy hugsJed.

He moves down theline, shakinghands, chuckingchins. He takes offhis flight cap andputs it on Matt.

283 ERICA 283

Her eyes arebrimming. Andywipes them with histhumb, kisses her forehead•••startsdown the slope.

Jed calls out,waving his rifle.

Andy turns.

Andy grins.

284 A JET 284

looms over therise behind himspeeding silentlyahead of its own sound.

285 JED 285

There's no timeto point.

286 TBE MAJOR 286

whirls. The FIGHTER SCREAMStoward .. him,barelyoffthe ground•.• it'sa Yak. Two longcannisters rel _easefrom the wingsand tumble end overend. No chancefor escape.

287 ANDY 287

smiles blankly.

288 THE KIDS 288

Jed,Matt, and Sandy diveto one side.

Erica runsto Andy.

289 FULL SHOT 289

The cannistershit. Awave of flaming napalmswallows Andy,Erica.

Matt'sjacket catches fire. Jed beats itout while Matt looksaround in terror.

290 JED 290

runs tothe wall of fire,looking for life,finds noth- ing butAndy's smoulderingpack •..the.bomblets. As he picks itup the incredibleheat beats himback.

The campfireis a smallerinferno. Tonicries beside it. Offering strangecomfort, Robert putsan arm aroundher shoulder.

A beat.

Sandy pullshim close with herbandaged hand.

Aghast, Raymondlooks acrossto two little pilesof belongingsDanny has gathered. Two little•••

292 SHRINES 292

A few extraclothes, a hairbrush,a tatteredcopy of ftSeventeen"magazine-- Erica. Andy is an emptyliquor bottle witha flight cap onit.

293 FULL SHOT 293

Danny is thecenter of attention.

Two new namesare carved besidethe earlierones. A wind comesup, dancing sparksaway like fireflies. The PINES MOANoverhead.

Danny drawsa breath, closeshis eyes.

··-·--it•iINIIfGll?.I1I

The sergeantlooks coldlyat her, butt strokesthe board fromher hands. Thetrinkets are scatteredinto the snow1the woman looksat him with an expressionof deep misunderstandingandhurt. He goeson about his business.

A troopersmashes the colorTV, looking overthe family that wereserving the kids. He doesn't trustthem, they know somethingbuthe leaves.

The troopspile quicklyback into the BTR's. The ve- hiclespull out and roarup the winding, snow-clogged road towardsthe mountains. Suddenly, all isquiet again. The Indians slowlycome out of theiradobes. The woman withthe jewelryis trying topick it all out of thesnow.

302 MOUNTAINROAD 302

The BTR'schug up the steeproad towardsheavily tim- beredmountains. Everythingis fresh whitewith new snow. The last vehicleslows and stops. The back doorsopen. Two figuresclad completely inwhite jump out. The BTR goes oncatching up with theothers as the twofigures quicklydon cross-countryskis and packs,one carrying awhite-shrouded rifle. The fig- ures skiexpertly and gracefullyoff theroad back towardsthe pueblo.

They gli~ewith each gracefulstroke likeOlympic bia- thaloncompetitors, whichthey probablywere. Silent- ly, theydescend on thepueblo coming toa graceful stopon a ridge about 400yards away. They fluff into the snow.

303 CLOSE 303

Shroudedcompletely inwhite they quicklyunpack a large,white spotting scopewith nightvision capabili- tiesand unease a Dragunov-scopedSVD sniperrifle paintedwhite. The teamleader props therifle in the snow,pulls back thewhite parka hood toreveal a beau- tifulblonde woman ofextremely strongNordic features. The samewoman we sawwhen Strelnikov enteredCalumet. ·She isMaster-SniperBERGANOV -- sixty killsin Afghanistan,eighty ormore in Poland. Ber ASSISTANT is aman.

She dials it inon her range findingtrajectory comput- ingscope, andpulls the bolt backchambering a round.

Jed and othersare brushing snowoff their ragged clothing. Sandyhas a new blanketwrapped aroundher. Aardvark standsin a doorway thankingthe Indians in Spanish.

Tense in firingposition, snowpacked on rifle and parka hood up,only one beautifuleye shows.

She FIRES.

306 DOORWAY 306

People are screaming,blood isspattered on thedoor- way. Aardvarklies in the snowon his back. People run everywhere. Aardvark's steamybreath billowsfrom his mouth two,three times, thenstops.

307 BERGANOV 307

She squints,FIRES.

308 VILLAGE 308

The woman who wassearching forher jewelry liesdark in the snow-- outstretched beforeher the turquoise and silver sparklewhere theyfell~ blood stainsthe white.

309 BERGANOV 309

sits back andbegins casing therifle, slingingit. Her companionpacks up expertly.

They getup and ski away.

Sandywades through asea of grass undulatingin the wind.

A formthrusts up froma wave beside him. Sandy jumps.

He sinksinto the grass. She sits withhim.

A beat.

JED ..._,__ I can't afford'em.

A look. Sandyflicks her smokeaway.

He holds her.

311 THE MOON 311

could c:areless.

The fire hasdied to embers. Dark lean-tos. Every- one's asleep.

The moon hangslower now, justabove the wavinggrass. Suddenly,a face BLOCKS theFRAME, darts itseyes, then slinks on •••followedby threemore faces.

314 FOUR COMMANDOS 314

They slip·throughthe field,into the trees withun~ nerving stealth. Green Berettypes. Silent. Fierce. Single file,they move up theslope toward camp.

315 COMMANDO tl 315

Passing betweentwo trees,he freezes in mid-step-- looks down.

316 HIS LEG 316

presses againsta trip wire- PAN -- attachedto a trail-sidegrenade.

Commando tleases back, indicatesthe wire, andsteps over it. The others do thesame, squinting ahead.

317 POV 317

Faint, distantoutlines ofthe kids' camp.

318 COMMANDOfl 318

He checks the luminousdial of a devicehanging from hisweb belt -- acompass-like needlepoints straight ahead. The Commando hand-signalsinstructions. Synch- ronizingtheir watches,the soldiersmove out.

When the last man haspassed, whatlooked like foliage besidethe trailcomes alive. Theknife blade glints, afigure emerges•••The Commandos arefollowed.

319 COMMANDO12 319

stopsbeside a treeto ease back hisgun belt. It CLICKS softly. He hears anotherCLICK•.• freezes.

They shudder aswe hear the BLOW.

-321 COMMANDO 13 321

advancestoward thecamp at a crouch.

322 COMMANDO t3'S POV 322

Trees slip by. The camp looks ghostly. It gets closer•.. closer•.•THUD. The SCREEN GOESBLACK.

323 HIGH ANGLE- COMMANDO14 323

From the treetops,he looks likea beetle sneaking across the forestfloor. He doesnot see another beetle scuttlingto catch him.

The two formsmeet, struggle in silence-- one scurries away.

The yellow-greennumbers glow in thedark. The second hand sweeps past•12.•

325 COMMANDO tl 325

Poised at the edgeof camp, hewatches the secondstick down.

326 WATCH DIAL 326

The second handpasses "12."

327 COMMANDO tl 327

looks up in anticipation.

328 POV 328

The camp lookshaunted. Not a shadowmoves.

329 COMMANDO tl 329

Be grows anxious-- looks to hisleft, his right••• What the -- ? A gun action PUMPS~oudly. He whirls.

330 JED 330

holds a shotguntwo feet from hisface.

The Canmando sitscrosslegged andstoic in the dirt, his elbows tiedbehind him. Be's nineteen.

Sandy and Mattquestion him --nervously. Half-dressed kids madly grabbelongings in b.g.

Danny warily eyesthe forest.

Matt holds thecompass deviceup to the Commando's face.

No answer. Sandyslaps the prisoner. Robert holdsup a cigarette.

Sandy is scared,so she does. The Commando yells, flails at thepain.

Jed runs overand grabs his sweatyshirt.

332 COMMANDO 332

He's scared, buthe's been trained.··

Jed slugs him.

The prisonerlocks his face.

Robert kickshim in the stomachas hard as hecan.

He kicks himagain••• and again•••and again•••

333 RAYMOND AND TONI

334 SANDY 334

She moves tostop Robert --Jed holds her back,waits a few more blowsto pull Robertaway.

An ELECTRONICSQUEAL makes themjump.

335 MATT 335

looks up fromthe Commando'sdevice. He's finally turned iton.

Matt pointstoward the group.

10...

Looking down,he follows thearrow toward them,through them -- stops.

His directionchanges..• narrows-- every eyewatching -- and finallyhe halts.

looks up fromthe arrow intoDaryl's odd face.

337 DARYL 337

Eight gazespierce him. He turns white asJed runs over and turnshis pocketsout, rips his shirtopen.

You couldhear a pin drop.

Faces jerk towardJed.

Daryl looksat Jed in tearfuldisbelief.

Silence.

Daryl shakeshis pead.

Silence. Jed goes eye-to-eyewith Daryl.

Daryl swallows.

Two stark treesin a cloudyclearing. Yardsaway, captors andcaptives stand apart.

339 DARYL ANt>COMMANDO 339

They're tiedat the anklesand wrists.

Robert approacheswith a knife. He whirls theRussian around, cutsthe ropes bindinghis feet.

340 TONI 340

falls to theground, shakingand beginning tocry softly.

341 TREES 341

Robert untiesDaryl's feet,glaring at him. Finished, he stands,gazes at the pinkhorizon.

Robert headsacross the clearing.

342 FIRING SQUAD 342

Two groupsof three, side byside. Jed, Sandyand Robert facethe Russian. Raymond,Danny andMatt will shoot Daryl. Toni can't do itand leans againsta tree mumbling.

He backs away.

Robert points.

343 DARYLAND COMMANDO 343

The Russianbegins to crysoftly.

Daryl nodsnumbly. TheCommando faces theexecutioners and squeezeshis eyes shut.

344 FIRING SQUADS 344

They movelike robots.

345 DARYL 345

holds hisbreath.

346 FIRING SQUAD 346

ROBERT

It's a RAGGEDVOLLEY.

347 DARYLAND COMMANDO 347

The Russian'sbody danceswith bullets. Bark flies. Branchesare clipped•••

Daryl isuntouched.

348 MATT, RAYMONDAND DANNY 348

They lookat each other. Danny throws down hisgun.

349 DARYL 349

His eyesare wild hopeful.

350 POV 350

Robertstrides up, cold asstone.

He raises thepistol to Daryl'sface and cocks it.

His mind shattered,Daryl slowlyfaces the mannequins across theclearing and theghostly mountainsbeyond.

351 HIGH ANGLE- THE CLEARING 351

The SHOTCRACKS.•• Robertwalks away from thetree.

A flight ofhelicopters crossesthe setting sun.

Surroundedby fierce-lookingtroops, Strelnikovscans the countrysidefrom the aircraftdoor.

Strelnikovdoesn't even acknowledgehim.

are cradledin Jed's armsas he makes his wayup the rugged slope. The others followhim, lookingback wearily,worriedly.

The helicoptersskim over thevalley far belowlike dragonflies.

Jed offersMatt a hand up. He refuses it.

A bolt of lightningflashes.

Total darkness.

Somewhere,RAIN DRIZZLES.

A matchis lit in Raymond'sface.

3S7 EXT.CAVE MOUTH - MORNING 357

Jedhands Raymond hisgear and gives hima push.

Jedraises his gun .••andFIRES at Raymond'sfeet.

Raymondruns.

3S8 EXT. PRAIRIE - EARLYEVENING 3S8

Exhausted,the kidsstraggle along theopen area where highplains and foothillsmeet. Scrubgrows as far as theeye can see --bleak country.

Jedstops.

359 POV 359

A woodencabin risesabove the scrub ahundred yards ahead. The dark windowsare foreboding.

'360 INT.CABIN 360

Onewindow frames thekids in the distance. A weatheredSHUTTERCREAKS.

Jedlooks nervous. He taps the RPG onMatt's shoulder.

Mattlooks at him.

Reluctantly,Mattpulls the trigger-- The WEAPON FIRES. The rocketpasses through theflimsy structure withoutdetonating.

Jedraises his rifleand FIRES a longburst into the cabin.

Dozens of quail explodefrom the surroundingscrub••• Silencedescends again.

TheSHUTTER stillCREAKS.

They give the cabina wide berth.

364 CABIN 364

Bathedin twilight,the strange littlebuilding watches overthe prairie. A NIGHTBIRD WHISTLES.

A cathedralof pines. A faroff THROBgets louderas HELICOPTERSsuddenly appear-- searching, probingabove the woods. One chopper hoversa moment, thenOPENS FIRE on theforest floor. A group of snow-covered trees leapup and run in alldirections.

Canisters fallfrom the helicopters,spewing gas.

The "trees"SCREAM and writhe.

Skull-facedsoldiers in gasmasks rappel down ropes from the aircraftto finishthe "bushes" off.

One of the skull-faceswearscolonel's insignia. He rolls a "bush"over with hisboot.

366 BODY 366

The man isin his thirties,his face twisted in agony. Hewears rags for clothes. His ancientgun is taped inmany places. He'sbeen fighting in theforest a long time •.

367 BERGANOV 367

runs up tothe Colonel.

The bodiesare hoisted into thesky.

Rubble thatwas once a house. A light snow falls.

369 A BAND OFSCAVENGERS 369

cautiouslymoves through theruined backyard garden, brushing offfrozen vegetables,eating them.

370 DANNY 370

searches a frozenbody, lookingfor something the living can use. He finds cigarettes.

371 JED, SANDYAND MATT 371

survey the scene. Their eyesflick nervously.

He stepsthrough theblasted walls. A SCURRYINGNOISE eruptsunder the rubble. Jed jumps. Six guns are turnedon the SOUND•••

Behinda broken cellardoor, someone isBABBLING softly.

372 JED 372

pushesthe door open.

is livinglike a rat.

WIDEN toinclude Jed. Jed is speechless. He reaches inhis pack, puts awad of something onthe cellar floor,and points.

TheGirl's eyes fixon the morsel, butshe doesn't move. Jed backs outof her hold. Shescurries, snatchesthe thing,vanishes into thedark.

Gently,Jed closes thedoor behind him.

Mattis pleading privatelywith Jed. In b.g., the othersroast moldypotatoes over the fire.

Jed'seyes are vacant,zombie-like.

A TWIG SNAPS. Robert whirlstoward the forest,rifle ready.

376 RAYMOND 376

stumblesfrom the trees --gaunt, filthy, pathetic. The kidscan't believe it.

Jed looksat him, pointsa finger at the forest.

No onemoves .••Then Mattputs a blanket aroundRaymond and leadshim, blubbering,to the fire.

Matt walksup to his brotherin angry disbelief.

Jed sitsin the snow lookingoff at themountains and valleysstretehed below. He wears a capturedwhite parka andis bathed inmoonlight. Be reaehesinto his poeketand removes amatchbox.

378 MATCHBOX 378

Something'sneatly foldedinside.

379 JED 379

takesit out, fans itapart, lights a lighterto see it.

380 POV 380

It'sa picture. The creases are deep.

Robertand Da~yl inLittle League outfits,arms around eachother's shoulders. Their smilingfathers stand behindthem. The restof the team looksfamiliar.

381 JED 381

weeps.

Winter.

At a roadside park,a Russian truckhas stopped. The driverand armed escortare eatingbreakfast on the picnictables.

On the slope above,the kids wait inambush, horses tiedbehind them.

383 JED 383

Bundled in white,he watches a hawksoar overhead.

384 POV 384

The bird glides effortlesslyover asnow-bound peak .•. and disappears.

Jed turns, watchesthem prepare toattack. They barely resembleteenagersanymore. OnlyRaymond looks happy tobe there.

Matt wrestles withthe worn R.P.G.as Robert breaksa cigarette and giveshim half.

Matt lifts a pack. Two rockets lie inthe grass.

They turn.

A beat.

385 JED 385

The words don'tcome easy.

A lonely BIRDCHIPS. Jed takesoff the backpack and places it on theground.

There is silence.

Matt picks up thepack.

A TRUCKMOTOR RUMBLES TO LIFE O.S.

386 THE TRUCK 386

veers over on theshoulder a little,hits a bump,and the supply crateslides out fromunder the canvas cover. It hitsthe road, spillinga feast••. andthe truck keeps righton going.

- -- - ------------------- - -·-.._.._.._........._ __..........__............. ._.._·-·--------------

387 THE KIDS 387

Eyes locked on food. Raymond'sSTOMACH GROWLS. Matt looks at Jed.

Any other day he'dsay •no.• Now,Jed reasons witha smile.

Another STOMACHMOANS.

Jed's too tiredto fight.

Jubilant cackles. Toni whipsout the frazzled cotton dress from underher pack andputs it on -- a picture of innocence. She hands Jed hergun.

With a nod, she'sdown the slope,dancing throughthe brush, as theothers select theirentrees.

388 TONI 388

comes out of theroadside brusha hundred yards from the crate andcasually moves towardit as if shealways walks this highway. Closer••.Closer.•• HEELS CLICKING on the pavement.

389 THE BOYS 389

watching anxiously,STOMACHSROARING.

390 THE CRATE 390

Toni eases closer,glancing aroundfor trouble, then stoops to fetcha wayward apple. Ever cautious,ever discreet, shecircles the crateand then climbs atop it, marvelingat the fruit inher hand. Toni takesa bite. The juiceruns down hertrembling chin. She looks towardthe boys •••and laughs.

391 THEOTHERS ON HORSEBACK 391

gocrazy. Whooping,yelling, they plungedown the mountain, giving themselvesup to relief. Some of them cry.

392 TONI 392

Giggling, watchingthem draw near,she reaches for anothermorsel --then stops. Listens.

A DULL THROB BECOMESA ROAR.

393 MOUNTAIN RIDGE 393

Four helicopters appearfrom nowhere,swooping straight forthe kids.

Strelnikov -- acold smile.

The pilot salvossome rockets: smokewhips by.

395 JED 395

and the otherswheel their horses-- three ripping explosions as therockets find therange. Toni runs screaming, Jed triesto pick herup. A ROCKET goesoff under him, blastinghis horse. Jed and the animal crash down intoa gulley: the horseis dead, having taken most of theblast.

396 HELICOPTERS 396

Now in range withmini guns, theysplatter Robert's horse out fromhim as he FIRESback with his AKM. He goes down but isup quickly, pullingan R.P.G. fromthe dying animal. Matt covers himwith his AKM.

397 TREES 397

Danny grabs Toniand makes the trees,which are soon cut to kindlingby a GUN pass. They keep going.

He pulls himselffrom under thedowned horse andpulls an R.P.G. free. Be practicallyaims from the hipas the NOISE OFTHE ROTORS throbsover the edge of the gulley.

- ----------------- - - --- --·-"--•-..-·- - ---------------------

Suddenly, both thehelicopter andSandy appear to come over the ridge together,the huge,beating machine at her back. The doorgunner swingsout. Jed FIRES -- theR.P.G. goes rightin the door,blowing everything out the other side. The chopper sweepsaway, turning wildly, pouringsmoke and fire. Sandy never breaksand gallops down uponJed who leaps upbehind her. Justas he does, she ishit by a BURST fromanother doorGUN. She slumps in frontof him. Thehorse staggers: he kicks it up thesteep-sided ravine. The helicopter flashes overhead.

399 TONI ,DANNY, RA™OND 399

keep working theirway up into thetrees. A helicopter suddenly comesover in front Qf them-- a nose-to-nose confrontation. Tony and Danny screamand spin their horses but Raymondpulls down hisAKM. There is a moment -- the throbbinghelicopterfacing the mounted boy. Raymond FIRES. The canopyshatters -- the heli- copter spins -- thedoor gunner fallsout -- the for- ward GUNS BLAST. Raymond goesdown in a hail oflead, FIRING as he goes.

He aims up andFIRES his R.P.G.as a copte·rgoes right over him.

Strelnikov bracesa wounded pilotwho slumps overthe controls. Smokeis everywhere, theplexiglass is shattered. Suddenlythe beastcrashes down h~rd,the rotors still spinningwildly. Strelnikov unhookshis belt and dragsthe pilot free. The other crewmen stagger out, smoking,wounded. One is dead at hisgun. A BORST rips intothe ground andacross one of the wounded who staggers. Strelnikovlooks up, pullsup his Jati submachinegun.

403 MATT 403

FIRES as he breaksfor the trees. He turns backand sees Robert standingfast, advancingon the helicopter.

404 ROBERT 404

Ee braces himself,holding theAKM at his hip. Be slams in a new magazine,walks forward. Strelnikov walks out of thesmoker they bothFIRE, but Robertis literally BLASTEDaway. Strelnikovlooks over his shoulder. One ofhis men crouchesbehind the smoking mini-gun in thedoor. Strelnikovlooks almost frus- trated as if somehowhe's missedsomething.

Jed and Sandy gallopthe horse furtherup the deep ravine whose verticalwalls risehundreds of feetabove them. The horsestumbles and goesdown. Jed pulls Sandy up overhis shoulder, grabsthe RPG and headsup the narrowinggorge. The SOUNDOF ROTORS is faroff.

406 DANNY AND TONI 406

crouched in sometrees lookingout over the valleyand buttes. A lonehelicopter circlesin the distance.

They hold eachother.

407 GORGE 407

The sun comesbarely through acrack where thewalls of the canyon seemto meet above. A stream runs softly through the bottomof the gorge. Jed has lain Sandy down and wipesher face with apiece of clothing. Her side and one legis soaked in blood. She is paleand trembling.

She presses apistol into his hand.

He kisses her,puts the pistolto her head cries out.

Be fumbles andplaces it in herhand.

He gets up,the SOUND OF ROTORSin the distance.

408 HER POV 408

She sees himback up slowlyOUT OF FRAME, tearspouring down his face.

She looks upserenely, pullsthe pin of the grenade. With her handshe shoves itunder her back soher weight holdsthe spoon down,then exhales. Ber hand falls limplyinto foreground.

410 JED 410

looking downat her from theside of the gorge. Matt stands besidehim.

411 CLEARING 411

Far below,Strelnikov stepsover to his helicopterand points atthe pilot lyingnext to the shatteredcockpit.

The troopsdrag two torn ragdolls into a pile Raymond, Robert. Their weaponsare stacked beside them.

A soldier witha movie camerafilms the spectaclefrom various angles,then turns thecamera on Strelnikov.

The pictureis reframed to avoidthe dead pilotin b.g.

POLITICAL OFFI·CER But they carry offtheir dead. To what do you accounttheir uncommon ferocity?

Using theboot, Strelnikov liftsRaymond's headfor a closeup.

There is adistant, DULL EXPLOSION. They alllook in the directionof:

Peaceful,dead, the ruin sitson a hillsideoverlooking a clusterof lights -- Calumet.

Matt staresthrough a holeat Calumet, blank,unblink- ing.

Toni huddlesin the dark behindhim. Danny whispersat his side.

Mattpicks up a pieceof charcoal and startsblacking his face.

He holdsout the pack. Danny swallows.

Dannygrabs him gently.

A beat.

Matt smiles,shakes hishead. He holdsout his crudely bandagedarm.

rCOJ11TINT!EO\

Toni re-wraps the rag...buries her·facein his shirt.

Matt smiles again.

~:ATT Who will?

The last rays of lightshow Jed at thesacred rock. All the names are there-- Andy, Raymond,Robert, Sandy. Jed looks atit and moves away. We can see two more names -- Jed andMatt.

A figureleans againstthe grandstand,another comes acrossthe footballfield. As theydraw close

They turn and head forthe gym.

Shatteredbasketballcourt, the Wolverinesymbol on the floor,moonlightpouring in, snow insome places. The twoboys kneel in thecenter, loadingmagazines, hookingon grenades,etc.

Jed gets up, walksover to where a shaftof moonlight fallsupon a pictureof a football team-- one row kneeling,one standing-- two girlswith pom-poms.

He stops,Jed turns, hoistsan R.P.G.

418 BELLAIsROOM 418

The colonelsits at hisdesk, looks out thewindow. He sees Strelnikovand hissniper, Berganov,walking up some stairsto his room. Bella smiles, looksback at his desk.

A BLAST blowsin the windows,GUNFIRE inthe streets. Bellarushes to a window,throws it open.

419 STREET 419

Bella'swindow opensas a figure scurriesbelow. The figureturns and FIRES. Bella staggersback.

- ------------------------------- -- -- --..-......_.......---

Behind him aBTR-40 burns in thest~eet. An ALARMgoes off. Figuresburst from doorways-- two RussiansSHOOT each other. Jed moves quickly. A door opens-- beyond it the greenlight of a computer-controlcenter. Jed looks up andsees lots of antennae. Soldiers rush around the corner. Matt BLASTS themfrom the shadows. Jed raises theR.P.G. A dooropens behind him: Bratchenko stepsout. Jed FIRES. Bratchenko is doubled up, burningfrom theback blast. TheROCKET tears into thesurveillance center. Matt heavesin a satchel charge. Jed moves intothe street -- aBORST takes him downas he loads theR.P.G. Strelnikovis rushing forhim, pistol in hand-- FIRES. Jedlurches, FIRES anotherrocket into the flamingbuilding,falls.

He, too, is shotoff his feetas he rushes to his brother. He crawls and collapsesnext to Jed. Russians approachwarily.

421 LONG SHOT -PRAIRIE 421

Toni and Dannylook back at thetown -- smokeand fires -- the distantRATTLE OF SMALLARMS -- a fierygasoline EXPLOSION --SIRENS WAIL.

422 MATT 422

lying on hisback, looking upat Strelnikov.

You'rejust a child. Why do you dothis, child?

A wide plainstretches away fromthe edge of the Rockies. The Platte River shimmersin the distance The Free Zone.

Toni and Dannywalk OVER CAMERA,toward the vista,the backpack isslung over Danny'sshoulder. In her frazzled dress,Toni stops topick a Firewheel in f.g••. and takesone last lookat where we'vebeen.

She turns awayfrom it, andDanny takes her hand.

424 THE ROCK- 424

weathered,older springor summe;. The namesare not as clearas they oncewere~ but they can stillbe read. They'reall there butsomething's different. A railing surroundsa viewingplatform next to therock. Beyond therock the land stretchesforever. A sign stands beforethe rock -- itreads:

PARTISANROCK

In theearly days ofWorld War III guerrilas,mostly children,placed the namesof their lost uponthis rock. They foughthere and diedalone •so that this nationshall not perishfrom the earth.•

THEENO